Matt Leong draws Rev. Unicorn

The highly talented (and good buddy of mine) Matt Leong draws the Rev. John Henry Unicorn in all his glory to the sweet tones of the Fakesplosion. Thanks Matt!

Check out more of Matt's art here!

Also check out www.AtomicClockworkmedia.com

Man vs Art vs Jim

I guested on my buddy Raul Aguirre, Jr's artcast MAN VS ART. We talked about last week's Animation Getdown and other cartoon business stuff. Raul also gives some really helpful art tips and we act a fool in general. Fun stuff!

CHECK OUT THE RADIO MAGIC HERE!

And the winner is...

ALPHANERD, my misguided, non-powered, crime buster will be the star of my next cartoon movie. Thanks to everyone that voted.

You Choose!

Pick my next cartoon! It's a three toon race. Your vote counts, America (and world!) Which of the following characters would you like to see as the star of my next cartoon short?

Securityman?

Stoner Girl?

Alphanerd?

Pick one of the above. Votes will be tallied Sunday night at 6 pm PST! Vote now and vote loud...Vote by leaving me a comment!

The Real Jose Cabrera!

An honor, my friend, an honor.

Check out the Crying Macho Man!

Animation Getdown Pics!

Saturday January 16th, Geeks Comics, Whittier- I can honestly say the very first Animation Getdown at Geeks was a huge success. We had standing room only. A full house. Yup, the indie animators packed the place. It was a nice feeling. I wasn't sure how many people were going to show.

Me & Raul Aguirre, Jr contemplating our next moves. Are people gonna show up? Well, yes they did. Oh yes they did indeed. Nice!

Packed! This was my view from the "stage", when I kicked off the show with

"John Henry Unicorn". I played other 3 shorts as well.

It was like a Cartoonistas reunion! Yowza!

Our new animator buddies Dahveed and Steve, creators of Supa Pirate Booty Hunt. These guys dressed in costume and came out and did this crowd warming thing before their stuff played. Hilarious. Really warm, nice guys, too.

Me and the Romo being all smiley and such! Steve Romo is a life long good buddy and quite the artist in his own right. He colored my cartoons Securityman, Get your Groove On, and Chicken 'n Cigarettes. Color by Romo.

Raul Aguirre, JR and Luis Escobar manly friends. Two great dudes, one great event!

The insanely talented Rafael Navarro, creator of Sonambulo. Seriously, One of the most talented guys I know. Rafael got fan mobbed, seriously. Pretty funny to see!

I was SHOCKED to see my good friend Jose Cabrera back from Mexico! He was there for over a year studying and working through a scholarship. Jose is not only the creator of the Crying Macho Man cartoon strip, but I also named my latest character (the hitman) after him. Love the guy (and his wife Naomi is awesome, too!). Really glad to see them.

Scott Essman (bottom center) brought his voice actors along with him. It was great seeing them again. We played the Edge of LA cartoon fest in Claremont last year together.

Raul Aguirre's Che Guevarra t shirt cartoon in action!

Sal , owner of Geeks was a happy camper that night. Glad we could help.

..and YES! There was SEKO. Ted Seko!!

I have to say, Gras Rodriguez stole the show with her Granny toons and her Inland Empire Barbie shorts!

And there it is: The world premiere of my latest cartoon, Seven Smiles. Luis Escobar said it was his favorite of all my characters. Thats good enough for me. Thanks for everyone showing up. A big thanks to NUVEIN for providing the outstanding DVD projector and killer screen. You guys rock! Thanks again, Sal..... We shall GET DOWN again!

SATURDAY! ANIMATION GETDOWN at GEEKS!

The first ever GEEKS ANIMATION GETDOWN! Showcasing some of the coolest independent animation around...FREE ADMISSION! Come get your toon on! Thanks to GEEKS and the NUVEIN Foundation for the Arts! I'll be showing my stuff there along with other local indie animators!

7:00 pm -10:00pm FREE!
Saturday, January 16th at GEEKS comics!

For more info contact GEEKS
6747 Greenleaf Ave
Whittier Ca 90601
562-696-9393

SEVEN SMILES

Enjoy!

Seven Smiles themesong sung by Bob Lujan.

Watch a bigger version on YouTube.

Big Illustration Hangover!

Check out the radio magic! Me, Kevin Cross, and Josh Kemble talk a little Animation Getdown!

Real life Okee Dokee (well almost)

WOW...there is a real life clown by the name of Oakie Dokey. That’s the same name, minus the spelling, as my cartoon clown "Okee Dokee", Okee was one of the first cartoons I ever did. Black and white. Animatic format. It played on public access and scared many a late night viewer. The real life Oakie seems alot more family friendly....lets hope so!

Check out the real life Oakie Dokey HERE!

I sincerely hope this Oakie Dokey has better luck than his unfortunate animated namesake! Check out the film below! (oh, it's a classic!)

Animation Getdown commercial

Thanks to Raul Aguirre, Jr for this awesome advertisement. See y'all there on the 16th!

Sasha and Edna

Just to show great minds think alike.....



Above my character SASHA KAHN, from my early animatic cartoon Okee Dokee the Clown. This cartoon came out in the mid nineties. Sasha was a strange lady who was connected in the bizarre underworld of underground clubs. Sasha introduces Okee to a weird new world.



And this, of course, is the lovely EDNA MODE from the (amazing) film the Incredibles. Brad Bird (creator) voiced Edna. I always felt like we were on the same page with the character styles. So...Pixar....gimme a call. Lets do a movie. PS...Incredibles is one of my all time favorite films.

JAN 22nd-WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BADGES ANIMATION FEST!

click the poster to go to the Facebook page for more info!

It's coming soon...the WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BADGES ANIMATION FEST!

"We ain't waiting for Hollywood to deputize us! Badges?! We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!"

Coming January 22nd, 2011 at GEEKS in Whittier- A brand
...new animation show featuring some of the coolest independent animation
around! Geeks and Nuvein are proud to present "WE DON'T NEED NO
STINKIN' BADGES"! The outlaw independent animation show! Some all
original, DIY, creator owned cartoons will be on display ....along with
some surprises!

Saturday, January 22, 2011 · 7:30pm - 10:30pm

GEEKS Comics
6747 Greenleaf Ave Suite A
Whittier Ca 90601
562-696-9393

Mailbag!

This week's email is from super artist and metal master Mark Rudolph. Mark is co-host of the Art and Story podcast and artist/creator of such cool books as John Oxbow and Closing Doors.

Mark writes:

Mr. Lujan-

How do I get as big and strong as you? Also could you model how you come up with characters? Either artistically or through voice?

-Mark Rudolph, Junior Lujan in Training

Well Lil' Marky, Eat your spinach and do lots of chin ups. Also, randomly punch men in dive bars. I find that helps to keep the edge. As far as character designs go, If I draw a character, lets say in my sketchbook, and they have a characteristic that jumps out at me (like if they look mean) I'll expand on that. Sometimes they create themselves. Happy accidents. Whatever the case, it always starts with a small spark of an idea. I usually don't sit down and try and consciously design a character from thin air. Sometimes I'll see something on TV or in a movie and that will spark an idea for a character.The voice just comes from what I think they look like they would sound/act like. Its a constantly regenerating cycle. As far as fuel for character creation goes, I just look around me. So-Cal is good for that. Then it's all about creating the backstory...all from a little spark.

This guy's design was inspired by...

This guy. Character actor supreme Luis Guzman.

Want your email answered? Write me a question at jimlujan@earthlink.net