Words

amohs @ 2009-11-09T22:38:00

2009-11-10T03:38:23Z

Apparently there are a least two Mike Bells

2009-10-13T04:09:27Z

And at least one of them makes cartoons:

Yup

2009-06-05T16:03:26Z

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations, so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. What you get is what you get.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love, or at least with gusto.

3. It'll be done this year.

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something internetty. It may be weird or beautiful. It might or might not be edible.

5. I reserve the right to do something strange or quirky, but I promise not to embarrass you in public. I also reserve the right to do something fairly predictable and boring, but with, you know, thought and love.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make five things for the first five to respond to your note.

This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward.

Have fun, kids.

Momocon

2009-03-11T00:42:46Z

I keep forgetting to mention here that I'm updating my webcomic over at Little Reading. I don't really have any plans for it; I'm just going to update it once a week and see where it goes. My sketchbook is filled with more ideas than ever see the light of day, and so the webcomic site is a perfect dump for all the cartoons that wouldn't be appropriate for my deviantart page.

This weekend is the big event of Momocon in Atlanta! Everything has been put on hold for this event, but the results will be worth it. The artworks Cassandra and I have put together will be a formidable force; much more so than our previous attempts. We might even turn a profit! After I get back there will be a flood of children's book work, Media Disorder, and webcomickry, in that order of priority.

Here goes nothing!

Less Internet

2009-03-08T00:56:17Z

Cassandra and I actually canceled our internet a few days ago, and it seems to be going okay. Right now I'm posting from SCAD's library, and while it worries me that I can't respond to email as quickly as I used to, on the whole thing's really aren't that different.

Cassandra and I decided to part ways with the internet for monetary reasons, considering that AT&T's rates went up to $70 per month. Paying for food and apartment comes first, so we dropped our most expensive luxury item.

One thing's for sure, though; without the internet we're finally getting around to watching some of the anime we've had sitting around.

Top Gun

2009-02-26T04:29:03Z

And now, without warning, I present to you my interpretation of the best movie I have never seen, the one that shaped my high school years in a very special way:

Top Gun was born the only son of an apple farmer in Minnesota. His father, named Danny Boy, was an all-American hero and an ace pilot veteran from the second world war, where he flew with the Angel Wings of Death squadron over Tokyo. Being all-American is why Danny Boy decided to retire to the apple farming business, apples being the most American fruit of all.

From the very beginning Top Gun showed promise as a pilot. From the age of two and a half he was flying his father’s old duster plane, dusting the apple crops with special growth powder. Having been raised on apple pies and dust cropping, it was only natural that Top Gun would answer the call when his country needed him most by joining the United States Air Force. He had no education and no interest in college, which is fine. For an American Hero, the only qualifications required for manning an F-16 are the God-given magical powers he was born with. It was time for Top Gun to live up to his family name: Maverick.

But before he could get his hands on that sweet-ass piece of American aeronautical engineering Top Gun first had to slog his way through boot camp, which wasn’t easy. Being an American rebel meant that Top Gun didn’t always follow orders when his manly instincts told him to infiltrate behind enemy lines or sneak into the WAC tents. He was a loose cannon. A wild dog. Too wild to be tamed. For God’s sake, he was a Maverick, after all. Often his commanding officer, Ice Man, would tell him, “You’re stepping out of line, Maverick. I’m gonna have to put you on Iccce! Because I’m the Iccce Maaannn!”

But Top Gun persisted and proved to be the top of his class. He flew higher and faster than any of his compatriots. Eventually, the time came when the President asked if there were any pilots willing to step up to the rising terrorist threats from Quebec. They needed skill and instincts, but mostly they needed guts, with guts being the quality that won the day for America in every world war and terrorist threat up until that point. With tears in his eyes, Ice Man stepped forward and said, “Mr. President, sir, it would do me an honor if I could nominate my most toughest rival, and my dearest friend, Top Gun Maverick to be the captain of my air-squad. He’s proven to me the strength of the American spirit and the importance of never giving in to adversity, especially when manning fighter planes.”

