Frankenweenie, CTN, a Little Crow and Rolfy Roo

Hey Folks,

Sorry I haven't been blogging as much as I would like too, I have just been so incredibly busy, juggling two full time jobs, as well getting everything ready for CTNx in just one weeks time and planning my wedding and of course having my ups and downs with my titanium jaw. The cold weather is really effecting it and the pain is immense- but like always, I trooper on.

Now that the film has been released, I can share some of the work I did on Frankenweenie.

I was illustrating concepts and key moments of the film, designing sets and props and having sooo much fun. This has been one of my most favourite films of my professional career so far. I enjoyed every minute of it and am so proud of the final product. The film made me laugh, cry and smile through out. It is so charming and really tugs on the emotional heart strings. Any one who has had a pet dog will know exactly what I'm talking about and it is a film for them.  It was an honour and dream come true to work on a Tim Burton Animation, and I cant thank my friend Tim Browning enough for giving me this opportunity. It is a memory I will cherish forever. 

I will be leaving for CTN in a couple of days. I will be in California for just over a week and can't wait to catch up with old friends and of course making new ones. I have a whole new range of goodies, including t-shirts, iPhone and iPad covers and more, as well some old stuff too. I will be taking commissions, so if you want a scribble from yours truly, sign up early, as it will get busy. I also have more copies of Scribble Tor and will be doing portfolio reviews and of course be giving out my trade mark big Tori Cat hugs. My Mr Tori Cat to be will be with me too, so look out for him!

You will find us at Table "T40" on the corner by the main stage, Straight down the middle of the convention room from the main entrance. I will be next to my booth buddy- Craig Elliott and as well as my Mr Tori Cat to be (as seen pictured at the bottom of this post with Rolfy Roo) you may find another hairy Kat hanging out with me, Look out for my bosom buddy "Kirk Kat". As pictured with me at CTN last year below. Make sure you say hi- he doesn't bite.... Hard!! ;)

I also want to take this opportunity to help out my good friend Uli Meyer. Through out the history of my blog, you will have seen his name pop up on many different occasions. Uli is an incredible talent and mentor to me, but most of all, a very good friend. So, please, for me, can you take the time to check out his Kickstarter. He is currently in the process of making his own children's book about a little crow called "Cuthbert". All hand drawn with pencil, ink and water colours, it is a masterpiece in the making. You will certainly not be disappointed. So please, if you can spare a penny, every pledge counts- but of course we respect that times are tough, so even if you just spread the word of his work, that will be a huge support. Thank you!

Last of all, Tim and I got the opportunity to meet a child hood hero of ours a few months back. He was a gentleman and just as lovely in person as he is on the TV. He was very complimentary of my art work and gave some great advice too. He is an incredible artist and inspiration to both of us, and we were left a little star struck after chatting with him. Thank you Rolf for the years of inspiration! You are gent and the world needs more people like you!

Ok folks, I need to dash- got to get a Broken Sword layout finished, as well as pack my case for LA, get my prints signed and bagged up and also hit the printers to pick up more goodies and visit my Granddad Pooh Bear's grave before we make a 5 hour drive to the airport to catch a flight leaving for California first thing Monday morning. Ahhhhh!!! Go Go GOOOOO!!!!

Thanks for all the constant support. Once I'm back from California, things should calm down a bit for me, so I should have a wee bit more time to post and reply to all the lovely comments and emails i receive.

Like always, its the support you guys show me that keeps this little blog alive!! Thank you all so much!! You ROCK!!! 

Much love,

TCat.x 

Good Luck Simba!!! - UPDATED

A little gift I have made for the loveable gentle giant, "Simba the Leonberger".

Any one who knows me,  knows I am a sucker for big floofy beasts- the bigger the beastie- the bigger the love and cuddles that oozes out of me.

Simba has melted my heart and now my wallet- Me and my fiancé are now waiting for the stalk to deliver us our own little bundle of Leonberger fluff!

To be fair- "Leonberger" is translated as a "Lion-Dog"- Now could there really be a better dog more suited to me than this...?!! 

Thank you Simba!! We love you!

UPDATE- 

My pal Dan, pictured with Simba (above right- Photo by Jeff Morris for the Daily Mail) sent me this awesome snap of the fluffer himself, with the picture I drew him a few weeks ago!! I was so happy when this dropped in my inbox, that i had to share :) Thanks so much Dan and Simba. :)
Since Simba went on to win TDM, he has gone on to become a super star in the Canine world, including rubbing more than just shoulders with Jonathan Ross- check out the video ;)
For any Doggie people out there, who might be interested in their very own "Doggie Doodle" watch this space.... I have some exciting news that includes collaborating with Dan, Simba and a sketch book!

