Clement on the Can — New CLEMENTOONS Adventure

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sw2ekn5quYs" width="450"></iframe><br />In this brand new episode of CLEMENTOONS, Clement makes a sled out of a crushed soda can and embarks on a wild ride. <span style="text-align: center;">(</span><a href="http://youtu.be/sw2ekn5quYs" style="text-align: center;">Direct link to video</a><span style="text-align: center;">)</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: center;">CLEMENTOONS is my stop-motion animated adventure series about a little cartoon person on a perilous journey through the real world to the toyland of Melville. </span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSM4TEEdiMSat8pTuJMqCwLvkyfbxGq8IKofvIbhw_CvKNo2yaGiXDBfYs_hyphenhyphen1BZF9F22cFMqH8wuWRrEISlH7UWQk76oSvus0bxca4UY129X8Z5pYB6vZU4teVqbOtxtjrUb6TES_jpD/s1600/Clement.Can.Molly.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSM4TEEdiMSat8pTuJMqCwLvkyfbxGq8IKofvIbhw_CvKNo2yaGiXDBfYs_hyphenhyphen1BZF9F22cFMqH8wuWRrEISlH7UWQk76oSvus0bxca4UY129X8Z5pYB6vZU4teVqbOtxtjrUb6TES_jpD/s1600/Clement.Can.Molly.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />The animation is painstakingly shot frame by frame and then compiled into a movie. In this shot, a geared-down Lego motor pulls the sleds at a constant but very slow rate, while a still camera shoots at five second intervals.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkiK8IDBgx2kaw4cXIwHvprkgPHFSeRFuMFtS_HKaq3Zx_hLQ7q7ZSKUn-F86QmOjEnfGXSFpqyy_tVM365rnFerszQM1otYZoLNWwzA6N07-nwZ50L1vhljMz7bkxbu6TDT8GcH7lkj1/s1600/Clement+Action.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkiK8IDBgx2kaw4cXIwHvprkgPHFSeRFuMFtS_HKaq3Zx_hLQ7q7ZSKUn-F86QmOjEnfGXSFpqyy_tVM365rnFerszQM1otYZoLNWwzA6N07-nwZ50L1vhljMz7bkxbu6TDT8GcH7lkj1/s1600/Clement+Action.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />There's no green-screen and no digital effects. When Clement goes through the brambles, he's really going through them. <br /><br /><span style="text-align: center;">The episodes will be released out of order. Each one begins with an escape and ends with a cliffhanger. </span><br /><span style="text-align: center;">------</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;">Previous videos:</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJDMdv223A">Clement Meets Miss Bubbles</a></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0RCFhAzkc">Clementoons: Behind the Scenes</a></span><br />Song by <a href="https://archive.org/details/FrankieTrumbauer-01-50">Frankie Trumbauer "There'll Come a Time," 1927</a>,<br />Clementoons theme music by <a href="http://www.yanksband.com/">The Yanks, "If There Weren't Any Women in the World" </a>

Clement on the Can — New CLEMENTOONS Adventure

In this brand new episode of CLEMENTOONS, Clement makes a sled out of a crushed soda can and embarks on a wild ride.  ( Direct link to video...

