AustinTranslation

Rango

2012-01-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

I borrowed Rango from my buddy Ken, and if there's anything I've learned from Arrested Development, it's to always leave a note.

This is a great film, by the way! Hats off to Gore Verbinksi for an animated film that pays homage to classic westerns yet still manages to break the mold! I hope they take home the animated film Oscar (how was Los Lobos not even nominated for their fantastic original song?).

Now if they'd only gotten Nico Marlet to design those animals...

31 days...

AbomiNATEable

2012-01-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

A belated birthday card for my pal, Nate, best artist South of the North Pole!

32 days...

Bravisimo!

2012-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Enrico Casarosa and all my fellow La Luna crew for our Academy Award nomination! Working on this little gem was some of the most fun I've had at Pixar yet!

33 days...

Sketches from The Big Game

2012-01-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

I saw a couple of sporting events this weekend, but one is still too sad and close to my heart to discuss. So I'll focus on the more positive of the two: a minor league hockey game that I attended with my first animation teacher, Shawn Sullivan, and his lovely family. Yeah, he's a Raiders fan, but nobody's perfect.

Bert the Bunny was certainly happy to watch his first live hockey game.

Unfortunately Bert, like many of his fuzzy brethren, ended up on the wrong size of the ice.

There was also a lot of player-on-snowman violence. Hockey rinks are just not a place for cute critters of any ilk.

Shawn and I enjoyed the game the best way we knew how: by drawing it.

After all, shouting words is a great way to taunt the opponents' goalie, and a picture is worth a thousand words.

And, of course, no hockey game is complete without a good fight. This is why I could never be a hockey player. I'd be waaaay too tempted to use the knives on my feet.

Our team, the Stockton Thunder, won their game against the Vegas Wranglers. I guess those who play hockey in Vegas should stay in Vegas.

34 days...

ChewROCKa

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the wookiee rock.

37 days...

Another Jolly Dragon

2012-01-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

I did this card for a friend yesterday, but I think it applies to all of us who are in crunchtime.

Breathe in, breathe out. But, please, don't breathe fire out.

39 days...

Wild Sylvan

2012-01-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

My gaming group, The Dandies, dove back into its Dragon Age campaign last night. The last time we had played, we left on quite a cliffhanger, but everyone was just too busy with work to continue. Now that we're even busier at work, we need our gaming sessions more than ever.

Nothing beats relieving stress like hacking a demon-possessed marsh shrub to pieces.

40 days...

Adam and Dog

2012-01-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Adam and dog Trailer from Minkyu on Vimeo.

A gorgeous new animated short film from Disney animator, Minkyu Lee. I had the honor of animating a scene on this one! For more updates, check out AdamAndDog.tumblr.com.

47 days...

Bane Process

2012-01-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Based on the poll to the right, you guys would like to see more detailing the process of an illustration, so I'll start with last week's Bane!

These first few exploratory sketches are always the most fun, messing around with the character's proportions, poses, and costume.

I wanted to be truer to the comic Bane's mask than the movie, but also wanted to steer clear of the luchador territory. Early on, I had the idea of putting the bat symbol on his face to show how obsessed he is with killing Batman.

Nobody wants to see a static character pose, so I figured I'd reimagine the classic Knightfall cover. I figured unmasking Batman while you paralyze him adds just the right amount of insult to injury. For pencils, I always keep it super loose and just try to capture the energy and weight of the characters.

When I got to inking, I altered Batman's pose to be a little more active. I tore up his costume a bit, to give some history to the scene. I've never been a fan of all the loose piping most Banes have. 99% of the time, Batman defeats Bane by snipping his venom-tubes, so my Bane keeps his cropped close to his costume.

The Batman design is a nod to Burton's design (my personal favorite). Bane was fun to mess around with. I like the militaristic feel they're giving him in the film, so I went with mottled green. I'm not sure why they're fighting in a sandstorm; maybe I've still got Ghost Protocol on the mind.

Things are getting busy on Brave, so Chades Challenges might not make it past the pencil stage for a while, but I shall endeavor to continue posting! Happy Monday everyone!

48 days...

Chades Challenge LXV: Bane

2012-01-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

You know what they say: no pain, no Bane.

If you have any Bane designs, let me know, and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join in January 20th for...

Chades Challenge LXVI: Angry Harpies

Chris "Kick-Assthma' Fraser

Doug "Chekerdbane" Chekerdmian

Nate "The Dark Knyfe" Wragg

51 days...

Ronald Searle (1920-2011)

2012-01-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

So passes one of the greatest illustrators to ever put pen to paper. Ronald Searle inspired much of what we think as the "Disney" and "Warner Brothers" styles. Both Milt Kahl and Chuck Jones drew heavily from Searle's style; he had a unique was of distilling a subject to it's simplest, most ridiculous and truthful form.

Searle was one of my greatest artistic inspirations, so I leapt at the chance to contribute to a sketchbook Pixar artists were assembling last year for his 91st birthday. You can see the collected art at Matt Jones' blog here.

After receiving the tome of fan art, Mr. Searle sent us the following note:

Federal Express were at the door at dawn this morning with a bulging box. When all it contained was revealed, I was totally overwhelmed with the generosity. All those animation friends spending precious time to mark the celebration and such a wonderful shower of messages. I really was very touched by the kindness. It was worth hanging on for 91 years to receive such a gem.

I shall treasure it. THANK YOU EVERYBODY!

Ronald

And thank you, Mr. Searle, for a lifetime of astounding art that will always be the standard we strive for!

55 days...

New Year, New Layout!

2011-12-30T14:39:00.000-08:00

As the dying roars of 2011 fade away and the great beast succumbs to extinction like its two thousand plus predecessors, it seems time for a facelift on the ol' Translation. Along with the new look will come a slew of new projects I will be updating you on. Stay tuned for a year of lusty sea shanties, haunting campfire stories, and epic Scottish fairytales. We might even cross paths with a dinosaur or two.

59 days...

The Island Greeting That I Send To You...

2011-12-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Channukah, Jolly Kwanzaa, and Wonderful Wookiee Life Day, too!

0 days...Merry Christmas!

Chades Challenge LXIV: Jolly Dragons

2011-12-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

There's no better way to Santa-proof your house than a fire-breathing dragon with a taste for roasted reindeer.

Addendum 12/25/11 My mom's gift to her dog, Leia, just happened to be a dragon that looks exactly like my Chades design! It certainly made Leia a jollier schnauzer.

If you have any winter wyrms, let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join in January 6th for:

CHADES CHALLENGE LXV: BANE

Nate "The Wreath Wraith" Wragg

Colleen "Mistletoe" Madden

2 days...

Hobbit Envy

2011-12-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

TheThe Hobbit trailer (is that one too many the's?) came out last night. I'm waiting to see it on the big screen, but my DnD character, the pint-sized rogue Ilmare (who you may remember from posts such as these), says if they wanted a real halfling hero, all they had to do was ask.

Which trailer has you more excited: The Hobbit or The Dark Knight Rises? Or is it one of the myriad of films in the poll to the right?

4 days...

Merry Shirtmas!

2011-12-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Along with this year's BluRay exchange (which I walked away from with a brand new copy of Moon--yesss), the Dandies and I also had our first annual Shirtmas. Shirtmas is exactly what it sounds like a Secret Santa exchange limited exclusively to t-shirts.

I was tasked with finding a shirt for Everett Downing. Ev just had his second kid, so I know he needs a nanny. And the best nanny I know of is the Avengers' personal governess, Squirrel Girl!

For those of you who don't know, Squirrel Girl is the most powerful character in the Marvel Universe, having defeated Doctor Doom, Magneto, and Galactus. Ev's dream is to direct a SG movie starring none other than Toy Story 3's Kristen Schaal, so I drew this Shirtmas card for him. Kristen, if you're out there: Squirrel Girl--think about it!