“You realize, of course, that this mission will be very dangerous. Do you accept this responsibility, Top Gun?” said the president in a grave and gravelly voice. Top Gun’s emotions were hidden behind his tremendous aviator glasses. The only response he made was a smirk, which whipped across his face like an American flag unfurling before a hurricane. Danger? Top Gun understood danger. Danger was the four-horned and ten-legged bull he rode to breakfast every morning.

“Very well. Your target will be this enemy base here,” the president pointed to a spot on the large war map. There were pieces set designate enemy and ally troops and bases. Were Top Gun a philosophical man he might have mused on how the map, which resembled a giant board game, served as a metaphor for life. But Top Gun was not a philosophical man. He was an Ameri-can.

“You have twenty four hours to pack your air-bags and put on your air-boxers. Oh, and say goodbye to anyone you’re leaving behind. This may be the last time you see them.” There was only one person, aside from his father, that Top Gun needed to say goodbye to: Charlie, his off-again, on-again girlfriend. Maverick’s all-American, bad boy lifestyle made him both irresistible and hard to handle. Currently, Maverick and Charlie were hot and heavy, but not as hot and heavy as their meeting on this night. From the force and ferociousness of their lovemaking, Charlie understood that this could be her last time seeing Top Gun. With tears in her eyes, she held Top Gun close and whispered, “I hope our child will be half as strong as his father.”

Top Gun was shocked: he had not known! He holds Charlie close to him one more time before letting go, stepping off into the wild unknown.

The time was morning. Ice man was already at the launch pad when Top Gun arrived. “You’re looking cool, Top Gun. Almost as cool as me,” quipped Ice Man, obviously referring again to his nickname. “Whichever of us bags the most bogeys gets treated to beer by the loser, Top Gun! Think you can handle it?”

Top Gun’s only response is a thumbs-up as the cockpit lid of his F-16 slides into place. Finally inside his beloved F-16, Top Gun feels more at home than in his mother’s womb. His pulse pounds wickedly as the engine cranks into action, and the plasma jets fire up to full power. With a huge blast of steam Top Gun Maverick is in the air, with Ice Man and the rest of the squadron close behind. They are the Hell’s Bastards, and they are ready to kick ass.

Only a few minutes have passed before the enemy base is on the horizon, but Top Gun immediately realizes that the enemy is prepared. The Hell’s Bastards are met with anti-air fire, which Maverick and Ice Man swiftly dodge with nothing more than a scratch. A couple of the greener cadets are hit, however, and Maverick has time to shed only one all-American tear before the enemy squadron swoops down from the clouds, guns a-blazing.

The ensuing dogfight is too intense to accurately describe. At times Maverick’s jet is moving so fast as to become a blur of energy, shifting between the mortal and celestial planes of existence. But the enemy is fierce. Before long both flight squadrons are reduced to only a few planes, and that is when Top Gun notices the plane with the red flaming skull painted on its fuselage. It’s the Death Baron, the man who shot down Maverick’s father, Danny Boy, during the Second World War! Danny Boy was wounded during that crash, and was grounded from thereafter. Would Top Gun now suffer the same fate as his father, or would he avenge the Maverick name?

Top Gun performs a nose dive towards the Death Baron. Ice Man notices what Maverick is up to and follows along, radioing “I’ve got your back, Top Gun. We can take this guy!” Maverick opens fire on the Death Baron, who dodges with a Double Quarter Scoter Flip. But Top Gun is ready. He counters with a Rolling Diamondback Turn, and catches the Death Baron on the wing. Wounded, the Death Baron ducks behind a cloud.

By this point most of the enemy squadron has been wiped clean, with only the Death Baron remaining. Ice Man contacts Top Gun on the radio, “Top Gun, headquarters has ordered us to pull back.” But Top Gun doesn’t heed his call. He’s flown after the Death Baron, headed towards deep into enemy territory.

