Review- Unfiltered, The Complete Ralph Bakshi

My post about Bakshi's rant on determination reminded me to post my review for the latest retrospective on his work. My review for "Unfiltered, The Complete Ralph Bakshi", originally appeared in Hi-Fructose Vol. 8. Here it is in unedited glory:

Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi

Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi

Buy It at Powell's Books

When I think of Ralph Bakshi, I think about that "very special" episode of Diff'rent Strokes where Dudley was molested. Bakshi's cartoons provoke my sleaze alert in the same way Robert Crumb's gritty cartoons do. His pictures were weird, naughty, and completely unlike anything else out there. Doubtless that many video store clerks had a hard time figuring out where to shelve these subversive gems.

"Unfiltered, the Complete Ralph Bakshi"sets out to be the definitive retrospective of the acclaimed animation director. Indeed, the nearly three hundred-page hardcover is loaded with evidence of each stage in this animation juggernaut's career. As artist's reference alone, the book is worth the forty-dollar asking price. Chris McDonnell's layouts are gorgeous and the reproductions of Bakshi's sketches and character designs are fantastic. This isn't just a picture book though. Every chapter is loaded with personal anecdotes and contextual history of an industry full of brass and swagger. Reading it, you can almost hear the raspy voice of a wizard narrator, shuckin' jive. Also of note is a brilliant introduction by Quentin Tarantino, who gives us a lesson in Blacksploitation films and the part Ralph Bakshi played in the genre.

I'm amazed at the depth of influence presented here and how far this man's vision made it into the mainstream. If you thought Ralph Bakshi was only about weird rotoscoping and pantless cats, this book will make you think diff'rent.

-Joshua Ellingson, for Hi-Fructose Magazine

Recommended Reading

I love good books about art, creativity, and anything else that gets the fire going. One of my favorite bookstores in San Francisco, Stacey's Books, is having a hard time competing with the big chains and websites. You can help keep independent bookstores alive by ordering one of these from their site. Below are some books that I think you'll really like. But don't take my word for it!

Okay, so the website is a little slow. Maybe put on some downtempo, make some tea. Lean into it. It's all for a good cause. Better still, maybe make a trip to downtown San Francisco (map) and stop into Stacey's Books in person. They have a great magazine selection.

Inspiring Rant from Ralph Bakshi at SDCC 08

Here's a great excerpt from an ASIFA archive video of animation pioneer Ralph Bakshi at Comic Con Int'l 2008. When asked how he weathered the economic turmoil in the animation industry when he was starting, Bakshi launches into a rant about determination, technology, and the lack of inspiration that keeps creative people from knuckling down and making great works.

The King of Kings


The King of Kings, originally uploaded by joshuaellingson.

"The King of Kings"
2008

When I was a kid, sometimes I'd sneak into my grandparents' room and snoop around. Their house was full of unusual antiques, figurines, books, and other treasures. On one of my explorations I found a pack of nudie cards in my grandpa's dresser. Years later I told my mother about finding the pack of cards and it turns out that she used to sneak in there and look at them too. Now I own Grandpa's "Good Luck" card set and it always reminds me of home.

Merry Christmas everybody.

2008 Year in Review!

The pigeons are getting puffy, the sky seems a little lower, and all I think about is ham. This can only mean that it's December and it's time for my annual Year in Review! 2008 is at an end and there were times when I never thought it would happen. How did it go by so fast and so slow at the same time? Let me count the ways:

Jan-April, 2008
oontz, ooontz, oooontzMe and Dirty, spookylikeaftermath1Wondercon '08 - Fuck Yes!Wondercon '08-awww 1Octopus Done 4He-Man Kilt 1My stuff
The year started with an amazing birthday party at my art space, The Local 303:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157603745177220/

Then, in February there was Wondercon, an always-epic comic book convention that brought many of my friends to San Francisco.
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2291747269
Also in February, I finished painting Vivienne VaVoom's cast for "Breast Defense", a Keep-A-Breast Foundation benefit auction:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2301464714

In March, I traveled to Austin, TX for SXSW Interactive. I made artwork for the unofficial afterparty, 16Bit. Here's a guy holding up my poster:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2325580950

Spring was officially painting season for me, as I turned off the computer and got messy with acrylic. I found all kinds of materials to apply paint to, but none more interesting than my friend Mikey's kilt. Mike tricked me into painting a Masters of the Universe design on his UtiliKilt. Below are the results:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157604539252987/

In April, we had Spring Open Studios at the Local 303. I got to show off some of my painting madness and shoot the breeze with the real hardworking Americans. Friend of The Local 303 and local celebrity, "Kitten on the Keys" performed on Sunday.
Here are some photos:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157610703797515/

May-August, 2008
Fire Sculpture 2The Devil-Ettes at 25th St. FaireRed Rocket Takes the Leadon the way back from coffeerecord show - PilotGone Fishing - My Big CatchCaptain look-alikes and booth babeNew Site Design
In May, I tagged along with my RoboGames pals to the Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA. It was a beautiful weekend with lots of surreal moments, involving everything from flaming-robots to billy goats. Here's the proof:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157604877095332/

Next up was the PowerTool Drag Races at the now defunct ACE Int'l Speedway. I was honored to create the flyer/poster art for this completely unique and dangerous event. More flames, hot-dogs, and mechanical madness here:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157605125617150/

In June, I exhibited some painted records at "Vinyl Apocalypse" at Lower Haters Gallery in San Francisco. The group show was loaded with interesting takes on vinyl manipulation. I made an image of Ernie and Bert on a Sesame Street album from the 70's.
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2524926063
And my longtime roommate/goldfish Pilot died, so I made another record painting in his honor:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2524926149/