I, in turn, got this fantastic H.P. Lovecraft shirt from my teaching partner, Paul Mendoza. I think I'll wear it to church Christmas morning!

Merry Shirtmas to all, and to all a plain white!

5 days...

Milquetoast & Cookies

2011-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Today is our 10th Annual DVD Exchange--sorry, 1st Annual BluRay Exchange at work. Can anyone guess what I brought?

6 days...

The Noodles Challenge

2011-12-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

Being a toymaker has lost its luster since all any kid wants is an iPhone.

This is my contribution to my former student Fernando Brandi's Noodles Challenge. The idea is to do a drawing in the time it would take to nuke a cup-o-noodles (an animator's main source of nutrition). This month's theme is "Your Elf Self". Mine is obviously obsolete and bored since I am so technologically inept.

9 days...

The Joker and the Choker

2011-12-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

That smoke in the background is probably laughing gas, which Batman has grown an immunity to over the years (much like Iocaine powder).

Speaking of laughs, I highly recommend a click on today's countdown link (below).

9 days...

Santa, Baby

2011-12-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a drawing challenge, here's a good one: illustrate a Christmas song! Santa, Baby always seemed rife with animation possibilities. Community certainly capitalized on the song's comic potential.

Emma Coats

Guillermo Martinez

Maggie Gevers

10 days...

School's Out II

2011-12-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

See School's Out I here.

Paul Mendoza and I teach animation one night a week at the Academy of Art University. Last night was the last class of the semester, as evidenced by my whiteboard drawings:

As you may know from previous posts, I always leave a whiteboard drawing under the projector screen for the next class.

Today was special, because when I got to class, there was finally a whiteboard drawing waiting for me!

Also waiting for me: a delicious batch of cake pops! Thanks, Hannah!

Congrats to our students for a semester of fantastic animation!

11 days...

Reading Buddies

2011-12-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of years, I've been participating in a program called Reading Buddies. Every Wednesday, we go down to the local Elementary School at lunch to read with the youngsters.

It's been an amazing experience watching my reading buddy, Domanic (seen with me on the top left), as his reading skills improve. I've even had a chance to teach him a thing or two about dinosaurs!

If you know of any programs like this near you, I'd highly recommend getting involve. Reading can change a kid's life, but you don't have to take my word for it!

12 days...

Chades Challenge LXIII: Explosive Stockings

2011-12-09T09:12:00.001-08:00

Santa fills stockings with yummy chocolaty sweets,
But the Grinch prefers his packed with nastier treats.
"What surprise lays in store for little Cindy and Tom...
When they get a taste of my green tannenBOMBS!"

As always, everyone is invited to participate in the Chades Challenge. If you have any designs for "Explosive Stockings," let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise you can join in December 23rd for...

Chades Challenge LXIV: Jolly Dragons!

Colleen "The Rocking Stocking" Madden

Guillermo "Slim Dickens" Martinez

16 days...

"What If..." Part III

2011-12-08T10:01:00.001-08:00

The final instalment of my "What if Hell froze over" series for the upcoming "What If..." Gallery Nucleus show. I call it "Hell's Angels."

The gallery opens this Saturday. If you're in SoCal, I highly recommend stopping by and perusing these and the humorous musings of other animation industry artists!

17 days...

iPad, too!

2011-12-07T10:03:00.001-08:00

I finally broke down and bought an iPad2. This is my first drawing on the contraption, a nur-maid for my friend Nuritzi. It's no replacement for a sketchbook, but it's nice to be able to immediately play around with layers and color.

If you guys have any app recommendations, I'm all ears!

18 days...

House Topolski

2011-12-06T09:28:00.001-08:00

I finally found a wedding gift for my friends, Jay and Sue Topolski! You may remember their Hawaiian wedding from a few posts back.

Jay and Sue hosted weekly Game of Thrones parties back when the show was on, so when I saw this Stark-esque chalice at the Dickens Fair (available online from the fine folks at Fellowship Foundry), the wedding gift question was answered.

Of course, I'm one of those people who, whenever they find a cool gift for someone, they have to buy one for themselves. As you can see, Jay if overwhelmed with joy:

If pewter chalices aren't your style (or price range), a cheaper Game of Thrones-themed gift is my "Iron Grill" apron, available here on Zazzle.

This apron will make your food taste better, increase your sex drive and SAT scores.

It should be noted that Jay came up with the idea for this apron. I'll be keeping all the proceeds, of course.

19 days...

More Whiteboard Drawings

2011-12-05T11:02:00.001-08:00

It seems I can't get near a dry erase pen without leaving my mark! This whiteboard happens to be at work, on my friend Neil's office wall.

We like to put up a weekly brainteaser to keep the wits sharp. And being how it is a studio of animators, there's usually a cartoon to go along with said brainteaser. This one is an homage to my new favorite Batman actor (sorry, Keaton).

20 days...

"What If..." Part II

2011-12-04T11:12:00.001-08:00

Part two of my three part series, "What if Hell Froze Over?" I call this one "Ice Laden."

Check out this series, and work from other animation industry artists, at the Gallery Nucleus "What If" Show next Saturday, December 10th.

21 days...

Funny Bunny

2011-12-03T12:18:00.001-08:00

I know this is out of season, but when Steve Niles posted this image on Twitter, I couldn't help but imagine the next shot of the scene.

I've always thought Joker v. Superman was just as good a foil as Joker v. Batman, and this is eggsactly what I'm talking about.

22 days...

"What If...?" Part I

2011-12-02T08:30:00.001-08:00

Gallery Nucleus is hosting a "What If...?" show next Saturday. My take on the theme was "What if Hell froze over?" Here's the first of the three part series, "Faust Bite."

It'll be a cold day in Hell before I paint another theme as fun as this one!

23 days...

Predator goes to an art auction

2011-12-01T10:38:00.001-08:00

It's funny where your mind wanders during the morning shot review.

Of course, Predator always gets what he's bidding for by replicating the voices of the other bidders and intimidating them to back down.

24 days...

Warm-Up Drawing OTD: The Lizard

2011-11-30T11:30:00.001-08:00

Slashfilm posted some concept art of The Lizard from Marc Webb's upcoming Amazing Spider-Man, which got me thinking about how I would design the creature.

The design needs work, but I think it's heading in the right direction. I posted the warm-up challenge on Twitter, here's what folks came up with:

Everett Downing

Chris Fraser

Dr. Connors???

Maggie Gevers

He's just lonely is all.

Luke Baker

25 days...

The PIA Mook: 25 Years of Pixar Animation

2011-11-29T11:18:00.001-08:00

Every year, the Japanese magazine PIA Mook invites us to contribute art to a special Pixar issue.

Last year's issue was an inside look at Toy Story 3. This year is an all-inclusive 25th Anniversary Issue, featuring interviews with Dice Tsutsumi and Sonoko Konishi (who makes the world's most amazing Halloween costumes!).

I'm not sure what they wrote above my name. My friend Mach says it's either the phonetic spelling of my name, "O-sutin Madison", or "man with very odd obsessions".

Unfortunately, the issue is only available in Japan. So write to your local congressman and demand cooler industry mags here in the states!

26 days...

Earl Grey

2011-11-28T11:23:00.001-08:00

My doppleganger, Zack Keller (co-creator of Dick Figures), informed me that my Dick Figures character, Earl Grey, has his own wikipage. I noticed the trivia section on this character is a little sparse, so let me shed some light on this monochromatic mastermind:

-He spells "grey" with an "E" for the same reason he spells "colour" with a "U": because he's not a knuckle-dragging commoner.

-Earl Grey is the mixed-race sire of two royal families, Black and White.

-This supervillain does not move objects through telekinesis. Rather, he "elevates" objects from their working class to a higher station in space/time.

-Aside from high concentrations of colour, Earl Grey's one other vulnerability is a weakness for Twiglets and Pickle.

