I am going to watch this dancing chicken gif forever, in order to maintain my waning optimism. (PS it works really well when you play 'Fembot' by Robyn)

Etsy!

While I'm updating my actual website, I set up a redirect here, to my blog. I realized I needed to direct people to my respective Etsy shops though, so here we go:


TerribleFantastic, my needle-felting Etsy



7Seventeengallery, my illustration Etsy.

SUPER is out on DVD & blu-ray today!

There was a really good article/interview at Art of the Title with Puny Animation's Shad Petosky about the animated title credits. While I didn't animate on that part of the film, they did try to base some of the character designs on the crude and childlike style I'd adapted for Frank. It's an interesting article, and furthermore, an interesting site. Clicky here.

SXSW Premiere of SUPER

While it's true that I do have other things in my life going on, the one thing that I've been thinking the most about for awhile is, of course, SUPER.

We went to the SXSW premiere last weekend in Austin.


December 2009 is when I read the script, and did like, a zillion drawings for the film based on some very precise outlines given to us by the director. And I was impressed with the script then-- impressed in a way, because the sick sense of humor reminded me so much of my own. I put it down at the end and told my boyfriend that it was totally something I should be working on, because it was so gleefully twisted, with a big dose of pathos. Just like the inside of my brain!

The audience ate it up; this was exactly the type of crowd I wanted to see it with for the first time. They were eager to see it--the line had wrapped around the block--and the laughter was uproarious. It was the most fun I'd ever had at a movie, and having worked on it was just icing on the cake.

We went to the afterparty, and I got a photo with James Gunn... which I now realize is actually the third time I've posed with a director (Joel Schumacher and Joss Whedon being the others). Who's next?? Harmony Korine? Vincent Gallo? Man, who knows. I'm blowing up. I'm Hollywood now.


I've become quite a cheerleader of this movie, to a point verging on being a fangirl, but it's just I think that much of this movie, and the production. You gotta understand, it was made for next to nothing, and the level of interest in it thus far-- the longest line for ANY screening at SXSW they say-- is an entirely grassroots, internet-based thing. I mean, there wasn't a trailer until a few weeks ago. And I think that's a great thing, because it started off as such a personal project for its writer-director, and it in turn became very personal for the people who worked on it.

And I wanna be real here for a minute: another part I am so excited, is because sometimes, it's not that easy to be an artist. Sometimes it's not that easy to get work, and as a result, you find yourself doubting yourself or abilities, and you lose motivation. A lot of people's art blogs, I find, are just self-aggrandizing or blatant networking attempts and... I can't do that. I'm too self-deprecating. And while that may be a great tool for getting ahead, I find that stuff insincere, and I just can't do it. So that's why I care about this movie: I got validation. I felt incredibly proud, and you know, just grateful, because the thing an artist needs most in the world is just to be given a chance. And I got it on this! Sometimes chances are few and far between and I'm just glad to have gotten one on something that was so important to all of the people who worked on it.

So go see it when it comes out-- but... you know, only if you are awesome, because it's not for everyone (a dude explodes).

SUPER Trailer

It's finally here, the trailer for SUPER:



The animation you see in the trailer are clips from the credits, and was done by the neato Puny Entertainment. I will admit to a little bit of envy there; once upon a time I was going to be involved in that aspect of the film, and while I did contribute some animation elsewhere, I didn't have anything to do with the credits. You'll still see my gloriously bad artwork in the movie though.

This Saturday, March 12, SUPER will be screening at SXSW and I've been told we are going to be able to get in to see it. So that's... that's pretty cool.


Click the poster for release dates! It is a very small film, that's relying largely on word-of-mouth. The good news is, the word-of-mouth from early screenings has been rad.

More to come later this week!

spective; retro

2008 sort of sucked.

Look, we're not going to get into the particulars, the why and the how; I just want you to recognize that the year sort of sucked. And let's be done with it.

2009 is being built up as the bestest year ever by people. Optimists. 2008 just sucked so bad, you have to think that whatever is around the corner just has to be great. It just has to be.

I'll reserve my judgment until we're, say, at the halfway mark. So far 2009 for me has just been about wine, cheese, Scrabble, and my Target gift card. I also went to the gym. I wouldn't say it's overly promising but it hasn't disappointed me yet. The jury is out.

I know there are a few things I'm planning to accomplish by year's end. I won't dare call them resolutions. I also won't dare share them here. But I, like everyone else, am looking to 2009 with wide open eyes. 2008, after all, was pretty bad.

I hope with all the free time coming up that I get a lot more stuff done.

Writing and art and otherwise.

NCN Convention - Famous Corpses

Well, the 2008 NCN Convention in Raleigh just wrapped up last night. Early Wednesday, post Election Night elation, I flew down on the teeniest jet Delta had to offer to join the festivities mid-week as a guest.

While I was there I signed some copies of 'Famous Corpses'-- it had been sale already for a few days so Emi and Jan had gotten all of them, but some people came up to have me sign theirs as well, and Friday we sold some more to those stragglers who hadn't gotten theirs yet.


One day, maybe I'll take a photo of 'Famous Corpses' that's not totally blurry.


Publisher Joe Bluhm, Author Danielle Griffith, and Illustrators Emi Sato and Jan Op De Beeck





We met and talked about the next volume, of course; 2008 was full of awesome people who totally died, and we have a hell of a list already. We need to par it down, but, well, the deadline to get in the book is December 31st, so we need to sort of play a waiting game to make sure somebody fabulous doesn't make the requirements (ie die) before then. We're going to move tentatively forward, I guess.

All in all the book was well-received by the members of the NCN! Jan Op De Beeck is a superstar, so of course they were waiting for it to come out. People looooved Emi's cartoon contributions too. I dare say it was a hit--we definitely sold enough this week, anyway. It will become available on the Art Squared website very shortly; I'll be sure to mention it when it is.

Missed Encounter - 6 Train Around 7:30pm m4w

Tall short haired man in a black leather jacket meets the most beautiful woman he's ever met (redhead). You were engrossed in the instructions on the back of your can of oven cleaner. You wrinkled your forehead. I once bought oven cleaner too; my oven was really dirty. I was weirded out when the instructions explicitly told me to wear long rubber gloves and not to breathe in. I guessed that's what you wrinkled your forehead about. Really though, it's no sweat; I thought it'd be really hard to clean my oven but it wasn't. You just follow the instructions and it's pretty easy. You read the back of the can for approximately 1.5 stops, between 77th and 59th Streets. Then you got off at 59th. I wanted ask you if you were cleaning your oven because you liked to bake but I felt silly approaching you. Maybe I should have. Live n Learn.
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This is a Craigslist ad that absolutely no one will write about me tonight, but I wish they would. Because that shit is great.