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Miss Bubbles Poster

<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On Monday morning, I'll be releasing the first full installment of Clementoons animation, an episode called "Troubles with Bubbles." </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhhk-8ga58UkKV6QBV6ITgG4o5UDXTJe4lxla6JWEly-BKbfxd35tZ1F7tjgzvEE3zQbGVuHzVZttJTNnJHMBwfETLxVdx7CUeR5laRqKJYGsGxQOVw2PA1PQyOwe3BGf1zv_p3IewKx5/s1600/Miss+Bubbles.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhhk-8ga58UkKV6QBV6ITgG4o5UDXTJe4lxla6JWEly-BKbfxd35tZ1F7tjgzvEE3zQbGVuHzVZttJTNnJHMBwfETLxVdx7CUeR5laRqKJYGsGxQOVw2PA1PQyOwe3BGf1zv_p3IewKx5/s1600/Miss+Bubbles.sm.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The video features Clement's encounter with a dancer named Bubbles LaRue. She's ten times Clement's size, and she's the most beautiful and dangerous female in Melville, the world of cartoon people. I created this poster as a prop for the production. It's painted in casein on illustration board.  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknNwpoJL5SiBRpZpU1Es_UoNLwM3aWY8_2W3mIWLpXFhc3jPRoFgg2p9NTYqtOsvjVvBv_rxjpP2FTQeIzhyphenhyphenycGZy1u1gHV5A1yDUGYlvw0dNSHNf_MpV-SZkH61CsjMqwWjyfaRJjEEz/s1600/Burlesque+Posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknNwpoJL5SiBRpZpU1Es_UoNLwM3aWY8_2W3mIWLpXFhc3jPRoFgg2p9NTYqtOsvjVvBv_rxjpP2FTQeIzhyphenhyphenycGZy1u1gHV5A1yDUGYlvw0dNSHNf_MpV-SZkH61CsjMqwWjyfaRJjEEz/s1600/Burlesque+Posters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I based the style of the poster on the classic posters of the Moulin Rouge, with their fabulous swooping lettering, bright colors, and sense of excitement.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7HFz_Ggyn1P-lSKy02GWMdCSuF8gsGteHwzUlXB9HE2LkVorQ-acfSTaewD3WfghnMVyKcSndLDh-eqDAUPPaSMNIKezOFhtY9xnohR9JH5q-sUsx7BiPe5pOW56kS16oHQYgBZGK_7W/s1600/Bubbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7HFz_Ggyn1P-lSKy02GWMdCSuF8gsGteHwzUlXB9HE2LkVorQ-acfSTaewD3WfghnMVyKcSndLDh-eqDAUPPaSMNIKezOFhtY9xnohR9JH5q-sUsx7BiPe5pOW56kS16oHQYgBZGK_7W/s1600/Bubbles.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>Miss Bubbles is a marionette, originally built and performed by Bil and Cora Baird, the puppeteers who created the goatherd scene in "The Sound of Music" (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vtq9t08ktU">link to that scene on YouTube</a>).<br /><br />She is a treasure of Mel Birnkrant's collection of comic character toys and puppets.<br />-----<br />Read more about <a href="http://melbirnkrant.com/collection/page45.html">Miss Bubbles at Mel Birnkrant's website</a><br />Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0RCFhAzkc&list=UUTIoOLzT1jbxAcPW99xn0zQ">Clementoons Behind the Scenes</a><br />Video:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pak4hp5-VYc">Toy Collector Mel Birnkrant</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Miss Bubbles Poster

On Monday morning, I'll be releasing the first full installment of Clementoons animation, an episode called "Troubles with Bubbles....

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CLEMENTOONS: Behind the Scenes

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Jc0RCFhAzkc?list=UUTIoOLzT1jbxAcPW99xn0zQ" width="450"></iframe><br /><div class="tG QF" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.481818199157715px; position: absolute; width: 0px;"> </div><br />I'd like to introduce a behind-the-scenes tour of CLEMENTOONS, the animation technique I've been developing to tell the story of Clement. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0RCFhAzkc&feature=share&list=UUTIoOLzT1jbxAcPW99xn0zQ">Direct link to YouTube video</a>)<br /><br />Clement is a bold little guy, but he's always getting himself into trouble. He's on a journey through our ordinary world to a magical place called Melville, where cartoon people have congregated to form a surreal society.<br /><br />He'll meet plenty of other characters along the way. I'll release the next episode, "Clement on the Can" later this month.

CLEMENTOONS: Behind the Scenes

  I'd like to introduce a behind-the-scenes tour of CLEMENTOONS, the animation technique I've been developing to tell the story of C...

