escaperisms

How I spent my summer vacation.

2011-12-12T11:21:00.001-05:00

Back in August I practically busted my hand drawing characters for a Scotiabank/Cineplex campaign called Scenetourage.
It was great drawing for a living full time again, if only for a little while, and the finished product is...
Well, the finished product is this:

I'll dig up some of the sketches and post the process.

yet another bear

2011-12-09T09:48:00.001-05:00

been a while since I've posted anything substantial on here, not that this is what I'd call substantial, but it is something I'm actually working on.
and yes, it's another bear.

Betty Cooper, Superteen!

2011-10-19T11:33:00.000-04:00

Quick sketch while checking emails. Superteen in the new DCU? She's ripped enuff.

comix jam: L'il Bigfoot

2011-09-14T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a page, started by me, from a comix jam a few months back. It's strange, this one played out nicely, and very much in keeping with what I envisioned for it. Totally by accident of course.
It's also surprisingly filth-free for an Ottawa Comix Jam page.

cheroobie

2011-09-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

this guy happened too.

So long, you big blue boyscout.

2011-09-13T11:44:00.001-04:00

Needed to draw this a few weeks back. My inner nerd was weeping. It's been so busy I only got around to scanning it today.

dumb comix = classy cartoon

2011-08-12T15:13:00.000-04:00

Test animation for the title sequence of the 2011 30 Second Film Challenge, animation by JMac, highbrow humour by me.

30 Second Films, title card from brotherboxer on Vimeo.

design pitch

2011-08-10T14:40:00.000-04:00

some sketches I whipped together for a design gig I'm hoping to land.

happywalk

2011-07-22T15:05:00.002-04:00

larf

2011-07-21T15:22:00.000-04:00

nudder dum komik

2011-07-21T00:16:00.002-04:00

ouchie

another dumb comic

2011-06-30T17:01:00.001-04:00

more crappy comix

2011-06-01T20:34:00.002-04:00

I like making crappy comix

2011-05-31T13:35:00.002-04:00

Merry Christmas.

2010-12-24T11:22:00.002-05:00

ro

2010-12-12T22:39:00.000-05:00

snippet

2010-12-09T07:36:00.001-05:00

Monster Attack! Robot Defender!

2010-08-03T15:29:00.002-04:00

Something I finished recently.

RRRAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!

2010-07-12T21:37:00.003-04:00

old

2010-07-08T10:02:00.003-04:00

This drawing is from 1997! That's, like, olden-tymes now. Remember how contemporary we all felt in 1997? With our goatees and discmans? That's caveman stuff!
I remember drawing this fugger, it was just a doodle that I decided to keep going with. I still like aspects of it, it has a certain charm, despite it's obvious flaws. Invisible Girl's left shoulder/hairline is the most glaring, it bugged me then, and it bugs me now. But I guess I liked that the relationships are present. Mr Fantastic's face lacks any kind of character, so he ends up feeling a bit tacked on, but the other three I really like. There's familial tenderness between the Thing and Invisible Girl, and the Human Torch is in character too.
Just felt like sharing.
m

this isn't the bear...

2010-07-07T09:27:00.003-04:00

it's A bear, but not the usual bear.
It's a design I won't be pitching for a project I'm working on. It's what I'd like to do, but I don't think it's what will sell the show. I've got a whole other design that I'm actually submitting, bit I just wanted to put this up somewhere.

bear

2010-05-21T14:55:00.000-04:00

Robin, minima

2010-05-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

golden-age Green Lantern, minima, take II

2010-05-10T10:42:00.002-04:00

golden-age Atom, minima

2010-05-10T09:59:00.002-04:00

bear

2010-05-10T09:01:00.002-04:00

Wildcat, minima?

2010-05-04T12:43:00.001-04:00

Not much you can do to this one. It's already about as minimalist as it can get.

bear

2010-04-29T09:12:00.002-04:00

bear

2010-04-28T10:32:00.002-04:00

pudding

2010-04-21T15:42:00.003-04:00

as in, "proof is in the".

Things are proceeding slowly, but here's an ACTUAL drawing done by me for Animato Anthropomorphica. I've done a lot of them. Some are much nicer. Soon I'll put them all together a press a button on a computer and POOF! Movie magic.

