Your Guide to the World of Furry Fandom
… and illustrator, whom we met at the CTN Animation Expo. Christina Halstead is a character designer and, yes, animator who has worked freelance on projects for outfits like Toon Boom and games like Beast’s Fury. Her personal art web site is called Shadowed Brush Creations — there you can find sketches, character paintings, and even short animation samples from her work.
image c. 2015 by Christina Halstead
Over at Cartoon Brew there’s an article about Wish Police, the next big film project to come out of Reel FX (home of Free Birds and The Book of Life). “Based on a novella of the same name by Daniel Nayer, Wish Police takes place in a world where children’s bad wishes come to life as mayhem-making villains, and a secret organization called The Wish Police must work full-time to apprehend the evildoers. The Wish Police are led by Saul, an ex-genie determined to atone for centuries of granting his masters’ evil wishes, and Kong, a wise-cracking monkey and royal pain in the leg. In the film, Saul and Kong must break their personal rules and team up with a 12-year-old boy named Randy who has made a particularly bad wish and unleashed the most powerful wish villain ever seen.” The film is to be directed by three young filmmakers from Spain, Adrian Garcia, Alfredo Torres, and Victor Maldonado, “who are collectively known as Headless”. The CGI film is being produced by Kirk Bodyfelt (Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs 2) and written by some folks who worked on Kung Fu Panda. The film is scheduled for release in late 2017.
image c. 2015 Reel FX
The artist Larry MacDougall describes what he does as “fairy tale illustration, comics, and animation”. Working largely with traditional materials and techniques to create his fantasy dreamscapes of humans, fairy folk, mythical creatures, and anthropomorphic whatsits. (We hope he won’t mind us saying that his work reminds us a lot of Brian Froud — in a good way.) Larry has a new paperback book out now called Traditional Magic, Fantasy, and Fairy Tale Design, published by CTN. It features drawings, sketches, and full-color paintings divided up by various creatures. You can keep up with Larry at his Blogspot site, and see more from inside the book over at the Center Stage Gallery.
The Pumpkin Dealer by Larry MacDougall c. 2015
First the art of My Little Pony the TV series — now, the art of My Little Pony the comic books. Thanks to IDW, of course. They’ve released My Little Pony: Art is Magic, a nearly 150-page trade paperback of works from the various My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic book series. “Read along as fan-favorite artists Amy Mebberson, Sara Richard, Tony Fleecs, Andy Price, Brenda Hickey, and Agnes Garbowska showcase a selection of their most cherished pieces, provide insight into their process, and share the identities of their favorite ponies!” Each artist has also created a special unique pin-up piece just for this collection. Take a look over at Barnes & Noble to find out more.
image c. 2015 IDW Publishing
One from last year. The Zoo at the Edge of the World (by Eric Kahn Gale) is a fantasy novel about a young boy named Marlin. “Marlin is not slow, or mute; what he is is a stutterer, and that makes it impossible for him to convince people otherwise. What he is also is a Rackham: the younger son of the world-famous explorer Ronan Rackham, the owner and proprietor of the Zoo at the Edge of the World, a resort where the well-to-do from all over the globe can come to experience the last bit of the wild left at the end of the nineteenth century. In order to impress a powerful duke who comes to visit the zoo, Marlin’s father ventures into the jungle and brings back a mysterious black jaguar, the only one in captivity. Everyone is terrified of it, including Marlin—until one night, when the jaguar confers upon him a powerful gift. Soon, Marlin finds himself with a difficult choice to make and, finally, something to say. If only he can figure out how to say it.” That gift, if you need it stated more clearly, is the ability to speak to non-human animals. Which makes for a complicated narrative of characters young and old, human and not human. The Zoo at the Edge of the World is available in hardcover and paperback (from Harper Collins) at Barnes & Noble.
