tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40691590087886635412012-01-27T14:37:54.172-05:00Exactly what it says: yet another blog where an artist discusses art, pop culture, and other stuff.Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.comBlogger4231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-26418940242019869782012-01-27T07:00:00.001-05:002012-01-27T07:00:04.797-05:00

The Academy Award nominees were announced a few days ago and there are a number of nice surprises. Two obscure international 2D animated films are nominated for Best Animated Feature, and William Joyce's heartwarming short, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" is up for Best Animated Short. The short is available on YouTube and it will make a rainbow in your heart (much like last

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-79485327946152643112012-01-23T07:00:00.004-05:002012-01-23T10:57:57.221-05:00

So a couple days ago, I sat down at my trusty little Macbook, fired up Photoshop and a couple episodes of the /Filmcast, and spent a long and fulfilling day making this, inspired by a quote from here:I think it needs to be on a shirt. And maybe a stein. And everything else possible, really. Oh, and my portfolio too, duh.-----Speaking of awesome birds...Uh-oh...Well, it was nice knowing you,

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-21199330370310317712012-01-18T10:33:00.004-05:002012-01-18T14:47:25.146-05:00

This site's going dark for a while. Because apparently the best way to cure the sniffles is to shoot the patient. Paleo King and ApeLad explain things better than I could. Sign the petitions. Use all your email addresses. DO IT. Then get off the Internet for the day. Go read a book.EDIT: An even better explanation, via The Oatmeal.

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-63706957069308023382012-01-17T07:00:00.002-05:002012-01-17T07:00:04.908-05:00

Great galloping gallamimids, look what I finally found:Right the heck out of nowhere, in a box of old videos.The artist is Kenneth Smith and the painting dates from 1984. I stated in my review of the newer version of this album that the cover art for the original was "visual madness". Well, it's actually weirder than I remember. Here's a close-up of the above scan:The left-hand side of this

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-26584463568240806522012-01-15T19:13:00.041-05:002012-01-15T23:01:52.597-05:00

Yes, because my other attempts at live-blogging things went over so very well. Unless something spectacular happens during the Arrival Special Thing, we'll get rolling at 8:00 PM EST. as always, please do not say anything about the spelling.Until then, here's what I spent my day making:This is based off a concept that's been sitting around in my imagination since I was a teenager. Yeah, I was

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-88645920696887794302012-01-12T07:00:00.007-05:002012-01-13T11:41:31.787-05:00

So, here is a thing that exists:This thing that exists is the creatively named parody, Vegemorphs, written by Leif E. Green and published in 1998 by Troll Communications. And it is assuredly and objectively the SECOND-strangest book I have read that attempted to cash-in on the Animorphs series.Right off the bat we get a pretty dead-on parody of the famous Animorphs opening, "I can't tell you my

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-48713951180156968472012-01-10T07:00:00.004-05:002012-01-10T07:00:08.868-05:00

Before we get started: belated Christmas presents including -yes!- more books! The three at the left are a set of Sketchbooks. Between Animal Anatomy and Extraordinary Pheasants, I might finally get some long-delayed big art projects done. And the big one in the back is a beautiful collection of Jan Brett Christmas artwork (and some text, I guess.)As an aside, I am trying to think of a current

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-5516336324650610062012-01-04T07:00:00.005-05:002012-01-04T07:00:06.658-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday, cause now we're in for 352 more days of people freaking the eff out because they don't understand Mesoamerican culture at all!So for the first post of this new year, let's see what I got for Christmas. The short answer is, I got tons of books. Which is fine for me, since, as has been established, I am a huge nerd.I finally have a

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-56019069747552345892011-12-23T07:00:00.008-05:002011-12-23T07:00:04.277-05:00

EPCOT is the best park during the holidays. It is; they go all out in World Showcase. Every land has their own special decorations and... I am getting ahead of myself.The giant tree in EPCOT is in the walkway near the center of the park, where Future World transitions into World Showcase. I took this photo from near the bottom so you get a sense of the scale.The tree is decorated with

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-91461597210163071442011-12-22T07:00:00.006-05:002012-01-19T12:49:11.286-05:00

Now according to Disney's official literature, the Magic Kingdom is essentially Christmas Central in all of Walt Disney World. I am going to argue against that, but that's tomorrow's post.Magic Kingdom does probably get the most decorations per square foot of all the parks. The Castle Dream Lights are the flagship. They really are gorgeous in person.From this angle, you can see how thew

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-76829465036240105482011-12-21T07:00:00.006-05:002011-12-29T14:43:00.743-05:00

It probably won't come to any genuine surprise that Animal Kingdom, the red-haired, red-feathered, red-scaled, red-etc. stepchild of Walt Disney World parks, gets a little shafted as far as decorations go. Only one "land" is decorated at all and the one special event is... the normal daytime parade, except they chucked a bunch of Christmas stuff onto the floats.Animal Kingdom does, however, get

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-82592182669978496782011-12-20T07:00:00.003-05:002011-12-29T14:42:21.166-05:00

(Sign is from the new -to us- Simpsons Ride, which is outstanding.)As I had mentioned, it'd been a long time since we'd been to Universal Studios, Florida. On our day there, while we were focused on seeing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we wound up visiting both parks even though they both closed absurdly early.Some of the areas in Islands of Adventure now look a little... dull... compared

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-79556581947347975132011-12-19T07:00:00.008-05:002011-12-29T14:41:36.496-05:00

