Here's some fun design from a 50s Cheerios Kid commercial.I love the clever use of values. It's amazing how good black and white can look when it's done with control and know-how.Besides the design, the other thing I like about old animated commercials is that they tell a story.I like how the real kid accepts the magic of a little super elf that inhabits his cereal.An adult probably wouldn't buy
September 05, 2010 06:30 AM
I did this color in Painter 2 long ago. It was a bugger of a program to use, and it got worse with each new version. I'm not able to do this sort of thing with the later versions.
September 04, 2010 03:48 PM
http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2010/09/jack-kirby-dick-ayers-steve-ditko.htmlThat website is fantastic, by the way. Lots of great illustrators from 100 years ago or so.
September 03, 2010 09:27 PM
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Holy Mackerel! What a smile (above)! The cheeks are amazing. When someone smiles like this, do the cheek muscles inflate or simply bunch up? If they bunch up, then why doesn't that steal mass from some other part of the face? Almost the whole muzzle gets larger.
Also interesting is the triangle in which her nose and mouth are embedded. They do lose a little mass, but not enough to explain where the cheek bulge comes from. When the triangle stretches out to the sides like this, you can see the features wrap around the vertical mouth cylinder.
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I love clothes that wear the human. Here (above) John Carradine is enveloped by a predatory Gaham Wilson jacket . The jacket is the sentient creature, Carradine is merely the conveyance.
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What a silhouette! Look at the way the man's features (above) wrap around the front of his head. And that furrowed brow...!
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Nanga! Nanga! Nanga! ! I love "S" curves in figure photography (above).
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A typical nerd face (above)...or is it? If you imagine a normal hair cut, no glasses and a closed mouth, the guy doesn't look like a nerd anymore. It makes you wonder how many nerds you know that are really normal looking people who dress funny.
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Above, a "Z" curve! Also, a fascinating head shape and chest on this girl. The straight hair emphasizes them. |
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Some girls (above) are self-conscious about having braces, and they try to cover them up by smiling in a strange way. I sympathize. After a lifetime of smiling in a way that covers up my buck teeth, I've learned to let my teeth show naturally. I'd hide them if I thought it would do any good, but there's no use trying to conceal what can't be concealed. Actually, I kinda like them now.
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People's whole lower muzzle (above) withdraws into their face and neck when they smile, or at least it seems to. The effect is heightened by the whole head being pulled back and the cheeks being thrust out. Fascinating, eh?
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September 03, 2010 08:12 AM
Yep, he's got it. 7 years of dealing with irascible bears and finally he's gonna take some time off to woo his little lonely little wifie-pie.PART 1 - LOVE DENIED"How long have I denied myself the loving embrace of a civilized woman?"PART 2 - WIFIE PUSS WAITS NO MORE
September 02, 2010 06:25 PM
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Stage mothers really have a bad rep, but is it deserved? I'm not so sure. The fact is that an awful lot of talented people in the past started doing what they were famous for when they were five, if not sooner. Think of Buster Keaton who lived his whole life on the stage and in front of the camera. Look at what he achieved. Could he have done that if he'd started at age 23 like college grads do today?
Of course, starting early requires focus and that requires a pushy adults. Ditto for getting good work habits. That's why we need stage mothers. You don't want a mother who nags, and bullies, but you do want one that pushes you. I'm not talking about school work, I'm limiting this discussion to professions like music and dancing, auto mechanics, art, etc which can be learned by watching skilled people and practicing, which is the natural way that kids learn.
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A few stage mothers in the entertainment industry are famous, and so far as I know were loved by their children: Minnie Marx, mother-manager of The Marx Brothers; Jaid Barrymore, mother of Drew; Gertrude Temple, who managed Shirley and spent hours every day curling her kid's hair; and Judy Garland's mom Ethel Gumm, just to name a few. Where did this myth come from that all stage mothers are evil (Gary Goldman's dad, notwithstanding)?
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Stage mothers of the world, this toast is for you. You gave your kids the gift of a trade, of a chance to practice their profession while they were still young enough to innovate and develop a passion for it. Good for you!
Er...is that woman above really female? She looks a little odd.
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I couldn't resist throwing this in (above): Judy Garland singing "Texas Tornado" in a completely professional manner when she was only 14. She could do that because her mother arranged for her to learn how to sing while she was still in the egg shell.
Haw! Stephen Rodgers' ably answered my argument with this song (above) by Noel Coward. I have to admit that it makes a powerful argument, but I'm not ready to admit defeat. I was hoping to score on a larger point, namely that people nowadays begin careers too late in life.
To make a big impact you have to start early, so you can turn professional when you're young enough to pour lots of energy and idealism into what you do. Stage mothers add a bit of balance to a school system that wastes youth.
I wish we still had Vaudeville, or an updated version of it. Talentless performers would get weeded out pretty fast if they had to play before live audiences that paid for their tickets.
September 02, 2010 08:20 AM
This is a story of man living in idyllic hinterlands.the rundown
September 01, 2010 11:13 PM
