Fartbot Animation WIP

Enjoy.

Character rig: James Jones.
Animation: Kevin Wisdom

Fartbot textures WIP

So here is what the Fartbot's textures are looking like. Cast iron stomach, rickety joints, and a red hot belly. Textures by Veronica Harper and Kevin Wisdom. Mike Kopa laid out the UVs.

Fartbot

Character design by J Chad Erekson

We were asked to be part of a collaborative project featuring robots. Our segment features a robot that farts. Based on that brief description, this is what we came up with.


Character model by Kevin Wisdom

As always, let us know what you think.

We need more interviews like this one... from all political figures.

No Z depth, but tons of great gameplay.

Midway recently put several of their arcade classics online for people to play. Some of these games were released before some of the people who work at Bishop Animation. Take a trip back to the olden days of videogames to see what gameplay and replay value are all about.

Vladimir (Bill) Peter Tytla - One of the Non-Nine Old Men

There's a lot of talk about the Nine Old Men. I started to blog about them a few posts back. While researching the Nine Old Men, I started to learn more and more about the animators that aren't part of the list.

Bill Tytla is responsible for a lot of great character animation, but perhaps his best work is on Stromboli. Have a look at this sequence from "Pinocchio", and try to count the emotions Stromboli displays. In my opinion, Stromboli's animation outshines Pinocchio's in this sequence, as the burden of acting is on Stromboli. Without such a grand performance, there is nothing for Pinocchio to react to. Take a look and see for yourself:

Even though Bill Tytla was paid well as an animator, he was a part of the Disney strike in 1941. The strike was a dark time for the Disney studios, and many of the artists who did strike were pressured out of the studio in one way or another. Bill Tytla was no different.

Tytla's perception was that he was unwelcome at the Disney studio. Less challenging work, his wife's three-year long illness with tuberculosis, fear of Japanese attack, and a desire to live on his Connecticut farm eventually led him to the decision to leave the studio. He resigned from the Disney studio on February 24, 1943, an action he regretted for the remaining twenty-five years of his life. (source: The Vladimir Tytla Page)

You can bet dollars to doughnuts that this is why Bill Tytla is not on the list of Walt's Nine Old Men, even though he obviously had the talents to be included on such a list.

RIP Steve Irwin

I heard on the news this morning that Steve Irwin was killed by a Stingray. Who would have guessed, after all the crocodiles, snakes, sharks, and more that a stingray would be the animal to kill Steve Irwin?

My kids loved watching all his various shows and specials. We enjoyed watching each week as Steve showed us things about animals that we had never seen or known before. Hopefully his family is well taken care of, and continues to bring attention to animal conservation and education.