We hadn't been to Universal Studios Florida in a long time. As you may have heard, there was some new stuff to see there. Yes, our goal was to visit the awkwardly named park-within-a-park Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and oh there are many things to discuss about that. We'll get there eventually, but it's a long walk.We passed by this odd construction on our way into CityWalk. The monster

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-49269595422471392152011-12-16T07:00:00.005-05:002011-12-29T14:40:54.079-05:00

Disney loves Christmas. Disney loves Christmas so much, they want to marry it and have a dozen babies with it. Listen, Disney loves Christmas the way they love the One Winged Angel and Falling Villain tropes. That's how much they love Christmas.Most of this Christmas love is on display in the resorts. In particular, the Bay Lake/Seven Seas Lagoon resorts and the Crescent Lake resorts go nuts

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-52281548997161358952011-12-15T07:00:00.002-05:002011-12-29T14:39:52.070-05:00

After leaving Tampa, we headed over to Orlando and Walt Disney World to meet mom and dad, who had a studio room in the new Bay Lake Tower (sometimes called "Scopa Towers" for reasons that are unclear by the "Walt Disney World Today" podcast.) Now, I will admit that this oddly-shaped building (cylindrical from the ground, more like a "C" with the open side facing away from Magic Kingdom from

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-53112365606877385002011-12-14T07:00:00.002-05:002012-01-25T15:11:11.082-05:00

Oh, thank goodness I was among patient people.By the way, I heard less ridiculous things at this zoo in Florida than I have in New England zoos. Huh...On to Part Four!

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-83165730800263652152011-12-13T07:00:00.005-05:002011-12-29T14:38:22.975-05:00

Hey, do you remember when I said that when next year rolls around, I'd be swapping out the M/W/F or T/TR schedule for a "whateveh, I post new articles when I want!" schedule? This series is partially the reason why.Anyway, further Lowry Park Adventures!I am so disappointed that we didn't get to do this. This was one of the reasons why our friend really wanted to take us to Lowry Park in the

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-36509353643624429112011-12-12T07:00:00.010-05:002011-12-30T20:31:03.698-05:00

On Black Friday (11/25) my sister and I flew down to Tampa, Florida to meet our aunt and our friend and her family and hang out with all of them for a day and a half before heading over to meet mom and dad at the Bay Lake Tower to see all the wonderful things Walt Disney World does for the holiday season and visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Universal.As you might imagine, this

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-78920340691669283632011-12-08T07:00:00.007-05:002011-12-11T18:34:25.372-05:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, about a quarter of the very strangest moments from Everything Is Terrible's montage of weird Disney television specials came from the television special, "The (70's/New) Mouseketeers at (circa 1977) Walt Disney World!"The remaining three quarters of the most bizarre moments came from a television special celebrating the tenth anniversary of Walt Disney World.

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-21136866712823953112011-12-06T07:00:00.007-05:002011-12-06T07:00:00.266-05:00

It's suddenly December! In the coming weeks, I will be recounting the Magical Christmas Adventure I had recently. But for this week, I'm wishing Walt Disney World a belated 40'th birthday.A few months ago, I posted a montage of strange moments from Disney Theme Park television specials made by Everything Is Terrible. It turns out that about half of the most deeply strange moments came from a

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-47492045369668218922011-12-01T07:00:00.008-05:002011-12-01T07:00:03.367-05:00

While perusing Progress City's videos, I happened upon this post that included... well, see for yourself:Imagination 82 - The Original Imageworks from Martins Videos on Vimeo.Oh wow. Oh WOW!!! Such a nostalgia buzz, where do I start?So this fellow has kindly shared all the footage he has collected over the years of the original not-embarrassing Journey Into Imagination pavilion. It does not

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-19736770402905290952011-11-29T07:00:00.009-05:002011-11-29T07:00:03.482-05:00

On a Disney TV special binge, I found the 1986 special "Disney Goes to the Oscars" among YensidTun's uploads. It's viewable as an un-embeddable playlist and is well worth a look.Now I remember this special from when I was a kid, but I think I saw a different version of it. I didn't recall Tony Danza being so... Tony Danzish. I also seem to remember they spent a little more time with each

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-89555253228497256242011-11-24T07:00:00.006-05:002011-11-24T07:00:09.311-05:00

Last year, on America's Annual Ritualistic Gorging on Hideously Human-Altered Theropods Day, I attempted to Live-Blog the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and... it didn't go over that well, so I ain't doin' it again. Ever. Maybe.But I also shared this very strange and almost-totally-forgotten Holiday special appropriate for today: "Nickelodeon's Thanksgiving Fest/Extravaganza!" I think it needs

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-85754250107797967212011-11-22T07:00:00.007-05:002011-11-22T07:00:06.351-05:00

There is nothing I can say.It made me cry. I was going to go on and on about how I wanted to watch this again for the first time ever since it was broadcast and share it here to get us all psyched for "The Muppets"... but then those final ten minutes happened...Watch it. Please. I can't describe how good this is, especially given how emotional it must have been for everyone. Watch it if it's

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-68166195812682672912011-11-17T07:00:00.000-05:002011-11-17T07:00:17.200-05:00

"In the beginning the Universe was created."This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."-- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)WARNING For CONCERNED PARENTS Before We Get Rolling: This review will contain language that refers to gross things that happen in nature and that will happen to your children because of nature and that, depending on their age, you ought to

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-38864173197982394592011-11-15T07:00:00.009-05:002011-11-15T07:00:18.547-05:00

