For all of you people who have requested a reappearance of the original Pencilmation guy, I am working on finishing an old Pencilmation episode (with the guy from the first two), that I had left unfinished about a year ago. I will have it ready to watch in about a week and will release it under the mildly mysterious and overused title Pencilmation: The Lost Episode!

Yes, it is true. The website is fairly plain! I just haven’t really had much time to put into fixing up Pencilmation.com, but hopefully in August I will have time to make it a bit more colorful and interesting. I assure you, in time it will improve!

I was trying to have the new Pencilmation done by last week, but somehow I spaced out and didn’t put it online. I will put it up tomorrow…I promise!

So I get lots of email asking about how exactly I make the Pencilmation cartoons.  That question is always sort of tricky to answer quickly—”well um…I use Flash, and the pencil and paper are photographs,” is generally the best response that I come up with.  Anyway, I’ve decided to film a how-to video that will guide people step by step through the entire process of making a Pencilmation episode.  I am really excited to do this, and I can’t wait to see what sort of response it generates.  I am pretty busy doing everything in the world right now, but hopefully in the next couple months I will have time to do it.  We’ll see…!

Looking back at my Pencilmation cartoons, and the reactions that they receive, I have noticed one way that I can split them into two groups.  The first couple cartoons as well as the most recent that I have done (#1.5) are filled with totally random stuff.  When I created these, I didn’t spend any time planning them out; they are purely spontaneous.  On the other toons, I have devoted a bit more time to developing a plot and trying to tie the beginning to the end, etc. and in the future I’d love to add a little bit of my own commentary on life (though I’m sure that stuff is unconciously woven into my work).  Some people really like the totally random wildness and some people like more of a story.  I think I’ll keep doing both!

On a side note, I have been really busy with a couple of freelance jobs (trying to pay the billzz!!) so I haven’t been quite as involved with the site, but fear not my avid readers, I will return in a big way, I assure you!

And on a side side note, my cartoons are being featured on AWNtv.com.  Rock and rooooll!

I have been trying to think of an interesting and unique collectable that I could sell on my website, a physical item that fans of Pencilmation could purchase and keep as their very own.  And then, it struck me….Pencilmation flip books!  I am going to try my hand at designing some funny little senarios in the form of flip books.  Maybe this is a good idea??  We’ll see…Be on the lookout for some official Pencilmation flip books in the upcoming months.

In other, more personal news, I just signed a lease the other day for a dirt cheap apartment in Brooklyn.  Why did I do this?  So that I can stop needing to worry about making money and focus on making cartoons!   Heck yeah.

Phew…the new toon is up!  I think it’s pretty funny, but I guess I have sort of a biased opinion.  A couple of new things: my hand is in this one..just thought I’d try that out—see what it looks like.  Also, I recorded music with just a guitar and a percussion track (me, banging on my desk with pencils).  Let me know what you guys think!

I haven’t had time today to update the podcast and ringtones.  Hopefully I will have a chance tonight, but I will do it soon.  I pinky swear!

I’m always trying to find new places to display my Pencilmations so as to reach a bigger audience.  I put them on YouTube and I put them on Newgrounds.  A couple of blogs have written about them and a few episodes are on AWNtv.com, but beyond that it has been tricky trying to find the right sites to showcase my cartoons.  Does anybody out there have any ideas of some good sites for showing my Pencilmations??

Also, I am working on those flip books I was talking about…more on this later.