'Flopdoodle X Switcheroo' - 2009 HOLIDAY PARTY

by Eric Stefani

On 11.21 artists Amanda Visell, Tim Biskup and Michelle Valigura teamed up to show new work at an Annual Holiday Party. They asked me if I wanted to play my accordion when they saw me performing at the Farmers Market. When they handed me the invite I was surprised to see that I had owned a book of hers "Popping Through Pictures: Painting by Amanda Visell".

I stopped by their studio ("Switcheroo") a few days before to see many 3D wooden sculptures in the middle of being made. It was the HelperCentaurEphunt a collaboration of Tim and Amanda. Visell mentioned they had done figures for a Simpsons couch gag in puppets, worked with the guys that finished one of Ray Harryhausen's Animated Stop-motion Short Fairytales, "The Tortise and the Hair"and had a hand in making their own line of vinyl characters. I was blown away.

The night of the party Valigura helped me bring in my equipment and showed me where they'd like me to set up my accordion, microphone and iPod speaker. After negotiations, Amanda offered to pay me a handsome $100 which was more than I've ever been offered to play for.

HelperCentaurEphunt

One of Valigura's Mustache Paintings

Michelle Valigura (37)

Tim Biskup (42)

Amanda Visell (32)

This character was two feet from me. He seemed friendly enough until I noticed his axe. I think he's made out of wood with some great colors choices that scream at you, I think this is Visell but could be Biskup.

http://www.myswitcheroo.com/

A switcheroo is a sudden unexpected variation or reversal often associated with a joke (sometimes "the old switcheroo"). I noticed only a few week before meeting them their studio is located very close to a nearby Walt Disney Industrial Building and Amanda Visell's cool paintings are sold at Disneyland and their galleries.

I played for three hours at the entrance to the studio and although I had gotten mostly positive feedback, someone told me that I should be playing Depeche Mode. Never the less I stuck to my handle bar mustache guns and pounded out my Disneyland Carousel Music set and most of book 1-7 from the Palmer and Hughes Accordion course books.

Here is an image by Tim Biskup. Notice the woman's skin is the wood grain. I did not notice this at the show until I found it online.

Perhaps the highlight of the night for me was receiving a paper bag with a Dragon Scout (value $85) and plush dolls including Pistol Pedro (gun), Brass Knuckle Bob and George and Gary Grenade . . . I was so happy and touched.

Thanks guys, your work is on fire and so inspiring! The Dragon Scout Art/Toy and Plush Dolls are awesome!

Images borrowed from Vinyl Pulse and someone at the show.

Lowbrow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowbrow_(art_movement)

I was lucky enough to get to visit the The Filmation Archives a few weeks ago though my friend Scott Yasso. Scott has been working on an animated filmed film for 20 years. His favorite cartoon was/is "He-Man".
Stand here with Scott is the man who bought the archive, Steve from San Diego. He let us grab boxes and look thru them. Cels were sticking together but we carefully separated them.

I spent $60 on four books and and got a whole scene of animation cels of a character called Skeletor. I have never watched "He-Man" but was interested in Animation from "Groovy Goolies", "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch". There wasn't much time but there were over 300 boxes in this archive. We will have to come back to see it again soon.

Here is a set up from "He-Man" I got and I really like the color here. I am still working out how to turn off the flash on my camera, so check back to see up dates later.

I bought an old book by Jeff Lotman "Animation Art" The Later Years 1954-1993. A400 page book of 'animation set ups from all studios including Early Klasky Csupo, Disney, Filmation etc. Prices in here were steep back then, I can not image how much they are worth now!

I remember this was one of my favorite commercials with the guy who plays 'Thurston Howl the Third' doing the voice.
This would be a hard sell.
One color and a great cartoon with a great message.
The tasty-freeze with chocolate on top really grabbed me. How funny it would be to see them being eaten in a cartoon.
This Acey Bird would be funny on rotisserie!
Limited color with black and white really jumps out at you.

Interesting way they approached the nose. Makes you want to buy the product.
These are always kind of creepy, hamabalism.
I really like this bunny, can not remember what colors or why but it's a memorable image.

This dog, like the cat make you want to buy the product! Little Rascals era, Petey.

I bought this book called "Meet Mr. Product". It's a small book full of fun designs for products, mostly food. I flipped when I saw this Carl's Jr. logo with the shoes. I remember staring at this image for hours while sucking down a chocolate shake and having a cheese burger and fries.

You are probably thinking this guys a junk food junky. Actually I am a cartoon junky. I love these simple cartoon images that take me right out of hell and send me to heaven. Note the off register print in red and no other color. Extreme minimalist style.

Joan Miro made paintings that were painted in abstract forms but they had a storyline behind them. You actually can see characters and things in their simplest forms. I really think he had original thing going for him. I would like to learn how he did it.