“Top Gun, do you hear me? Central Command has ordered us not to pursue. I repeat, do not engage.” Top Gun radios back: “Ice man? Tell Charlie that I love her. And tell her to raise our boy right.”

“Dammit, man, don’t go in there! That’s the Danger Zone! No American has ever entered the Danger Zone and lived!” Ice Man protested, but deep inside he understood. An All-American Hero does not back down from his duty, even when it means entering the Danger Zone. Reluctantly, Ice Man reversed direction and followed the rest of the squad towards home base.

Before long, however, Ice Man’s F-16 is rattled by a huge explosion. He looks back to see the largest mushroom cloud ever witnessed by mortal man. “Maverick, no…” Ice Man quivered, and flew back to look for his comrade.

Smashed into the face of a mountainside were the planes of both Top Gun and the Death Baron, each plane shot to pieces by the other. Top Gun’s body was nowhere to be found, but his aviator glasses were discovered lying on the ground several feet from the crash site. Ice Man picked them up, saying, “Top Gun, you crazy bastard. Your son will inherit these glasses, and he’ll always remember the story of how his father saved America.”

Top Gun was pronounced dead the following day. His father and girlfriend were both stricken with grief, and at the funeral even Ice Man’s heart melted when they rolled Maverick’s coffin down the church aisle. The coffin was empty, so no one knew for sure what happened to Top Gun Maverick. But they knew and understood that he was the best American pilot the world had ever seen.

MERRY... oh, wait...

2009-01-18T20:13:54Z

Finally finished coloring my Holiday Funfest entry. I've been working at it for over a week, now. I should have had it finished about three days ago, but work has been really piled on lately. Ex Libris has been giving me near-full-time hours since I joined, which I can't really complain about considering that I could use the money.

Strangely, working full time hasn't impacted much the amount of drawing I've been doing. Regular work hours cause me to utilize my spare time more productively, what little spare time I have. Cassandra's had the same experience. Both of us have gotten a lot of stuff done in the last week.

Here it is.

2009-01-09T16:42:25Z

My year's resolution is to have perfect hair at least half the time, if not more! If my hair is long, it must form a perfect sphere of manliness! If it's cut short, then... well, there's not much I can do with short hair. I am confident that this goal is achievable, partly because my hair is already magnificent. Perfection is a mere combing away.

I also have this other, less interesting goal is figuring a way to make money from art (pfft!), but I won't bore you with details about that one. The hair is much more important.

Hello there.

2008-12-19T17:54:55Z

Cat and owl.

This was my first exposure to Edward Lear. Cassandra is using the Cat and the Owl poem as inspiration for her Christmas card design this year.

Back in SC

2008-12-14T06:10:51Z

New painting! This christmas card design is about 10,000 times better than the first one:

Next I want to paint a bunny! Then I need to get started on a Holiday Funfest piece for starmen.net.

Tomorrow I help Kevin move, and then the day after that will be sushi time!

Hooray!

2008-12-05T01:53:26Z

Happy Birthday to me!

PK Art

2008-12-02T06:37:47Z

I've posted a comic over at the Starmen forum. The post is here. The comic is here:

To understand the comic you only need know that when you play Earthbound you have the option of naming your own psychic attack. The game doesn't really depict what the move might look like; it just shows a flashy graphic for a generic psychic attack. So this is my version of what a "PK Art" attack might look like.

Stuff

2008-11-25T04:08:19Z

Yesterday Cassandra pulled out my old computer from high school, nicknamed Satan. We were looking for an old music program, which I've wanted to transfer for quite some time but have been unsure as to how to do it. Anyways, I finally got around to it, and not only transferred the midi-making program but also brought over all my old art files. It felt like reclaiming years of my life; everything I produced in boredom during the old days has come back to me!

The list includes old video game sprites, music files, graphic design work, sketches, 3D modeled stuff, all of it crappy and wonderful.

