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A little BIG announcement...

Hey, Folks!

This is a little/BIG announcement to fill you all in on some very exciting events coming up in Tori Cat's  Art Schedule...

First of all, I am incredibly flattered and honoured to announce that i have been invited to join the "Masters of Anatomy". This is an amazing book which is currently being put to together by the great 'Sunny Mann'. A one-of-a-kind collection of artistic anatomy bringing the work together of over 70+ artists from all over the world, including the wonderful "Florian Satzinger"; The incredible "Francisco Herrera"; The inspirational "Pascal Campion", and amazing my pal,  "Kenneth Anderson" as well as many more jaw dropping (actually scrap the jaw comment- Since my 'jaw replacement' my jaw doesn't move)- say "Phenomenal" talents from the animation, film, comic book, video game and illustration industry.

I am really looking forward to getting started and working along side fellow artists i have admired for years.

Check out the website- "MastersofAnatomy.com" to find out more about this amazing project and to see the full list of artists taking part.

I will be sure to update again once the project goes live. 

In other news, I will be returning agin to California in November for CTNx. This will be my 4th year exhibiting at this expo and I love it there. If your coming to the show, please drop by and say hello. I'll be in the same place i was last year (T-40) and like always, i will be next door to my good friend and college "Craig Elliott." :)

I have a lot of exciting things to reveal at the show, but i am keeping it all a secret for now. I plan to "let the cat out of the bag" closer to the time, but until then you will have to just wait and see. ;)
Below is my contribution to this year's programme. This year Tina Price has organised a 'Sketchbook' theme and it was asked that every artist made their advertisement black and white. I have left a small space for me to sign it, so if anyone coming to the show would like me to personalise their souvenir programme, come and find me and i'll give it a scribble. :D

 Even if you don't want me to scribble in your book, Make sure you drop by and say hi. (I have candy!!) ;) hee hee!!! I look forward to seeing all my old friends and of course making new ones. I have been so lucky as each year the show tends to fall on my Birthday, and what a way to spend it. So please make sure to drop by and join me in the fun and celebrations.
Last year i lost my voice on the 1st day, so i spent much of the time having conversations with people in a "Pictionary" fashion. haha- I will have my hairy boys helping me out so it's bound to be fun!

And for now, one last thing...

 As you may know, i have spent the last year art directing on "Broken Sword 5- The Serpent's Curse". I have been in charge of the hand drawn layouts and backgrounds for the latest game by 'Revolution Software'. As the game is getting close to completion, i will be leaving soon, so i wanted to wish the team all the very best in the final stages of getting the game made. 

An Alpha version of the game was taken to GamesCon last month, and so far it has been really well received. I want to take this opportunity to thank my small team of talented artists who like me, have been working round the clock to get the backgrounds drawn and painted to the incredibly high & detailed standard set by myself and director 'Charles Cecil'. They are doing an amazing job, and i cant thank them enough for all their hard work. I would like to say an extra special thank you to the incredible "Miki Montlló" for all of his hard work and help. This guy is a genius and his hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed. Check out his work, you will not be disappointed. Also another special thanks goes out to my good friend,"Lee Taylor" (A.K.A "River Rat). This man is a VERY talented guy!!

Above is another finished background from our talented team. It was briefly shown in the Alpha trailer at GamesCon last month. I can't say anything about it yet, and sadly can not show more, but enjoy... and hopefully i will be able to share more with you in posts to come. 

So like always, I have a very busy schedule with some very exciting things coming up in the not so distant future. I will try my best to post again soon, as and when time is on my side.

Like always a huge thank you for all the continuous support and love from all my followers and every one who visits my blog and gets in touch.

I am always so grateful for all the feedback i receive and can not thank you all enough.

As and when i have that thing called "time" I want to give this dusty old blog a make over and create a Face Book page for Tori Cat. I also plan to update a lot more frequently than i do and share alot more of my work and daily scribbles.

Ok, back to the drawing board- There's no rest for the wicked!! ;)

Thanks again and much love as always!

TCat.x

Its been a while, but certainly not forgotten...

Hello faithful Bloggers!!

This is just a little post to keep this dusty blog alive. 

I have been soooo incredibly busy since the start of 2012, I don't know where to begin. 

This is just a little update for now to briefly keep you up to date. 

For the last year and a half i have been art directing the 2D art for a video game called "Broken Sword- The Serpent's Curse" which is the 5th game in a popular series which began in the 90's.

We successfully campaigned via Kick-Starter to make this game, and ever since have been working day and night, every day for the last year to get it made. It's coming along really well and the reviews we are receiving so far are really encouraging.