Ok, back to the drawing board. AHAHAHAHAHAHA...literally.

I need to get out more.

easter doodle

2010-04-21T12:34:00.001-04:00

a little late

bear

2010-04-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

late night last night.

bear

2010-04-19T10:02:00.001-04:00

Golden age Green Lantern, minima

2010-04-19T09:42:00.002-04:00

Scan's a little crooked.

Starman, minima

2010-04-16T15:18:00.004-04:00

Another in the "minima" series. Golden-Age Starman. I think Mike Parobeck did something similar with the star and cape detail in a JSA relaunch from the early nineties.

bear

2010-04-16T13:30:00.002-04:00

Blue Beetle, minima

2010-04-15T15:00:00.003-04:00

I was doodling today, all part of the grand procrastination mechanism, and started playing with minimalist superhero costumes, or at least, minimalist versions of superhero costumes.

Here's the first one I did. I'm not altogether happy with the drawing, but I like the costume.

I'll post more as I do them.

bear

2010-04-15T10:13:00.002-04:00

bear

2010-03-10T11:36:00.002-05:00

bear

2010-03-01T10:23:00.002-05:00

Animato Anthroppmorphica, layouts

2010-02-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

Layouts. I've gone back and tried a different approach to the layout for the film. The first is really basic. It does the job. But I always felt I was being a little lazy with it. The newer version I quite like, and I think it follows the subtext of the film more. The absurdity of the cartoon animals becomes clearer with a slightly more "realistic" approach to the background. It's not a huge change, but I think it's a better option. The final sketch is a very rough version done after a few tweaks suggested by Nick Cross. Just some technical adjustments that should help me avoid a few potential challenges and glitches. It's nice to have the experience of others to draw from.

birthday bear, 2010

2010-02-26T11:49:00.002-05:00

Superman sketch

2010-02-25T12:06:00.003-05:00

bear

2010-02-25T09:50:00.003-05:00

bearhug

2010-02-22T10:03:00.003-05:00

bear

2010-02-19T09:37:00.003-05:00

what I'm working on...

2010-02-17T14:54:00.002-05:00

...when I'm not working.
Almost too busy right now. This is for a new client, I won't say anything more about it right now.
Ok, back to the cartoon.

bear

2010-02-16T11:11:00.003-05:00

Funding completed!

2010-02-11T16:17:00.003-05:00

Holy Moley! I have a film to finish! Thank you to everyone who got on board this week to support my little cartoon, Animato Anthropomorphica. The last two days have been amazing and my fundraising goal of two thousand dollars has been reached. I know there are a few friends out there who were still planning on getting on board, but save that for the next one!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Maybe I should have made that three thousand?
kidding.
Thank you.

bear

2010-02-11T15:53:00.003-05:00

Lookit that. He hasn't been around much lately, but it was just over a year ago that I started these little sketches.
Happy anniversary, buddy.

I'm IndieGogo's project of the day!

2010-02-10T12:59:00.002-05:00

Due to the outpouring of support in the past twenty-four hours for my little cartoon, Animato Anthropomorphica, I have been named IndieGogo's project of the day!
I received this message in my inbox a few minutes ago:

Congrats on your fundraising momentum! You're IndieGoGo's Project of the Day today on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/indiegogo. You're also featured on our home page.
Hope the added exposure helps and pushes you to your goal. Keep up the outreach and updates. Nice work, Mike!
Wow.
Pretty cool.
I am completely floored by the support I've received since I started this project, and particularly in the last 24 hours. Since yesterday, the film has raised one thousand, three hundred and fifty dollars, bringing it to seventeen hundred dollars even. Only 300 bucks to go to reach my goal!
Thank you so much, everyone of you who have chosen to reach into your pockets and get behind my little cartoon. I hope you like it when it's done. With your support I can dedicate more time to the film and am that much closer to actually finishing it.
Humbly and sincerely, thank you.
m

Support independent cartooning!

