DAN VS. Season 2 Stuff

What?!? I'm actually posting something NEW?? CRAZY!! Yeah, I've been super busy with the 2nd season of DAN VS., but now that it's finally airing, I get to share my designs from this past year with you guys. This ain't nuthin' tho... there's SO much more crazy shit coming up this season that I can't wait to post. But you'll just have to wait for that...

Dan & Chris in their finest golf-wear, from DAN vs GOLF.

Bonus points for you if you caught the Bill Murray reference.

From DAN vs THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED, I try to get my Mignola on.

From DAN vs THE GYM, here's the robo-cized versions of the main cast

Evil Chad-Bot gets zapped with 5 Million volts. Here's a closer look at my effects design for the sequence.

What's good for Chad is good for Dan-Bot.

From DAN vs DANCING, inbred psychotic cannibals based on old dance movies...

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Speaking of DAN VS., earlier this month I was nominated for an Annie Award for "Best Character Design in a Television Production" for my work on the show. What's an Annie Award? It's the animation industry's own award, kinda like a Emmy or Grammy. But for cartoon folk. I didn't win, but like the old cliché goes, it was an honor to be nominated, especially by my own people! ...plus there were free drinks.

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It's official: I'll be part of the DAN VS. Panel @ the Anaheim WONDERCON on Sunday, March 18th. Join us as we give you the lowdown on how we produce the show!

2:30-3:30 Meet the Creatives Behind DAN VS.— Show creators Chris Pearson and Dan Mandel, along with Brian Sheesley (supervising producer/director), Chris Battle (lead character design) and voice talent Curtis Armstrong ("Dan"), Paget Brewster ("Elise") and Dave Foley ("Chris") talk about the genesis of this hidden gem, now in its third season on The Hub. Join them for a special sneak peak screening of an upcoming episode, followed by a Q&A. Moderated by Tom Kenny ("Spongebob") Room 213

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Because you've all been so patient waiting for a new post, here's a lil' treat from my DEXTER'S/POWERPUFF/KICK BUTTOWSKI pal Chris Savino: A short promo film for something silly he's hoping to explore further-- BIGFOOT & GRAY: ON THE RUN. Go to his blog to check out more!

Q-POP Benefit Art Show!

On January 14th, I'll be part of a group show at Q-POP in Little Tokyo to benefit Thailand flood relief. Recent flooding in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia have left thousands dead and 100's of thousands homeless or short on food. Damage has been estimated in the billions. Come down to Q-Pop for a fundraiser/art sale and hang out with friends, enjoy some music and art, and most importantly, help some people in need. Tune in Tokyo will be spinning some great tunes!! More info HERE.  

A framed 7 x 17 print of my "VooDoo Love" piece will be up for auction! Bid on some girlie art for a good cause!

Donating artists include: Junko Mizuno Elizabeth Ito Kevin Dart Tim Biskup Amanda Visell Shane Glines Craig McCracken Lauren Faust Anna Chambers Billy Idol ( yes...THAT Billy Idol Shiyoon Kim Miles Thompson Paul Rudish Carey Yost and many more...

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Bonus dodo bird doodle.

Buncha Doodles

Man, DAN VS. is keeping me extra busy these days. Still have time for the occasional doodle, tho.

I forgot to mention...

... I HAZ A TUMBLR.

It's kind of like a new post....

Wow, remember when everybody was doing Influence Maps a year ago? ...Yeah, I've been sorta busy. I used to hand in my homework late, too. Here it is anyways. Come back in another year when I'll share a really funny Nyah Cat cartoon.

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Who like cartoons? Who likes FREE cartoons??? Then head on over to the iTunes Store and download the 1st episode of DAN VS. for FREEBIES! The offer's only good 'til 8/03/2011, so if you're reading this in September, you're outta luck.

More DAN VS. Art

We just started work on season 2 of DAN VS., so what better time to share some more designs from season 1:


I based this Andy Warhol-meets-Mr. Brainwash art celebrity on my old Powerpuff/Sam Jack co-worker Chris Mitchell

This TRON-suited version of a holographic zoetrope
rider didn't make the final cut. Shame... I dug it.

