Category: animation

MY COMICS ART TRAVELS: U.S.A. Part 1.

animation, Blotting Paper, Comics, comics art, Travels August 20, 2024

As the topic of this post is lengthier than normal I shall be spreading the content over two posts. The second part is scheduled for November this year. The content refers to my research and conference attendance on comics art, cartoon and animation related trips to America. I first visited the Walt Disney Studio in Los Angeles when researching animation. Later I began my research and study of comics art. I had been an avid reader of comics from childhood. I also loved watching cartoons. I found a crossover current linking these two forms of comics and cartoons which deepened my interest. The Disney Studio straddled these fields producing both comics and animation. My fascination grew and led to my resolution to become involved professionally. That took some time but I eventually succeeded, first through my studies and later my research. I became an academic with practical and theoretical expertise in both media. I designed and developed new tertiary level subjects and courses in both fields. I began researching, presenting papers at conferences and publishing scholarly articles based on that research in scholarly journals.

_{Approaching the Disney Studio in Burbank, California. (Photo by Louise Graber).}

When I visited the Disney Studio in Burbank on a study trip it was a joyful experience. I went to America as an academic at the new Sydney College of the Arts. I had applied to visit the Disney Studios for a research project examining historic storyboards for their Silly Symphonies cartoons. I also planned to visit the film and animation program at U.C.L.A. that was located nearby. I was researching animated music videos at the time. Those Disney cartoons offered an artistic base for animation set to musical soundtracks. Happily, I got to visit both places. The Disney staff were most welcoming and helpful. Just sitting in the commissary at lunch time with Disney animators, actors and directors was a joyful experience. I also spotted the odd actor at the studio to do voice-overs for cartoons. U.C.L.A. academics were excellent and used to original research. This study tour led to my development of new subjects back in Sydney.

The animated music video medium was breaking out at the time in the popular music industry. It was the age of MTV with many musicians in need of video promotion of their image and music. I wrote and designed a Music Video subject for the General Studies curriculum of the Design School. I was warned that it would not run unless it received a minimum of 20 enrolments. No worries! It had to be staged in the main lecture room as it attracted over 100 students! They came from right across the Faculty. In addition to enrolments from the Visual Communication course it attracted to students from across the Faculty. Students of Fashion, Interior Design, Industrial Design, even the Art School enrolled. It was the age of music videos. Some of these students eventually became professional music video directors for class-mates who were musicians in local bands. And the noise! Complaints from teaching staff affected by the loud music led to my subject being rescheduled to the evening timetable. That turned out to be better. We could run longer than the required 90 minutes and pump up the volume. What was that Alice Cooper song?..No More Mr Nice Guy…that was the feeling I had at the time and I tried to play it every week. Despite the huge amount of assessment due to the high enrollment numbers it remains for me a joyous educational memory.

_{First issue of the International Journal Of Comic Art, 1999.}

On a subsequent U.S.A. trip, I excitedly entered the elevator on the ground floor to attend my first conference on comics. Located in Bethesda, Maryland it was ICAF 99 (Fifth Annual International Comic Arts Festival: “Culture, Industry, Discourse”). It was nearly filled with businessmen coming up from the basement car park. I was surprised when we all started to alight on the same floor…the one where the comics conference was being held! Was there another conference on? No, just the one venue…? The penny soon dropped! These guys were not business men. These were American academics. They followed a more formal dress code! Suit, shirt, tie and brief case compared to what I was used to back home. These academics seemed serious about their research into comics. Their conference attendance, dress code and presentation of their scholarly papers reflected this. By comparison I felt a little casual in a T-shirt and jeans. I had come up from the “…Land Down Under” with a shoulder bag containing a note book, sketch pad and pencils. I presented my research paper titled “Overseas Influence/Local Colour: The Australian Small Press”. And I met my first American academics researching comics art! They included Gene Kannenberg, Jr., Charles Hatfield, Jeff Miller, Ana Merino, Mark Nevins, Michael Rhode, Marc Singer, Guy Spielmann, Jeff Williams, and Joseph “Rusty” Witek, plus Pascal Lefevre from Belgium. These became my new comics art colleagues at that research gathering in Maryland. Meeting other comics academics was both wonderful and reassuring. Then Professor John A. Lent arrived with copies of his brand new 1999 publication, the International Journal of Comic Art. This was an academic journal about research of comics art. “Fan-bloody-tastic!” This was getting both serious and satisfying. It was also a reassuring kick-start of my resolve to research comics art formally as an academic.

