Tom Sito's Speech And Podcast Interview

Here is what Tom Sito had to say at last night's Annie Awards.

The Great Artists of the past taught us that we in Animation were more than just a bunch of strangers scrambling to make a living. They taught us that we were a family. As much as I was inspired by their drawing technique, I was also inspired by their generosity. Ben Washam gave free animation classes out of his garage to anyone who showed up, Grim Natwick took a newly hired kid at Charles Mintz named Chuck Jones out for an ice cream soda, so he could explain to him squash and stretch, Art Babbitt was out in the streets fighting for better wages for his assistants and painters. And all those who gave their free time to build the animators club ASIFA,John & Faith Hubley, Norman McLaren, Marc Davis, Bill & Fini Littlejohn and especially June Foray.

They didn’t make any money from it, but they did it because it would be good for all the animation community. I hope in my own small way I am paying them back for their generosity to me. The last lesson the old pros taught us was that projects may come and go, studios rise and fall, but in the end, your fellow artists will always be there for you.

So, I would like to thank ASIFA/Hollywood for this honor, my wife Pat, and I’d like to thank you, my animation family, for letting me be part of you. Thank you.

Tom is the guest on our latest A-HAA Podcast.


A-HAA Podcast
Episode 002

43 min / 40 MB / AAC
02.09.10 / RSS Feed
MP3 Version

PROGRAM INDEX

00:00:00 Introduction and Animation News with Danny and Michael
00:08:12 Tom Sito, June Foray Annie Award Recipient
00:18:54 Breadcrumbs with Skip and Steve: Frank Zappa
00:41:25 Closing notes with Michael and Danny

For more information, see... A-HAA PODCAST Episode 002 Tom Sito / Frank Zappa
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Unsung Heroes of Commercial Art: Aviation Illustrators

Harper Goff
Last week, I posted an article about Harper Goff, the designer of Captain Nemo's Nautilus in Walt Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea". A couple of days later, I was going through a stack of aviation prints to see if I could find an idea for a post, and I and stumbled across these amazing WWII era pantings by Goff. It made me think about the changing role of the commercial artist in society.

Back in the postwar era, the major aircraft builders employed illustrators to conceptualize how complex engineering would transform blueprints and raw materials into real-life massive flying machines. These talented illustrators would create fine art prints for the aerospace companies to give away as gifts to their clients and suppliers. Southern California swap meets are well stocked with these prints, and I've picked up a nice sized pile of them myself over the years.

Today, Photoshop and computer modeling has replaced these great technical artists, and a lot of the magic of flight has been replaced by dull literalism. On first glance, these images might seem super-realistic, but a closer look reveals the amazing technique and creative virtuosity involved in making watercolors evoke speed and power. Here's a facet of illustration history that I would like to know more about. If you have any information on these artists, please post to the comments at the end of this article.

Two more by Harper Goff...





CHARLES H. HUBBELL
Charles Hubbell had a lifelong love of aviation and art. As a child, his hobby was model airplane building, and by the time he was in High School, he had built himself a full scale glider. He attended the Cleveland School of Art in the early 1920s, and sold his paintings to pay for flying lessons. He became a licensed pilot and successful commercial artist. In the late 1930s, Hubbell was approached to combine his interests to illustrate a calendar depicting the winners of an annual air race. For the next three decades, Hubbell painted airplane calendars with terrific authenticity and attention to detail. In the course of his career he painted over 1000 images, which together comprise a fairly complete history of aviation.







JACK LEYNNWOOD
If the art of Jack Leynnwood looks familiar, you are probably a baby boomer who had an interest in model kits growing up. Leynnwood's distinctive paintings on the Revell model kit box covers featured antique biplanes, WWII fighters, helicopters, modern jets and even space rockets. Leynnwood's images jumped off the shelf with their dramatic colors and lighting and dynamic momentum and motion blur. The wings of his airplanes would overlap the corners of the box, making it look like they were ready to fly away. He taught at Art Center College of Design, and passed away in 1999.









MORE AVIATION ARTISTS


George Akimoto

C.F. Coppock

Crundall?

MR?

Alexander Leydenfrost

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Let me know in the comments if you have any information on these great artists, or if you'd like to see more aviation illustration.

Thanks
Stephen Worth
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Theory: Robot Animation

Boing Boing posted today about a robot dancing competition, and as I watched the video it started me thinking... Animation is currently redefining itself with new computer technology; and because of this, the job description of "animator" is undergoing big changes. Someday, perhaps people who read this blog will end up animating robots! It's not that strange of an idea. Walt Disney pioneered the idea of computer controlled robots with the birds in the Tiki Room at Disneyland, and later with Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.
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Cartooning: Len Norris, Master of Just About Everything

After the holidays, my pal Jo-Jo Baptista showed me a paperback book of political cartoons he picked up in a junk store when he was visiting his family. It was by a cartoonist I had never heard of before... Len Norris. The second I opened the book, I started to get excited. This guy had everything- great compositions, stylish design, solidly constructed characters, flawless perspective, funny drawings, great fabric folds, expressive hand poses, wild looking kids and animals- and he seemed to be able to draw anything from any angle. He caricatured automobiles and trains as well as the insides of gothic cathedrals and department stores, and depicted fabulous mansions as easily as he drew middle class living rooms. What a talent!

I did a little Googling and discovered that Norris worked as Art Director for Macleans magazines for a few years after WWII, then began a 27 year run as editorial cartoonist for the Vancouver Sun. Norris would lampoon stories from the paper, which he would refer to in a tiny box at the top or on the headline of a paper in a character's hand. Today, without an understanding of the topical context, some of the gags are pretty puzzling. But it doesn't matter- Norris' drawings are spectacular.

It's clear that Norris was inspired by the work of Ronald Searle, as are many current day animators. But Norris takes Searle's ornamental line and wraps it around completely solid forms. This is exactly the sort of translation that a character designer would need to do if he wanted to adapt Searle's style to an animatable model. But Norris isn't just a Searle imitator. His characters are keenly observed and capture the spirit of Canadian culture in the 1950s. Look at these fantastic editorial cartoons and see if you don't agree with Walt Kelly who was quoted as saying that Len Norris was "the best in the business".































Let me know in the comments if you would like to see more by Len Norris.

Thanks
Stephen Worth
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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