A Christmas Jingle

Here is the Christmas card I did for my new animated little company Kalina Pictures and Airfoil Media. Have a very merry Christmas, happy New Year, and an all-round amazing holiday season!

Yeti Walk

Yeti in the snow.
He looks cold and somewhat bored.
Would you be his friend?

That's right, I made a haiku.

Two by Two... again

Yes yes, I understand that I have indeed posed my Student film, "Two by Two", on my blog before... however I have been reviewing my online uploads and it occurred to me that I don't really use my hotmail account anymore. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just, I now use Gmail. The ONLY problem that I face now is what do I do with my old YouTube account [the one that I set up when my email address read something like (but not literally) centaur362@hotmail.com?]

This all had come to the surface this week and here's why: I was just going to upload a new 30 second animation exercise I recently completed (still to come). I went on my old YouTube account and found that I had messages waiting for me from TWO YEARS AGO! Like, personal ones, from creative developers and stuff! LAME... SAUCE! I felt like an idiot. So now I need to streamline this online stuff.

Some people may say, "Dude, just get a Vimeo accunt, they rock." And to those people I would say, "Thanks I have one of those but I am only able to upload, like 500 MG a week or something... and I don't want to pay $10 a month... not yet anyway. I'm still kinda on a spending freeze."

Other might say, "Hey bra, just make a new YouTube account through Gmail." And to THOSE people I would say, "Thanks, but what about my first account? It has almost 4,000 views and I am vain."
*sad-face

I deliberated long and hard and have come up with a solution.

I am going to upload to Vimeo AND YouTube! Streamline!

I'll keep the original posting of Two by Two up there because, you know, gotta reach 4,000, but for all my new stuff I'll have it up on my new YouTube and Vimeo.

This was a long and somewhat unnecessary post just to say, I am reposting Two by Two AND it has been slightly improved for your viewing pleasure.

Facebook Banner

Wellp, I guess Facebook wins again (they always win dang it). In the wake of the official launch of the new Facebook page format that all of us Facebook users have been forced into using I have made this image as a "banner pic" for my Facebook profile.

Yes, to all of you who are better than the rest of us and don't have a Facebook account, I care about that stuff...

... I feel icky.

-Matt

Celebrating our Kardashian

Dear Blog,

Yes, it is true, I am married. Recently in fact. On April 21, 2012 to be precise. And it was awesome.

The funny thing about marriage is that they it is usually preceded by a wedding. And the funny thing about weddings is that most wedding ceremonies have vows exchanged by the couple. These vows used to be very serious and important, maybe even more serious and important than the legal documents one signs shortly there after. In most cases these vows say something to the person you are about to marry, and to the people in attendance, that you will stay with, and love the person standing across from you "for as long as you both shall live".

Apparently talk is super cheap these days. Either that or people feel like marriage is the new "dating" and dating is just... boy/girl playtime? I suppose kind of like how a Graduate Degree is the new Undergraduate Degree, or how 30 is the new 20, or how hipsters are just the new emo-kids (oh come on people, you know it to be true, but that's a different post).

This all brings me to Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. They got divorced after on their 72nd day of marriage... *blink *blink ... SEVENTY TWO DAYS! Come on people! I think U.S. Navy Seals go without sleep for longer than that! You know when they say, "don't hold your breath for that"? I could have held my breath for that! I think around seventy two days Nadine (my lovely wife) and I were still cleaning up the shattered glass and broken chairs from our last fight (a).

My point is that though it can be hard living with someone, especially if you're both stubborn, frist child, loud-mouths (in Nadine's and my case),  and that it takes more than seventy two days to be able to sort that stuff out. Ask ANY married person, I'll bet you a gazillion bucks that they'll agree with me.

Now as for Kim and Kris, there have been worse marriages in history, shorter marriages, more obvious to fail marriages... but the thing is, none of them made a TV show about it. And because of that, the Kardashian was born!

A married couple's Kardshian is a very special day. It can only happen once in a life time (ideally), and is simply a day to celebrate not getting divorced by your seventy second day into marriage. You can do whatever you want on that day, except get a divorce. You can go to the movies, eat ice cream, check out the museum, it's all good! Just celebrate the fact that you're better at marriage than Kim and Kris... which I guess can be encouraging. I figure, all couples fight, and many couples after a big fight can feel like "man, we're the worst couple EVER!" Well, don't get down on your selves kids, you're still not as bad as the infamous TV couple that spawned this glorious day! You are still not the worst! YAY!

