Stephen M. Levinson's Blog

Dan posted his design, I figured why not mine too! Here is the design I did for this years freddie awards book! Hope you like it!

Steve

Ok, worst post title ever. Just put up my new website with new drawings galore! Check it out!

Steve

Warning: May be a little corny.

17 Years ago today I was born. I’d like to thank my mom and dad. Mom especially for going through all that pain just for me. Without them I couldn’t be here today and would never come to know animation. I’m very thankful for all that my parents did for me and I really appreciate it! I couldn’t of pitched around LA without my wonderful Ma, especially being soo supportive.

Tomorrow i’m going to get my Sr.License! I can’t wait to drive in other states and I can’t wait to drive past 9 ( it’s not like I don’t do that anyways….lol)

Anyways, thanks everyone on this blog and all those other blogs( You guys know who you’re ) for being soo supportive of me and my work. Especially Eric Homan for always giving me great advice and taking his time to read my emails and my ideas and taking my pitches. Thanks Fred for actually making this blog and the great stuff Frederator does and for including me months ago in the Channel Frederator blogging! Oh, and letting me have my own blog on this site! I could thank people to the end of the world with helping with my ideas aka The Muk’s, Jeaux, Elliot Byrne, Kat Kosmala, Aaron Simpson…. etc. but I think I will be sitting here for days if I do. Anyways everyone else who’s helped me don’t take it personal that i left your name out, but I really do appreciate your help and support!

Now, let’s PARTY!
Steve

I haven’t been blogging here lately on my own stuff. I haven’t posted anything personally since november.

This is a series of shorts I’m doing. It’s a personal project about the guy above. Below are some backgrounds I have been making for the short. ( yes me. I’m doing ALL the backgrounds! )

I am doing this completely “in-house” and am not outsourcing anything. I’ll be doing all the voices as well with my semi-new mic, and my brother Jared is going to do the music. (He’s a little rockstar and nasty soloist! ). The shorts will be 2-3 minutes long.

——————–
In Other News:
I’m currently looking for a flash animation gig. If anyone out there is looking to hire a flash animator, or maybe a bg artist(?) contact me if interested! stephenstudios(at)gmail(dot)com

Best,
SL

Low Tide’s Mustache Contest. My favorite episode so far, but all the other are very funny too!
Mike Hollingsworth is an awesome animator and one funny dude! You may have seen his short The Abbreviation Bunny on episode 17 of channel frederator or his short Big Mama’s House 3 on episode 72 of Channel Frederator. Mike is most notable for his short Low Tide that is currently running on Fuel Tv.

Mike has created 2 other really short shorts called Radio Shack and Uncle Clyde. Here’s what Mike has to say about them.

“BOTH of those shorts are traditionally animated, but in two different ways. I did the H2F spot with the comic on stage traditionally, on paper, and then scanned in the sheets and inked them in flash. MEANWHILE, “Baby Bird visits Radio Shack” was animated entirely in Flash but I just took my time and did it right. I didn’t just rely on the stiff turn-around body symbols I created. I roughed the animation out on a layer and then traced over it with the pencil tool. Or I probably used the line tool. I like to pull a line across what I’m tracing and then drag selection boxes over the line to create new edit points. Then you can bend it around but it still stays pretty smooth.”

There you have it. Check out Low Tide, it’s the sh!t!

Best,
SL

My good man Sean McCracken showed me a video of his called Birdworld yesterday. It’s a 50 second short, from start to finish created in 10 hours. It’s an interesting idea I think can be taken beyond these 50 seconds.
Watch Birdworld!

The video was created and submitted for an animation festival/contest, so please take a gander…..followingwitha5starratingandputtingsomenicecommentsinthecommentbox… *exhale*…if you please of coarse! It would be greatly appreciated if you do.

Enjoy!

SL

The clearly awesomely talented Animax studio has just coughed up some animation-nog for you all to enjoy. Click here to watch. It’s awesome so give it a 5 and let them know what you thought of it!