-Earl Grey has a similar affliction as his cousin and fellow land-holding title-bearer, Lord Tourettes. He suffers from narcolepsy, and must constantly imbibe tea or else pass into a deep REM state.

-And finally: in Season Four, Earl Grey may or may not make an appearance in a Christmas episode entitled "Dickens Figures."

I hope that slakes the wiki admins' thirst for Earl Grey.

27 days...

Chades Challenge LXII: Muppet Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!...it certainly will be for Gonzo the Great if he seals the deal with his lovely turkey friend. If you have any Thanksgiving Muppet designs, let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join us December 9th for...

Chades Challenge LXIII: Explosive Stockings!

Jeff "Gravy Boat" McGuire

Colleen "Mahna Mahna" Madden

Tim "Brought To You By The Letters J and H" Luecke

Sean "Ain't Easy Being Jolly Green" Taylor

32 days...

Whiteboard Drawings

2011-11-23T10:33:00.001-08:00

I teach an animation class at the Academy of Art University. At the end of each class, I like to leave a drawing up on the white board, under the projection screen for the next class that uses our room.

The unsuspecting professor goes to raise his projector screen...

...when he is met by a dry-erase masterpiece!

I always expect a thank you written on the white board, or at least a return drawing. So far, no dice.

0 days...The Muppets Are Here!!!

The Electrician

2011-11-21T11:07:00.001-08:00

A card for my brother, Andy, who just graduated from electrician school. He now has complete mastery over electricity!!! Or at least, that's how I understand it.

In case you haven't met him, this is my brother, Andy. This year was his first Comic Con/Trickster. He took something like 300 pictures. Mostly of cosplay girls. Goooood times.

Congraduations, bra!

2 days...

Alba gu bràth

2011-11-16T10:10:00.001-08:00

The new trailer's out for another little film I'm working on...

This is why we wear kilts every Friday.

While I'm on the subject, remember not to miss Angus MacLane's Small Fry, which will premiers next Wednesday in front of The Muppets.

7 days...

Hawaiian Vacation

2011-11-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

Aloha!

Last week I went to Hawaii for a friend's wedding. The trip also turned out to be a bit of a research trip for a new film of mine. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my tropical skullduggery.

The first step in any Hawaiian vacation is to find the proper attire. I elected the "Official Magnum PI" route.

My friends Kai and Ross pause for a moment to reflect on the importance of pyrotechnics at any wedding.

I also found time for some quality beach-front sketching.

You see a lot of "towel prepping" poses on the beach.

This chick was talking her boyfriend's ear off at a local Starbucks. I did my best to capture her manic bi-polarness.

The beach is a great place to study different body parts, because it's all out there in full view.

You also see a lot of unique poses due to the lack of chairs.

Remember, always wear sunscreen.

There are good beach views...

...and not-so-good beach views.

But you really can't complain when every day ends with one of these...

9 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LXI: WICKED TREES

2011-11-12T16:51:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the delay, I had a tough time uprooting this fella from my sketchbook.

Stubborn little shrub! If you have any "Wicked Trees", let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join in November 23rd for...

CHADES CHALLENGE LXII: A MUPPET THANKSGIVING

John "Bad Seed" Dusenberry

Colleen "Weirwood" Madden

Rami "The Bough that Breaks" Kasim

Austin "Roots of All Evil" Reinkens

11 days...

The Heroes of Sandpoint, Part II

2011-11-10T10:01:00.001-08:00

Last night was the conclusion to our first Pathfinder adventure, DM'd by Everett. Good nerd times were had by all! Accept Erick, who played the hapless halfling rogue, Hob, who nearly drowned...

...was nearly eaten...

...and nearly coughed up his hobbit balls.

Chris, who played our barbarian warrior princess, Zorba, faired better against the undead

And scored the victory blow against Black Fang, a local dragon pest.

Here's Zorba, celebrating her victory with quiet dignity and grace.

And finally my character, the dwarven cleric Baz, glaring jealously at Zorba and all her new experience points.

More adventures to come! For all you gamers struggling with 4th edition D&D, I'd highly recommend the Pathfinder system. Much classier.

13 days...

Post-it-mation

2011-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Man, I haven't posted in a while. I better make this next post profound...

...oh well.

14 days...

The Heroes of Sandpoint

2011-11-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Our motley bunch of adventurers from last night's game: Bazir, the dwarven cleric; Xavier, the human wizard; Zorba, the human barbarian; and Hob, the halfling rogue. Last night's session was all about taking care of a nasty brood of goblins who had been bothering our local village.

At the end of our encounter, we learned that darker threats may be looming deep in the goblins' cave. The game ended with a crab/eel creature springing at us from a placid, black cavern lake. I didn't have any time to sketch the monster last night, but rest assured: art is coming!

20 days...

Big Bazir

2011-11-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Getting in the mood for DnD tonight with a sketch of my dwarven cleric, Baz. He killed a dire wolf once, and as you can see, he's very proud of it.

21 days...

The Monster Squad

2011-10-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

My friends and fellow improvisers, Christian Roman and Don Schmidt, joined me for this year's costume contest. We went as younger versions of the Universal Monsters applying for a transfer to Monsters University. No word yet on the status of our application.

Yet another improviser, Kitt Hirasaki, about to get a nasty hickey from Drac. Someone should have told the count that "Nein" means "Nein!"

Super villains unite! Dark Helmet and Magneto were both entirely hand-made. Magneto may be able to move metal, but Drac can move Halloween merchandise!

If you have any pics of your Halloween brilliance and/or atrocities, please leave a comment below! If not, enjoy those raisins and smarties!

0 days...Happy Halloween!

All Hallow's Eve

2011-10-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

Why the Hawaiian jack-o-lantern? Why the iron nails instead of bolts? These questions (and more) will be answered on the brand-spakin-new blog for my non-Pixar short film, Nail'd.

Check in for weekly updates and watch as my crew and I navigate the stormy seas of animation!

0 days...Happy Halloween!

Another Day, Another Birthday Card

2011-10-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

This one's for my friend Rob, who grew up in San Diego. I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been to spend your childhood in such close proximity to the world's most notorious killer whale.

12 days...

Drizzle fo Shizzle

2011-10-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

A birthday card for my buddy Paul, who is used to follow the adventures of the emo drow Drizzt when he was a kid.

Drizzt has a panther and a possible bi-polar dysfunction, so I couldn't help but whip up a little illustration to go along with Paul's bday present: the Drizzt game that debuted today.

You're welcome, pal.

13 days...

The Halloween Tree

2011-10-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a tradition of giving my mom a decoration for her Halloween Tree (which was made by my brother) every year, for her Birthday.

This year, the card itself was a decoration. Christmas Trees have tree-toppers, so I figured my mom's Halloween Tree deserves nothing less. And what better Halloween icon than the Jack-O-Lantern?

You can see some of the previous years' decoration/presents above. It was my step-dad Steve's birthday, too, so he got some wine with a Halloweeny skull-bottle-stopper.

On the other side of the card was the limmerick:

The witches are singing from brooms in the sky

While every ghost calls with voices on high

Rather than "Boo!"

It's "Happy Birthday, you two!"

Then they dig into their pumpkin pie.

I may just use my mom's Halloween Tree as inspiration for this week's Chades Challenge: Wicked Trees!

14 days...

Breath of Embers Process

2011-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick concept-to-completion look at my Breath of Embers pieces for Gallery Nucleus. Thanks to my friend Cassia Harries for the gallery pics!

"Loch"

"Stock"

"Smoking Barrel"

The show will be running through October 31st. If you're in the LA area, make sure to stop by and check out the other winged terrors!

17 days...

The Emeryville Horror

2011-10-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

At Pixar, no one can hear you scream...unfortunately, everyone can hear you sing.