Nadine and I went to High Park for brunch, ate outside, got some ice cream, and watched War of the Worlds, and then we didn't get divorced.

"YAY! We're not the worst! We're not the worst!"

We still argue from time to time. Sometimes voices get louder and tears may appear, but these incidents are becoming less and less frequent as we get more and more in tune with how we both operate. All of that Dr. Pill crap is right, marriage takes work and marriage takes time.

So newly married people, I invite and encourage you, on your seventy second day after saying "I do", celebrate the fact that you're working on it! It keeps getting better if you want it to keep getting better.



(a) - This post may include some dramatization/exaggeration (there was no literal broken glass or chairs mostly just broken feelings)

Pre-Valentine's Day Yeti

Vegetarianism vs. Lent

So, the season of Lent is upon us... actually it's been upon us for a little while now, and being the guilt ridden Catholic that I am, I find myself a faithful observer of the season. The tradition is to give up something or do something outside of your normal day to day living. The purpose of this is to prepare your heart for the coming of Easter. I normally give up junk food and sweet and greasy things... and normally I feel pretty good about myself. However, this year Nadine (who is not Catholic) wanted to do it too. This is her first time really doing Lent. So in support of me she decided to join me in the no junk food thing... but for some reason beyond the scope of my simple mind, she insisted we go a step further and give up meat as well. I would call her a "keener" but I know that she will most likely read this... so I'll refrain.

In the end, much to my tummy's sadness, this "No-Meat" Lent has been shaping up to be a pretty good experience. I guess it's doing what it's supposed to do... I am SO looking forward to Easter. So like the kid in class who would usually just sit back and watch (I was that kid), every so often the smart, keen girl helps you out and gets you to pay attention. I would say that it helps when the girls has a cute librarian thing going on... but I know Nadine's dad will most likely read this... so I'll refrain.

-Matt

p.s. only 24 days left 'till Easter

And a Yeti Christmas to You too!

How to make a gift... First, think of an idea that is personal to you and that you feel the recipient will appreciate. In this case I chose a yeti and a sled (obviously, who wouldn't). I did up a quick sketch to put my ideas down on paper (this is just one of many).

Next, you think of the process. How am I going to make this? In the end water colour paper, acrylic paint and scissors seemed to be the right technique... I guess. I suppose there was an element of "winging it".

Then, glue all the pieces down in the right place and this "Yeti on a Sled" is nearly done.
Just a few more touches.

In the end I added a rope to the sled and some skis with India Ink. I added some shading around the corners, some snow in the air, and some tracks from the sled zipping down the hill.

I gave this to Nadine for Christmas (2010). She liked it, so I guess I did it right :)

And that's the story of how how Yeti saved Christmas. Not too complicated, eh? The hardest part is always thinking of the idea... then, just do it.

Merry belated Christmas everyone,

-Matt

Obviously

This is a sketch did for a project I've been working on for a little while now. Ever since third year at Sheridan College I have been trying to come up with a short story that could fit in a one minute film. I have failed. The biggest problem with trying to tell a decent story in one minute or less is that it's really really hard. *Sigh, I mean unless you're some awesome comedian or some story just smacks you right in the brain it can be almost impossible.

Well I'm no (insert favorite comedian here) so I went with the Jiminy Cricket technique. I thought and thought and then finally, late at night (possibly looking at some stars) sitting on a bus on my way back to Toronto from Orillia, it hit me. A Yeti showing off to some rabbits through the means of extreme tobogganing... OBVIOUSLY! Am I right? Am I right?! Hilarious! At least it all works up in my head. Now I just have to get it all out on paper. I guess that's the other realy hard part.

-Matt

"A" is for African Hunting Dog

This is another drawing I did for my The ABCs of Animals Book... book. I was looking through many of the pencil drawings I have done so far for this book, and I have realized that many of these animals are listed as "Endangered Species". All the interesting animals are the endangered ones (humanity fail).

I'll be posting more from The ABCs of Animals Book book soon. Also, I have some sketches I've been doing while sitting at the mall, riding the TTC, and watching squirrels in High Park with Nadine. When I get those together and organized I'll post them soon.