Also in June was the annual Robogames robot conference/competition in San Francisco. I was humbled to be asked to create the poster artwork for the event. I really love robots. Here's what I made:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2312114267

GONE FISHIN'
In July, I took a trip home to Michigan. It was an inspiring trip. The weather was beautiful and spending time with family was great. I caught a bunch of fish and took a lot of photos. Look, here they are:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157606220820752/

The biggest event of the year for me is always Comic Con Int'l in San Diego, CA. This year it didn't look like I was going to have a table. I was prepared to just mingle and become one with the masses of fans. Instead, I was able to get a last-minute table in Artist Alley! I met loads of great people and made new friends in a completely different part of the convention center (probably a different zip-code as well). Here are some photos of my photos from Comic Con '08:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157606428330141/

I completely redesigned my website and relaunched it in August! The new site incorporates a portfolio gallery, an integrated blog, and lots of other new features. If you haven't taken a look, please check it out!
http://www.joshuaellingson.com
Also, you can now order my art prints on my newly launched web-store. Get the same high quality prints online that you've seen at my art events! Check out the selection here:
http://www.joshuaellingson.com/prints

Sept-Dec, 2008

w/Satan's Angel @ Tease-O-RamaMy Art on LA Ink- Mark Waid and CthulhuThe Front Door of the Local 303Dexter Dryg and Marusan Gigan>1800 Tequila Bottle 4Essential Artist Shoes Sneak PeekMatt and Sean At APE, 2008
This fall was full of surprises. My artwork for BOOM Studios', "Cthulhu Tales: The Rising" made a cameo appearance on TCL's, "LA Ink". It was cool to see my artwork on a show that I like.
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/2949832929

I also got a lot of miles out of 1800 Tequila's "Essential Artists" campaign. My artwork was featured as part of an outdoor media campaign, a high-profile men's magazine print campaign, limited edition bottles, tennis shoes, in-store advertising, and a trade-show booth. I'm just happy to have a bottle of booze to celebrate with:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/3010994383

In October, The Local 303 got together again and participated in Fall Open Studios. We had a great turn-out and it's always nice to have new art on the wall. This Fall's show featured candy, paintings, and lots of babies. People had fun. No, really they did:
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/sets/72157608900358540/

The Alternative Press Expo was in November this year. Despite the bad weather, the holiday, the change of date, and the anticipation preceding the election, APE went surprisingly well. It's always nice to see friends who make the trip from out of town and talk to people about art/comics.
http://flickr.com/photos/josh1/3004702714

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I've still got lingerin' gratitude for all my great friends, family and stalkers out there. Thanks for reading along. I hope you have a pleasant winter and I hope to see you at the next event.

BONUS! Things to look forward to in 2009
-I'm bringing art to the deep south!
-I get older, and you stay pretty!
-The Local 303 turns 3!
-I drink the WHOLE bottle!

Love,
-Joshua Ellingson

Process - Twintail

Here's a little walkthrough of my general process in making artwork. This piece in particular was for a Japanese toy monster art show. This character is called Twin Tail. Here's what I did to make my drawing of Twin Tail:

1)I generally start with a sketch on paper. For this one I used some Col-Erase Pencils. I like them because each color has it's own hardness of lead. Also, if I start with one color, I can tighten up a drawing with another color and see where I've been.

 

2)I scan the sketch or take a photo of it and put it into Adobe Illustrator on it's own layer. In the layers properties, I choose "Dim Images to 50%" for the layer with the sketch. I usually lock this layer, create a new layer on top, and start tracing with the pen tool.

3)Once all the important lines are dropped in, I scale and manipulate the image as needed. Then, I select all the lines and turn them into outlines (Object>Path>Outline Stroke). I then manually nudge all the lines to achieve the thin to thick look that I want. This takes a while to get fast at ;)

4) Behind the line art, on it's own layer, I create areas of flat color. I also knew that for this one I didn't want many black lines, so I made all the lines a color with the intention of changing them later.

5 and 6) At this point it's really about "painting" in the details and highlights on various layers, It's important to keep your layers organized. Merge and label. Oh, and save often.

 

Prints Available for Sale Online

I often sell prints of my work at comic conventions and boutique art stores. In case you haven't heard, many of my prints are now available for sale on my website. Back by popular demand, my web store offers 18 different images for purchase via any major credit card. The prints are priced at $40 plus shipping and local tax. Each print shipped signed by the artist (that's me!).

Here's the description from my Store about the printing and shipping:

About the Prints
These images are printed using an Epson R1800 Wide Format Photographic Inkjet Printer on 11.7"x16.5" (A3) Epson Ultra Premium Matte Paper. The inks are Epson UltraChrome inks and are promised to resist fading by the fine folks at Epson. These prints are "open-editions" and shipped signed by the artist.

About Shipping Prints
The prints are shipped rolled in a tube via USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation unless requested otherwise. USPS Priority rates apply. $1.65 handling is added for delivery confirmation. Please allow 3 to 6 weeks for delivery although I'll try my best to get your orders out to you as soon as possible.

Descriptions added to Portfolio

I've made a few general maintenance changes to the site. My favorite improvement are the descriptions in my portfolio section. Much of the art now has a title and a brief description of the piece. Also included in the description is a link to Flickr.com, where images can be shared, commented on, or "favorited".
Here's a link to the Art Section of my site.

Heh, Comments!

Today I discovered that I have to approve comments on my blog. Heh, and all this time I thought no one was reading this! Well, a big thank you to everyone who's commented on my posts. I've approved them all. Thanks and thanks again.