The publication of the International Journal Of Comic Art provided the perfect platform to record and promote comics art research. Above is a photo of the first issue of the journal from 1999. It has since reached the milestone of 50 published issues, chalking up 25 years of continuous publication. I purchased the first issue of IJOCA, (pictured above) at that conference and took out a subscription. And along the way I became the Australian representative of the journal’s International Editorial Board. Later, Professor John A. Lent was one of the examiners of my PhD thesis on Australian alternative small-press comics. The journal seemed to progressively grow in size into a solid block of pages that I affectionately nick-named the “BRICK”. I even created a couple of cartoons about its postal delivery problems due to its bulky size. It had started out as a rather slim volume before blossoming into its bulging “brick” shape and weight. A thousand cheers to you, John!

_{Original cartoons by Jis and Trino, in my copy of their comic book.}

At that comics art conference I also met Mexican cartoonists Yis and Trino who were guest artists. We had an hilarious and somewhat chaotic conversation. In the end I bought a copy of their comic and asked them to sign it…not expecting their amusing graphic response. They drew a cartoon of me with them playfully trying to embarrass me…but now I have their original sketches which I treasure. What a hoot!

_{FIREBALL minicomic, Issue Seven, 1999 by Brain Ralph. I purchased it from the creator at the SMALL PRESS EXPO that followed the comics conference in Maryland, WASHINGTON DC.}

Next morning Neil Gaiman entered the elevator, and commenced chatting to a contact in his dulcet English tones! He was making a presentation at the conference…which turned out to be most impressive. When the conference concluded we all went down to the ground floor to THE EXPO(Small Press Expo). It followed on from the conference and ran over the weekend. It was Small Press heaven!…stalls manned by comics creators selling their comics. This conference and expo set the bar high for me on my return to Sydney. It had given me more confidence about researching comics. To have participated in such events that brought me new academic and artistic colleagues with whom to communicate, was joyous! Now I was determined. I would do my PhD research in the field of comics! Five years later, in 2004, I completed my doctoral thesis and was awarded my PhD.

^{A year later I went to the “big one!” I was a professional attendee at the San Diego Comic Con. That’s the Gahan Wilson designed pass(above). The convention was H-U-G-E!!! …in both size and events and number of attendees. Even just to walk around all the aisles with its exhausting range of comics art exhibits was an awesome experience. It also incorporated an academic comic arts themed conference at which I presented a paper on Australian comics…“Australian Gothic” conference paper, 8th Annual Comic Arts Conference, Comic Con, San Diego, USA, July 2000}

_{Getting up close to photograph and chat to Gahan Wilson and MAD magazine’s Sergio Aragones (on the left).} _{(Photo by Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

_{Meeting James Kochalka there and buying his comic.}

_{James Kochalka did this drawing of one of his characters for me in my copy of the catalogue.}

_{I also met Will Eisner there and had a brief chat with him. I got him to sign my copy of his book GRAPHIC STORYTELLING. It is about making comics which he did with a flourish! See above. What an honour it was to meet this comics art legend and to shake his hand! I used his textbooks in my visual communication design subjects at the art school and university.}

Part 2 of this post on my comics related travels will follow in approximately three months time.

