My Influence Map

All of my influences (and probably more to come).From LEFT to RIGHT, and TOP to BOTTOM:
Bob Clampett
Patrick McDonnell
George Herriman
Grant Baccico/ Doug Price
Bill Waterson
Frank Tashlin
Jack Kirby
Jim Tyer
Jeff Smith
Cliff Sterret
Dr. Seuss
The Three Stooges
Steven Hillenberg
Ed Benedict
Jim Henson
Charles M. Schulz
Milt Gross
Max Fleischer
John Kricfalusi
Jackie Gleason and The Honeymooners
Tex Avery
Chuck Jones
E.C. Segar
Walter Lantz
Will Eisner
Harvey Kurtzman
Antonio Prohias
Don Martin
Sergio Aragones
Walt Kelly
Jay Ward
Jay Fosgitt
Johnny Hart
Basil Wolverton
Mary Blair
Dan Gordon
Otto Messmer
Art Davis
Will Finn
Jack Cole
Jim Smith
Eddie Fitzgerald
Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin)
Doug Walker (That Guy With The Glasses)
Frank Cho
James Hance
Carl Barks
Floyd Gottfordson
Walt Disney
Patrick Owsley
Mark Christiansen
Frank Frazetta
Bill Wray
Hank Ketcham
James Tonra
Paul Reubins
Howie Post
Transylvania Television
Salvador Dali
Berke Breathed
R. Crumb
James Grue
Jessica Borutski
Kali Fontecchio
Dave Alvarez
Brant Parker
Jack Davis
Al Hirschfield
Tom Richmond
Mort Drucker
Vincent Waller
Pablo Picasso
Billy DeBeck
Wally Wood
Will Elder
The Beatles
Spike Jones and his City-Slickers
Frank Sinatra
Elvis Presley
Raymond Scott
Frank Zappa
Weird Al Yankovic
Bil Barid
Burr Tilstrom
Stephen DeStefano
Guillermo Divito
Rene’ Goscinny/Albert Underzo
Ralph Bakshi
Kyle A. Carrozza
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth
George Pal/Puppetoons
Carroll O’ Conner/All in the Family/Norman Lear
Norm McCabe
Mel Brooks
Paul Coker Jr.
Norman Mingo
Will Ferrell
Jim Carrey
Katie Rice
Jim Davis
Nick Park
Ub Iwerks
Gene Deitch
John Hubely
John Lasseter
Pen Ward
Dean Yeagle
Mark Kausler
Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.
Total Television Prod.
Thurop Van Orman
C. H. Greenblatt
Nick Cross
Marlo Meekins
H. C. Chambers
Bruno Bozzetto
Craig McCracken
Gendy Tartakovsky
Richard Williams
Fred Crippin
Charlie Chaplin
Cordell Baker
Richard Condie
Mo Willams
Joe Murray
Edgar Bergen
Matt Groening
Jack Kinney
Jack Hannah
Gabe Swarr
Ricky Garduno
Steve Dikto
Gene Colan
Ben Baleristi
Peter Sellers
Virgil Partch
Gary Larson
Osamu Tezuka
Steve Mellor
Milton Knight
Richard Goleszowski
Bill Holman
Rube Goldberg
Norman Rockwell
Carlo Vinci
Don Patterson
Walter Clinton
Ed Love
Rod Scribner
Bob McKimson
Izzy Ellis
Manny Gould
Milt Kahl
Freddie Moore
Grim Natwick
Willard Bowsky
Pat Mathews
Dick Lundy
Shamus Culhane
George Scarbo
Jack Kent
Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis
Jim Martin
Peter Lorre
Kirk Douglas
Red Skeliton
Erich Sokol
Owen Fitzgerald
George Ludway
Tom Oreb
Mel Crawford
Shane Glines
Dave Feiss
George Litchy
Sgt. George Baker
Eric Goldberg
Danny Antonucci
Henry Syverson
Steven Pastis
Pete Doctor
Andrew Stanton
Peter Lord
The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo)
Stan Freberg
Tom Yohe Sr.
Nico Martinez
Makinita
Bill Plympton
Rankin/Bass
John R. Dilworth
Jeff Pidgeon
Lou Romano
Bob Camp
Chris Sanders
Sherm Cohen
Maurice Sendak
Shel Siverstein
Mort Walker
Bruce Timm
Jiri Trnka
Frank Oz
Jerry Nelson