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Animation Title Cards

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I was developing a title card design for the CLEMENTOONS series, I looked at a lot of the opening graphics that inspired me as a kid. Most of my favorites were from the Golden Age of American Animation in the 1930s and '40s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5npS4gBmKTtpWo6gzYDF_56rL9G_opdGT9XZff2qjVj64VNIgJ89lQ9U3eAhDTK6pummAIndZthB8jFEapXRSIE5ovCnQRP0yd-gNlWYxo-WuMHdOyg8OIwwWoh2dx6oYUgwqzhzTQCCz/s1600/Looney+Tunes+Title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5npS4gBmKTtpWo6gzYDF_56rL9G_opdGT9XZff2qjVj64VNIgJ89lQ9U3eAhDTK6pummAIndZthB8jFEapXRSIE5ovCnQRP0yd-gNlWYxo-WuMHdOyg8OIwwWoh2dx6oYUgwqzhzTQCCz/s1600/Looney+Tunes+Title.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When a cartoon started with the Looney Tunes titles it made my heart race with anticipation--still does. I love the cockeyed block letters, and the concentric circles airbrushed to look like a tunnel. It was a special treat to see Bugs or Daffy or Porky featured in the title. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I was crazy about the manic energy of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jTHNBKjMBU">the Warner Bros. theme music</a>, based on the tune called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merry-Go-Round_Broke_Down">The Merry Go Round Broke Down</a>." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXNc5uRI53H1RAerLmqBEIs2OZSCABrRFbJ2hVb03N_3f2pE2Q7Lj6lRJZVM92Ouma9ZOBaCXnNHea1ABmvIlqX9mXasrpcOMJCaumq5cwMgwZFJAR0FKLoJvoexq5KbExfNsQUSP7HFw/s1600/Disney+silly-symphony.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXNc5uRI53H1RAerLmqBEIs2OZSCABrRFbJ2hVb03N_3f2pE2Q7Lj6lRJZVM92Ouma9ZOBaCXnNHea1ABmvIlqX9mXasrpcOMJCaumq5cwMgwZFJAR0FKLoJvoexq5KbExfNsQUSP7HFw/s1600/Disney+silly-symphony.png" width="400" /></a></div>I also adored the title cards from the Walt Disney cartoon shorts of the 1930s. They conveyed the promise of beautiful animation. Note the "burlap" background, the gradated light, the dimensional lettering, and date written in Roman numerals.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94e_Gcn0YBGAB_U26vYu0GV1ixAzaEpVjV-dLGkJ8FNe9v1QTPQwoq87Sf9TusMtILWq0_tcaL3k0Ui3TxJp1GuO-aUBRcZjYlisgmROWkKzb9ZunWXU33DZcjsVbjw8_DVDVn2E3a622/s1600/title-cards-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94e_Gcn0YBGAB_U26vYu0GV1ixAzaEpVjV-dLGkJ8FNe9v1QTPQwoq87Sf9TusMtILWq0_tcaL3k0Ui3TxJp1GuO-aUBRcZjYlisgmROWkKzb9ZunWXU33DZcjsVbjw8_DVDVn2E3a622/s1600/title-cards-b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>All the cartoons from that period had beautiful titles. They were all colorful, beautifully lit, with an interesting texture behind the letters. I couldn't figure out how they made them, but they seemed to be made by hand from real materials.<br /><br />For the Clementoons titles, I wanted to see Clement actually animated in front of the titles, and then somehow jumping back into them. If I made the stepped windows rectangular, in the same proportion as a 9x16 video screen, then I figured the camera could dolly back into that space, following Clement as he jumped into his new adventure.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TdFcdQA6pEqM4l0qHki-QixLYtt__xAxSv9cpbzViBB1Wvevd6lpuUdpn2ouVMhue1WSjP8-Kwv0Q77mV_5QU-GHY4MyUuK3sbfvMgdh_nMnFDqxYHQcIusOWbl7Qm222su-fEAt9ej3/s1600/Making+Clementoons+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TdFcdQA6pEqM4l0qHki-QixLYtt__xAxSv9cpbzViBB1Wvevd6lpuUdpn2ouVMhue1WSjP8-Kwv0Q77mV_5QU-GHY4MyUuK3sbfvMgdh_nMnFDqxYHQcIusOWbl7Qm222su-fEAt9ej3/s1600/Making+Clementoons+title.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I did all sorts of R&D for the letters, and finally discovered that craft foam worked best. I cut the letters out with a sharp X-Acto knife and spray-glued them onto a spacer above the background. For the background texture, I experimented with real burlap, but it didn't look right, so I hand sculpted the texture out of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ALAZS8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003ALAZS8&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=PZIQ6GCJWQGTXUMT">Magic Sculpt</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003ALAZS8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMTV6Hzgxo6KKzmySK_XkSa53l_qUG_Qbbtug7P3GUYlp4TVi52yGMAn1u1nvo9fwmxlMCDUsKBDnleZOK5fSmA9M-yb0hKKEOvBhdUsT0DBvVkFwJIi6SylRkIB3yeVBgCTuszeE1-HY/s1600/Shooting+title+sequence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMTV6Hzgxo6KKzmySK_XkSa53l_qUG_Qbbtug7P3GUYlp4TVi52yGMAn1u1nvo9fwmxlMCDUsKBDnleZOK5fSmA9M-yb0hKKEOvBhdUsT0DBvVkFwJIi6SylRkIB3yeVBgCTuszeE1-HY/s1600/Shooting+title+sequence.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here's what the set-up looks like with my Canon T3i camera mounted on an improvised Lego dolly and set up for the stop motion sequence. Note the white "C" shape in the upper left. That's called a "gobo" and it's made of an aluminum pie plate. It's used to shape the light on the titles.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/t0LWTAelHQ4" width="450"></iframe><br />Here's the final sequence, which takes about 8 seconds. (<a href="http://youtu.be/t0LWTAelHQ4">Direct link to YouTube video</a>) Note the focus pull and the dolly move at the end, zooming into the stepped rectangle.<br /><br />I recorded the blink sound effects on a mandolin, plucking the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece. The theme music is courtesy of a young band called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yanksband">The Yanks</a>, in which my son Dan happens to be the accordionist.<br /><br />The Clementoons theme tune is called "If There Weren't Any Women in the World," an old barn dance they learned from fiddle player Seamus Quinn. If you listen closely, you'll hear a saxophone on the track, played by three-time All-Ireland champion Isaac Alderson.<br />-----<br />More about animation title cards at <a href="https://one1more2time3.wordpress.com/tag/title-cards/">Animation Treasures</a><br />Respective titles © and ® Disney Enterprises, Inc / Warner Bros. / MGM / Paramount / Universal<br />Clementoons is © and TM little old me.