During extremely busy times when I fear I have no time to write this blog it always makes me happy to stumble upon something that is well worth talking about and bringing to everyone's attention.I'm sure we're all familiar with Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston's seminal doorstopper on the art and history of Walt Disney studios, The Illusion of Life. What's not so well known is the 1981 television

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-2247368936975219382011-11-10T07:00:00.005-05:002011-11-10T10:36:34.462-05:00

Right then. Time for a massive Sketchdump! Everything's hosted at Flickr so click for the normal size pictures.-----Shortly after returning home from the Zoo, I played with my semi-neglected, just-there-to-follow-people Twitter. Just for fun, here are the tweets, reposted in a way where they will hopefully actually make sense:Trish - And now using my Animorph powers I bring you ZooTweets! Or,

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-43303125308536680412011-11-08T07:00:00.004-05:002011-12-15T15:42:44.703-05:00

Recently, I returned to the Franklin Park Zoo to tour with some friends who had never been. I took lots of pictures (which you'll see in this post) and of course did a lot of sketches (saving those for the next post) and met lots of interesting people (oh, they'll be in both posts.)So first off, this giant hay sculpture which greeted us upon entrance to the Zoo. It's here to celebrate the

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-8878704681952182682011-11-03T07:00:00.008-04:002011-11-03T07:00:03.878-04:00

One of the best-loved wildlife sanctuaries run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Blue Hills Trailside Museum is so-named because it essentially serves as an interpretive center for a series of extensive paths that lead up into the Blue Hills. It had been a very, very, VERY long time since the last time I visited, so when my lovely aunt asked if I wanted to join her on a hike, I jumped at

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-8706970102535758972011-11-01T07:00:00.012-04:002011-11-06T23:28:35.470-05:00

Movie # 65: "Winnie the Pooh" (2011)"Winnie the Pooh" is adorable and sweet and, miraculously, completely and utterly unironic, unsarcastic, and unhip (ie, it's not the bad sort of hip; more on this in a bit). It features terrific character animation by such Disney legends as Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, and Mark Henn and some cute songs by Zooey Deschanel and -heh- one of the songwriting minds

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-36210152291411924152011-10-27T07:00:00.002-04:002011-10-27T07:00:06.473-04:00

A few weeks ago, randomly, I found myself on an adventure down the Saco River. But that's not what I'm here to talk about today so this isn't quite a trip report. No, I'm here to talk animal tracks.This river turned out to be a fantastic place to see tracks; and if we do this adventure again, I will have to pack along some plaster of Paris (I will worry about the logistics of that later). For

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-70823831018948836472011-10-25T07:00:00.004-04:002011-10-25T07:00:04.692-04:00

I've been doing a bunch of autumn cleaning, so I don't know if any Halloween stuff will show up here outside of this list. Anyway, here for you are links!* - First off, Dear Mainstream News. Please, for the love of God, do not report on this story. Because holy shit... (Edit: Dammit.)* - Second off, Dear Mainstream News. Please, DO report on this story! Just don't do it wrong. (Ye Gods, "

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-18615402261977091002011-10-20T07:00:00.007-04:002011-11-08T11:36:40.853-05:00

Continuing our journey through Peterson First Guide: Dinosaurs, written by John C. Kricher and illustrated by Gordon Morrison, published by Houghton Mifflin in 1990. As I mentioned previously, this slim volume is a treasure trove of paleoart memes from the era, most of which look very strange today and which are handily pointed out by Peterson's trademark "look for this in the field" arrows.The

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-71567745674542382832011-10-18T07:00:00.020-04:002011-10-18T12:16:52.708-04:00

(Click for big.) Wow, nature. Now you're just showing off.It's occurred to me that late October has been an incredibly busy time of year for me, so I can't guarantee you'll be seeing any Halloween content here (I suggest X-Entertainment if you need a fix). I can make a tentative promise however: Christmas content, I will have. Until then, did anyone else amass an almost-complete collection

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-12668647313239395262011-10-13T07:00:00.004-04:002011-10-13T10:04:23.599-04:00

It was pouring rain by the time we made it to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. This fact did not dampen my spirits one bit. Still, my visit (we and the other tourists were allowed to explore the walking paths for free due to the weather) felt a tad rushed. Ah well.I did get a lot of exploring in. I made it to the Gardens' two most famous features: the Garden of the Five Senses and the

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-76088270330423663432011-10-11T07:00:00.006-04:002011-10-11T07:00:12.804-04:00

Boothbay Harbor is what people who have never visited coastal New England imagine the whole place to be like. Not that I blame them; the place is gorgeous and charming. And filled to busting with lighthouses, pine trees, and the occasional giant robot.Shops along the harbor.The beautiful rocky coastline held together with conifers.Eiders lounging on the rocks.Auks! Black Guillemots I think!

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-71567659572107479702011-10-06T07:00:00.006-04:002011-12-30T21:44:15.746-05:00

It isn't every day that my sister and I get to share in the most truly incredible experience either of us have had in a long time.Dear reader, you have to believe me when I say that I have seen the single most amazing thing ever. And that thing is a small building (which itself is, by the way, on a tiny island accessible only by ferry) containing a desk, an accordion, and seven hundred and forty

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-37679835624363496892011-10-04T07:00:00.008-04:002011-10-04T07:00:15.450-04:00

Hours, just hours after our power and internet/phone/cable was restored in the wake of Hurricane Irene, our relatives from Florida came to visit us. We decided, since they hadn't visited in years, to give them a whirlwind tour of the southeastern Maine coast. Because why not?Our first stop was Peaks Island. A nice little spot of green atop the big rocks off the coast of Portland, Peaks will be