Getting all that stuff transferred was a pain in the ass, though. Satan has no cd burner, no ethernet ports, and while it has USB ports I can't use them because the computer lacks the proper drivers to run a USB key. So the solution I found was to transfer the files on 100 mb zip disks to another computer which had both a zip drive and cd burner. This computer was running windows 98 and, to make things more fun, it liked to arbitrarily shut down. Unfortunately, this same computer corrupted the Studio 4 program (the one which makes midi files), so I still don't have a working copy of it.

Tomorrow Cari comes into Columbia and hopefully Thomas and I will find time to cook a Rich Kid Stew. If we do I'll post pictures.

John August

2008-11-10T21:17:52Z

I'm posting this mostly for my benefit, but the thought occurs to me that someone else may find this interesting as well.

This is the website of screenwriter John August, who has writing credits on quite a number of big hollywood productions. He has information on his site relevant to anyone interested in learning how to write screenplays, including some sample scripts you can download.

John August came to my attention because I dug up one of his screenplays in Special Collections. Back in 1997 he wrote a 120-page script for a film adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time. I don't think this screenplay was ever used because the last WIT film to come out was in 2003, and he was not listed as a writer on that film.

Anyways, I loved the book, so now I'm scanning the script to make a PDF file for later printing. My plan is to eventually storyboard this sucker and maybe land a job in that field, if I'm lucky.

Lil' Bit of Animation

2008-10-31T00:41:56Z

I completed a walk cycle with my old character Schnooks. I've often drawn him in a funny walking pose, but I've never shown how he could actually move. With those big feet and short legs it's hard to imagine how this guy could ambulate across a room.

A Couple Satyrical Compositions

2008-10-27T02:37:09Z

My favorite notation is "release the penguins."

Exciting Exciting Exciting!

2008-10-13T21:40:38Z

First off, I've got a demo reel finished and uploaded. It's pretty big (40 megs), so be warned. Later today I'll throw it onto the website.

Also, I may have a chance to meet with Pixar! There will likely be steep competition, but I shouldn't pass up this opportunity to be seen by one of the two largest animation companies in the country. They've come to SCAD to give lectures and meet with students for potential entry-level employment.

Also giving lectures today are Scott Kurtz and Dave Kellett. I only got to watch Scott's demonstration, but I am proud to say that he demonstrated comics making on the Cintiq using my own pen! His magic has now infused my pen with comics-making skill. Cassandra and I will see the two webcomickers again tomorrow when they give a talk at the Trustees theater.

Being an alumn is actually more fun than being a student. I am still attending many SCAD functions and meeting with SCAD faculty and staff, but I am no longer an invited guest. I am a party crasher. That right there is a whole new level of coolness. I've been there, done that, and now I hang around simply for my own amusement. And because of unemployment. Some people are just too cool for jobs!

Website

2008-10-06T23:49:44Z

Made some changes to the website. The page feels a little more cohesive now, and you don't have to scroll down that huge logo before you get to the content. Were it not for the cartoons and demo reel page I'd feel that the site was ready.

I applied for my first animation position at Copernicus, the company responsible for animating John Kricfalusi's new show, The Goddamn George Liquor Program. It's a shot in the dark; I'm not really expecting anything to come of it. Moving to Halifax would be interesting, though.

Senior Film is Back On!

2008-10-05T21:35:51Z

Yesterday I completed my first scene since graduation. Today I'm at Montgomery working on more. At the current time I have 16 scenes completed with 11 on the work table. Even at a relaxed pace of finishing 1 scene every 3 days I'll have the whole project animated by the end of SCAD's winter quarter! I find that reasonable, considering the end of summer quarter had me finishing a scene every day.

Cassandra and I are trying to plan a visit to SC within the next couple weeks. Now would be the time to do it, I think, before I get a job and suddenly have a work schedule making trips difficult.

New Picture!

2008-10-03T00:03:06Z

Woo hoo! I'm very glad to have this picture finished; it's been haunting me for about over two weeks now. This one is a continuation of my study of John Bauer, hence the little gnome-like fella. I tried to pay attention to color and composition in particular, though a lot of Bauer's style sneaked in as well.