Best,
Steve

Although I am/have no longer been blogging/interviewing for Channel Frederator, I interviewed a very talented guy and am posting the interview on my personal blog! Nathan Malone is his name. Interesting name to, sounds like an undercover cop name..hmm, didn’t ask him though. You know how undercover cops are…

Nathan is an incredible artist and animator. His blog is full of tons of really interesting and incredibly created work. I’m boggled he is not working in the industry. Hopefully this interview helps him get out there to employers who read these fred blogs! You can watch a short of his called Squaresville by clicking on that.
—————————

1) Tell everyone alittle about yourself.
I once was running down a hill late at night and nearly stepped on a live alligator. I enjoy spicy food. Really spicy food. Habanero Peppers bring me joy. I have a neurotic bald lovebird named Draco

2) Who are some of the artists that inspire you?
Tex Avery, Theodore Geisel, H.R. Geiger, Edward Gorey, Bob Clampett, Zdzislaw Beksinski, Mark Ryden, Dan Krall

3) What got you into animation?
When I was a baby, my mother and father recorded all sorts of cartoons onto VHS. Loony Toons, world war 2 disney cartoons, winnie the pooh. My mother had VHS of nearly every Disney feature, and my father was a big Loony Toons fan. My uncle was a fan of Ralph Bakshi.

So I’ve always loved these things.

4) Have you worked on your own short films?
Yes. Quite alot of them.

5) What are they about?
They range from “short terrible and offensive” to “long and respectable”Alot of my more serious ones are based off of things I’ve dreamt or scribbled out of boredom. Usually if I do anything “comedic” is based off an idea one of my friends have come up with, as they are all pretty unhinged. But in a good way!

5) How long did it take you to make them?
It used to be where I’d stay up all day and night for a couple of weeks working nearly nonstop on a short. Not I’m more laid back about it, trying to take my time to ensure the cartoon does not suck.

6) Your film Squaresville seems to be very abstract. What inspired that?
I think the original idea was to make a grid, and give each grid a face, and then have them talk to each other, even though they couldnt move or shift around the grid. And I started doodling ideas on paper and eventually came up with the concept of the actual cartoon. I have a friend named Waldemar whom him and I liked to insult each other via MSN voice chat, and he has a hilarious voice, so eventually I asked him to just record some nonsense, and that turned into Squaresville.

7) Many of your drawings are very interesting, like the one above. What were you aiming for in that drawing?
It’s actually a screenshot of my next cartoon. I’m trying to do as much traditional animation as possible in it.

As an artist/animator, what are your goals?
I’d just like to be able to have time to do what I enjoy as a career. When I was a kid, I’d dream of turning some of the ideas in my head into series or films, and while I have done a few, there are still a bunch I havent touched on yet and would like to do. As of yet, animation still remains but a hobby for me. Really, I just want to share some of the stories that are in my head, and I think I am slowly reaching that point where I’m ready to tell them.

9) I really like this drawing (above)! Is music a big part of your life? Do you feel inspired by music?
Oh definitely. I always try to make my cartoons move with some sort of catchy music or have musical cues. I am forever thankful to MentallyDetached who provides the music for most everything I do these days.

10) Can you tell us a little bit about Polypeptide?
Polypeptide is my next…thingie. It’s hard to describe. It’s not complex or anything, but I am trying to do some sort of plot to it that will make sense to people other than myself. I’m doing my best to make it as nicely animated as possible.

11) Do you have anything to add that our viewers may be interested in hearing?
Yes. The last 10 percent of any soda you drink is almost entirely saliva backwash. Have fun thinking about that.

12) Thanks for your time!
Thanks for your kidney. It will work well in my kidney-powered robot.

Feel free to head over to Nathan’s blog for more awesome works of art!

Best,
Steve

This is a challenge you should not pass up! Are you a flash animator, have been working at it for awhile, but not sure if you’re at the level to apply as a flash animator at a studio yet? Or do you think you’re not at the level but you’re just interested in seeing what these animation test’s are all about? Or are you a pro and just want to see how you do with this character? Well, if so, today is your lucky day!

READ MORE HERE

Best,
SL

I REALLY like this and if you haven’t seen it, it’s awesome!

Best,
-Steve