Last Christmas Drawing for 2012!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012!!!

My tribute to the Rankin and Bass Holiday Classic!

Done on 11x14in Bristol Board with Copic and Sharpie markers, and paint.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

"You know what? Nobody likes you, Booster."

This quick drawing is a Christmas present for my cousin who’s favorite Christmas movie is “Jingle all the Way” It’s not my favorite holiday movie (honestly, it’s pretty awful), although, I would  be lying if I didn’t admit that I do watch it everytime when it’s on television. And it deserves some recognition, it’s obviously Schwarzenegger’s last great movie (who would’ve thought! Though, an argument could be made for T2). Arnold is really trying in this movie, yelling classic catch phases at the legendary Phil Hartman (Damn, why couldn’t him and Sinbad switch parts, how cool would that be?! Or better yet, not have Sinbad in it at all).

It’s a pity that the Schwarzenegger caricature is a little off target (the expression I stole from Kindergarten Cop), and of course I’m riding on the internet remix of “put that cookie down!”

Stay tune for my next holiday drawing, it’s gonna be brilliant… you can almost say it glows.

Oh, and lastly, they say “no one likes Booster.” Well, I love Booster!

RIDDLES IN THE DARK

In celebration of “the Hobbit.” I like the Lord of the Rings film. I think they are ok, even when they sometimes feel bloated by their running time. However they are kept watchable by the “magic” of the worlds and the talents of film makers to take the countless plotlines and history into something effortless (I could never get through the books for this reason). But one thing I always enjoyed about the movie were the production design and the SFX, the best which involved this little critter, Gollum. This guy is favorite character. The animation and care that brought this guy to life is spectacular.

The upcoming release of “the Hobbit,” I am a little wary of, but hope for the best. However I would like to feast my eyes on Middle Earth one last time, and meet Smeagol again.

Done on 11x14in Bristol Board with ink and copic markers.

CHECK OUT MY DEMO-REEL

This is my Demo-Reel using chips from some of the projects I have done for the Delgado Television Department at Delgado Community College.

Music is used by permission from Kevin George.

All IMAGES, VIDEO, AND MUSIC WERE USED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.

Besure to check out the Vimeo link to the video below.

VIMEO

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

A video I spent a summer making.

This is a sort of PBS-style Promo/Documentary on the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden near the New Orleans Museum of Art. I would like to thank Pamela Buckman and Kevin George, with the help of Delgado Television Department for making this video possible.

If you are ever in the city, check this place out!

DELGADO MUSIC DEPARTMENT

This is an old video I made for the Music Departmen, in fact this is the first project I made for my television class at Delgado Community College.

Little personal history: I didn't edit this project on Final Cut or any program that offered multiple layer timelines. I edited probably 4 hours (probably more, I can’t remember) of footage and audio. However,  the soundtracks on the old Pinnacle Studio software I was working with at the time, could, if I push it to its limit, give me 2 extra layers of sound. So, how I started was to edit my video segments first (which only allowed me one layer of video), and my first pass was also my only pass. I made all my editing decisions on that first pass, and for audio I concentrated mostly on the interviews. I had 3 different set-ups of the audio for the interviews, and the music classes, (I know that sounds a little obsessive, but it was my first time recording an interview so I wanted to cover my ass in the likelihood of chaos. And in the end, wouldya know it, I used all 3 configurations). One was a lavaliere microphone hooked up to the HD camera (this was the sound I used most of all because of the better quality), the second was a built in MIC on a mini DV (the poorest sound of all three, but had to used it in some instances), for interviews I had a 2 camera set up, the HD, the better camera, would be for close ups and the DV, the poor quality camera would be the wide shots.  Lastly I had my back up, a portable digital sound recorder I placed just out of the frame (which I used more times than I should, it saved my ass plenty of times). Anyway, I would sync up the audio by hand (a pain in the ass) and decide where I would like to overlay the audio over the video, make that pass, dump it onto a tape, delete the edit because the pinnacle studio couldn’t hold much video and was touchy about crushing without warning. I would then upload the first pass I’ve done from the tape, then start adding the music in the concert classes, which was an ordeal onto itself. The classes would play 2-to-3 different songs several times, some rotation better than others, and songs lasting a range of lengths which I had to shape into something short, but overall long enough to give the impression of the class.  This went through countless passes. Each time dumping the edit onto a tape, deleting the video on the software, uploading the pass onto the computer again, and add another audio layer, make adjustments because you can’t change them later (this explains why in the video the volume of the audio dips too low in places. Sorry.), and repeat the process again, and again. Then at last you finish up with the music score and adjust to play it over the entire video, then, you add the end credits and you are done.