 I can't show much yet as we are keeping everything tightly under wraps and I am so strapped for time right now, i really dont have the time to post everything. I'm actually writing this post whilst I'm waiting for my computer to save a giant panning piece i have been drawing and painting for the last couple of months... (So far the pan is over 30,000 pixels and can take over 30mins to save on a pimped out Mac with no other windows or files open!! ).

I just wanted to show a couple of examples of how the game is progressing. 

The first image is the line and tonal guide from another huge panning piece I drew last year. This is just a small section of it with the main characters, (George and Nico) sat at a Cafe. It is actually currently being painted up by one of our background painters right now as I type this message.

As Art Director, I dont get as much time as i would like to draw and paint up full scenes by myself, as I am overseeing a whole team of artists and currently making changes and corrections and and artistic decisions. I work very closely with our director Charles Cecil, as well as with a team of very talented artists from all around the world. It is my job to make sure that the hand drawn environments look as good and as polished as possible, as well as staying true to the original Broken Sword games and Charles' vision. 

The next two backgrounds are examples of how The Serpent's Curse compares to the original Broken Sword games. We want to remain true to the original games, and fans of the series will recognise the 2nd picture form the original games as "Nico's Apartment". We have wanted to remain faithful and almost play homage to the original scenes, so that when fan's return to Nico's Apartment, they will instantly recognise where they are, but see subtle changes as Nico's character has evolved into 21st century. So here you can see the example of how the new backgrounds are looking compared to the originals. The new backgrounds are being drawn and painted to a double HD quality, so every fine detail will be clear for fans to study. I have really wanted to push the level of detail and quality in these drawings to another level. I want to give the fans hidden easter eggs and reasons to play the games over and over again, each time discovering something new which they hadn't noticed first time round.  

Ok, i said i would keep this short because I really need to get back to painting this monster of a background. If you are interested in seeing more of the game and general Broken Sword Trivia, there is a wonderful blog which is constantly updated which has been put together by one of our fans. "FAN-BLOG" or you can check out our Kick-Starter page.

I'll finish off with a couple of drawings that I have recently scribbled whilst waiting for my giant panning piece to save. There is window right next to where i sit when i work from home, and the neighbours next door have a beautiful giant dog. I think he is a Great Dane, but I'm not too sure.... All I know is, he is lovely, and he has attracted my attention when he is in the garden. So as i wait for the my file to save, iv been keeping my fingers busy doing some doggie doodling. Here are a couple of my favourite doggie scribbles. I'll post more next time, but for now, enjoy :)

Any way, like always, thanks soooo much to all my faithful followers and all the lovely comments and feedback I receive. It is all very much appreciated and keeps me inspired to keep on creating. I promise I wont leave it sooo long until the next post and hopefully next time, I'll  be able to show a bit more development on Broken Sword and more of my own personal stuff.

Until then, Thanks again.
Much love,
TCat.x

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.

Its Nearly Here....

So, its been a labour of love, but its finally now on its way... Its out of my hands now. My first book "Scribble-Tor", went off to the printers yesterday, and will go on sale next week, hot off the press for the first time at CTN expo in Burbank, California. Its limited edition, so will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. There is only 1000 copies, each individually numbered and hand signed, and if you ask me nicely, you might even get an original 'Tori Cat scribble' in there too :)
To begin with, the book will only be available at the CTN, making it exclusive to the expo. After the show has finished the book will then be available to buy via my blog. I will keep you posted on how and when you can purchase online. I hope you enjoy it. Its the first time i have ever done any thing like this. It been because of the amount of people who have asked me "Have you got an art book out", that i finally took the plunge!! All feed back is very much welcome. Thanks for all of you who have shown interest in it, i and i just hope i haven't let you down. :)

And for the first time at CTN, I will also be releasing my newest creation, "JesTor". A collaborative range of hand made jewellery. Its already selling like hot cakes, and its becoming very popular, especially with Christmas just around the corner. Again, it will be sold on a first come, first serve basis, and I will only have limited numbers of each piece with me, so you need to be quick....but, i will be taking orders. :)
Here is a little snippet below of the kind of things 'JesTor' has to offer....

I will also be selling prints of my art work, as well as magnets and doing commissions. I am really looking forward to the show, and cant wait to see old friends and meet lots of new ones too :)
Check out the CTN expo website to get all the info you need on the show. This link will take you to my page on CTN website.

I'll try and make a quick post before i jet off to LA next week, but if i dont get round to it, Thanks for all the support guys and look forward to seeing you at the show! :)
Wish me luck at the airport.... its the first time iv travelled with my new 'Adamantium' Jaw... Should be fun trying to get thru the airport scanners. hee hee!!

Bye for now!
All the best and of course, lots of love,

TCat.x