Also, on a side note- I will be in California exhibiting at CTN from the 16-18th November. (as well as celebrating my birthday which falls during the festival), so if you are coming to the show, please drop by my booth and say "Hi". (Table T40). I will be selling and signing copies of my book "Scribble-Tor", as well as taking commissions, doing portfolio reviews and will have a new range of goodies for sale- all in time for Christmas stocking fillers ;)

Thanks again for all the love and comments like always!
Dont forget to check out Simba's Face Book Page

Tcat.x

Broken Sword... Continued...

Whoa!!! 2 posts in one week!! The Cat REALLY is back this time ;) Told you i wouldn't disappoint ;)
Anyways, here is a little update on the kick-starter so far. We couldn't be more thrilled with the response we have been getting in regards to our Kick-starter campaign, and just one week in, we have received over 3/4 of our target amount!!! THANKYOU SOOOOO MUCH BROKEN SWORD FANS!!!!
It is incredible to see how much love their is out there for George and Nico and the dedication of the fans is something else. We have been really touched by all the fan mail that has been coming in, and just hope that with every one's continued support, we can make this game happen, and make this the best Broken Sword game yet. I want to use this opportunity to thank our "Super Fan" for their dedicated support and for their creation of the Broken Sword Fan Blog. Great work, and thank you for your support :)
To wet your appetite, Here at Revolution, we thought we would share another little sneak peak at some of the "behind the scenes" art work with you. Its only a little glimpse for now, and i must note that this is ALL in a "Work In Progress" stage and will likely be enhanced a lot more before the final version of the game is complete.
The following art work is credited for each artist at the different individual stages they worked on it.
A big part of creating games and animation is being able to work as a team. We really value working closely together as a network of artists from all different backgrounds, specialising in different areas of production, in order to help create and achieve the best artistic results.

These four images, show part of the processes involved in creating an environment for the new Broken Sword game...

The next series of images are work in progress examples of the latest version of the cover art. (Note- this is not the final version of the cover art)...

Ok, this is all i can share with you for now, but make sure to keep your ear to the ground, as i will be back soon. I will have another Broken Sword update, and also a personal update with the latest ongoings from Tori Cat and her continuing traveling sketch book.

Like Always, Thank you so much for all the wonderful support, not just to all the  Broken Sword Fans, but for the forever growing support i keep receiving from all you faithful followers who keep an interest in my personal work. I really appreciate all the compliments and encouragement and can not thank you enough. Just please forgive me for not getting in touch. There just isn't enough hours in a day. Does any one remember watching Bernards Watch- sometimes i think how great life would be if i could get hold of that watch!! (For any of you younger lot who are thinking "what the frick is "Bernards Watch"- Think "Hermione's Time Turner" and its basically the same thing!!)

Thanks again and bye for now!

TCat.x

Broken Sword 5 is Officially Here!!!

A huge "Hello" to all my faithful followers here in Blogger World.

Please forgive me for my complete lack of communication during 2012. Its been an incredible year, which has completely turned my life around- even more incredible than being fitted with a bionic jaw- But, i will save the life story for another post.... (Which WILL be before the end of the year!!) ;)

Anyways, what i am here for today, is that i want to share with you all, one of the latest projects i have been busy working on. I am currently Art Directing at Revolution where i am responsible for the Environments and 2D direction of Director "Charles Cecil's" project- "Broken Sword- The Serpent's Curse".

Today we have officially launched a "Kick-Starter" project, where hopefully with enough support and backing, Revolution will be able to completely self-publish a game for the first time and make Broken Sword their best game yet.

You can watch the video HERE (With a cameo from yours truly) and see the art work i have been helping our team of incredibly hard working and talented artists and programmers produce.

The next 6 images will show the process in which i have been working to create the Environments.

The rough work to the final line is all mine. My good friend and hugely inspiring/talented artist "Craig Elliott" painted the background, and then i finished it off, working into his colour, adding finishing touches, textures and finer details and changes.

For now, we are keeping a lot of work under our belts and will be releasing more through out the duration of the Kick-Starter. (Make sure to check out the video by following the link above.) There is more artwork to be seen on the video and hopefully over the next few weeks, i'll start to blow away the cobwebs from my dusty old blog and will post more here... (as well as finally some of my own personal artwork, and updating you all with my incredibly exciting year.)

Thank you so much to my incredibly faithful followers and all the people who contact me. You guys give me the encouragement to keep creating and keep believing in what i do. 2011 was the hardest year of my life (For many reasons) and i felt like i was hitting a brick wall at times, (even occasionally questioning my career as an artist). But, the faith and encouragement i received via my blog and at festivals (and of course the companies employing me) gave me the strength to never question my abilities and make the most out of every punch life throws at you- Good or Bad!

You guys rock and i can't thank you enough!!