In the meantime, keep in mind that there were once approximately 500,000 African Hunting Dogs (a.k.a. African Wild Dog, African Painted Dog, Painted Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, Ornate Wolf, Painted Wold, and Mbwa Mwitu) spread over 39 countries, and that packs of 100 or more were not uncommon. Now there are estimated to be only 3,000 to 5,000 in less than 25 countries. #depressing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Wild_Dog

Later!

In tha Gadda da Vida

These are two rough drawings I did for a short film I'm working on about Adam and Eve, called... "Adam and Eve".

Aaaanywho, more stuff to come soon :)

The Hedge-Rhi-Raffe Hog

This past summer I was sketching trying to come up with some ideas for some monster designs. Nothing scary or whatever... think more Bill Peet. It wasn't really working for some reason, so I dug deep and searched my soul for an answer... So I posted on twitter (@mkalinauskas if you want to follow) for anyone to give me four animals to combine into one. So my friend Josie gave me Hedge Hog, Rhinoceros, Wart Hog, and Giraffe. This is what I came up with.

My pals Beth and Randeep also gave some good suggestions, but I haven't added colour to them yet.

-Matt

J is for Jaguar

I've been working on a alphabet book where I'd pair an animal up with a letter of the alphabet... you know how it works... there's been at least 249 versions of this type of book in the last 5 years alone. But, it gives me an excuse to draw a bunch of animals that I wouldn't normally draw... not that a Jaguar would make that "never drawn" list, they're just super cool. Anywho, here is my entry for the letter "J".

-Matt

A Balloon Girl

Here's a sketch I did for the Chuck Gammage Animation Studio. It was an odd day of random events. Among all the stuff that went down on Wednesday, September 15th, (job delay, indie music label asked to meet with my band) I had a meeting with Chuck at around 11am. I thought I'd just be going in to say "hi" and see the new studio... but as I entered, I was greeted by Chuck.

"Hey Matt! You like doing designs and stuff right?"

"Yeah... what's up?"

"I need you to help us with some character designs for this project we've got going. Here's a desk. Sit down."

"umm, ok..."

It turned out that I'd spend the rest of the day doing characters sketches for The Royal Winter Fair at Chuck Gammage Animation. A fun and random day.

I've also got a bunch of work I did over the past few months over at Yowza Animation that I need to pick up. The plan is to post it over the next little bit! Hopefully more tomorrow!

-Matt

The Creature from the Black Lagoon/Mutant Frog

I really enjoyed doing the Yeti yesterday down here at Yowza, so today I thought I'd do another monster type character. I'm just heading up to Orillia to visit my girlfriend's parents house and it got me thinking. There are a lot of lakes up there and all of them have loads of weeds and swamps all over the place. Who knows what kinds of things are under the water watching you while you swim and frolic in the Central Ontario summer water. I used to think of those things when I was a kid playing up at my friend Andrew's cottage over on Kashe Lake. I'd swim with my legs ticked under my body, trying to keep them as far from the bottom as possible... every centimeter counted. I'm older now and don't get bother by those things anymore, but it doesn't mean there still aren't weird creatures of the lakes ready to stike not far away. In any event, apparently salt helps.

Have fun swimming!

-Matt

My Yeti!

So here is a Yeti design I did up today at Yowza Animation here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It's only August and snow is quite a ways away. I'm not sure why I decided on yetis and snow as my theme today... My mom would tell me about how her brother (my uncle) would go around the house in the middle of summer and play Christmas music. Maybe I've got a bit of that gene in me.

The Monster

Everyone calls him/it Frankenstein. But he's/it's not. It's just the Monster. Also... he/it doesn't get much credit for his smarts and cunning... but probably after you eat a bunch madens' heads off, your smarts rep would most likely take a nose dive and your brain eating rep would coincidentally go up... tragic.

I'm Blaming the Weather... i guess

So basically, this was today. Frustrated and unproductive. Even though it was Tuesday it was still the first day of the week. Easter weekend was amazing, bee tee bubs.

-Matt

Rikki Tikki Tavi the Mongoose

Here is a mongoose I just drew this afternoon. I'm on a bit of a Rikki Tikki Tavy kick these days. Also I'm in the middle of starting a second animation scene with this character. I designed him and stuff, but the animation isn't at a place yet where I can post it. It would all just look like blurs and weird pencil lines. Whatever, here is my rendition of Rikki Tikki Tavi :)

-Matt

A new post for the film!

Here is a new piece I did for the film blog. Go check out the other posts by me and Randeep :)

-Matt