So, basically, I’m bowing at the feet of Apple and Avid for creating an easier to use (video editing-wise) software, and declare them my new gods.    

Enjoy!

THE TRUTH IS SOMEWHERE...

I remember when I was a young lad when this new show called "the X-files" premiered and became one of my favorite shows. But you can't imagine how excited I was when I saw an episode of my all time favorite tv show, "The Simpsons" one Sunday night in 1997 and Mulder and Scully guest starred!

However, other than a brief nostalgic trip down memory lane, I was planning to try to get this drawing signed by Gillian Anderson at the New Orleans Comic-Con. Unfortunately, she canceled her appearance. Maybe next year.

FRANKEN-WEENIE

I haven't seen the movie yet. Does anyone know if it's any good?

Stuck Babysitting

 

What else would be a better babysitter for Stitch than another creature that thrives on chaos?

 





"There's Something You Don't See Everyday."

It's the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man...

"I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never ever possibly destroy us. Mr. Stay Puft ..."

Falkor the Luckdragon!!!

I think this is everyone's favorite moment from the Never Ending Story!

Tribute to Pac-Man

waka! waka! waka!

NEW ORLEANS SCULPTURE GARDEN

A video I made for the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden near the New Orleans Museum of Art. I would like to thank Pamela Buckman and Kevin George, with the help of Delgado Television Department for making this video possible.

If you are ever in the city, check this place out!

The Seven Stones

This is a video I help made with the association with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Delgado Community College and their Television Department.

This is in loving memory of Julia.

The Dynamic Duo

I WATCH TOO MUCH TV

This is a plan for a mural I hopefully will get to paint for a television department at a New Orleans College.

What you are looking at is almost three weeks of work; this is counting the prep before the actual final art, making all the drawings of the characters I wanted to include. I originally had 145 drawing wanted to incorporate but page space (and the risk of becoming insane) made me widdle it down to about an hundred (I haven’t counted all the characters yet).

It was great to think of all my favorite TV and film characters I wanted to stick on the two pages… Hanna Barbera characters, Muppets, Disney cartoons, Nicktoons, heck, I even put in Howard the Duck!!!

Yet after all this work I wished I could’ve found place for more. I’m sorely missing Darkwing Duck, transformers, GI Joe, Godzilla, King Kong, Beetlejuice, the Fonz, Laverne and Shirley, Jabber Jaw, The Flintstones and Yogi Bear! I have so many more I had final drawings for but couldn’t squeeze into the spaces. Maybe one day I will find a way to add them all?

Oh, yeah, let’s play a game! See if you can find all 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all 3 Power Puff Girls! (don’t be overwhelmed, it’s easy!)

Also, look for a few jokes I stuck in there.

HUGBIG'S PIES

Skateboard deck art.

This is reference to a popular food company down here in New Orleans.

I made a slight change to the chef hat, originally it's a "H" and made it to a "P." The"P" stands for "PRESERVATION BOARD COMPANY."

Check out their website and blog!
http://www.preservationskateboards.com

 

http://blog.preservationskateboards.com

Stitch Birthday Party

A birthday gift for a friend.

HOUSE OF FRANKEN-BERRY

STARRING:
Boris Coffee, Bela Licorice, Lon Cherry Jr, and Claude Raisins

This is obviously a tip of the hat to the "House of Frankenstein" Universal Movie poster.

"You found the magic flute! USE IT! USE IT!"

In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac I whipped this up to keep my sanity while the electricity was off, so I done this drawing practically blind. But, it ended up lookin’ okay.

LEGO STAR WARS

So, Lego is cool, right? What makes it cooler, Star Wars!!!

ROCK ME, AMADEUS!

This was done for uber Lilo and Stitch fan, and wonderfully, ever-talented pianist Amanda Wadsworth. Check out her website: http://amandaraewadsworth.com/ 

WELCOME!

Greetings all, welcome to my new blog! My name is Danny Nicholas, I am an amateur filmmaker and illustrator. Stay tune for many films and drawings or whatever whim of general interest I have at the moment to be posted soon!

Thank you!