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-87598017238122470242011-09-29T07:00:00.004-04:002011-09-30T10:26:47.575-04:00

And suddenly, it is Autumn! So far the weather has been pretty mild and sunny, good for reading and ill-conceived still life setups. And musing about things that have recently caused major rifts in the areas of the Internet where I frolic. We'll start with something I am disappointed in (and lots of people appear to be largely in agreement with me) and go on to something I am unabashedly

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-25600975880452675462011-09-27T07:00:00.012-04:002011-10-04T11:52:09.049-04:00

What? You expected an immediate "Terra Nova" reaction? Well, sorry; there's something much, much more important on our plate right now.I mentioned this game in the comments for the precursor of the wonderful wonderful Cinnamon BUNZUH! blog/project. I have no idea what the story is behind the game, where it fits in book continuity (not at all; check out Lion!Rachel), or why I happen to own a

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-13596175246270418782011-09-22T07:00:00.017-04:002011-09-22T07:00:07.131-04:00

So... the last two and a half week's worth of posts were, for the most part, written well in advance, if it isn't obvious. And I missed "Reign of the Dinosaur Revolution". This is all due to In Real Life drama.Now as you may have noticed, I hate sharing personal stuff online. So I hope "family from Florida came to visit for a week and a half" and "every day was an Adventure largely centered

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-12413931205642420672011-09-20T07:00:00.015-04:002011-09-20T12:03:39.376-04:00

Note: click all Flickr-hosted illustrations for the big/legible versions.A few years ago, the Disney fandom was blown away by some really strange concept art that appeared online with very little explanation and looked like this. Some people freaked. Some people loved it.And a very small, very specific portion of the fandom, myself included, completely lost their sh*t especially after more plot

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-40064730440015361752011-09-15T07:00:00.019-04:002011-09-27T10:10:47.242-04:00

OK, let's just get it right on the table right away: Yes, "Song of the South" is a racially problematic film. And there are a few scenes that are downright weird and uncomfortable.Having finally watched the film, it is absolutely understandable why Disney doesn't quite know what to do with it. Disney's usual method of dealing with the inconvenient spiky bits in the cotton candy of their films

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-75283139029577915982011-09-13T07:00:00.015-04:002011-09-13T08:07:23.236-04:00

It's early in the summer of 1903 in the picturesque little town of Fulton County, located somewhere in the mythical turn-of-the-last-century midwest that Walt Disney so loved. And here begins the tale of what is perhaps his most forgotten film with animation in it: "So Dear to My Heart".The film is as obscure as Disney films get. It's tucked away among the Anthology Features (obscure in their

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-7034809436042865782011-09-08T07:00:00.016-04:002011-09-27T10:11:27.571-04:00

As I stated a while back, Disney has a long history of making-of documentaries that, while informative and often fascinating, also tend to be a bit sugarcoated. It turns out that history runs back at least as far as what could be called Disney's first-ever making-of feature, and it is one of the very strangest Disney Animated Canon films of all.When I was a little kid, I thought that "The

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-81867464956557830462011-09-06T07:00:00.019-04:002011-09-06T07:00:13.938-04:00

So here's our first loose end from the Disney Animated Canon, just recently available on Netflix. Actually, I'll consider it a good thing that I had to skip this one during the time I was originally watching/reviewing the Canon all those years ago, since "James and the Giant Peach" is a very interesting, all but forgotten film that deserves a bit of elbow room, rather than a quick paragraph-long

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-70164823003167715922011-09-01T07:00:00.016-04:002011-09-01T07:00:16.254-04:00

A new month dawns and as it does, a loose end rears it's ugly head. With any luck, I will have resolved several loose ends in September. To wit, "Rock-A-Doodle". It is now available via Netflix instant, where it was not available through Netflix at all during Don Bluth Month last year. My hideous dark twisted sense of completion and the private little hell that is my obsessive-compulsive

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-9710579452220234142011-08-30T07:00:00.013-04:002011-12-18T21:09:45.637-05:00

But before we do that, I got the kind of comment I write this blog for which prompted a major, major update on the Ranger Rick article, so go read it and see.Alright, back to the subject at hand. Everything Is Terrible, you're my hero.So this is thirty late-70's through early-90's Walt Disney World specials in thirty minutes. I remember SO many of these from when I was a kid. It felt like

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-62636655871460924032011-08-25T07:00:00.013-04:002011-08-26T15:34:08.964-04:00

It's almost over! It's almost over! Thus far in my reviews of old dinosaur books (click the Hilariously Outdated Paleoart tag below), we have seen naked therizinosaurs, godless killing machine therizinosaurs, and Team Prosauropod therizinosaurs. The Humongous Book of Dinosaurs gives us the rare and beautiful "WTF even IS this thing" Fish-eating swimmer therizinosaur (Segnosaurus, to be

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-39977222449644952322011-08-23T07:00:00.018-04:002011-09-12T14:10:02.509-04:00

OK, first off, OH MY GOD!!!!! (Dances all around the room like in a Chick Flick.)Also, Austin Translation just left this here. And if it is true, then... and with a heaping side-order of (Remember: they research their asses off.)Also also, a lot of nifty tidbits from "Dinosaur Revolution" (am I the first to joke, "but what happened to 'Dinosaur Reloaded'?" Ah? Ah? [there is a long and

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-28230442237268381522011-08-18T07:00:00.015-04:002011-08-20T11:53:00.359-04:00