Our theatre troupe, The Improvibles, is doing a horror musical this Friday. I know it's supposed to be an entirely improvized performance, but I'm already planning to launch into this song as our show closer.

19 days...

Breath of Embers

2011-10-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

"Loch"

8x10, watercolor and ink

These are the pieces did for the Breath of Embers show at Gallery Nucleus. The pieces are available for sale at the store website.

"Stock"

8x10, watercolor and ink

Dragons are infamous for snatching fair maidens from their castle towers. While it's true that maidens are a wyrm's favorite meal, they are far and few between. A plump aurochs is the most plentiful prey, particularly for the Draconis Dreadlochsi, or common Scottish Dreadloch.

"Smoking Barrel"

8x10, watercolor and ink

These plein air paintings, drawn on the spot in actual dragon territory, attempt to capture the behavior of the common Dreadloch in his natural environment. It took a while for the farmer and I to coax a dragon close enough to my easel for me to paint, but the art was well worth the wait!

19 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LX: JUBILANT VAN HELSINGS

2011-10-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

When you've survived the depths of macabre that Abraham Van Helsing has, there isn't much jubilation left in your soul. Here the professor is, absolutely elated at having rid the world of its last sparkly emo vampire. Abe may not be the kind of guy you'd invite to a party, but he's the first one you want there when you notice one of your guests doesn't cast a reflection in your living room mirror.

If you have any Jubilant Van Helsings, let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join in October 21st for...

CHADES CHALLENGE LXI:

WICKED TREES

Colleen "The Bride" Madden

Guillermo "Van Helsing" Martinez

Lauren "Mistress of the Night" Kvalheim

22 days...

"Breath of Embers" Teaser

2011-10-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

This Saturday is the opening night of the "Breath of Embers" show at Gallery Nucleus. Swing by and check out some amazing dragon art. Here's a peak at my submission.

Don't mess with the bull, my friend...

23 days...

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

2011-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

I was just saying the other day how Steve Jobs is this generation's Walt Disney. Steve may not have been a filmmaker or professional storyteller, but like Walt, he was a visionary and a dreamer.

In 1986, Steve bought Lucasfilm's computer graphics division. The Graphics Group, which was soon renamed Pixar, was just another high-end software company at the time, working for medical and government agencies. Pixar would have most likely flourished as a tech company, but Steve could see that Ed Catmull and the other Pixar founders were still storytellers at heart. He took a chance, and invested in his friends' dreams.

Thanks in part to Steve's vision and support, Pixar is now the most successful animation company in the world. The culture here at Pixar still reflects much of Steve's forward-thinking, trail-blazing attitude.

Thanks for your brilliance and generosity, Mr. Jobs. I think I'm going to go order an iPad now.

Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech to Stanford University:

"How to Live Before You Die"

24 days...

"Persist" on KCRW

2011-10-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

My little letter to Willie Downs' Animator Letters Project got some air time this week on KCRW. Check out their website to listen to the whole show, which includes an interview with Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter (unfortunately not related to my portion of the show).

On a completely unrelated note: Happy Birthday, Mom (she's the one on the left)!

My mom loves Halloween, so my brother made a "Halloween tree" for her a few years ago. I've made it a tradition of getting her a new tree decoration each year on her birthday. If you guys have any good ideas for this year's Halloween decoration, leave a comment! Grazie!

26 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LIX: FERAL SPIRITS

2011-09-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

"He's looking at me, Ray."

Slimer may not be "feral" in the wilderness sense, but he's not your typical domestic specter, either. Really, I'm just excited about the upcoming theatrical rerelease of Ghostbusters. Plus, Slimer is fun to draw.

If you have any feral spirits, let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join us October 7th for:

CHADES CHALLENGE LX:

JUBILANT VAN HELSING

Adam "The Goats with the Most" Rosette

Guillermo "Dances with Wolves" Martinez

Tim "Teen Spirit" Luecke

Austin "Spirit Animal" Reinkens

Colleen "Mad Tea Party" Madden

Zane "Teen Spirit" Yarbrough

36 days...

The Adventures of Batman and the Bloser

2011-09-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the season three premiere of Dick Figures, complete with their new nemesis, the maniacally monochromatic mastermind, Earl Grey (voiced by yours truly).

Thanks to my pals Zack Keller and Ed Skudder for letting me contribute a character to their sick little world. I'd love to make this guy a reoccurring villain, so be sure to leave plenty of YouTube comments demanding more Earl Grey. Hot.

39 days...

Dick Figures, Season Three

2011-09-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, the world as we know it will forever be changed by the season three premiere of YouTube's No. 1 animated series, Dick Figures.

This Thursday, folks. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hear my awful British accent.

42 days...

Sounds Crazy, Let's Do It!

2011-09-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Emma is a compulsive filmmaker. I enable this expensive habit of hers in my own small way, by animating the title bumpers for her production company, "Sounds Crazy, Let's Do it! Films". Her latest endeavor, Sweetpea, is currently up for funding on Kickstarter. Most of the production cost goes to my exorbitant fee for these bumpers. Please contribute so SCLD FiIms can continue to have the highest quality animated titles.Thank you.

Bumper for Hitchhiker:

Bumper for Horizon:

Can't wait to animate the bumper for Sweetpea. I'm thinking shark rodeo...

47 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LVIII: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2011-09-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, the whole thing was the hat's fault. While we're on the subject, is it just me or does the sorting hat bear a striking resemblance to Oogie Boogie? Okay, it's not just me.

If you have any contributions, let me know and I'll post them below. Or you can join in September 23rd for:

CHADES CHALLENGE LIX:FERAL SPIRITS

Guillermo "First Class" Martinez

Colleen "Homeroom" Madden

Sara "Senioritis" Babbitt

52 days...

UNPOWDERED TOOOOAST!!!

2011-09-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Nicole asked me to do a painting for her kitchen. The only requirement was that the piece be food-themed. It was either this or a banana in a hammock.

0 days...First Day of School!

The Rogues Gallery

2011-09-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of Marvel/DC movie news on the interwebs this week and it's had me on a superhero drawing kick.

I've always been a fan of Spidey's black outfit. Better silhouette and a lot more arachnid.

Of course, the outfit looks even better on Venom.

It's a shame they put a mask on Willam Dafoe. He'd have been much scarier with just a little bit of the Weta orc makeup.

The Vulture. Keep calm and carrion.

Your mind would be warped, too, if your diet consisted primarily of roadkill.

My second favorite superhero, The Man of Steely Gazes.

I think this was an inadvertent rip-off of an Alex Ross piece.

I'm surprised no one's done Bizarro in a feature film. He'd be a terrific tragic villain...

...especially if he has the proper backing.

Who wants to see this buddy comedy?

Killer Croc's always fun because, like The Lizard, he's basically half way to drawing a dinosaur.

They're like an old married couple, aren't they?

Two-Face. Who says he has to always be pissed off?

And finally, the distinguished Mr. Cobblepot. He uses his bird conservation efforts as a front for his criminal empire, but the truth is he can't stand birds. "There's bird shit everywhere! It's like nature's white out!!"

Hope you enjoyed this deluge of drawings. Happy Labor Day everyone! Three day weekend coming up, and that's cause for a cigar.

4 days...

Thor Loser

2011-08-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

This Summer, I had a drawing bet going with fellow animators Scott Clark and Angus MacLane. The wager was which was going to be the better Marvel film: Captain America or Thor. The loser had to draw the winner's superhero defeating their own in an all-out brawl.

I liked both movies, and while I thought Thor was the better of the two, I can't ignore the objective Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores. So here are my drawings for Angus and Sclark.

Rest assured, I'll be back next year for Batman vs. The Avengers!!

7 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LVII: STYGIAN VIETNAM

2011-08-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

A typical VIVIVIetnam protestor

If you have any hellish designs, let me know and I'll post them below! As always, everyone is invited to participate. If you don't have anything this week, you're welcome to contribute to our next Character Design Challenge on September 9th. The subject will be:

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Colleen "Flower Child" Madden

Tim "Lueckey Devil" Luecke

A couple late submissions for the last challenge, Marilyn Mantis.