PRINTMAKING: Fish Six

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking May 9, 2023

This is the final of six posts on the creation of experimental fish prints using woodblock printmaking techniques. These were exhibited as art prints. They were also used as animation frames in my experimental animated film Toxic Fish (see the photos below). The fish in this post is the kohada. It has a static shape on the woodblock and in the film frame. This contrasts with the surrounding coloured toxins from commercial pollution. These eventually poison the fish. Variations in the volume of ink applied to the block produced a range of similar but different outcomes. Once edited in sequence, these contributed to the creation of the illusion of movement. The associated movement of both fish and toxins frantically appear to twitch and jump all over the frame. The action looks frenetic. That effect is reinforced by the percussive soundtrack. The film was selected and screened at CINANIMA, the Animation Festival in Esphino, Portugal. It was also screened at the Art Gallery of NSW. Later it was shown at the Big Day Out rock festival in Sydney. There is a certificate and photo on a previous post: PRINTMAKING: Fish Four).

_{A woodblock print for gallery exhibition and as a frame in my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Michael Hill. (Print for animation has blue ink over black base shape with blue and green ink striped overlay…for use as double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{Woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for gallery exhibition. Also used as a frame in my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Michael Hill.(Print for animation has grey ink over black shape of fish with grey ink striped overlay and surrounds. Use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{Woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for gallery exhibition and as a frame in my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Michael Hill. (Print for animation has orange body shape with blue/green ink striped and smudged surrounds. For use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{Woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for gallery exhibition and as a frame in my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation, overinked yellow and grey with smudged surrounds. For use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) This print, plus others following show levels of excessive saturation of ink in the main body of the fish. There is a deliberate, expressive intent in the printmaking of these particular prints.}

_{Woodblock print with hand-coloured blotches for gallery exhibition and as frame in my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Michael Hill. Blotches of blue and grey ink are overlaid onto the basic shape of fish with yellow and grey ink surrounds. For use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{Woodblock print with overlayed hand-colouring for gallery exhibition and as a frame in my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Michael Hill. The print has overloaded green ink over the outline shape of the fish. Surrounding pink and grey ink smudges and brush strokes have been added. For use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.). Imagine seeing all seven of the above frames in a single second of the film…it’s a frantic movement of colour, shape and positioning!}

_{Sitting at the Oxberry animation film rostrum stand back in 1990. I was shooting my film, frame by frame, from the individual woodblock prints I had made. It took a really long time. I appear both happy and calm and pleased with the process despite the frantic impact that the film makes. I do listen to music while I work. I don’t recall what I was that day but it looks like I was enjoying it.}

_{A later grouping of one species of the fish for art gallery exhibition. This composition had torn and collaged prints assembled in a school formation. It completed the process from design to printmaking to animation to film.}

PRINTMAKING: Fish Five

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking February 8, 2022

This is the fifth post documenting the production of the experimental prints that I made with woodblock printmaking techniques…for both gallery exhibition and also as frames in my experimental animated film Toxic Fish (see photos below). The fish in this sequence is the gizzard shad. It has static shape on the woodblock…this contrasts with the flooding of toxins from commercial pollution which are overlaid around it which eventually poison the fish. Variations in the volume of ink and the choice of hue produced a range of similar but different outcomes. When edited in sequence these contributed to the creation of the illusion of movement. The film was screened at CINANIMA, the Animation Festival in Esphino, Portugal…and at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney…and also at the Big Day Out rock festival. also in Sydney. (See certificate and photo on previous post: PRINTMAKING: Fish Four).

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation: green ink over black shape with red and green ink smudged overlay…for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation: orange ink over black shape with blue and grey ink smudged overlay…for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) This print also stamped to be sold for framing as static artwork.}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation: pink ink over black shape with pink ink smudged overlay…for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation: red ink over black shape with red and grey ink smudged overlay…for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.})

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation: blue ink over black shape with black and blue ink smudged overlay…start of disintegration of fish…for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Print of image for animation: multicoloured smudged overlay of ink…for use as both single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{These and other examples of the art from the animation have been posted on the Doctor Comics website (doctorcomics.com) under the post heading PRINTMAKING: Fish 1, 2, 3 etc.}

MY COMICS ART TRAVELS: Japan

animation, character design, comic art, Comics, Japanning, printmaking, Travels November 1, 2021

This post features one of my many visits to Japan to study and research anime, manga, comics and cartoons…not to mention fashion and food!

