Native New Yorker, Dean Haspiel, is the creator of BILLY DOGMA and the webcomix collective, ACT-I-VATE.com. Dean has drawn superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics, including Pulitzer Prize winning Michael Chabon's THE ESCAPIST [Dark Horse], and is best known for his collaborations with Harvey Pekar on THE QUITTER and AMERICAN SPLENDOR. Recently, Dean drew THE ALCOHOLIC, an original Vertigo graphic novel collaboration with author Jonathan Ames, and, MO & JO, a Toon Book collaboration with Jay Lynch. Dean currently edits NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR for SmithMag.net and produced STREET CODE, a semi-autobiographical webcomic for Zudacomics.com. For updates, please visit http://man-size.livejournal.com/
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We love the fan art that we see all the time online, but we wanted to showcase a truly imaginative piece of fan art. Project Necron 100 as designed by SeeMonster on DeviantART.com.
About the Artist:
Current Age: 24
Current Residence: N.M.
Interests: making movies, animations, sculpture, video games, books, music, life and death
Favourite movie: tha freaky ones
Favourite band or musician: Neutral Milk Hotel
Favourite genre of music: everything...
Favourite artist: me
Favourite poet or writer: kurt vonnegut, tom robbins, hunter s. thompson, phillip k. dick
Favourite cartoon character: trevor goodchild
Personal Quote: as above so below
Tools of the Trade: fingers a pencil and photoshop
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RALPH BAKSHI IN AUSTIN
Sunday and Monday, January 18 and 19
In conjunction with a visit to The Austin School of Film, animation legend Ralph Bakshi will visit Austin this weekend and appear live prior to screenings of his films at The Alamo Drafthouse Downtown.
Bakshi will introduce each of his groundbreaking films and prior to the shows will sign copies of the long awaited book on his life and work. UNFILTERED will be for sale at the venue along with a selection of original production art from the Bakshi archives.
The screening schedule is as follows and advance tickets can be purchased directly from The Drafthouse.
Sunday January 18
WIZARDS will be shown at 7:50 *Intro Prior with Q and A to follow
STREETFIGHT at 10:15 *Introduction Only
Monday January 19
AMERICAN POP will be shown at 10:10 with an *Introduction by Bakshi
THE ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE IS LOCATED AT 320 E. 6TH STREET IN AUSTIN
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 512-476-1320
or visit them at www.originalalamo.com
This Albert Hurter Book 'He Drew As He Pleased' straight from Ralph's Library was
"highly influential" for him throughout his career. He saw the beauty in free form doodling for his artists. Bakshi though of it as an "excellent lesson" for all the artists in his studio to study and kept it available for them to borrow and practice with.
Ralph Bakshi on Albert Hurter:
"The Myth of what Hurter did for Disney always influenced me tremendously. And that myth was ... when I found his book at Terrytoons - 'He Drew as He Pleased' ... That the man sat at Disney drawing and doodling anything he wanted that he would feed to the various story department on pictures that they were working on - whatever crossed his mind - whatever fantasy - whatever inanimate object he brought to life. He never worried about what the audience might like - he just loved doing it. His sketches for Pinocchio, Fantasia, Snow White, are brilliant masterpieces. Like Heinrich Kley - Hurter is one of a kind forever. And his book 'He Drew as He Pleased' was a masterpiece.
Canadian born artist Rob Chope spent countless hours in his basement "hole" drawing, painting, hiding and loving every second of it. Fast-forward a couple decades and here he is doing commercial art for one of the most sought after art studios in Michigan. Rob has enjoyed his position as master retoucher for over 10 years. After long hours working at a 30" computer monitor Rob decided to start sneaking in the fun stuff (sci-fi & fantasy art). Then came Rob's Bakshi "Weehawk tribute". He was honored to do this piece as a thank you to the wonderful Bakshi folks. Despite Rob's love of traditional mediums, he has little time to create freely. This led him down a new and inventive path. "When your job puts you in front of a huge flat screen monitor it is hard not to fall right into a new creation. I believe that the digital world has accelerated my progress and abilities. I can try any aspect of a piece in many ways and colors to study it and determine what really works best rather than wondering what something would have looked like had I approached it differently. I never have to wait for paint to dry but I do miss the smell of the acrylics, oils and pencils shavings." So when he is not retouching to solve the world's problems with his finely tuned creative savvy, he slips into the world of fantasy art. His work takes you to a bold, imaginative place full of exaggeration and wonder. Maybe it was having grown up in a family of machine designers that made Rob the odd man out but through that the challenge was presented. Making a living doing what he loves the most.
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(Pinocchio Doodles from ASIFA)