Richard Hunt
Dave Goelz
Steve Whitmire
Kevin Clash
Carrol Spinney
Ward Kimball
Ollie Johnson
Frank Thomas
Jeff MacNelly
Milton Caniff
Al Capp
Garry Trudeau
Mike Peters
Mell Lazarus
Jim Borgman
Friz Freleng
Eldon Dedni
T.S. Sullivant
Jules Feiffer
Willie Ito
Bud Sagendorf
Daws Butler
Mel Blanc
Mike Fontinelli
Jhonen Vasquez
Lynne Naylor
Jack Black
Bill Peet
Paul Terry
Rex Hackelberg
Irv Spence
Andy Griffith/Don Knotts/etc.
It’s Always Sunny In Philidalphia
J.P. Miller
Bill Melendez
Mike Judge
Romano Scarpa
Daan Jippes
Percy Crosby
William Van Horn
Art Speigleman
Tove Jansson
J. P. Morgon
Gene Hazelton
Rod Serling
Christopher Walken
Mike Pataki
Harvey Eisnenberg
Pat Ventura
Pete Emslie
Chester Gould
Winsor McCay
Scott McCloud
Frederick Opper
Reg Smythe
Jamie Hewlett
Ivan Brunetti
Ernie Bushmiller
John Stanley
Otto Soglow
Henrieke
André Franquin
Carlos Nine
Everett Peck
Gary Baseman
Bansky
Herman Mejia
Dave Hulthen Jr.
Andy Warhol
Kaws
Wassily Kandinsky
Ben Edlund
The Annoying Orange and Danobe
Mike Mignola
Kyle Baker
Vaughn Bode
Jamie Hernandez
Charles Addams
Scott Kurtz
Gilbert Shelton
Milt Stein
Jimmy Hatlo
Bobby London
Hunt Emerson
Victor Moscoso
Moebius
James Kochalka
William Steig
Peter Arno
Doug Wright
Robert Osborn
R.O. Blechman
Kaz
Peter Kuper
Bill Griffith
Lane Smith
Gary Owens
Herblock
Cab Calloway
AC/DC
Dik Browne
Ted Shearer
Dick Huemer
Peyo
Frank Capra
Bill Cosby
Harmon/Ising
Dick Briefer
Don Hertzfeldt
Jan Svochak
20s-80s commercials and advertising
Cliff Roberts
Bud Luckey
Paul Fierlinger
Quentin Tarantino
Bob Godfrey
Tim Burton and Vincent Price
Stan Sakai
Mitch Schauer
Al Hirt
Zach Galifanakis
Saul Steinberg
Mike Lah
John Dunn
Corny Cole
Bobe Cannon
Grant Simmons
Rojankovsky
Baron-Von-Jello
borogove13
cheeks-74
Cotton-gravy
eltonpot
horriblecomics
Katie Cook
Kegg
Lilypaddork
Lohenhart
LooneyLion
Mossmill
mrdynamite
MrNostalgia
nashimi
Pocketowl
redredundance
riddsorensen
RobbVision
Roger-Dog
sacks10
scrawnytooner
Selunec
shmisten
skutterfly
stablercake
Thermrock
utria
WaggonerCartoons
zombiegoon
Crabamoustache
Channel Frederator
HammersonHoek
hankinstein
happydoodle
mooncalfe
yourpalSmitty
GoldDarkShadow
JonnyBCartoonMan
kyan0
luismario
mightyfilm
Amy Mebberson
Montygog
GagaMan
louiezang
sandygrimm2000
nosleepjinx
Slainmonkey
Pam Wishbow
Jeff DeGrandis
Butch Hartman
Johnny Cash
Dan Gormley
Doug TenNapel
Rob Renzetti
Dave Wasson
Al Jaffee
George McManus
Jack Rickard
Don "Duck" Edwing
Marv Newland
Jack Benny
Burl Ives
Mike Myers
Benny Washam
Sir John Tenneil
Robert Ryan
Ray Bradbury
C.C. Beck
Nintendo
SEGA
Peter Bagge
James Thurber
Green Day
Robert Zemeckis
Johnatan Winters
Robin Williams
Orson Welles
Animaniacs and Stephen Speilberg
Tim Curry
Alfred Hitchcock
Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi
Daryl Hall and John Oates
Mystery Science Theatre 3000
Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett
Woody Allen
Vincent Van Gogh
Chris Farley
Adam West's Batman
Sherwood Schwartz and Gilligan's Island
Steve Purcell
Francisco Ibáñez Talavera
Maxwell Atoms
Chris Reccardi
Marc Deckter
Mike Kazaleh
Steve Martin
Wally Boag
Richard Scarry

