More On Orlock

More of my studies on our dear Count Orlock...

Starting A New Project

Here are some early designs of a certain blood sucker. My deadline for the animation is January 4th. Please keep me accountable.

Secret of Kells Playing in Burbank Theater

If you live anywhere near Burbank, California you should consider yourself extremely lucky. The Secret of Kells is playing at the AMC Burbank 8 from Dec 4th to the 10th. Currently in the states it pretty rare to see this amazing film on the big screen so take advantage. Click here to buy tickets. These theatrical viewings are needed for the Secret of Kells to have a shot at an Oscar. I've also heard the director Tomm Moore will be at one of the showtimes. Go get your tickets now! If you miss out you will regret it, and I won't hesitate to tell you, "I told you so."

Camera Obscura's U.S. Television Debut

I really love Camera Obscura's sound. Some say their lyrics are a little too meloncollie, but I like the bouncey tune that some of their songs have. They make for really good road trip soundtracks. One such song is French Navy which Camera Obscura performed on the Craig Ferguson show here in LA. Please enjoy the video oftheir performance below. I really love their use of instruments as a band.

He's Barack Obama Come To Save The Day-eee-ay

This video is amazing. Jib Jab has really advanced in their image capture process. I really like the exagerated character design especially the stretchy limbs of Obama. This video is hilarious. Well done Jib Jab.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Limited U.S. Release of Brendan and the Secret of Kells!!!

Earlier this morning Tomm Moore, director of Secret of Kells, sent me the following message on Facebook...

"We have finally secured limited distribution in theatres Stateside, ... and I hope you can help organise some kind of grassroots interest and encourage anyone you know to go along when it screens in LA early in the New Year."

This is really exciting news! Check in later for more details as they come. Don't forget to spread the word and when the New Year hits- GO SEE THE FILM!!!

My Latest Sketches

These are a few quick sketches I've done over the last few days. Sometimes I miss having live models to draw from. For this reason I'm looking forward to the next LA Sketch Crawl on July 11th.

Leonardo Trailer

Leonardo Trailer from jim Capobianco on Vimeo.

Keep it locked on the Leonardo blog for info on film festivals featuring this film.

Monster Safari Headed For Theaters!!

I can't tell you how excited I am to announce that LA based Screen Novelties are creating a feature length film. This film will be based on their short titled Monster Safari. Craig Zobel and Matt Chapman, of Homestarrunner.com fame, will be providing the script, and the Jim Hensen Co will be involved with the production of this piece of stop motion eye candy.

Check out the Monster Safari blog for a few more images. I love their cartoonish character design. This project looks like a lot of fun, and I wish I was working on it. In fact, I'm headed over to their web site right now to see if there are any openings...

I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)

This is a song that has blessed me over the last few weeks. It was written for a specific situation (Amadou Diallo), but I find it to be true as I take a step back and look at humanity in general. The thought of everyone waking up from their comfort and rebeling against the ways of this world is beautiful to me. Please wake up and seek Heaven in the here and now. Don't wait for it, and don't try to define it. Let God define you.

I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)

by: Lauryn Hill 

I find it hard to say, that everything is alright Don't look at me that way, like everything is alright Cuz my own eyes can see, through all your false pretenses But what you fail to see, is all the consequences You think our lives are cheap, and easy to be wasted As history repeats, so foul you can taste it And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it His life so incomplete, and nothing can replace it And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it Your lives so incomplete, and nothing can replace it Fret not thyself I say, against these laws of man Cuz like the Bible says, His blood is on their hands And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say, is rebel While today is still today, choose well And what I gotta say, is rebel, it can't go down this way Choose well, choose well, choose well... ...choose well, choose well, choose well And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it Your lives are so incomplete, and nothing, and no one, can replace it No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say Is rebel... rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel Rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel Repent, the day is far too spent, rebel... rebel! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up... Wake up and rebel We must destroy in order to rebuild Wake up, you might as well Oh are you... oh are you satisfied Oh are you satisfied Rebel... ohhh rebel Why don't you rebel, why don't you rebel? Why don't you rebel?

Bring These Movies To The U.S.

Brendan and the Secret Of Kells

The story of a young Irish boy attempting to protect the Book of Kells from the Viking raids. The art design alone on this film is jaw dropping. Much of the layout reminds me of The Thief And The Cobbler. Check out the website for this film at www.thesecretofkells.com.

Max Manus (Man of War)

Max Manus is a Norwegian film about some Norwegian saboteurs that fought the Nazis in World War II. All of these men were heroes, but the movie focuses on Max Manus. This film looks great, and some of the shots in the trailer look amazing. Since there is no U.S. release of any kind, I haven't been able to see this movie, but according to many reviews I've read the film takes a unique look at the state of many German soldiers during WWII. Apparently they aren't portrayed as exaggerated sci fi villains like many stories tend to do. This film looks fairly real in it's approach. I love that it's a Norwegian film too. Go to the official site at www.maxmanusfilmen.no.

L.A. Street Productions Art Show July 11th

(L.A. Street Productions)

This is an early announcement, but my crew, L.A. Street Productions, is having an art show at Ollin Cafe. Opening night will be July 11th from 6Pm to 9PM. I will be there displaying, and selling maybe three pieces of mine. Stay tuned for more details as they develop. 

Joe Hanging Out At The Berrics

 (Joe's buttery Boneless about 3/4 of the way through the video)

  As seen above, my friend Joe hung out and skated at The Berrics here in downtown Los Angeles. You can watch the video of Joe and a bunch of other kids having a hay-day at the Berrics HERE. 

