My First DragonFly Flipz

Here the Star Gladiator Game Flipz™ I did in 2002. It's based on a Capcom futuristic, weapon based fighter for Playstation 1. It was actually the first Game Flipz I tried, so it's short and only side sided. My original idea was that the diagram of the button comp for the move would be printed on the back of the flip book, and that's still a good idea. (Soul Caliber, Tekken, Street Fighter, anyone?) Anyway, I just uploaded it to Gametrailer.com and it got put the "Featured User Movie" section on the main page. As a result it got 478 viewing (and counting) for it's first 12 hours. I'm pleasantly shocked by the good response. I'm hoping one these game licensing directors will return my calls and email, so I can get these thing out there.

In the meantime, enjoy the teaser.

Dragonfly Afro Samurai Anime Flipz™ Book

I'm just too excited my this to keep it under wraps. I've did concept demo Dragonfly Anime Flipz™ book for the new SpikeTV animated series Afro Samurai. I think it's going to be a big hit for them. Hopefully it will mean more "mature" animation projects will follow, on SpikeTV and elsewhere. The Afro Samurai Anime Flipz™ book is my most ambitious book to date, 200 pages and it was make from a video clip that run 4 1/2 minutes.

Here's a promo flyer I made to go with the sample flipbook. Actually, some high level execs have shown great interest in Afro Samurai Anime Flipz, I'm hoping to hear from them soon. In the meantime, I'm thinking of post a user movie of it on youtube.com to get some fun feedback going.

Let me know what think.

Music Muse Day - Follow Up

Well, I'm happy to report I actually keep to my New Year's resolution and did music related activities this past Sunday. Nothing earth-breaking, but constructive never the less. First , I re-stung my guitar with new strings (while watching the NFL play-offs). For non-guitar players, just let me say, it's a minor pain in the butt. After you finish, it takes a day or two for the strings to settle and stay in tune with each other. But, over all new strings make the guitar sound much better. Secondly, I started my Warped Sky CD project which consist of transferring old cassette tape copies of our old tunes onto CD via the compute (Apple's Garage Band and itunes). I had a sort of a set back as I screwed something up in the transfer and none of the file was playable. I think I know what I did wrong. So, I'll have to start again. But, it's a moral victory for me in that I did spend time on.
I also pulled out some old vinyl records to sell ebay. Some are real classic rock, jazz, fusion, and some I have no idea why I brought them (Original Boardway Cast Recording of "Hair" ?). I haven't play them in 10 - 15 years so some thinning of the herd is in order. I'm also trying be less of a "pack rat" lately. You really accumulate a lot of stuff over the years. Ebay's a great way speed up the process of clean out closets and garages. I'll post links to the auction, soon.
Now, I have to figure out how to get back to drawing for fun, again.

More Music Muse Day updates to follow, each coming Monday.

Martin Luther King Day - Let's Honor him

Few actions and words of one man has resounded and inspired a generation of people more powerfully than those of Martin Luther King. Not just African-Americans, but all people of the world who listened to his words and heard the universal truth they possessed. The call for "civil rights" is one that can be heard from every corner of the globe.

I'm always mindful of the fact that his many struggles and hard fought victories allowed me to advance as person and human being. I choose to honor him by living a life framed by the spirit of his words and fueled with my desire to fore fill his "dream". We, as a people, all human beings, are not there yet. But, I for one will keep trying, and pass that hope and desire on to my children.



Wishing you peace on this day of remembrance and reflection.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Game Flipz Books

Here a set of Dragonfly Game Flipz books of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes game. These were done over a year ago and presented to Sigil Games. They graciously declined to produce them. Oh, well maybe next time.

They feature footage from a early build of the game. It look good even back then. I hope it's a big success for Sigil, their a talented and nice group of people.

Blogger Having Tech Problems With Youtube Videos

It appears the new Blogger is having tech problems causing youtube videos not to be displayed properly.
Hopefully that will be corrected soon.

Max Roach - Jazz Drummer

Here's belated birthday wishes to the great, legendary jazz drummer, Max Roach. Yesterday, Jan. 10 was his 83 birthday. All the best, Max.

Max Roach was very close friend to my father. I only met Max once, but that was enough to get a strong impression on me of the greatness of character and integrity he has a human being.

The meeting was shortly after Sam have passed away. I had never meet Max, but had talk to him on the phone once or twice. He was performing at a club in New York and I went to see him with my future wife, Lisa. After the his performance I meekly introduced myself, I intent was just to say hello, briefly, and give him program from Sam's funeral. Max reaction was one of warmth and great kindness. He asked us to sit with at a table and warmly told us of his love for Sam, their friendship, and how glad he was I came to see. He said to call him anytime. I never had the courage to follow up with him on that offer. I didn't what to impose on him or any of my father's jazz friends. But I will alway remember with deep respect those moments I shared with Max Roach.