Colleen "Black Widow" Madden

Tim "Lueckey 7" Luecke

10 days...

Dick Figures "Bath Rhymes" Music Video

2011-08-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Dick Figures Bath Rhymes music video is up, and my scene along with it, in all it's Jurassic Park/Masters of the Universe-ish glory.

Zack and Ed (the Dick Figures creators/voice actors) sent out this thank you to all the animators who participated in the Season Two finale. Can't wait for Season Three season premiere--when a certain Pixar animator may or may not be lending their vocal talents to Red and Blue's first villain...

12 days...

Pixar is Making a Dinosaur Film

2011-08-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

Granted it's not the dinosaur film I pitched. I thought we could use a little synergy with internet/smart phone app culture. After all, dinosaurs are ancestors of all birds, especially the angry ones.

"Even the word 'raptor' means bird of prey."
"Doesn't look very scary to me. Looks more like a six-foot turkey."

People have been guessing this one for years, ever since some co-workers and I went on a dig with the Black Hills Institute back in aught nine. Ironically, the dig (which I chronicled in my Jurassic Journals) had nothing to do with this movie, but it got the rumor mill churning.

The official premise released today at D23 was, "What if that life-changing asteroid missed Earth? Director Bob Peterson’s hilarious tale depicts a world where dinosaurs never went extinct."

Stay tuned for more details from this adventure 65 million years in the making...

16 days...

Dick Figures

2011-08-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Remember music videos? Yeah, neither do I. But apparently they were once a method of promotion. My friend Zack Keller has resurrected this prehistoric medium for the next episode of his web series Dick Figures, and he's asked the interwebs for help in completing the task.

Everyone is invited to submit a shot, and the song mentions dinosaurs, so naturally I had to partake. If you're interested in contributing, check the Dick Figures music video website for guidelines. The deadline is tomorrow, so if you'd really like to participate, you'd best get on it!

The episode airs next Thursday, August 25th. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

19 days...

Happy Birthday, Em and Val!

2011-08-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of my favorite story artists had birthdays this month. Today is Emma Coats' birthday. She's an artistic gunslinger: quick at the draw and real good with horses. So good that I usually just bring my sketches to her when I need a horse filled in.

Last week was Valerie LaPointe's birthday. A cowgirl in her own right, Val did the scratch dialogue for Jessie in Toy Story 3. So she's got the whole actress-artist double threat going on.

She made a graphic novel called Mermaids in the Desert, and I can't think of a better way to describe Val!

Happy birthday you little pilgrims, here's to many happy returns!

22 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LVI: MARILYN MANTIS

2011-08-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

You and I both know that mantids, as hemimetabolic insects, have nymph stages rather than the holometabolic pupal stage. But don't let that bug you.

I had so much fun researching Mr. Manson, that I decided to do a sketch of him in human form as well. If you haven't watched this guy in a live show, you should check it out. Much like a mantis, I could picture this guy biting his mate's head off.

In retrospect, it looks a bit more like Anthony Kiedis.

If you have any Marilyn Mantis designs, let me know and I'll post them below! As always, everyone is invited to participate. If you don't have anything this week, you're welcome to contribute to our next Character Design Challenge on August 26th. The subject will be:

STYGIAN VIETNAM

Adam "The Praying Mantis" Dix

Here's a late submission for last week's challenge, Cowboys & Aliens:

Riley "Wilde West" MacGregor

25 days...

Corny Cole (1930-2011)

2011-08-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

My favorite place on Earth is CalArts, and the embodiment of that creative institution is the animation department's long-time figure drawing instructor, Cornelius Cole III. Walt Disney may have founded and funded the school, but the culture there is much more of the free-spirited, rebellious, anti-Mouse nature that Corny encouraged. I shouldn't say Corny was anti-Mouse, I'm not sure he was anti-anything; he was just pro-individual and always cautioned his students against becoming a cog in a machine.

That is an especially daunting challenge nowadays when animators seem to be a dime a dozen. The animation industry is more competitive now than ever, and there is a huge pressure to fit into the studio system. To conform to the machine. True artists and craftsmen will always be rare, though, particularly sages like Corny. Pen Ward put it best when he said of Corny, "I hope to draw until my style develops into that awesome, awesome old wise man style."

Among the many loving tributes to Corny are these Producers Show intros from 2003 and 2005. Corny and his fellow figure drawing instructor, the late Mike Mitchell, made regular appearances in student films. Partly because of how much they inspired us, but mostly because it's fun to animate curmudgeons.

2003 intro by Scott Bromley, Ron Yavnieli, and Ken Perkins

2005 intro by Pen Ward

The best way to honor Corny is to get out there and make your own art. Direct a film, take a figure-drawing class, or just "learn to draw with your left hand gawdammit" as Corny would growl. I said earlier that the embodiment of CalArts is Corny, not was, because as long as his art endures (and as long as we, his students, pass on his lessons), he will live on.

Here's to Corny, the animation industry's grumpy Yoda.

29 days...

Transformers Reaches a Billion

2011-08-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

According to Box Office Mojo, Transformers is the 10th film to reach the $1 billion mark (but just the second this week!). Not bad for a movie about a bunch of toys.

Congrats to the ILM team for all of their astounding work! Can you guys do that to my car?

33 days...

Happy Shark Week!

2011-08-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's easy to forget that these animals once gave dinosaurs nightmares, too. Sharks have been around for over 400 million years, with the Great White family appearing 60-65 million years ago. That's exactly the same time as the extinction of the dinosaurs. Coincidence? I think not.

O days! Happy Shark Week!

Potter Reaches a Billion

2011-07-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter joined Toy Story 3 on the other side of the billion dollar mark this weekend. Congrats, you guys!

1 day...

CHADES CHALLENGE LV: COWBOYS & ALIENS

2011-07-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today's sketch was co-drawn by the amazing Emma Coats. She started the sketch with the bucking horse, and I added the vermin.

If you have any Cowboys and Aliens designs, let me know and I'll post them below! As always, everyone is invited to participate. If you don't have anything this week, you're welcome to contribute to our next Character Design Challenge on August 12th. The subject will be:

MARILYN MANTIS

Britni "Face-Hugger" Brault

Zain "The Man with No Last Name"

Aaron "Post-ET" Hartline

Austin "The Kid"

Colleen "Slue-Foot" Madden

Tim "Cool Hand" Lueke

Boris "Mad Dog" Maras

3 days...

The Long Con

2011-07-28T00:32:00.000-07:00

Part II of II: Tricksters and Conmen

I approach Comic Con like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, working each Con to improve the experience and learn from my prior mistakes. Here's the Top 10 lessons I learned this year at the big show.

1. Swag bags can be a drag. "But Austin," you're saying to yourself, "I don't want to have to lug my favorite prop from the movie Se7en around Con all day long!"

Sure, you'll need the over-sized parcel for prints, posters, and toys, so wear it for the first day while you hunt down all your favorite collectibles. After that, ditch the son'bitch for a backpack.

2. Tag your swag. Comic Con vet Aaron Hartline knows the importance of protecting one's well-earned goodies.

3. Make friends with heroes and villains alike. You never know which side will win, and it's good to be connected.

4. Avoid Hall H. Why contend with these lines when you could be socializing with aforementioned beauties? Besides, that Tintin panel will be on Youtube before you know it!

5. Roll with a minor celebrity. My friend Sam did his first panel this year for the Regular Show, and walking the floor with him was a real treat. We must have been stopped half a dozen times for an autograph and it was a wonderful reminder of what Con is about: making some extra scratch by charging for your John Hancock.

6. Know your nerdery. You may be the BSG guru where you come from, but here you're just another fish in the pond. I was nearly decapitated when I accidentally called Teela "She-Ra".