  A lot of people are not familiar with The Berrics especially if they aren't into skating so I'll set up the story of why this is so cool... Up untill recently, The Berrics has been a secret indoor skate park in LA only accessible to pro skaters. Owned by Steve Berra, The Berrics has a website where skaters all over the world can peek into what it's like to hang out at a beautiful private indoor skate park with a bunch of pros. Most of us have been drooling over the website planning missions to find the Berrics' location and beg to skate inside. Recently Steve Berra posed a "Willy Wonka" type of offer where if people would go watch his friend's film Explicit Ills at a specific theater, he would let them skate in The Berrics complete with a pizza party. Needless to say Joe got a golden ticket and the result is the video linked above. I'm glad you got to skate your heart out Joe. You deserved that rare shot at bliss.

"Autumn Bird" ACEO Up For Auction

(Thumbnail Image)

  Well it appeares that I have one collector copping all of my ACEOs. Thank you to Ebay buyer/seller Searchfourwisdom for supporting my art and my ministry. Please click HERE to see the full image of the ACEO I'm auctioning off, and to place a bid. Remember 100% of the profits made go towards sustaining my lifestyle as an Urban Youth Worker in Inner city Los Angeles. 

S.A.Y. Yes Pico Union

   Visit the after school program that I live/work in on the web!

 

A Posting From My Ministry Blog: Elevate LA

I felt that it would make sense re-posting something here that I wrote on my ministry blog. I'm starting a journey to discover what God wants me to do with art and why...

My heart has been burdened with a number of things in this life, but one subject in particular torments me. I'm talking about art, or more specifically mankind's ability to discern what is good or what is bad in art. This has been a thorn in my side at varying levels pretty much my whole life. The book pictured above (Art and the Bibleby Francis A Schaeffer) is somewhat of a milestone for me because reading it is my first step in actually addressing the specific issue with God. I've studied art since I was a small child, but this marks my first efforts to understand my questions, and search for answers.

Most reading this have probably already tuned out by now, and that's a shame. It's that apathy that has brought me to these questions. Most people that I have encountered, including myself, treat art, or have treated art, as something that is expendable. We see art everywhere. In an age of communication where sensory overload is high subconsciously expected, we have devalued art in our minds and general culture. When recession hits, and budget cuts are rampant, the arts are the first to go. Today's most popular films and musicians are a grotesque representation of what real artists are doing outside of the public eye. It's so hard for a deep, hard working, artist to make a living or get any recognition. What does this mean for our society in general? Have we lost our ability to appreciate good over bad? If God is an artist, why then do most people consider my convictions about art as petty compared to the Gospel? Is art important? Isn't the Bible mostly a collection of art in various forms such as: verbal story telling, poetry, music, and letter writing? If we can't appreciate man's art here on Earth, how can we appreciate God's art? What does God think about art, and it's value? How does a Christian make art without being cheesy. Are there any good Christian artists out there? What does it look like for a visual artist to worship God with their work in a church setting? If I'm right, and art is a vital connection with God the creator, then why does most art produced by Christians look like uninspired watered down Sunday school lessons? Why aren't we tapping into our God's creativity, and making the best art out there? How do I invite the Holy Spirit to collaborate with me and turn my art from vague expressions of myself into prophetic messages to all peoples? Do I really know what I'm asking for? 

The questions go on and on. This is what keeps me awake at night. I will continue blogging about my journey through this seemingly sparsely charted territory. If you have any resources that you think I should check out please send your suggestions as comments to this posting.

Does anyone know about the quarterly journal called Image? If there are any subscribers out there please let me know what your experience has been like with this publication.

     

New ACEO Posted For Auction On EBay

I'd like to introduce you the reader to Mo. This ACEO is my first drawing of Mo. He sort of became one of my signature graffiti characters at the Graff Lab on Venice and Union in Los Angeles. I don't normally draw in this flat "cartoon modern" style, but I think Mo is a pretty fun character that I will be developing for some time. 

The auction starts at $2.99. Click HERE to start bidding.

(Remember, all of the money I recieve enables me to mentor/tutor the youth of inner city L.A. )

the Princess and the Frog: Sneak Peek

I can't tell you how excited I am about this film...

New MLK ACEO

Our community here in Pico Union/West Lake, Los Angeles had a surprise birthday party for our great friend John Watson. This is an ACEO that I made for his gift. Happy birthday John Watson!

New ACEO Up for Auction!

Canvasonly is a piece I did on a 2.5"x3.5" trading card. The spray can has "Canvas Only" on it because I've seen people go to jail because they didn't respect themselves or their art enough to keep their graffiti legal. The bidding starts at $2.99. Click here for the auction. 

Pixar's Up

Sorry Monsters Vs. Aliens; Pixar's Up has my vote for, "Next animated feature I might pee my pants on opening night for."

On Auction

 (Renegade)

I've just posted this A.C.E.O. (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) for auction on Ebay.com. Click here to bid. This is an original piece drawn and signed by me (DigitalDisciple), and the bidding starts at $2.99. The piece is a tribute to Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine fame and is 2.5"x3.5"- standard baseball card size. If you're an art lover and or collector, ACEOs are an inexpensive investment. There are many to choose from on EBay. 

I will be posting another ACEO of mine every 3 days on EBay. So keep your eye on this blog for more details. Happy bidding!

-John T "DD"  

Blog Numero Uno!

(A quick sketch I drew yesterday at Ollin Cafe on Venice)

  

Welcome to my new art blog! The topic of art was dominating my ministry blog, and it was confusing some people. So this marks the beginning of my purely art contribution to the blog-o-sphere. Enjoy!