AFTERWORKS 3

Just a heads-up, we've cranked up the AFTERWORKS blog to give you all a preview of next year's AFTERWORKS 3 anthology. It's a collection of some top-notch storytelling by a roster of Pixar vets, including me. Here's some images from my story, THE BUILD. Go bookmark the AFTERWORKS BLOG and watch the project unfold!

TOTORO FOREST PROJECT

You may have heard rumors of an art movement called THE TOTORO FOREST PROJECT. I've been sworn to secrecy for a few months now, but the catbus is out of the bag. We, the artists, were asked to depict an original Totoro and tell its story. Above, you'll find i contributed two Totoros to the cause, URSALO and OTTORO. You can find their stories on pages 4 and 5 of the GALLERY section of the Totoro Forest Project site.

Totoro Forest Project is an international charity effort to preserve Sayama Forest, also known as Totoro Forest. This endangered sanctuary on the outskirts of Tokyo is where director Hayao Miyazaki got the inspiration for his much loved character “Totoro.” Over 200 top international artists from animation, illustration, and comics are donating artwork especially created for this cause.

On september 6th 2008 Pixar Animation Studios will be hosting an art auction event featuring all these fantastic pieces of art. All the proceeds of this fundraiser will benefit the Totoro Forest Foundation.

Please, if you can, donate to save this forest by either making a contribution, buying the art book when it becomes available, or attending the auction at Pixar and bidding on a piece of exceptional artwork. I'll be offering two pieces, both displayed here.

TIGER!TIGER!TIGER!

Here's a work in progress, but I think it's close. Chris Pitzer is taking a look at it, so it might very well evolve before publication, but this is your first look at the cover to TIGER!TIGER!TIGER! Volume 1. Look for it in stores this holiday season. I might have some preview pages at San Diego, so swing by to check 'em out. This is an INCREDIBLY personal series of books I've been working hard on, very experimental, that relay autobiographical stories about being a dad and dealing with life in general, which is something I sometimes really struggle with, as I'm sure everyone out there does. You'll notice the SOUTHPAW design has been resurrected to serve as my "paper tiger". This series is loaded with different types of art, ways of storytelling, and some tough ideas. I love working on it, and I hope you'll all love reading it very very soon.

WALL*E

Alright, I don't typically talk about the day job around this blog but there's this little movie I worked on that I think you might want to go see if you haven't already. You'll catch my name twice, under STORY ARTIST and END CREDITS: DESIGN LEAD. WALL*E was a blast to work on and I'm proud of our team and how the film turned out. I hope you all enjoy it. We made it just for you, you lucky dogs.

SDCC PREVIEW #3: hard copies!

These turned out LOVELY. Nice thick paper, matte finish...you could buy two, slice 'em up, and frame your favorites. Again, Con-exclusive, but remainders will be offered online. $10 a pop, signed and numbered, limited to 250 copies of each issue. These are the first two issues of the new convention-exclusive series RED WINDOW. #3 will be debuted at APE in November. But these two are the beginning of the revolution!

San Diego Preview #2: T-SHIRTS!

This year we'll be offering 2 new shirt designs at San Diego Comic Con. AFTER the con I'll have what's left for sale via the blog, and I'll do reorders on them if we sell through quickly. They'll be $20 each, and we'll have Mens and Ladies sizes. Just a heads-up!

DARK KNIGHT for Autism

For the Flutie Foundation, a good cause. If you're in Rhode Island, try to attend and place yer bids!

HOBO HITS PARIS!

Yes, my friends, Hobo the Elephant will invade Paris shortly as part of a very special exhibition at Galerie Arludik in honor of the forthcoming opening of WALL*E. The show will feature work from me and three other Pixar alum, Bill Presing, Enrico Casarosa, and Jennifer Chang. You'll be able to buy some originals from all of us there, if you're Euro-bound. My work, featuring Hobo, will be catalogued in RED WINDOW SUMMER 2008 available in VERY limited quantities at San Diego. More soon!

NOTES OVER YONDER

And here you go: sometimes the design process keeps toying with you. Chris Pitzer's take on the cover (above), which is what we'll go with for various reasons. Chris is an amazing designer and a real hero of a pal, always full of great ideas, especially in the 11th hour. He's the king of elegance. So, look out for something closer to this in the fall!

And again, here's my take that I sent to Chris. It's a neat look at process on things like this, something not often revealed.

NOTES OVER YONDER is coming this October from Red Window and AdHouse. It's one of two projects planned for the fall, to debut officially at APE. More soon!

SAN DIEGO PREVIEW #1: Hobo the Elephant is on his way!

So if you've got a keen eye, you might be aware that San Diego Comic Con will see the debut of some new RED WINDOW items, in particular, RED WINDOW SPRING 2008 and RED WINDOW SUMMER 2008. These will be limited edition art catalogues, CONVENTION EXCLUSIVE, with left-overs being offered online afterwards via a nifty PAYPAL link when the time comes. The SPRING issue will feature some unused art that was developed as pitches for NEW YORKER covers, images that have appeared here in the past. The SUMMER issue will feature Hobo the Elephant. Each issue, and future issues, will run 8 pages in length and feature high-quality reproductions of my paintings. No story material...these will be like getting 8 prints in one package, if one were so inclined to cut up an issue and frame the pages. These books will be limited to 250 copies, signed and numbered, priced at $10 each. When they run out they'll be completely unavailable, as there are no plans to keep these RED WINDOW issues in print. This may be the only format these particular paintings may appear in.

Now, PLEASE DO NOT e-mail with requests for these yet. I appreciate you all and your patronage and loyalty but these will be for the con as an incentive for people to come and say hello and shake hands in person. If and when I have any leftovers, they'll be offered here as soon as I return from the con in July. The good news is that these puppies are done and in production now, so they'll be ready to go on Preview Night.

MORE SOON!

Rest well, Rory Root

Visit the COMIC RELIEF website for more information on Rory, an incredible friend to the comics artform and all-around charming person.

Run man, run

MAGIC PICKLE!

NEWSARAMA just dropped a short new interview about MAGIC PICKLE. If you haven't seen the colorized version, here's a two-page spread. Color by Jose Garibaldi! Man, he's good.

Don't piss me off.

the jungle's on fire

red and blue, hung out to dry

Submitted for your approval:

Poor Chuck.

If only he had a gun.

It's logical, Captain. She was touching my tricorder.