2010-02-09T12:39:00.001-05:00

Round one of the fundraising drive for my first ever short film is almost over. For those of you who don't know, after 16 years in the animation biz, I'm finally hard at work on a short cartoon. It's called Animato Anthropomorphica and it's a dumb cartoon about a cat and a dog who work in an office. Hilarious right? I know. I crack me up too.
I've put the project up on IndieGogo, a fundraising site for creative projects, with a goal of raising 2000 dollars. So far I've managed to score 350 bucks, a nice chunk of change for which I will be forever grateful. But here's the tricky part. IndieGogo doesn't release any funds until you hit 500 bucks. So the money is just sitting there, building interest for the IndieGogo honchos.
Now, I know you guys like cartoons. And I'm assuming you like me. And everyone loves hilarious dogs and cats in business attire, that ones a no-brainer. So here's the plan:
1) Click on the link below.
2) Fall in love with my little film.
3) Pull out your credit card.
4) Send me the cost of a sandwich.
5) Skip lunch.
6) Let the hilarity ensue!
See how easy it is to support the arts? And if you make it the cost of a REALLY good sandwich, you'll get your name in the credits.
Well, everyone who supports gets a thank you in the credits, but some of you will get a cool title, like "Associate Producer".
Ok, stop pissing about. Step one is waiting.
Thanks!
m

AGRO-nauts

2010-02-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

The world is dumb, and it is contagious

2010-02-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

"Call me Mr Flintstone, I can make your bed rock". Actual lyrics from an actual song. For reals. Here's what it really means:
You are the victim of a grand shell game.
This is what the left hand is doing to keep you distracted.

I can't even see the right hand through all of this.
If you watched the video, you're welcome. You are now dumber for it. Eat your fast food and try not to spill any ketchup or red bull on your Ed Hardy t-shirt.

m

'nother sketch, Mr Terrific

2010-01-26T12:36:00.001-05:00

I really do like these old golden-age heroes.

Superior humans consume beverages via Bearmugs.

2010-01-23T13:36:00.003-05:00

First Troy Little, now Rob Anderson. Occasional Bear's slow global takeover continues.
Enjoy tasty beverages the only way a superior human should, with Occasional Bear.
Here's my store.

Create personalized gifts at Zazzle.

warmup sketch, original blue beetle

2010-01-22T09:22:00.004-05:00

Animato Anthropomorphica: Storyboard finally done

2010-01-15T11:18:00.003-05:00

Long overdue for something so simple, but I've finally dedicated the time, so: the board is done.
It's interesting, I find boarding this has been a completely different exercise than work for hire stuff. I'm giving a lot more thought to how I plan on timing it out, how the animation will work (limited as it is). With a commercial board, you put all the info in, and you can't help but imagine how you'd handle the animation, but in the back of your mind you know that someone else is going to make all their own decisions on how things will time out. Maybe back on Johnny Bravo, more than a decade ago, I probably took a similar approach, and even then, what showed up on screen was different, not better, not worse, just different. So you get used to that, simply knowing it will be different. And that changes how you approach the board. It's almost a left and right brain thing. With this, I know that this is just the first in a series of actions I'll be taking to make this film, that each subsequent step will be done by ME. So I'm looking at how my drawings work and don't, I'm thinking about what choices I'll make next, and how I might have to try a few things out before I get what I want. It's fun and frustrating.
I'm also terrified because part of the exercise is to be funny. I'm hoping for amusing.
Ro laughed out loud this morning when I showed it to her, but having me there acting it out and doing the sounds, providing the timing, helps. That's going to pretty much be the make or break of this thing, the timing. So, we'll just have to see, I guess.
m

Animato Anthropomorphica

2010-01-14T16:54:00.002-05:00

I seem to have a proclivity to ridiculously long titles. First "Canadian Animation Resources", now "Animato Anthropomorphica". That's the title of the very short film I started as part of the inaugural class of Bill Plympton's School of Animation. I signed up back in the fall and managed to make the commute to New York City on a semi regular basis. I'm finishing up the film now, following what Bill calls "Plympton's Dogma": short, cheap, funny. I'm doing my best.
I've set the film up on IndieGoGo, and am trying to raise some money for it so that I can focus on just getting it done. Please go check out the page if you can. You can find it here.
Here's the intial sketch that got the idea for the film going, it's a simple cat and dog thing, and the realtionship and personalities started to take form in this doodle.