This image grabbed hold of me when I saw it wrapped around a book cover at Barnes and Nobles. I remember having to analyze and write about this one for an art class in High School back in 1984. Super flat simple shapes and bold colors. The stick man is peeing I think.

Story Endings

Every great story I remember has a memorable ending. It gives you a feeling that makes you feel wonderful walking out of the theatre. Other ones maybe disturbing and keep you thinking about how all the story lines added up to give you that ending. Who wants a predicable ending!? Or even worse, an ending that you don't believe and you end up walking out shaking your head saying to yourself, why the hell did I sit thru all that waiting for that crappy ending!

But my favorite movie endings are ones that leave it open for more story. You feel apart of the story and want it to continue. Even a movie ending that will keep you hanging or "to be continued" is pleasing I an odd sorta way. But what I really like is an ending that I didn't expect, a twist or something that makes mad because you didn't see it coming!

They give you all the for shadowing but don't explain it until the end and you finally feel a relief. Hitchcock was a master at storytelling and their endings. The curve ball that throws out everything you thought was true turns out to be false and what was false become the truth.

I am currently thinking of rewriting the ending to my story because I think it's too predicable. I like to explore some other options before settling on just one. My story can be found at ericstefani.net but there are some clues you will have to solve before you'll find it.

Endings:

At the end of film they seem to play up the 'out-takes" alot lately. Like most people I think we like watching them. The Jackie Chan movies seemed to have great ones as well as Jim Carey.

Moments are

AL JAFFEE -MAD MAGAZINE

I always loved the color of Al Jaffee's work from MAD Magazine. Some people work better in different mediums and for Al I think he's always enjoyed working with color. Out of all the MAD artist he stands out to me as the most consistent. Sure there have been some really great MAD Front Covers by all kinds of artists, but for me his name stand out them most.

I enjoy the white surrounding the characters so much. The water provides the animals siloquets to read so well. The little details he add has such flavor that reminds me of pointillism. Al Jaffee is obviously remembered most for the Mad-Fold-Ins which is like two paintings in one.

I wonder how the black line on the characters is drawn so it does not bleed with the color here. This looks like it might have been down in water color? Funny story that all the animals think his feet are gross. I ran across some originals of his and found out he worked really big to get all this detail in. (From MAD Gross out issue 1988.)

I wish Mad TV would some how use Mad Magazine artwork, comedy?

Extreme Minimal Modern

Walt Disney's Man and the Moon (1957).

After consulting with scientists Disney artists and studio technicians prepared a factual picture of how the coming conquest of the moon. Ward Kimble was the Director and designer on how it may be when we travel to the moon.

This was made around the time of "Sleeping Beauty"

Characters are 3-D and can move like real people.
Backgrounds scarce
Disney's "Man and the Moon" is done is a very "minimal" style. That's the hat I was looking for.

Tom Terrific and Manfred

Tom Terrific (1957). Some great line work. Thick and thin lines, thicker obviously on the larger dog. There is Sick Sick Sidney (1958) done in a similar style but looks like pencil. High Modern style done by Terry Toons.

This style is EXTREMELY MINIMALIST, emphasizing flat linear shapes, occasionally painted in single colors, with little ornamental decoration.

Taken from the book CARTOON MODERN Style and Design in the fifties Animation by Amid Amid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyI-BT5OOY4

BC-H
All Mixed up - trust me it's a good story!!

This is so mixed up . . . in a few days it will be sorted out.

Beany, Cecil and Uncle Captain Huff N Puff take their sailboat, the Leaking Lena to Inka Dinka Doo Island. They are looking to find Sir Cuddlebones Jones (the bird watcher) who was lost at sea after searching for "The Giant Caboose Goose Egg". The egg brings good luck to those who find it.

I remember opening this when they sent to my house when I had my subscription to MAD.
Mort Drucker could nail the characters in such detail. I use to ALWAYS look forward so seeing his latest work. He use to take grey halftones and completely show the character so they pop right off the page.
Al Jaffee was another favorite. A full-color Painting Fold-In. I use to never want to fold and damage the backs of my copy. I remember my Uncle Mike Stefani had giving me his collection and they had all been folded. George of the Jungle Comic Book found along with a large collection of old MAD Magazines. 1975-1988. Plus some 1940's comic books of Yogi Bear and Heckle and Jeckle. Talk about your pinks and green here.

Story and Character Design

The Henpecked Duck" (1942- Warner Brother) Supervision Robert Clampett

The duck has no clothes, is in black silhouette. Perfect for animation.

Daffy shakes the egg he's watching to hear what's inside, while he prepares for a magic trick with it.

Ala-Kaz-Zam! . . . and the egg he's suppose to be watching disappears. Perspective is everywhere going all which ways. The background is minimal. Drawing is hilarious!