My work output is slowly ramping up. Each day has resulted in a little more drawing than the one before, and with that picture done I now have a relatively clean plate. I'm going to fill the void with animation. Tonight I'll rough out a schedule for completing my senior film. Smaller scenes will be completed first and I'll build up to longer ones.

I'll also start up again on Media Disorder drawings.

Libraries

2008-09-30T19:48:53Z

Yesterday I applied for a job at the public library for a position as a tech page. Today I am applying to become a serials assistant at the Jen Library. From what it sounds, I have better odds of getting a job at Jen, and if I can get the salary I'll be asking for then I should be just fine here. It'll be part-time, leaving me enough hours in the week to apply for animation jobs and finish my senior film.

Like Cari, I find it humorous that I am a BFA but am still more qualified for library positions. I've been working in libraries so long that I could easily picture myself getting stuck in them; for instance, if I somehow found that I've wormed my way into a well-paying, cushy library position, then it'd be harder for me to step down into an animation job where I'm underpaid and completely exploited.

Nah, it'd never happen.

New Picture

2008-09-28T01:53:01Z

Here is the last of the drawings from AWA. It's funny that now that I am out of school I finally have time to practice my artistic skills and experiment instead of worrying about getting projects in on time with a good grade.

AWA Art

2008-09-24T04:49:44Z

Okay, I've got a couple pictures up at deviantart:

pic 1
pic 2
pic 3

I drew them while sitting in a booth at Anime Weekend Atlanta. Apparently I get a lot of drawing done whilst ignoring customers. I should open a store for the sake of bolstering my artistic prowess.

The only items I sold were 1.5 inch Link buttons. The shortcut to good sales at a Con is fan-art, though that definitely isn't the only trick you can use to secure customers. For instance, people will more readily buy cheaper, smaller items, because no one wants to run out of money before they've seen everything there is to buy. Conventions also tend to have higher numbers of females, so I surmise that art targeting girls would sell better. Testament to this fact is the prevalence of Yaoi at every convention.

I'm confident that Cassandra and I could some day turn a profit at a convention. However, I couldn't see us making a living from it. The best we can hope for is to have fun and promote ourselves.

amohs @ 2008-09-11T02:30:00

2008-09-11T06:39:02Z

Cassandra and I finally have internet. My website will be high priority. I'm also still working at the library, though on a purely volunteer basis. I've already got a good amount of materials, but I've got lots more stuff I want to scan. For instance, today I found some storyboards for a "Canine Mysteries" project featuring the main characters from "All Dogs Go to Heaven." The storyboards predated the movie by maybe ten years or so, and Itchy's character design hadn't changed at all during that time.

I may make it sound like I'm busy, but the truth is that my day is mostly split between playing Tactics Advance and spending time with friends. Cassandra and I haven't eaten dinner by ourselves for quite a while. This situation is perfectly fine for me, though; I know that I won't be living like this forever, and pretty soon things will tighten up and I'll have all sorts of work on my plate. In the meantime I'm content to enjoy things while they last. I should have Tactics beaten in no time and then I'll be stuck without any entertainment to blow away my time.

Senior Film

2008-09-02T22:01:56Z

Okay, I've finally got it up. You can find my work-in-production senior film right here.

There's actually a good bit more finished than what's shown in the film. I had to cut it at a point that made a complete, cohesive story, though, for the sake of my grade. There's a full minute of animation that has yet to be unveiled, and most of it includes the fun scenes.

I took some photos of the apartment with the intent of posting "before" and "after" shots of what it looked like before and after it was set up. Currently there are no "after" photos because the place is uncleanable. We have too much stuff crammed into too small a space, so I'm considering taking a trip to South Carolina this weekend to dump some things.

Cassandra and I don't have internet installed yet, so livejournal posting will be a little sparse for a while. I've started drawing again after having to take a break for moving and such, and I'm focusing on fan art for AWA. I'll put up anything I come up with.