As a side-note, it's pretty much never a good idea to call a girl the wrong name.

7. Think outside the Con. Aside from the wonderful eats around San Diego (ask a veteran Con goer for their recommendations), there's the brand new Trickster event.

Mild-mannered comic shop/art gallery/film festival by day, booze-infused rock concert by night! Trickster makes an excellent break from your Con day and the perfect start to your Con evening.

8. BYOB. Bring our own book, that is. If you follow this blog, odds are you're an artist of some sort. Since you're already drawing, why not compile those sketches into a book and hawk it at the Con? Even my "I am Captain America" cover finally got some love from my new friend, Marie!

If you don't feel like going through the trouble of printing books (or can't afford the process), you can always contribute a sketch to the Comic Con souvenir book. One of this year's themes was Dark Horse's 25th Anniversary. Being a long-time fan of Star Wars, Hellboy, and (of course) Too Much Coffee Man, I decided to raise my glass to the industry titan.

9. Shake hands and rub elbows. It's easy to get caught up in the rush to the next panel or the race to nab that last Tiki Stitch vinyl figurine and forget that you are surrounded by the coolest people on the planet! I'm not just talking about the celebrities on panels, I'm talking about comic shop owners like my hometown comic mogul, Brian Peets from the world's greatest comic store, A-1 Comics; astounding artists like the legendary Doug TenNapel; and up-and-comers like Cassia Harries and Mishi McCaig.

You can also finally meet those amazing artists whose blogs you follow. I was stoked to run into Ryan Green and Fawn, along with old-time CalArts compadre Lissa Treiman, at Trickster.

And don't be afraid to stop someone for a picture! I had a great conversation with Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta about the Cowboys and Aliens screening he'd just attended. He didn't sound very excited, but there are cowboys and aliens in the film, and they fight, so I'm seeing it anyway!

10. Earn the right to go home. For some, that means hunting down that rare Mysterio Kid Robot exclusive, for others it's all about taking home a coveted Eisner award or winning best-costume. For me, it meant finding every Waldo in the joint! Achievement unlocked.

10b. (only for folks driving North after Con) Hit Disneyland on the way back home! What better way to end your Comic Con with a visit to the other happiest place on Earth? For my brother, my Dad, and I, that meant leaving Disneyland at midnight for a six hour drive back to the bay area, but I got to ride the new Star Tours and eat at the Blue Bayou, so I'm not complaining!

Heck, you might run into someone from Con! I happened to run into the CSSSA students (see my last post)! I guess that's why they call it the magic kingdom.

I hope this unnecessarily extensive look back at my Con/Trickster experience helps you plan out next year. There are also legitimate survival guides for the real hardcore Con-goers. When all else fails, remember the golden rule: if you lose your group, don't text, just yell, "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

4 days...

The Long Con

2011-07-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Part I of II: Stars, Stripes, and Animators
It's been a whirlwind week of nerdery! Rather than dump all my Comic Con pictures on you in one mega post, I thought I'd break things up into Con and pre-Con shenanigans. It all started Tuesday with the red carpet premiere of Captain America.

Marvel talent manager George Beliard (who gave me my "I am Captain America" cover job) was kind enough to invite Ronnie, Bill, Bobby, and myself to the event. Ronnie and Bill were the first Marvel/Pixar synergy artists, contributing Iron Man covers last year, and Bobby and I had Captain America covers released this month.

Ironically, I had to ask Superman for directions to will call.

The event was a sea of stars and stripes, and these stars travel in style.

The next morning, it was on to the California State Summer School of the Arts with Erik Benson and Emma Coats to teach high schoolers a little something about animation. Erik, Emma and I all share the same CSSSA to CalArts to Pixar path, so we can definitely appreciate someone like Martha Baxton (below), who has been working to guide young animators into the industry since the Eisner era!

Another stalwart member of the CalArts staff is the cafeteria guy. Ten years since I first strolled through the lunch line and this guy is still working the kitchen! And I still don't trust his taco bar...

Being back at my alma mater to teach exactly a decade after being a CSSSA student myself was trippy because I was hit with two flavors of flashback. Like a scoop of CSSSA on a CalArts cone. It's especially weird when artifacts of my CalArts tenure are sprinkled throughout the department, like Pat McHale's poster for our Senior year Producer's Show.

I can't wait to see what comes of this new generation. After personally critiquing all of their sketchbooks, it looks to me like the future of the animation industry is in good hands!

After CSSSA, it was onto San Diego for the main event! But before rampaging into the convention center, I paid a quick visit to my grandparents in Vista to show them the Captain America cover I was bringing to the Con. My grandpa, a fellow artist, was more than happy to accept a copy!

My grandma's casserole was as tasty as ever, though I'm not sure she's as interested in comic art as grandpa.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's instalment of the Long Con where Cap and I will invade Hall H (because we know the H stands for Hydra).

6 days...

I am Captain America

2011-07-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, Marvel invited me and fellow Pixarian Bobby Rubio to contribute art to a series of variant covers called I am Captain America. The series depicts Cap as ordinary citizens of all walks of life, reflecting the hero in all of us. My assignment was the "little league Cap", which was just fine by me because it doesn't get much more American than Baseball. The issue is a variant cover of New Mutants #27, which is on shelves now!

The variant's a bit rare (1 in 25 of New Mutants #27 will be the I am Captain America variant), so you may want to call your local comic store ahead of time to make sure they're packing the heat. Here's a look at the progression from sketchbook to final cover:

Below is an alternate concept I pitched to Marvel's talent relations manager, George Beliard (Cap as the coach, rather than a player), and an alternate pose, with a bit more of an aggressive stance.

This being my first professional comics job, I was curious to see how my friends would react. So I decided to film their responses in a series I call Comic Reactions.

My friends Jay and Tim are usually more into games than comics, but I think they really dug my cover!

Sometimes one's art can only be appreciated by fellow artists.

Being a professional comic artist means you're a VIP wherever you go.

I was curious to see the response of my target audience: the chilluns.

I drove up to Sacramento to visit my hometown comic shop, A-1 Comics, with my dad. A bit of a trek just for a comic, but I think you'll agree that my dad's reaction was worth it!

It slowly donned on me that perhaps this was a cover only a mother could love.

Can't wait to see the reactions of other professional comic artists at Comic Con and Trickster! Stay tuned!

13 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LIV: REJECTED TRANSFORMERS

2011-07-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Carmaggedon, the most dreaded of all Decepticons...at least in LA.

If you have any Rejected Transformers designs, let me know and I'll post them below! As always, everyone is invited to participate. If you don't have anything this week, you're welcome to contribute to our next Character Design Challenge on July 29th. The subject will be:

COWBOYS VS. ALIENS

Aaron "Optometrist Prime" Evans

Megan "Fox" Dong

Austin "MegaTRON" Reinkens

0 days! Deathly Hallows Part 2 Premieres!

Guest Checks

2011-07-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Now that's rex appeal.

The waiters at Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe (Pixar's local greasy spoon) have started a blog called Guest Checks that features nothing but receipt art. I'm a huge fan of this idea, since I like to doodle on receipts for the waiter (okay, usually for the waitress) and I always imagine the work just gets thrown away.

Here's a guest check from the animator who told me about the blog, Aaron Hartline:

And another by friend and fellow Dandy, Everett Downing:

Now if only someone would create a blog for coasters and napkins...

4 days...

Austin Translation Sketchbook

2011-07-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

That's right, this blog is becoming a book! Just in case you wanted to pay for what you're doing for free right now. These are the proofs hot off the presses from Edition One Books, who printed my friend Dani's book, Round Robin. I'll be doing a limited run of 200 copies, available exclusively at Trickster.

For those of you who haven't heard about it, Trickster is an art gallery and retail space specializing in creator-owned wares including small run and limited edition books, fine art prints, toys, clothing, etc.