Today, we'll look at how the many and varied artists of the Humongous Book of Dinosaurs illustrated some of our favorite dinosaurs. Every review of an old dinosaur book usually ends up here and usually ends up being a parade of naked maniraptors. We'll get to those next week (seriously). Instead, for a change of pace, lets start with a strange Anatosaurus: This is so weird. I don't even

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-40262113467118054612011-08-16T07:00:00.019-04:002011-08-17T02:06:26.816-04:00

First off, thank you for the shout-out, Dinosaur Tracking! Also, I contributed to something rather controversial. Bah, I need the exposure. ----- Continuing our magical journey through The Humongous Book of Dinosaurs! I should have mentioned this last week, but I am aware that many readers have a lot of nostalgia for this series. As you may have noticed, I haven't said much about the

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-84576465137123436892011-08-11T07:00:00.021-04:002011-08-17T20:20:11.451-04:00

As we saw in the last post, the Humongous Book of Dinosaurs consists largely of illustrations that are... at best mediocre. This is, admittedly, something one must expect when we're discussing a book that is, in fact, over one-hundred issues of a magazine merged together. If there's one theme to be found in the book it's that all the animals in it appear to be facing one common and ubiquitous

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-76427452722028497192011-08-09T07:00:00.019-04:002011-08-09T09:31:12.702-04:00

But before we do that, let us shake our fists at Target. Sweet mother of Robert T. Bakker, you gotta be kidding... Oh, man, this one's gonna be a doozy. So back at Boston Comicon I bought The Humongous Book of Dinosaurs (henceforth HBoD) as part of a "any five books on the table you want for ten bucks" deal because a few readers mentioned it and said it'd be fun to review. Well, I don't

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-14881506072452938152011-08-04T07:00:00.008-04:002011-08-04T07:00:23.781-04:00

I cannot guarantee that the first half of this post will make any sense to those of you readers outside the New England area. I am also going to suggest (mild spoiler) not reading this half during breakfast. But I think we can all agree that Paramount dropped the ball when they chose not to release the Captain America movie on Independence Day weekend, even though it doesn't seem to be hurting

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-44017998076588073182011-08-02T07:00:00.009-04:002011-08-07T09:22:00.152-04:00

Before I get into this, big shout-out to Glendon and the crew over at Symbiartic. Thanks for the kind words and promotion! Symbiartic in turn is really neat so far, and you should all have it in your blogroll/feed/whatnot.Also, one of my favorite pieces for the card game PHYLO is featured in the special Natural History Museum of London deck! Thanks to everyone involved in the ongoing project.

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-23755791334680023722011-07-28T07:00:00.014-04:002011-08-03T10:06:04.084-04:00

It's been a while since we looked at trailers for upcoming animated (or not) films together, hasn't it? Fortunately, there's a huge crop out in the wake of ComiCon and they include some unusual films indeed. And questionable book-to-film title changes. Lots of them.First off, "Winnie the Pooh", a very unexpected and pleasant surprise in this overall dreadful summer, is in theaters now. This

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-31161951585105267212011-07-26T07:00:00.012-04:002011-07-26T07:00:11.796-04:00

We've hit a milestone here at the Obligatory Art Blog. This is post number 365: a full year's worth of posts. I declare this small triumph to be awesome.-----I will admit I had almost no interest in "Rango" when it was first announced. Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp making an animated film for Nickelodeon Studios of all things? The ads came out on the heels of things like "Alpha and Omega"

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-12353706688145872122011-07-21T07:00:00.007-04:002011-07-26T09:58:16.622-04:00

Previously on "Tricia's Obligatory Art Blog"...And far more importantly, I finally, after twenty-five years of searching, have my very own copy of The Double Disappearance of Walter Fozbek, written and illustrated by Steve Senn in 1980. Published by Avon/Camelot books. And henceforth to be referred to simply as Walter Fozbek or just Walter, because... that title. Imagine the fun of being a

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-76426145186110142802011-07-19T07:00:00.004-04:002011-07-26T09:59:14.237-04:00

Hang on to your hats, gang. This is going to be a weird one. Gonna take both of this week's posts to cover it.So... today we've got another post that's going to be largely based off incredibly fuzzy childhood memory. I have done such posts before, and I really hope this is another case where kind folks write in with more information and helpful links, like so.Today's subject is something I

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-53244970222839452502011-07-14T07:00:00.013-04:002012-01-02T19:37:31.041-05:00

Or, "In Which Trish watches 'Monster Maker' and Wonders if certain Things should perhaps stay in the Nostalgia Box".One of my unstated goals here at the Obligatory Art Blog is to write a bit about things that I recall from childhood that I have seen mentioned almost nowhere else online. And recently I mentioned that it usually turns out to be very hard to write about such remembered things when

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-18476018703356500612011-07-12T07:00:00.017-04:002011-07-12T07:00:11.481-04:00

I've been working on so many text-heavy posts lately that I felt it was high time for a post that focused on my drawings. Fortunately, I recently had the opportunity to visit the wonderful Maine Wildlife Park... briefly. The drawings you're about to see may seem a little rushed. I was there with someone who'd never been before and they were laser-focused on seeing the male moose. All told we

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-2334151173923772202011-07-07T07:00:00.010-04:002011-07-07T07:00:12.337-04:00

Several months ago, I went to a deep discount book store and was confronted with some eye-searingly bad discount dinosaur books. Now, those are still pretty bad, but I found another "winner" (and the amazing pair of puzzles seen above) when I returned to that store recently. This book isn't just eye-searing, it's EXTREEEEEEEME!!!!!EXTREME! BLOOD! DROOL! HORRIBLE PERSPECTIVE! TEETH! CLAWS!