image c. 2015 Harper Collins
And yet another new animal fantasy series for young readers, this one starring (let’s face it) one of Furry Fandom’s favorite animals. Here’s what the publisher says: “The first book in a thrilling fantasy trilogy starring one of the animal kingdom’s most hunted heroes. Foxcraft is full of excitement and heart, and a touch of magic. Isla and her brother are two young foxes living just outside the lands of the furless — humans. The life of a fox is filled with dangers, but Isla has begun to learn mysterious skills meant to help her survive. Then the unthinkable happens. Returning to her den, Isla finds it set ablaze and surrounded by strange foxes, and her family is nowhere in sight. Forced to flee, she escapes into the cold, gray world of the furless. Now Isla must navigate this bewildering and deadly terrain, all while being hunted by a ruthless enemy. In order to survive, she will need to master the ancient arts of her kind — magical gifts of cunning known only to foxes. She must unravel the secrets of foxcraft.” Created by Inbali Iserles (also the author of The Tygrine Cat), Foxcraft: The Taken is available now at Amazon.
image c. 2015 Scholastic Press
More back in the “where have we been?” realm is the Wereworld series of books written by Curtis Jobling — who happens to be the creator of the world famous Bob the Builder and (for Nickelodeon) Curious Cow. But he’s always harbored a soft (dark?) spot for classic horror, and now the Wereworld series is his first set of novels… still for young readers but decidedly for older kids! “Imagine a world ruled by Werelords–men and women who can shift at will into bears, lions, and serpents. When Drew suddenly discovers he’s not only a werewolf but the long-lost heir to the murdered Wolf King’s throne, he must use his wits and newfound powers to survive in a land suddenly full of enemies. Drew’s the only one who can unite the kingdom in a massive uprising against its tyrant ruler, Leopold the Lion. But the king is hot on Drew’s tail and won’t rest until he’s got the rebel wolf’s head.” And that’s just the first book, Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf from 2012. The series is up to book six now, and more are coming. You can find the books in paperback over at Amazon, or check out the Wereworld web site for lots of background and extra goodies — or baddies.
image c. 2015 Puffin Books
Seems like every year when we go Christmas shopping we come across some previously undiscovered furry things — both new works, and how-did-we-miss-this? recent stuff. Kind of straddling both of those is Ninja Timmy, a hardcover book for older kids written and illustrated by Henrik Tamm. From Random House, the publisher: “For fans of the film series Shrek and the Chronicles of Narnia and of Frozen, as well as classic books such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Cricket in Times Square, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle, this imaginative and engaging debut middle-grade novel by author/illustrator/animator Henrik Tamm includes plucky animal characters, action-packed adventure, and lush full-color illustrations throughout. Timmy the cat, his pal Simon the mink, and the pig brothers Jasper and Casper are inventors, and they’re hoping to sell their fabulous new contraption to a local merchant. With high hopes, they haul their machine through the crowded streets of Elyzandrium—and are promptly robbed by a gang of bullies. With the help of two new friends, Alfred, a kindly old toymaker, and Flores, a skilled cat pilot, Timmy and his pals set out to get back what is rightfully theirs. As it turns out, they’re not the only victims of these dastardly criminals. But what can this band of misfits do? In this action-packed adventure, the intrepid Timmy and his wily friends transform themselves into crime-fighting ninjas—and quite possibly heroes!” By day Mr. Tamm is a conceptual artist who has worked on movies as diverse as the Shrek series and The Chronicles of Narnia. Ninja Timmy was published a couple years ago in his native Sweden, but now it’s available in English over on Amazon.
image c. 2015 Random House
It seems hard to believe that an enterprise as long-lived as My Little Pony hasn’t had a production art book created for it… Thank goodness for Mary Jane Begin, who finally brought us My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria (in hardcover, from Abrams). Rather appropriate that it celebrates (mostly) the latest incarnation of the show: “My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria presents, for the first time, a deep exploration of the art and illustrations from this beloved animated series, Friendship Is Magic. Beginning with the show’s premiere and taking readers through its fifth season, the book offers an amazing collection of the art and design that bring this wonderful series to life. The book takes readers behind the scenes of the show and explores how favorite characters and the landscape of Equestria came to look as they are today. Beyond the television show, My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria also examines the intriguing fan culture—including the fan art movement inspired by Friendship Is Magic. With a rich array of con- ceptual art, episode storyboards, and memorable scenes from the show, My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria is the ultimate guidebook, collector’s item, and fan keepsake.” And you can get it now at Barnes & Noble.
image c. 2015 Abrams