Righty ho, back to work!!!

I will be back soon!!!

Love TCat.x

The Cat is BACK!!

Helloooooo Fellow Bloggers!!!
Its been a while! Happy 2012!!
Please forgive me for the lack of communication and posting the last few months.
Since retuning from California and with the release of "Scribble-Tor", I just haven't stopped.... in fact it's STILL going on.
I just wanted to touch base and keep you posted with whats been going on.
But first of all, for your visual delight, here are a couple of sketch book samples to wet you pallet...

There is only a few for now, as i just haven't got the time right now to scan everything in. I just picked a couple I quite liked to share with you.... Plus, with the success of "Scribble-Tor", Im already planning a second book for CTNx-2012 so am saving lots of "unseen'' stuff for the book!! :P
For those of you who are interested in purchasing a copy of Scribble-Tor, It is currently only available in the USA, but if you are not in America, and can't wait for the UK release, you can buy it online from "Stewart Ng Books". If you happen to be in L.A, you can also purchase it, in store from "Gallery Nucleus".

I will be releasing Scribble-Tor in the UK at "Animex International Animation Festival" from the 6th-10th February 2012 and will be there to sign copies, portfolio reviews and answer questions. There is also going to be an exhibition of my original art work from the book and some of the work I did at Blue Sky, on "Rio".
I will also doing a presentation with the incredibly talented "Fraser McLean", talking through the process of his must have, new book "Setting the Scene". You can purchase "Setting the Scene following the link to Amazon. This is a book for any animation book junkie. It has everything you should ever need to know in regards to making an animated film, with the main focus being LAYOUTS/ENVIRONMENTS. With the forward written by Pete Doctor and hundreds of examples of production artwork, illustrations and quotes from all of the masters at Pixar, Disney, Dreamworks, Blue Sky etc, you don't want to miss this!

For those of you still waiting for your copies of Scribble-Tor, you have not been forgotten. Your books are waiting for you, i just haven't had chance to draw in all of them yet and get them posted out... but you will get them ASAP.

2012 is already looking to be a busy year, with lots of exciting things happening.
I have a few projects lined up and am busy scribbling away on other things, but for the time being, I'm keeping them all hush-hush.
One of the things i am really looking forward to is the release of Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie", which is due for release in October. I worked on the film as a Concept Illustrator/Designer back in 2010 and loved every minute of it. Its was a childhood dream come true to get to work on a Tim Burton Animation..... And to have him approve my work for the film was the cherry on top of the icing!! :D

Not much has been publicly released yet, but i can share one little snippet, which i found online at IGN.
I am proud to show the production still above, as this was a scene I actually worked on. What i find most rewarding is to see my hand drawn concepts and designs actually made into tangible models and sets. This was a very fun project to be a part of and I can't wait to see the final film come together.

Righty folks, It's time for me to dash. Got lots I need to be getting on with.
I hope you are all well and i wish you all a happy, healthy, and creative new year ahead!!
'Hopefully' I'll get back to blogging more frequently in the next few months or so.... ;)
Like always, Thanks so much for following me and leaving such great feedback.
I know that I haven't been too good at getting back to people, but i promise, this year, I'll get better at it.
I really do appreciate all of the wonderful comments and emails that I get, and can not thank you enough for the wonderful support!! :D

Peace, love and happy scribblings to you all,

TC.x

PS, I just want to say a MASSIVE Thanks you to every one who visited my booth at CTN and came and said "Hey". It was so good to see so many of my old friends and to meet so many new friends too!!
What is also so nice, is to finally be able to put faces to names from the blogging world!! And what a pretty bunch (and very talented bunch) you all are!! :)
The show was a huge success, and all the talent on display was mind blowing. I had an incredible time and am already planning a 2nd book for CTN 2012!! I can't wait to do it all over again!! :D

Also, I must say an even bigger Thank you to all of you who purchased something from me. By the end of the show I actually sold out of "Scribble-Tor"!!! I couldn't have been more grateful to you guys!! Thank you so much!! :')
(Don't worry tho, for you guys who still want a copy, there are still a couple of crates left, in anticipation for the UK release.) If you would like a personally illustrated copy, please email me. Once the book goes on sale in the UK, i will set up a pay-pal account for it.

Lastly, Just a special thanks goes out to: Craig Elliott, Kirk R. Thatcher, Chris Ingram and family, Thom Lu, Jackie Huang, Frank Xu, Isaac Orloff, Spike, Peter De Seve, Brian Ajhar, Dean Yeagle, Chris Ayers, David Colman, Mark McDonnell, Ken Dunken and Patti, Hugo and family!!
Your help, support and constant encouragement is a blessing and I am so grateful for everything you have shared with me in one way or another. Thanks you guys!! :') I really appreciate it.