As you can see, Trickster is located directly across the street from Comic Con at the SD Wine and Culinary Center, and will be open late into the night after the Con has closed. So you can finally have a drink with that Leia in the gold bikini that you lost in the Hall H crowd.

Other Trickster exclusives include the official Trickster compendium (cover by the incomparable Mike Mignola):

The book features art from professional animators, comic artists, and illustrators, all contributing their take on the "trickster" theme. I examined the hoax-trickster in my piece, "The Boy Who Cried Nessy".

Finally, making it's debut at Trickster will be the loooong-awaited Afterworks 3 (cover by the astounding Lou Romano).

Which will feature my short story, Terrordactyl:

Afterworks 3 will be hitting comic stores everywhere in August, but the Trickster and Austin Translation books will be limited run Trickster event exclusives, so make sure to swing by San Diego and pick up your copy!

I'll be there Friday and Saturday, but Trickster is open Tuesday July 19th to Sunday July 24th. So stop by and say howdy!

Addendum Saturday July 9th, 2011:

My friend Jeff posted this on facebook, and I just had to share.

Todd insisted on sharing a booth, and who am I to say no to the creator of Spawn?

7 days...

The Animator Letters Project

2011-07-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Back in May, an aspiring animator named Willie Downs sent me an invitation to contribute to his Animator Letters Project (a hand-written snail mail invitation, no less!). Willie is planning on compiling the letters he receives into a book, and while he's only gotten a few responses (my buddy Aaron was the first to respond), they're all fairly inspiring!

I wasn't going to post the letter until Willie published his book, but Letters of Note put it up on their site, and I've been getting the most awesome and uplifting feedback from people. So here it is for anyone who needs a word of encouragement today.

If you're a professional animator, please consider contributing to The Animator Letters Project. It only takes a few minutes to hand-write a letter, but you never know who you may inspire!

And in case you can't read my chicken-scratch, here's the transcript from Letters of Note:

PIXAR

May 17, 2011

To Whom it May Inspire,

I, like many of you artists out there, constantly shift between two states. The first (and far more preferable of the two) is white-hot, "in the zone" seat-of-the-pants, firing on all cylinders creative mode. This is when you lay your pen down and the ideas pour out like wine from a royal chalice! This happens about 3% of the time.

The other 97% of the time I am in the frustrated, struggling, office-corner-full-of-crumpled-up-paper mode. The important thing is to slog diligently through this quagmire of discouragement and despair. Put on some audio commentary and listen to the stories of professionals who have been making films for decades going through the same slings and arrows of outrageous production problems.

In a word: PERSIST.

PERSIST on telling your story. PERSIST on reaching your audience. PERSIST on staying true to your vision. Remember what Peter Jackson said, "Pain is temporary. Film is forever." And he of all people should know.

So next time you hit writer's block, or your computer crashes and you lose an entire night's work because you didn't hit save (always hit save), just remember: you're never far from that next burst of divine creativity. Work through that 97% of murky abyssmal mediocrity to get to that 3% which everyone will remember you for!

I guarantee you, the art will be well worth the work!

Your friend and mine,

Austin Madison

"ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!"

10 days...

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Don't let that recession get in the way of you and a good fireworks show! And what better way to prove you're still on the top of the food chain than by eating a bald eagle?

Britain may have the monarchy, but here in 'Murica we can all eat like kings! SFfoodwars.com has the recipe for Elvis Pie, which combines the king's love of peanut butter and bananas (sorry, we didn't have any room for mayo and bacon).

Oh, and make sure to have some Elvis movies on in the background so that the sweet sounds of the king are baked directly into each ingredient.

11 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LIII: SUPER 8

2011-07-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about you guys, but when I was watching Super 8 (minor spoilers to follow), I thought the cubes were the actual alien. Y'know, some sort of bionic organism. The creature from the train was surely just the advanced organism's pet. Some unruly space watchdog. Maybe the cube-man would reward the kids for helping him by letting them keep his pet. Then BOOM: franchise created. Move over Air Bud, here comes Space Spot!

Anyway, if you have your own ideas about the Super 8 monster, let me know and I'll post them below! If not, you're welcome to contribute to our next Character Design Challenge on July 15th. The subject, which you all chose on last week's poll, is more than meets the eyes:

CHADES CHALLENGE LIV: REJECTED TRANSFORMERS

Aaron "51" Evans

Sara "Babbittlon 5" Babbitt

Chel "Trayn Wreck" Traynor

Zane "Phone Home" Yarbrough

Kevin "Devil's Tower" Danison

On a completely unrelated note, here's this week's Kilt Friday pic. Drawn by my Animated Buzz mentee Patrick Stannard. Thanks, Patrick!

Remember folks: if it's not Scottish, it's crap!

14 days...

A Couple Warm-Up Drawings

2011-06-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

First, happy birthday to my old friend, the highflyin' Vi-Dieu Nguyen! Hope you have a ball, pal.

Second: the "Name That Trailer Soundrack" challenge!

After seeing the trailer for the new Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy, I decided to pose a challenge to my Twitter followers to name the soundtrack in the score. Fifty seconds later, someone identified Elfman's Wolfman theme. I should have known better than to underestimate the wisdom of the Twitterverse!

This drawing went to the winner, Nick Folkman.

Speaking of monster drawing challenges, Chades Challenge LIII: Super 8 is due tomorrow! Everyone is invited to contribute and all submissions will be posted! Let's see what sort of monster you would have designed for JJ's film.

15 days...

Combat Con

2011-06-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Emma Coats and I have an agreement: she makes films, and I animate her production company's bumper for said films. Sometimes we even make a promotional sticker of said bumper for said film (see below).

So when Emma goes to a festival to promote her film, I like to tag along to promote my bumper. Last weekend was the premier of her latest masterpiece, Horizon.

We showed the film at Combat Con in Las Vegas. Since this is the first year Combat Con has been put on, the crowds were...modest, to say the least.

12% of our audience were knights, so that's saying something. He really dug the film by the way, even though he was unable to sit and had to watch the whole thing leaning against a beam.

While we were at Combat Con, we figured we'd get a bit of sparring in. Our visual effects supervisor Don taught a lesson in pain to this haughty knave.

While there wasn't a huge crowd at the convention, the characters that did attend were pretty colorful. I saw this gentleman stomping away from a pulverized slot machine.

After the screening, the Horizon crew wandered the strip for a while and ended up running into a co-worker. Usually, one experiences a different sort of buzz in sin city.

We capped the night off with a round of donations to the Caesar's Palace fund.

Needless to say, it was another knight to remember in Vegas.

If you'd like to check out Horizon (and the gloriously animated production bumper), Emma will be screening the film next month at TR!CKSTER.

16 days...

Brave Trailer Premieres Online!

2011-06-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is one princess who won't need saving. Tha mi ag iarraidh briosgaid!

To hear some thoughts on Brave, Cars 2, and much more, listen to the Animation Fascination's podcast with Chris Chua and myself.

Chris and I will explain exactly why we're wearing kilts in the picture below.

18 days...

Opening Day of Cars 2!

2011-06-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

My dad is a huge fan of the Cars franchise (I'm pretty sure he owns at least one of each of the Hotwheels toys), so it's been fun to share the Cars 2 experience with him.

I took him to the premier few weeks ago. Watching Cars 2 with a member of the Baby Boomer generation is the best way to see this film. They are definitely a generation of car culture enthusiasts.

The best part of car culture, in my opinion, are the pit crews. It's essential for any good pit crew to be well-rounded, like these ladies.

It's also become a tradition for my father, uncle, and cousin-in-law to come to our annual Motorama. One of the stars of Cars 2 showed up this year. A friendly bloke, shorter in person than I would have imagined.

Here I am with my cousin Kelli and her family. As you can see, thanks to Kilt Fridays, the worlds of Cars 2 and Brave are clashing today.