_{Doctor Comics in Japan, outside of Takadanobaba Station…under the railway tracks (see steel girder supporting a section of the tracks above the mural at top of photo). Here, near his former Tokyo Studio, is a memorial mural to the anime and manga artist, Osamu Tezuka, October 2016. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Japan is sometimes referred to as the Character Kingdom. This is due to its massive merchandising of manga, comics, film and anime figurines and collectibles. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Doctor Comics recognises Anime and Manga characters designed by Shigeru Mizuki, in the toy store, Yamashiroya, in Ueno, Tokyo. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Doctor Comics studies an original scroll in a window of the bookshop area of Tokyo called Kanda. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Another print shop in Kanda… (Photo-©2016 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

_{In a shop window in Kanda Doctor Comics finds figurines of characters from Shigeru Mizuki’s manga and anime KITARO. (Photo-©2016 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

_{A beer ad with cartoon figures (Doctor Comics often enjoys a beer whilst reading manga).}
_{(Photo-©2016 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

_{…and D.I.Y. printmaking, at Ogawamachi Railway Station. Here one can print the station logo on a post card at the stamp desk provided for passengers -see below}.
_{(Photo-©2016 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

_{Stamp and stamp pad plus work desk await.}
_{(Photo-©2016 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

The ON MY TRAVELS… posts form part of my graphic based material. This includes painting, printmaking, cartooning and scrapbooking plus the odd bit of animation.

PRINTMAKING: Fish Four

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking February 14, 2021

^{This is the fourth post documenting the production of my creative fish prints. I made these using woodblock printmaking techniques for use use in my experimental animated film Toxic Fish (see photos below). The fish represented in this sequence is the Kohada. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins. These represent commercial pollution that is spread around the fish and eventually poisons it. There are variations in the volume of ink applied to the block and the choice of hue. These produced a range of similar outcomes when edited in sequence. This contributed to the creation of the illusion of movement. Film screenings: Animation Festival, Esphino, Portugal (see certificate at bottom of post),…Art Gallery of NSW and the Big Day Out rock festival}.

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Monoprint of image for animation in black ink for fish and surrounds).(For single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.).}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (black ink with sepia wash overlay, for use as single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) This print has also been stamped with my logos for sale as static artwork.}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Woodblock print with blue/black ink and green overlay; for single and double frame sequence of the animation at 24 f.p.s.) The fish in this sequence is the Kohada or Gizzard Shad. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins around it.}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Woodblock print with purple/brown ink over black and green ink; for single and double frame sequence at 24 f.p.s.)}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (print of image for animation with use of overprinting out of registration to stress texture.) This print has also been stamped with my logos for sale as static artwork.}

_{A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for my animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill. (Woodblock print with blue and black layers of ink to suggest induction of toxins.)}

_{Two woodblocks and one battered, old sharpening stone used in the production of my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill.}

_{Me, shooting the film on the Oxberry animation rostrum camera. All of the art was woodblock printed. I also wrote and produced the experimental electronic score. Dr. Michael Hill. (Note: This was in my pre-Doctor Comics period when I was predominantly involved in animation, film and printmaking…in addition to comics).}

_{Certificate of participation in the International Animation Festival, Espinho, Portugal, 1990.}

_{My excellent colleague Jeremy Allen…here enthusiastically pointing to the large screen projection of my film at the rock music event BIG DAY OUT. (Photo and artwork-©1990 Dr. Michael Hil).}

PRINTMAKING: Fish Three

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking May 5, 2017

This is the third post based on the fish prints I made using woodblock printmaking techniques…for the experimental animated film Toxic Fish. The fish in this sequence is the Kohada or Gizzard Shad. Its static shape on the woodblock contrasts with the flooding of coloured toxins around it.