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-30221688283817144452011-07-04T07:00:00.009-04:002011-07-04T09:41:23.100-04:00

A very special quick holiday post, because this was too amazing not to share:I feel like I have just been shown everything ever all at once. This is "200 / Bi Centennial" by psychedelic animator Vincent Collins. I only know about it thanks to somebody on Facebook. It's been darn near impossible to find any more information about it other than:* - It was commissioned by the United States

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-32853166040501188242011-06-30T07:00:00.008-04:002011-06-30T09:28:45.511-04:00

Today, I jump back on the older paleoart bandwagon. I can't believe how many books I have to review here. We'll start with one that's been requested a few times.The Dinosaur Data Book was published circa 1990 by The Diagram Group. Illustrators include Grahame Rosewarne, Ashley Best, Darren Bennett, Brian Hewson, Pavel Kostal, Lee Lawrence, Paul McCauley, Philip Patenall, and Micky Pledge (whew

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-12167579685811858232011-06-28T07:00:00.011-04:002011-06-28T07:00:10.034-04:00

So I figure since I'm on the T/TR summer schedule, if I'm going to spring a Links Of Interest post on you, it's going to be a super long one:I have no idea how I missed this but in 2007, John Updike wrote an article about dinosaurs for National Geographic. Turns out he knows his Avemetatarsalians (a better word to use than Ornithodirans it turns out, but sadly not as catchy) and gets downright

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-37542337118384371242011-06-23T07:00:00.012-04:002011-08-27T18:09:22.208-04:00

I have been seeing an unusual sentiment lately that you've probably also already seen around the Internet wherever animation is discussed: "This might be the first year I ever voluntarily skipped a PIXAR film." "I love PIXAR, but I can't see myself paying to watch this." "I'll go, but once the short and the 'Brave' trailer are over, I'm out." "Why the hell are we not getting an 'Incredibles'

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-91744078177651235212011-06-21T07:00:00.004-04:002011-06-21T10:45:12.213-04:00

So... I am aware that there has been a dearth of Tricia's Art lately on Tricia's Art Blog. This is largely because (a) I haven't had a chance to scan stuff lately (b) nor have I had a chance to sit down and draw because (c) it is REALLY FREAKIN' NICE OUT. Believe me, if you've suffered through the winter I have, you'd be outside partying everyday too. I promise I'll bring my poor, neglected

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-62666167990350651762011-06-16T07:00:00.013-04:002011-06-16T09:52:15.404-04:00

My tulips from last week's post have since faded and my oft-ignored front garden needed some love. I got a great deal on perennials at Big Box Home Building Supply Store. Holy hraka, those Harebells!They're giving a small "bald spot" in the front lawn some color.More importantly, the Meadow Sage, Harebells, Columbines, Irises, Buddleja, and Delphiniums (the latter three had not yet bloomed when

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-58420305203949705182011-06-14T07:00:00.005-04:002011-07-21T18:20:02.899-04:00

Last autumn and LAST last autumn, I had written about feeding hummingbirds. Since they've returned and are courting each-other by now, I figure some of the points I made back then need to be reiterated.Here's the little male Ruby-Throat feeding. Once again, the formula is 3.5-4 cups of boiled water to one cup of pure cane sugar. Let the sugar dissolve in the hot water and set it aside to cool.

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-58842003789392161602011-06-09T07:00:00.007-04:002011-06-09T07:00:04.106-04:00

As you can see in the above photograph, my tulips took a beating from the winter storms. I certainly don't have as many as I did last year. I will definitely have to replenish them once it comes time to plant bulbs.That said, I did get a nice surprise.Look at these funky tulips! I know this kind of tulip has a special name (are they Darwins or Parrots?) Does anyone know it? I want to plant

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-3346847197032520952011-06-07T07:00:00.013-04:002011-06-07T15:58:01.573-04:00

It's spring! It's spring! It finally came! My gosh, it's actually nice out! The snow is gone and the air is full of bird song and frog song and pollen and mosquitoes and the little blackflies. Always the blackfly no matter where you go.This week and next week will be nothing but gardening posts to celebrate (and also I will be very busy these two weeks). I've got a doozie to begin with.Last

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-83930166332339756312011-06-02T07:00:00.005-04:002011-12-30T23:28:05.451-05:00

You know, it's hard to be an animation fan sometimes. Sometimes enough comments of "it's better than it looks" and/or sheer curiosity can backfire on you. And you wind up with something like "Gnomeo and Juliet" in your Netflix queue. And since you hate to send movies back without watching them, you watch it.Well here's the thing, dear reader. This isn't just a bad movie. It'd be one

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-4864332935528280682011-05-31T07:00:00.015-04:002011-05-31T07:00:10.067-04:00

Because it's been a wacky Memorial Day Weekend! And that means we're on a two-posts-per-week summer schedule! Here is some news I managed to read in time to regurgitate here:I should save this one for last, but here is a review, on Comics Alliance, of what just might be the greatest ever work of western literature. That was written by a nine-year-old girl. Circa 1990. It's pretty much

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-26005713901403439802011-05-27T07:00:00.016-04:002011-11-06T23:27:55.690-05:00

Movie #64: "TRON: Legacy"Well first off, because this just occurred to me, let's marvel at the fact that an early 80's flop with a modest but very loyal cult following has been given a gigantic, ambitious, big-budget sequel (the first of a hopeful long-running franchise) by a massive mainstream studio. Whether or not you think the movie is good, that is pretty amazing.And all things considered,