... and of course, the best way to end a blog post is with a monkey in a tuxedo.
(His scene wound up getting cut)
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There's a new interview with me up on Animation Insider, where I spill the beans about what it's like working in the biz.

Check out all the other interviews while you're there; The site focuses on the real artists in the trenches-- Prop artists, background designers, storyboard artists, painters, directors, etc… the blue collar workers of animation -- who make the award winning shows we all love. Learn who they are, what they do, how they got into the biz and why.

Benefit Art Auction for Japan Relief

This week, I'm holding 2 special benefit auctions on eBay with 100% of the proceeds going to Give2Asia to aid relief work in post-tsunami Japan. They're for 2 additional Tron Quorra prints like the ones sold at Q-Pop's "Help Japan" show out here in L.A. last month.

Since the quickly organized Q-Pop show was unable to offer international sales thru their online store, I decided to offer these extra prints on eBay to allow some of my overseas fans (Some of whom contacted me about their inability to buy the Q-Pop pieces) to get in on the action. The auctions just went live last night, and will end May 1st @ 9:00 PM.

You can bid on the original Blue Faction vers., or the Red Faction variant.
Show your love of TRON & Japan and make a bid!
BTW- Actual prints don't have those logos on 'em; That's just a mock-up.

"DAN VS." Art

Finally finished work on Season 1 of DAN VS., so now I actually have some
time to share my designs with ya:

Drawing Edo-period Japanese characters is fun!
This trick-or-treater wound up hanging upside down tied up in rope,
so here's your chance to actually see him.

Little Elise, from her traumatic New Mexico childhood flashback.
Chris (Voiced by Canuck Dave Foley) reveals his Canadian ancestry by changing into
a bear when threatened, as "all Canadians are half bear" according to Dan.
Ya can't do a proper Canada show without a Sasquatch appearance.
... and check out the billboard I did for the show!
(Along with my original concept art)
This one's up over the 101 FWY in Hollywood (Where Cahuenga meets Barham)
so if you're driving through in the next week or two, keep your eyes peeled!
The billboard isn't up anymore, but you can see some coverage of it HERE!

Q POP Help Japan Art Fundraiser

As you all know, a terrible tragedy has hit Japan. The amount of loss and damage is still not known, but the casualties are now in the thousands.
This is a terrible reminder that disaster can strike at any minute and it's at times like these that we need to let the people of Japan know that their friends around the world will come to their aid and help them in their darkest hour.

A benefit art show has begun at Q-POP in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles featuring works from artists from the L.A. animation and art communities-- RIGHT NOW you can buy artwork that will benefit relief efforts in Japan (80% will go to the International Red Cross and 20% will cover Q-Pop's costs with credit card company charges and staff costs only) with a special auction of remaining artwork on Friday, March 18, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

Q-POP is located at
128 Astronaut E S Onizuka st
Los Angeles Ca 90012
Add this to your Facebook events HERE!

I'm donating 2 prints of my popular TRON Legacy Quorra piece-- One in the standard blue, and a special Sark "Red Faction" variant. Both measure 9 x 16 and sell for $100, and are available NOW! SOLD OUT!

DAN VS. Premieres tonight!

This weekend you can catch my designs for the new series DAN VS., premiering Saturday, Jan. 1 @ 9:00 PM eastern/6:00 PM Central on The Hub

Dan is an ill-tempered curmudgeon with a major chip on his shoulder... against the entire world. The slightest perceived wrong will set him off on a mission of revenge against his imagined enemies. Dan's friend Chris usually gets roped into going along on said missions, much to the dismay of his wife, Elise (who usually winds up bailing Chris & Dan out of jail)
While the overall look for Dan & Chris were based on creators Dan Mandel & Chris Pearson, Elise had no visual development before the start of production, and we tried a lot of different styles before settling on the final design. Here's a look at a bit of the design process:

Check out this scene of Dan deciding on the latest subject for personal retribution.
His logic can't be beat:

Check back in a few months to see a bunch more of my designs
from the show. SPOILER: Things get weird.