Animation Title Cards

When I was developing a title card design for the CLEMENTOONS series, I looked at a lot of the opening graphics that inspired me as a kid. M...

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First Look: CLEMENTOONS

Yesterday blog reader <a href="http://jeffjordanart.com/">Jeff Jordan</a> commented: "Just curious, Jim--when are you gonna bust out a Gurney animation? I sense there's something in the works........."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bvvAwZsOaCz79_vbzoZgMk84_vyNfhTB8-4Gv4iaXhLCoXxRFBZigz050ENpX_1SL6CvE9rY9NZgnroZ3zyXDqtksEUd1xhEtpESPfkvVsFsOqLzb2fC4do7y0lFPMqQE4-518a-bOck/s1600/Clementoons_Title800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bvvAwZsOaCz79_vbzoZgMk84_vyNfhTB8-4Gv4iaXhLCoXxRFBZigz050ENpX_1SL6CvE9rY9NZgnroZ3zyXDqtksEUd1xhEtpESPfkvVsFsOqLzb2fC4do7y0lFPMqQE4-518a-bOck/s1600/Clementoons_Title800.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />You guessed it, Jeff! Here's the first look at a series of animated films I've been working on called Clementoons.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOygOKnMOCAO3MIqN-0ZUtESlQMPsWvViGzV3QDCNYt-EWkKyvtiVGprtWMlUG3UX_4DE7k0Mzg2ShC04fDsn6eLMc9Mbn1pEQrZ9OdqcpEn631u8FsAz1F2IMoj_7lCDinVg1ZcLNG00/s1600/Clement_Photo.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOygOKnMOCAO3MIqN-0ZUtESlQMPsWvViGzV3QDCNYt-EWkKyvtiVGprtWMlUG3UX_4DE7k0Mzg2ShC04fDsn6eLMc9Mbn1pEQrZ9OdqcpEn631u8FsAz1F2IMoj_7lCDinVg1ZcLNG00/s1600/Clement_Photo.sm.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br />Clementoons gets its name from the main character Clement, a three-inch-tall cartoon person who began as a castoff toy in a clementines box. He is trying to find his way to Melville, the enchanted world where comic characters have come fully to life.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQVtDZQl554N5sDwNjFza0t8BoGLLhF9gH6rR4-kX3bwtczMPVf9E14ry8f0f2hN_RItq8v83jiw0hBVTZDmXfNc2IcbYMfpmrympQieYfCzrSa2M_qz1Z7K84CQEBVx_6zmCf2RbRpzE/s1600/Molly_Coke.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQVtDZQl554N5sDwNjFza0t8BoGLLhF9gH6rR4-kX3bwtczMPVf9E14ry8f0f2hN_RItq8v83jiw0hBVTZDmXfNc2IcbYMfpmrympQieYfCzrSa2M_qz1Z7K84CQEBVx_6zmCf2RbRpzE/s1600/Molly_Coke.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div>Along the way he'll meet other characters living their lives among us in the real world. Not all are cute and friendly.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be premiering the first episode this Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. I'll launch them here on the blog and on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/gurneyjourney">my YouTube channel.</a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4ZxFmAjrlSPc1Jamz68Rygx6df5oyLrvQDDy4NoinbPQlLNRNtrpsAkiDrGbUbBttgJPV8lU9AgPDKpUxed-Cypp_KEbSGI5Jo5YEjvnIkFOsG0ivCraFkSfrIDcHxx0Ny0SIgkHuEKY/s1600/Sculpting+Clementoons+figures.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4ZxFmAjrlSPc1Jamz68Rygx6df5oyLrvQDDy4NoinbPQlLNRNtrpsAkiDrGbUbBttgJPV8lU9AgPDKpUxed-Cypp_KEbSGI5Jo5YEjvnIkFOsG0ivCraFkSfrIDcHxx0Ny0SIgkHuEKY/s1600/Sculpting+Clementoons+figures.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />During the last six months, I've been carving out time from my other work in plein-air painting, illustration, writing, and lecturing to design and build the dozens of stop motion puppets required for this project. And I've developed several techniques of animation that I'm quite sure will look like nothing you've ever seen before.<br /><br />I have also been documenting the process on video and will be releasing tutorials showing everything from puppet fabrication to animation techniques to Lego-powered motion control dolly systems.<br /><br />This is a return to a joyful obsession of my youth. I spent much of my free time in high school and college creating animated films, and my first job was in the animation business.<br /><br />More previews tomorrow.</div>

First Look: CLEMENTOONS

Yesterday blog reader Jeff Jordan commented: "Just curious, Jim--when are you gonna bust out a Gurney animation? I sense there's s...

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