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-62875896563334211642011-05-25T07:00:00.009-04:002011-08-06T16:54:25.454-04:00

But first, happy Towel Day!And second, "Green With Envy" "Green With Envy" "Green With Envy"!!!!????!!!! Hooray, another Disney Animated Canon post! It's been too long. Ideally, we'll get two this week; I watched Disney movies while recovering from my cold and I now feel like approximately $990,988..Movie #63: "Tangled"2010 was a year full of amazing animated features. "The Illusionist" and "

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-75229281199440246372011-05-23T07:00:00.007-04:002011-05-23T07:00:06.110-04:00

Quick post today since I'm a bit busy IRL and, tragically, haven't had a chance to upload any new art anywhere. I can assure you that I am finished with my antibiotics and am now starting to almost feel like myself. (Not to be too graphic, but I've been eating lots of yogurt. After taking an antibiotic for more than a week. Biologist friends, think about it. Yeah. Euwww...)I would like to

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-335190466523804032011-05-19T07:00:00.004-04:002011-06-07T17:29:29.311-04:00

So... remember how I said I was sick last post? Yeah. Well, guess who has been infected by the magnificent bacterial Bronchitis?Penicillin is a hell of a drug, it turns out. At this point, I am really miserable and sick and tired OF being miserable and sick and tired. I hope I am really getting this blog post ready to publish and that this isn't one of those horribly vivid dreams I've been

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-61126913183833611782011-05-17T07:00:00.008-04:002011-05-17T07:00:03.315-04:00

I am suffering a particularly nasty cold this week. It's making me tired all the time (when it isn't giving me insomnia) and I'm feeling pretty darn miserable.So instead of a longer post where I whine about being sick, or try to form coherent thoughts about Disney movies or dinosaurs or whatever, I am going to share this old Disney animated short I rediscovered recently. In it, Goofy adopts

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-68312297639981277132011-05-12T07:00:00.009-04:002011-06-07T17:31:01.232-04:00

Now we all know what the best part of Comicon is don't we? Besides meeting other illustrators and making new friends I mean. That's right, all the fantastic freebies (and almost-freebies)!Wow... I'd link to everyone referenced above but that'd take hours and hours. Everyone is listed at the Comicon website. Head on over there and show all the indie artists your support.Comicon's also a

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-1891220153858625812011-05-10T07:00:00.008-04:002011-05-10T11:57:30.200-04:00

Somewhere along the line, our humble little area comic convention has become more of a Thing. I've been to Boston Comicon the past four years in a row and each year it seems to be bigger and bigger. Now maybe this is because the show is becoming more and more popular over the years, or maybe because it's being held in increasingly large venues. This year, the show was held in the enormous

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-16050553820976385512011-05-05T07:00:00.019-04:002011-10-01T13:04:06.969-04:00

Yeah, It's going to take me a very long time to sort through all the Comicon stuff. Especially since the Evil Norway Maple in front of my house has been making up for time lost during the terrible winter we've had by spewing it's pollen everywhere. It feels like my entire respiratory system is coated with yellow and I've been coughing up a storm. Just took some famous name-brand medicine

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-86418313847543187082011-05-03T07:00:00.009-04:002011-05-03T11:45:56.373-04:00

This was easily the best Boston Comicon I've ever attended. Mad props to the show-runners and event organizers and the convention center and to and all the artists and vendors and costumed characters and like such as who participated and/or attended. Major major thanks to everyone I met who bought a print or a card or who just took the time to visit my sites or who picked up a Comicbook

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-64473664448990411552011-04-30T14:00:00.005-04:002011-05-01T20:46:18.013-04:00

To anyone reading this blog after meeting me at Boston Comicon earlier today, welcome! I'm so happy you decided to check my humble little website out. Every page view makes a rainbow in my heart, it really means a lot you don't even know. I not only showcase my illustrations and sketches here, I also write (an awful lot some would say) about drawing, animation, film, literature, and anything

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-75591468223472425722011-04-29T07:00:00.016-04:002011-07-17T12:49:33.597-04:00

I'll tell you up front, I wasn't kidding when I said this was the most frustrating of all the books I've reviewed for Retro-Paleoart Month. There may be some foul language ahead. The awful, awful full title of the book in question is Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, and it's written by Don Lessem, published in 1996 by Little, Brown and Company.What'd I tell ya?For those wondering what the

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-69894447096259634822011-04-27T07:00:00.009-04:002011-06-01T11:13:25.395-04:00

So, did everyone have a fun World Penguin Day yesterday?One overlooked area of old Paleoart is the world of dinosaur models. (Never "dinosaur figurines" or, Heaven forbid, "dinosaur toys"?) A few years ago, I found much of my childhood collection intact and took a few pictures (all the images in this post are on Flickr, so click to see bigger versions).From left to right, we have models from

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-23699899721063862932011-04-25T07:00:00.014-04:002011-04-26T10:59:22.941-04:00

I ordered the Canson XL Mixed Media Sketchbook for cheap on the Dick Blick website a while back and when it arrived at my home it was... huge. It's twelve inches on one side and nearly and inch thick. The paper's good and thick, like thinner bristol paper, so the book was very heavy. Not really the easiest thing to carry about and draw in.So from my point of view, the easiest thing to do was

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-17428248359476907692011-04-22T07:00:00.005-04:002011-04-22T07:00:06.549-04:00

Ah, Eyewitness Books. The science, nature, and history library that saved many a kid my age while writing reports for school. Their format has been much-imitated, even to the point that part of me could argue that, in many ways, Eyewitness ruined the world of nonfiction children's books. For ages and ages afterwards, the default "style" for such books was, "stark white background, photographs

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-44360546500689226702011-04-20T07:00:00.013-04:002011-04-20T17:22:52.216-04:00

Happy 4/20 all you smelly hippies! Are any of you hallucinating that you are a different kind of "Hippie"? A Hypsilophodont I mean? Cause that's the subject of today's first book. Man, that was the most forced segway ever!OK, seriously. Today's first book is Dinosaur for a Day, written by Jim Murphy and illustrated by Mark Alan Weatherby published by Scholastic Blue Ribbon books in 1992.