Waging Wabbits and Scribner Joy

This is by far one of the greatest Bugs Bunnies ever made. Directed by Bob Clampett, and mostly animated by Rod Scribner, this film is animated ecstacy. This cartoon always makes me proud to be a cartoonist, mainly because it's the kind of film I'd love to make: pure wackiness, incredible acting, amazing jokes, and wonderful charcters.

This the famous scene in the film, amazingly animated by Rod Scribner. When you look at it frame by frame, it looks almost disconected, but when you see it move, it flows by so smoothly.

When I first saw this cartoon, it was a revolation. The fact that it moved different than the other director's cartoons. The extreme wrinkles, perfect construction, wonderful wackiness, the feeling this gave me was different, but exilerating.

Scribner always drew realistic teeth on his characters.

Somehow, it adds to the fun of it all.

Also, kudos to Mel Blanc for probably the best Bugs Bunny performance he ever did.

The rhythm of his voice is wonderful to hear. It's extreme and and almost violent, yet still retains it's fun appeal and that kinduv thing. This, and his Sylvester in "Birds Anoynimous" are probably his greatest performances ever.

God, Scribner draws beautiful hands!

And tons of goofy expressions!

The zanniness grows.

Nice use of carrot chunks.

On an artist level, this pose is brilliant. Great expression, flowing line of action, and the weight on Bugs is magnificent.

More carrot chunks!

Scribner always drew great, big eyes - a big influence on me.

Nice lip action here.

Boy does Bugs have tons of manic expressions here! They're all filled with those big eyes and teeth!

Bugs looks like an insane murderer!

Nice close-up on Bugs' toes - Note 4 on the the clode-up and 3 on the other foot.

These wrinkles just crack me up!

These faces just get weirder and weirder!

MORE TEETH!

These two expressions (above and below) are two delightfully odd faces.

Clampett had an bizare habit: he'd frequently switch animators in the middle of a scene, mostly between Scribner and McKimson, like above. Maybe Clampett liked to see the difference between two great animatiors (and directors).

This cartoon isinspirational, and you can find this and other Clampett classics on these:

http://www.amazon.com/Looney-Tunes-Golden-Collection-Vols/dp/B001RXB4H2/ref=sr_1_8?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1312837481&sr=1-8

The Origins of Shorty Duck

I now introduce you to the one and only Shorty Duck, the leader of my merry cartoon stars.

I created wen I was young. Probably since I was 7 or 8, inspired by Bugs Bunny and Woody Woodpecker to create my own character. He's evolved a lot over the years and still is front and center.

Shorty started out as a regular wiseacre smart-aleck, who regularly beat up on poor old Carl Cat.

But after being exposed to the aforementioned cartoon characters, the comics of Robert Crumb abd Vaughn Bode, and the comedy of Groucho Marx and Doug Walker (the Nostalgia Critic), Shorty was born again. Here is really what the character is summed up in:

-He's mischivious

-He's incredibly smart and maripulative

-He's a womanizer who lusts after women, but in a calm and cool way

-He is incredibly violent and loud-mouthed, yet is subtle and foxy

-Knows how to take control, yet can easily go crazy with it

-Insane, but with self-control

-Can get jealous and angry easily

           He's also evolved from Looney Tune-type protagonist to a villian for another character of mine, Captain Aardvark (whom I'll show you in another post) to pretty much both. He's by far my favorite character I've made and he's the one I'm most proud of.

DeviantArt Page

http://mushmeister67.deviantart.com/

VIDEO DUMP!

Early Muppet Stuff (With Some Bonuses!)

As you know, I love Henson, and I decided to show you some of Jim's early work

BONUS!!!: One of my favorite Sesame sketches, Bert and Ernie play the drums!

(Look closely for Jim and Frank Oz performing the two)

Tom Turk and Daffy

A great, underrated Porky and Daffy cartoon from Chuck Jones!