Festivities

Being freed from the confines of school, I've found myself quickly feeding an addiction of traveling. Might as well get it out of my system before "settled down" hits my agenda. Last week I attended a smash-hit of the debut Platform International Animation Festival in the lovely green city of Portland, Oregon. LOL WTF Portland!?, I hear all you internets kids say...but yes, Portland! Home of heavyweight contender Laika (formerly Will Vinton studios, of whom I actually got to see at the festival in person), Bent, and other mid-sized animation studios that play more of a major role in the industry than some of you are aware. It's also quite the lovely city and easy to get around, plus uber kindly bus drivers that one so used to NYC like me are not accustomed to.

Platform was the best...and the very first international animation fest stateside (the big one in North America being in Ottawa, Canada every year), and I encourage all you festival attenders and animators alike to add Platform to your calendar of "must do"s for next year's show.

Funny enough, Platform was a last minute gee-golly I think I WILL go decision on my part, and I'm very thankful I decided to do so. Much like what I'm doing now, planning a trip BACK out to the west coast for the San Diego Comic con. I've told myself for 3 years now I'd go, and I almost didn't plan for it this year...what with all the traveling I AM planning...but getting paychecks has been a sweet sweet gift this summer, and even after paying rent and groceries I find myself aching to splurge a bit on footing it out of town. So San Diego will be graced by the blue raptor later this month.

After SDCC, Chicago will see quite a bit of me, especially at the Chicago Comic con once again...though this time just as an attendee, and not to make dough on raptor goods only to barely break even on expenses....ha. So hopefully I'll get to hang out with more fine and dandy artists in Chicago for the month of August.

Boy oh boy...here's my lineup!

:::June - Platform....CHECK!
:::July - SDCC....GOING!
:::August - Chicago Comic Con....GOING!
:::September - Ottawa International Animation Festival....PENDING...
:::Sept/October - National Caricaturist Network Convention....GOING!

Let me know who's gonna be where...I'd like to run into lots'a'ya'll.

Some pics from the glorious mystical land of Portland and Platform:





A rad picnic requires deep thoughts...


...and some baseball throwin'.


Drinking and animating is apparently a huge hit.


Capture Master Javan Ivey muscling the "film" around.


Car trip!!


lol band photo.


A night of free arcade games, cheap beer, and Voodoo donuts.


Everyone loves award ceremony time!


Don't give anything to Don...he likes breaking things.



But congrats to Lee and Dan, who took home an award for their producing and collaborating in The Secret Life of Robots!


=)