Mildly Famous Cartoonist Drinks From Bear Mug!

2010-01-14T11:24:00.003-05:00

YEAH! Check out my swag! Cartoonist and pal, Troy Little, enjoying a warm beverage with his very own Occasional Bear coffee mug. I believe he received it as a Christmas gift.
Cheers!

bear

2010-01-07T13:26:00.002-05:00

getting up is tough when it's still dark out.

working

2009-12-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

bear

2009-11-27T01:48:00.002-05:00

I'm officially whoring out my little bear buddy.
I'm using a zazzle store and you can pretty much put whatever desin you want on whatever product you want. I've got one bear pic up, but I'll add more if anyone has a favourite.
Cheers,
m

make custom gifts at Zazzle

bear

2009-11-09T11:38:00.002-05:00

super

damned catchy song

2009-11-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

bear

2009-11-02T10:04:00.002-05:00

bear

2009-10-26T11:05:00.001-04:00

bear

2009-10-23T11:13:00.002-04:00

bear

2009-10-22T16:58:00.002-04:00

something i'm working on

bear

2009-10-13T10:18:00.002-04:00

been a while

2009-09-23T15:27:00.004-04:00

What's this for? hmmm.

Before and after

2009-09-23T15:27:00.001-04:00

passport pic

2009-09-08T13:46:00.001-04:00

I am so getting cavity-searched with this pic.
Curses.

Quick sketch

2009-08-26T09:41:00.002-04:00

Playing with a brush pen. Need to start taking my time with this stuff.

camping

2009-08-25T10:10:00.001-04:00

Meant to post this Friday.

comic strip

2009-08-12T13:31:00.002-04:00

That's it for this series.

l'il Jesus

2009-08-07T17:05:00.001-04:00

apologies to my parents for this one

Hellboy sketches

2009-08-06T16:38:00.003-04:00

self-explanatory

Charlie Brown (CB1000?)

2009-08-06T16:36:00.001-04:00

Another random sketch from my past.

finger

2009-08-06T14:12:00.002-04:00

I've been doing a big cleanup of my office and going through folders of old drawings. Some things are getting pitched, others not. So I figured I'd post the odds and ends up here for the 2 people who actually check out this blog.
m

fonzie?

2009-08-05T18:47:00.002-04:00

Some early brush-pen practice. Don't know what the fonzie bit is about.

comic strip

2009-07-27T14:14:00.003-04:00

I have drawings here: Ottawa Comix Jam @ Guerilla Magazine

2009-07-24T13:44:00.003-04:00

The last Comix Jam here in Ottawa got some coverage here.
I drew Hulk and toast.
m

comic strip

2009-07-16T12:09:00.002-04:00

comic strip

2009-07-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

SUNDAY FUNNIES: PIP

2009-07-06T13:47:00.001-04:00

SUNDAY FUNNIES: PIP

Shared via AddThis

comic stip

2009-07-02T12:28:00.001-04:00

comic strip

2009-06-29T15:14:00.003-04:00

batman & robin, wip

2009-06-24T09:42:00.003-04:00

superman redo

2009-06-23T14:13:00.003-04:00

bear

2009-06-23T13:24:00.003-04:00

hannah georgas

2009-06-18T10:08:00.001-04:00

I like her. She's playing tomorrow night at the Rivoli in Toronto.

super

2009-06-17T11:56:00.003-04:00

bear break

2009-06-16T14:56:00.003-04:00

I think the bear is going to take a little holiday. It's starting to feel like work, and I don't want to spoil it. So, if anyone comes looking, there may be other drawings instead for a bit, but I'm sure he'll pop up when he's got a reason.

bear

2009-06-15T17:10:00.003-04:00

bear

2009-06-11T15:55:00.001-04:00

quickie today

bear

2009-06-09T09:49:00.001-04:00

bear

2009-06-08T12:08:00.002-04:00

bear

2009-06-05T08:56:00.002-04:00

bear

2009-06-04T16:39:00.001-04:00

running a little behind. yesterday's bear.