Vladimir Todorov reveals the secrets of the eBook

 
Vladimir Todorov is an animator, designer and story board artist who has worked on many Hollywood feature films including The Polar Express, Harry Potter, Beowulf and the forthcoming Jack the Giant Slayer. In 2009 Vlad published a book titled Moon Rock which is about to be released an an e-book.

"Where's Huddles?" or What Was Up with H & B in the Seventies?

While watching the NFL playoffs today, I recalled an old show from my childhood called Where's Huddles?.  It premiered on July 1, 1970, the summer after first grade for me, and the year I discovered the NFL.  I was crazy about football, and crazy about cartoons too.  Therefore, my seven year-old self reasoned, this should be the most awesome show ever!

Sydney Padua's awesome new book

Sydney Padua is an animator, writer and graphic novelist who is working on her first full-length graphic novel - The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace & Babbage. FLIP persuaded her to put down her pencil and answer a few questions about her new book.

The animation student who created his own job

 
Marc Godfrey is an animation student with a passion to work in the entertainment industry. At a time when finding work can be hard even for seasoned professionals, let alone students with less well-established credentials, an entrepreneurial approach to finding work is more important than ever. FLIP asked Marc how he managed to create his own job.

Steve Gadlin Wants to Draw a Cat for You

File this under 'brilliantly bad'.

Steve Gadlin is, according to his own website, " a web developer, writer and comedian living in Chicago, Illinois".  He has created a website where, for a small fee, he will draw a cat for you. His promotional video plays like an SNL skit, but send your request with $9.95, and he will indeed create a primitive, but personalized drawing of a cat in whatever situational gag you request.  You know those guys at amusement parks who do the "big-head" caricatures as a take-home souvenir?  This is a poorly drawn version of that.  

BAFTA nominees - full list

And the BAFTA nominees are....

BEST FILM
Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

The animation artist who became a politician

Roy Iddan - your local Libertarian candidate

Roy Iddan is an Israeli animation artist who is running for Parliament in Israel's forthcoming elections on 22nd January 2013. FLIP caught up with Roy during a brief break in the campaign trail and asked him a few questions about what made him want to abandon his pencil and set the world to rights.

The Sneeze That Changed the World

118 years ago today, in West Orange, New Jersey, a man named Fred Ott took a pinch of snuff and sneezed a sneeze unlike all other sneezes, for Fred Ott sneezed in the presence of a man named Thomas Edison, who was trying out his newfangled invention, the motion picture camera.  This was one of the world's first motion film tests, which must have been mind blowing in its day.

Just a bit of historical perspective as you go about your day, making motion pictures from your phones and uploading them instantly to a world-wide audience.  

Gesundheit, Fred!

-Steve

Richard Bazley gives an exclusive interview about his new feature film - The Chimeran

Richard Bazley is an animator and director who has worked on many Hollywood films including Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Hercules, The Iron Giant, Tarzan and The Illusionist. FLIP asked him some questions about his newest project, a live action feature film with CG creatures - The Chimeran.

Art of Schulz at Laguna College of Art & Design

Friend of FLIP Dave Pruiksma has announced the worldwide debut of The Minerd Collection - and exhibition of original Peanuts artwork by Charles Schulz as well as rare artwork from the TV specials.  The show runs from January 23rd through February 14th, with a reception on February 7th, from 5 to 8 as part of the First Thursdays Art Walk in Laguna Beach.

Dave told FLIP, "This exhibit is free and open to the public. It is one of the largest collection of Peanuts and Schultz artwork in private ownership. The collection encapsulates Schulz's original strip art from every major area in the development of the Peanuts strip and even back to the earlier Lil' Folks panel cartoons. There is original artwork from numerous Animated television specials and features and original illustrations for magazines, such as TV guide and more. A rare exhibition, the owner's first, of one of the richest and most diverse collections of Charles Schultz and Peanuts artwork."

Writer’s Block - the birth, life and death of a newspaper cartoon strip

A Literary Odyssey

Back in 2005 I briefly had two cartoon strips running in The Times. As well as Queen’s Counsel (published in the law pages since 1993) I successfully pitched one for the Saturday books section. It was titled Writer’s Block, and was a gentle satire on the literary world which I dreamed up with a writer friend in Los Angeles, the very talented Erica Rothschild.

Foghorn Leghorn - Porn Star

Write your own caption.

For New Years, I was in Ocean City, Maryland, and had to take a photo of this gem, a local bar and grill  on the main drag. It has been there at least since 1990, when I first visited Ocean City, greeting one and all to come eat and drink at Big Pecker's. Over the years,  I have driven past in the company of my parents as well as my kids, and have always cringed, hoping no one would comment.     But now I have this blog to flog, so I made sure to pull over our Honda Pilot with wife, kids, and two dogs aboard, to take this picture for you all.

Big Pecker's - Foghorn Leghorn.  Get it?  Huh-huh.  It's a vulgarism, see, but the cartoon makes it okay!  Heh heh,  I'm gonna name my family friendly bar and grill that.  Heh heh....folks'll LOVE it!

So, you wanna hear the specials?

The Future of Education - the Digital Aristotle

CPG Grey is an educator with a vision for the future on online education. He has a YouTube channel with a ton of tightly-edited videos and 36 million views. In the video above Grey peers into the future to reveal the "Digital Aristotle", in which the web becomes our personal tutor, just as Alexander the Great was tutored by his very own flesh-and-blood Aristotle.