Her new baby, Blake, is a big Pixar fan, but Motorama was a bit much for him. Still, I sense a future animator here...

Making family films, it's important to keep family a part of the process. For me, sharing my work with the fam is one of the most rewarding elements of filmmaking!

I should mention that opening with Cars are the Toy Story short Hawaiian Vacation and the Brave teaser.

This young lady is the reason the Pixar animation department wears kilts every Friday.

0 days! Cars 2 premieres!

Orc

2011-06-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Now that they have dragons in Game of Thrones, do you think there's any chance we'll be seeing orcs?

I was in the mood to draw this nasty customer after seeing this new still from The Hobbit, and hearing the first track from the score. If George R. R. Martin doesn't deliver the goods, Tolkien certainly will!

Between The Hobbit, Game of Thrones, and Brave, 2012 is looking like a good year for swords and sorcery!

1 day...

Feliz Aniversario!

2011-06-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Yale commissioned this piece for the one-year anniversary with her main squeeze, Walt. Their first date ended with a midnight viewing of Toy Story 3, and I'm pretty sure it was during one of my scenes that they realized they were in love. My work tends to have that effect on people.

Here was the rough I gave Yale. The actual scene in the movie was animated by the incomparable Carlos Baena. Yale's notes were to add aliens and a cowboy hat on Walt (which I guess he wore to the midnight screening. NERD.)

Congrats to Yale and Walt! May your love go to infinity and beyond!

In other Pixar news, the Brave poster was released today. The full teaser will be attached to Cars 2. Wear a hat, because it will blow your mind. Alba gu bràth!

2 days...

The Iron Grill

2011-06-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

My friends and I throw a little Game of Thrones party every Sunday, but tonight's season finale calls for something special. That's right, it's time to bust out the IRON GRILL. Forged from the swords of lesser grill-masters, the Iron Grill's words are "Dinner is Coming." And, with tonight's menu, those words have never been more true:

Littlefinger Links
Tyrion's Pulled Pork
Maester Aemon's Donut Chain
Daenerys's Deviled Dragon Eggs
The Knight of Flower's Flour Tortilla Tacos
The Mountain's Tourney Skewers (aka Clegane Kabobs)
Targaryen Tarduckin (a dragon inside of a dragon inside of a dragon)
Ned's Head Cheese

And three beers for the three main houses: "Dead Guy Ale" for House Stark, "Ruination" for House Targaryen, and "Arrogant Bastard" for House Lannister (Joffrey specifically).

I just started a Zazzle account, so if you really like the Iron Grill, you can buy an Iron Grill apron. Y'know, for all your Season Two parties.

Happy Father's Day! Well...not for the Stark family.

5 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LII: TEXAS CURLING SHARKS

2011-06-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

If Texas had a curling team, and if that curling team had a mascot...

These animals have proven perfectly capable on the ice in other sports, so I figured why not curling? He's a bit cheerier than the San Jose mascot which reflects most sharks' true temperament (all those attacks were accidents, they swear).

As always, if you have your own designs, please let me know and I'll post them below. Absolutely everyone is invited to join in on the Chades Challenge, and I will post all submissions. If you don't have time to participate in this week's Chades, you can join in July 1st for:

CHADES CHALLENGE LII: SUPER 8

Zane Yarbrough threw down this awesome challenge. I don't know about most of you, but the Super 8 creature is not what I imagined he'd be. What were you picturing before the big reveal? Submit your design and contribute to the monster menagerie!

Megan "Megalodong" Dong

Zane "Open Water" Yarbrough

7 days...

Happy 91st Birthday, Ronald Searle!

2011-06-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my birthday wishes are a few months old (Mr. Searle's birthday was March 3rd), but the reason I'm late is because I wanted to make sure ol' Ronald got our gift in the mail before I spoiled it on this blog.

You see, a few Pixarians collaborated on this birthday sketchbook. The volume contains original sketches and paintings from 70 artists including Teddy Newton, Ronnie Del Carmen, Erik Benson, Josh Cooley, Bill Presing, Emma Coats, Victor Navone, Mark Andrews, Enrico Casarosa and Pete Docter!

The watercolor-logged tome found its way across the Atlantic and now resides safe and sound in the home of Mr. Searle, who sent us a lovely thank you note in return.

The note, along with the rest of the Pixar Searle tributes, will be posted on Matt Jones' blog. Enjoy, and once again: happy birthday one of the world's greatest illustrators!

11 days...

Kilt Fridays

2011-06-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

At the end of each week, it's kilt or be kilt in the Brave anim department. I don't know if you can see the subheading, but that's the Revised 3rd Edition of So You're Going to Where a Kilt. It's important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, y'know.

In other Pixar news, Disney just released this image from a scene I animated in Cars 2, introducing Luigi's relatives: Mama and Uncle Topolino!

14 days...

Dynuhsahrs

2011-06-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

14 days...

Shadowrun

2011-06-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

Took a break from Brave animation tonight to play Shadowrun with our gaming group, the Dandies. Everett Downing ran an amazing campaign, which Emma Coats and I did our best to capture on nearby sketchpads. Here is some of the ensuing madness.

My character was a dwarven hacker named Wolfman Jack.

Ev's friend Peter played the smarmy "face" (that's Shadowrun speak for conman) Iceman. This character turned out to be an FBI informant who gave us all up to the cops at the end. Nobody likes a rat, Peter.

Emma played an old character of hers, the physical adept Burgamont.

The good-natured Erick played the ill-tempered orc gangster Urk.

Perhaps my favorite character of the session was the glam-rocking combat mage Bo Jareth. My fellow game designer Jason played this androgynous wonder.

Drawn by Emma Coats

Finally, our pal Rossi played the punk samurai, Mags. Sweep the leg, Mags.

Drawn by Emma Coats

Early on in the game a transient made the mistake of asking our orc, Urk, for some spare change.

Burgamont and Bo Jareth did very little to prevent this.

Drawn by Emma Coats

Later, Burgamont decided it was a good idea to drop a severed head into my character Wolfman's lap while he was driving their getaway van.

Drawn by Emma Coats

Ever the consummate professional, Burgie took the wheel while my character lost his proverbial shit.

Drawn by Emma Coats

Allinol, Ev ran a fantastic session and, though our characters ended up in the clinker we all had an amazing time and came away with some memorable scenes. Who knows, maybe the old blood-soaked-head-in-the-lap gag will show up in a future Pixar film!

18 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE LI: JON SNOW

2011-06-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

CHADES CHALLENGE LII: TEXAS SHARKS CURLING TEAM

Okay, that one might need a bit of explanation. Design a mascot for a curling team called the Sharks, based in Texas. You can thank Vi-Dieu for that one.

21 days...

Happy 30th

2011-05-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's my buddy Ant Ward's 30th birthday (that's 210 in dog years, man). He's running the new Ninja Turtles show, and he would hate it if you went to his blog, here, and left a comment bugging him to update about the progress of the show, and wishing him a happy 30th. So whatever you do, don't go to this blog, sign up to follow him, and demand regular updates.

26 days...

Welcome to Camp Grizzly

2011-05-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Days at camp without accident: 364

My friend Jason and I have been working on a slasher-themed board game. We're still about a year from release but we'll be beta testing the in-progress version this weekend at Kubla Con. If you're there, swing by the Zombiesmith booth and give the game a kick in the tires.

That is, if you're not scared...

29 days...

La Luna

2011-05-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last night was the wrap party for La Luna, the latest Pixar short from the imagination of Enrico Casarosa. I was excited to meet Phil Sheridan, whose voice I knew all too well from animating his character, Nono. Phil let me in on the secret of great voice acting: take out your dentures for a signature sound.

The story is still top-secret, but what I can say is the folks at Annecy International Film Festival will be getting the first look. Lucky frogs.

29 days...