_{Woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics. Fish printed in black ink with orange and yellow surrounds including smudging. This print is also stamped and framed as static artwork…and later reworked and published as an art postcard-©1999 – Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print in grey with overlaid red and pink hand-colouring…and some smudging with green surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish ©1990 – Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print in grey with overlaid purple smudging…and hand-colouring and yellow surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish ©1990 – Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print in basic black with overlaid grey hand-colouring…and smudging effects for the animated film Toxic Fish ©1990 – Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print with overlaid blue saturated hand-colouring…and surrounding purple and yellow coloured textural patches for the animated film Toxic Fish ©1990 – Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print with overlaid yellow/brown/grey hand-colouring and green surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish ©1990 – Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print with overlaid pale-blue hand-colouring and orange surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish © 1990 -Dr. Michael Hill. This print is also stamped and framed as static artwork-©1999 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print with overlaid purple hand-colouring…and yellow/pink surrounds for the animated film Toxic Fish-© 1990 Michael Hill. This print also stamped and framed as static artwork…and for duplication as an art postcard.}
_{©1999 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Fish woodblock print with overlaid blue, purple and yellow hand-colouring and yellow smudged surrounds…for the animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Making overlay textural effect inking of a sequence of prints on the floor of the studio…for inclusion as frames in the animation. (Photo by Louise Graber).}

Other posts of my graphic based material include:

MORE CARTOONS

POSTCARD-Second Series

PRINTMAKING: Fish Two

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking January 28, 2017

This is the second post in my series of fish prints created using the woodblock printmaking method…for my experimental animated film titled Toxic Fish. Dramatically, after ocean fish are poisoned their bodies swell up, die and disintegrate. The static shape of the fish from the woodblock design starts firm before being flooded by toxins. It then falls apart to illustrate this. The method I employed was to gradually over-ink the block. This resulted in details being dampened into puddles…definition and sharpness were blurred and reduced into a dramatic sequence of atrophy.

A woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film Toxic Fish-© 1990 Michael Hill. — Woodblock print for my animated film *Toxic Fish*.
©1990 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.

Below is a photo of me carving one of the blocks using a Japanese chisel. I must add that this is not the recommended way to of doing it! It has been posed for a photograph and shows a compromised pose of the process for promotional purposes. The woodblock carving process is done on a fixed bench with one carving away from, not towards, one’s body.

Hand carving one of the woodblocks for the animated film Toxic Fish-Photograph © 1990 Demetra Christopher. — Hand carving one of the several woodblocks for the animated film *Toxic Fish*.
Photograph ©1990 Demetra Christopher.

If you liked this post you can see others on my Blog.

PRINTMAKING: Fish One

THE GRAFIK GUITAR

POSTCARD

PRINTMAKING: Fish One

animation, Art, experimental, Film, printmaking July 23, 2016

This series of posts will profile a collection of creative prints that I have made, beginning with a series of fish. I used the woodblock printmaking method with variations in inking to make monoprints so that the prints produced could also be used in animation sequences. Six species of fish were featured, the first of which is the Japanese Tai or sea bream. I was very attracted to the idea of working in both animation and printmaking at the time but found it difficult to sustain both in the available time and ultimately had to choose between the two. I found the solution in combining both mediums. Animation’s enormous need for artwork could be more speedily met by using the printmaking medium. I was doubly happy but have since settled on making comics which falls in the space located somewhere in-between and requires a lot less artwork.

Tai/sea bream woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring from my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics. This print also stamped for framing and sale as static artwork.

Tai/sea bream woodblock print with overlaid hand-colouring for the animated film from my experimental animated film Toxic Fish-©1990 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics. This print also stamped for framing and sale as static artwork.