Animating again!
Well, thanks to a good friend, I’ve come out of a three year retirement to try animating another scene. The scene is only six feet long, but fairly involved with two characters, plus effects. I’m still doing it with pencils and paper, I’ll tell you if it’s worth bragging about after I shoot a test. I was really scared to try animating again, I admit it, but getting back on the horse was the hardest part. I’m trotting along again, and I’m enjoying drawing for animation.
Felix is from 2-3 to 2-9-1936 this time. Felix and Danny continue to explore Phooey tu Yu’s eerie Chinatown diggings. Keep an eye on that diamond on top of the cobra’s head in the 2-8, it’s going to be very important to Danny. In the Sunday, Felix continues to assist the Professor, but gets blamed for the Prof’s bad luck after a sharpster robs him of his radio. Felix never earns lasting respect from anybody!
Krazy is from 7-22 to 7-27-1940 this time. We continue the story of Mimi’s little red schoolhouse, as a strong streak of vaudeville takes over the strip. I am intrigued with the names of the games in the 7-22, what is “prisoner’s base” and “dug on a rock”? I could look them up, but I prefer to be educated by my readers, anyone know?
Patrick is from 4-25 to 4-30-1966, and is usual the mean little kid is beating up Suzy, Godfrey and his Mom, in that order. What does Suzy see in a brat like Patrick?
Perhaps Jim Tyer drew this picket sign in 1947, the last of our series of Terry picket signs from the strike. Thanks to Charlie Judkins for supplying some of the history behind the strike. I’m chagrined to say I’ve never read all of Tom Sito’s history of trade unionism in animation, “Drawing The Line”. I looked at Jerry Beck’s copy, and there is a whole chapter devoted to the strike, with great photos of Jim Tyer and Eddie Rehberg painting picket signs as only cartoonists can paint them. Jim was not only one of the three greatest animators of all time, in my opinion, but he cared about his fellow artists enough to paint signs and march! Very few Union members today would do that. So many studios, big and small, promise their employees Utopia, pension and health plans that evaporate as soon as the job is over, unpaid overtime, and promises of continued employment that never materialize. Unions are all we really have to help each other, make them better, people! Don’t work overtime (or straight time) for free!!!
Rooniman says:
Nice that your back animating again. Hope you still got it.
Charles Brubaker says:
I’ve read snippets of Tom Sito’s book. It’s great. The chapter on the 1983 strike interested me in particular (since that ended with the union losing the runaway clause, opening the floodgate of outsourcing)
“Jim was not only one of the three greatest animators of all time…”
You have me curious. Who are the other two?
Mark says:
I hope Tom Sito sees your comments about his book, Charles, he would love them. Outsourcing and computers were the one-two punch that really buried what I call “animation”, “cartooning” in America forever.
To me the great three are (in no particular order), Jim Tyer, Rod Scribner and Irven Spence. There are many who have an equal claim on greatness, but these three speak to me in a special way. They all have unique approaches to animation, two of them are informed a lot by newspaper cartooning, and Scribner, drew from his heart in a manner rare. Don’t ever breathe “on model” in the same room with these guys, THEY were the MODEL.
Martin Juneau says:
Man! This Jim Tyer is a not only a outstanding animator and artist but a man who really care to his co-workers. This man truly deserve more credits for his work and should have his own book which can help to recognise his underatting genius.
I just heard of him since three years by forums and Blogs. Before that, it was unfamiliar for me. Funny, isn’t it?
Paul Etcheverry says:
Mark, this is good to hear. Outsourcing has wiped out many fields (including the ones I used to work in) and it floors me that people are stupid enough to vote the very scoundrels into office who champion it and other Henry F. Potter skullduggery.
Wish we could get you and Kathy up here in the Bay Area to do some cool classic film shows as well. Or perhaps Annie and I can trek to L.A. and visit you.