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-46094666284702271192011-04-18T07:00:00.007-04:002011-04-18T07:00:12.777-04:00

For a change of pace, how about a short post about my own artwork?ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals". They are the size of a standard trading card (ie, a baseball card or card from a trading card game like "Magic"). Since the cards can be sent in a small mailing envelope, ACEOs are a fun and inexpensive way to collect original artwork from a wide variety of artists. They

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-84368494718645713972011-04-15T07:00:00.005-04:002011-04-16T11:47:49.400-04:00

And today, finally, 80's dinosaur goodness from that awkward era of paleoart immediately following the publication of Dinosaur Heresies. And I didn't realize this until just now, but knowing that Dougal Dixon had his hands in this book helps to explain certain... oddities in The New Dinosaurs. To wit, classification:Let's zoom in a little:Note that the little Theropods don't even appear to be

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-42580655889643001762011-04-13T07:00:00.012-04:002011-06-07T17:13:51.105-04:00

As stated in part one (hit "Older Post"), The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of DINOSAURS and Prehistoric Animals set out to illustrate every fossil vertebrate yet known circa the late '80s. What it doesn't do is dedicate much text to the animals included. And some animals need more love.Take the Pareiasaurs seen above. No, they aren't dinosaurs. They're a group of Permian Anapsids, and

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-50411149254484879862011-04-11T07:00:00.004-04:002011-05-31T11:22:11.191-04:00

When I was but a wee lass in the early 1990's, I lusted after what I thought would be the be-all and end-all of prehistoric animal books: The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of DINOSAURS and Prehistoric Animals. The many, many authors - including our old friend Dougal Dixon - are listed on the front cover. The illustrators are Colin Newman, Steve Kirk, Malcolm Ellis, Graham Allen, Andrew

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-38842170305879017922011-04-08T07:00:00.014-04:002011-04-11T15:36:40.547-04:00

For the second half of our trip through A Field Guide to Dinosaurs (Copyright 1983 by Diagram Visual Information, Ltd.), we're going to take a look at dinosaurs we didn't know an awful lot about back in 1983. We have since learned quite a lot about them as new fossils have turned up since.And of course we're going to start with dromeosaurs. The Deinonychus and Velociraptor you see were, I think

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-22178846091931192292011-04-06T07:00:00.018-04:002011-06-07T17:07:08.769-04:00

Once again, I visited the local library. Once again, I came back home with some dinosaur books from the awkward age of paleontology maybe right before the dinosaur Renaissance was picking up speed.Therefore, I declare April to be 80's (and some 90's) Paleoart Month! Each week, two posts will focus on one or more dinosaur books (or perhaps other things...) from this era, and the third will

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-90808823946087789482011-04-04T07:00:00.000-04:002011-04-04T07:00:14.994-04:00

A few very cool Disney animated shorts from recent times and long ago have popped up on Youtube recently. Because of formatting issues, I'm not going to embed these, but they need to be seen fullscreen anyway. Also, I have no idea when Disney's magical lawyers will take them down.The quality of this video is iffy and it's in two parts, but "John Henry" is readily available through Netflix as

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-26102039689596446492011-04-01T07:00:00.003-04:002011-04-24T11:43:34.582-04:00

Happy Annual Day the Internet is Useless Day!Back, way back, on Thanksgiving day, we saw our first teaser trailer for "Hop", which is currently in theaters, which makes me wonder if the phrase "from the creators of (popular previous movie)" even means anything anymore, and which stars an Easter Bunny who sh*ts jellybeans.Perhaps it's the fact that Easter is the most important and significant

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-48117429672406890322011-03-30T07:00:00.001-04:002011-03-30T07:00:07.471-04:00

Gorgeous place that it is, Disney's Animal Kingdom is almost fourteen years old and it's still very unclear what direction Disney wanted to take the park in. To illustrate what I mean, here are two T-shirt designs sold within three feet of each-other in one of the park's gift shops:So there's this side of Animal Kingdom, which I strongly approve of.But there is also this side, which... In case

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-3439454738076876012011-03-28T07:00:00.001-04:002011-03-28T07:00:07.329-04:00

Brace yourselves, everyone. I'm taking a big step out of the winter doldrums and attempting to get back to my traditional three-times-a-week posting schedule.There wasn't much new going on in Walt Disney World since our last visit there. About the only interesting brand new stuff in Magic Kingdom was the fact that Toontown was completely shut down and there was a lot of construction as

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069159008788663541.post-39447009141486778162011-03-24T07:00:00.003-04:002011-03-24T07:00:26.343-04:00

The New England Spring Flower Show is justly celebrated for it's beautiful garden displays. Even so, the most fun part of the show is often the marketplace. Obviously, they sell plants and flowers and gardening supplies there. But there are also booths where it seems as though anything goes. Here are some highlights.This one took me a minute to "get", I'll admit.One of these books doesn't

Trishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.com0