Here's a photo of Max visiting with Sam in Paris.

Sam Woodyard - Jazz Drummer (Jan. 7, 1925 - Sept. 20. 1988)

In keeping with my Music Muse Sunday, here a happy birthday to my father the late Sam Woodyard.

Sam was best known as a drummer for immortal Duke Ellington Band.

There's a nice write up on him at Drummerworld.com.

And here a clip Drummerworld put on Youtube:


This is great clip of his playing and I really get a kick out of the way Duke Ellington says his name at the end. Sam wasn't the best dad in the world, but he was one of the greatest drummers. It's alway a joy to hear his playing and I'm proud to share his love of music with my sons.

He would have been 82 this year. But, just listen to any of the recordings he played on, he still lives on in our hearts.

Enjoy.

P.S.

I found these photos of my boys from a birthday party of a friend of their back in 2001. Spencer, singing at the mike, was 6 years old and Devin "Samuel" Woodyard, on the drums, was 5 years old. That's right, his middle name is in honor of his grandfather. It was the first time Devin was behind a drum kit and he actually sounded pretty good. I know a video tape was done of their playing. I'm hoping the host of the party still has the tape somewhere. I'd like to get it and share it with everyone.

Rediscovering the Music Muse or Who's "Jack?"

Another part of my New Year's Resolutions was to renew my interest in music, mainly picking up the guitar again after a lay-off of about 15 years. It was always only a hobby, I was never very good at it but, it was fun and I had great memories of making "joyous noise" with two of my best friends, Richard Miceli and Rodney Means (both shared "Best Man" duty at my wedding). We called ourselves "Warped Sky" and besides totally butchering musical favorites of our by Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and songs like "Peter Gun - Theme" we liked to play original tunes and songs which Richard labeled best,"Noise Jazz Or Art Noise", in a recent letter which came with CD he compiled of some of our old stuff:

"I think that if we would have taken ourselves seriously and concentrated on what could be called noise jazz or art noise we may have found a small following made up of art underground strange dark goth...(crowd)...If you take songs like "Dark Side" or "Devolting" (two original Wraped Sky tunes - DJW), we were making them up as we go along and I think we were doing a good job of it... for two guy in a small apartment on 97th street with nothing better to do but make some noise."
- Richard Miceli - Warped Sky: composer / Flute / Guitar / Vocals / Misc. Noise.

Hearing the tunes again brought a board smile to my face. Coupled with my 10 year old son starting the trombone lessons (don't ask!). I decided pull out my guitar and practice with him as a way to help both of us find our "Musical Muse", him for the first time, and me for a second.

So, for a New Year resolution, I'm setting aside Sundays as a "Music Muse day". I'm going to keep it board, I'll try to practice guitar, or work on editing Warped Sky old tapes to CD (before they totally decay and turn to dust). Or, do something with Apple's itunes, (I've been using it to compose "down and dirty" music tracks for my Dragonfly Flipz Movies). Or it will be something as simple as pulling out a favorite CD or hooking the old phonograph and digging some old vinyl records out of the garage, to groove on!

I may feel brave enough to share some of these past and future explorations with everyone. Hell, I at this point in my life, taking a chance to laugh at doesn't mean much. Besides, I still more fun to be a participant that a spectator.


Here my guitar, a Gibson 175T ("T" for thin body) and my new practice amp (thanks to Rodney M. for the Xmas Gift) and Spencer's trombone (from Balboa Elementary School). It turns out my guitar is kind of rare. Checking on the web, it was only produced for three years back in the 70's and is now worth three times what I paid for it then. That's nice to know, but I would never sell it anyway. I plugged it into the amp, which I'd just brought, for the first time yesterday. The 175t stills sound great, although, I play like crap, now. What's needed is practice...practice...practice. I'll keep you posted.

I dig around the closet for this old flyer announcing the Jazz Duets I did with fellow guitar student, Peter Grosset. Pete and I met at the Guitar Study Center in New York, he was a much better guitarist than me, but liked practice our class lessons with me. After the classes ended, he talked me into joining him for a once a week gig at Greenwich Village cafe. We play on Wednesday nights for about two hours for tips and a free burger meal. I think we did it for about two months in the summer before our work schedule conflicted with doing it. It was fun.

People would always ask for request, but having a limited number of tunes under our belt, we couldn't fulfill them too often. One time a young lady asked for "Happy Birthday" for her boyfriend sitting at he table with her. Not knowing how to play the simple tune I answered, "Well, we can't do that, but we're going to do "A day in the Life of a Fool", will that do? I don't recall getting a tip from them. But, the look on their faces was priceless.


Someone, I had just met, once referred to me as a Renaissance Man when he found out I was an artist (illustrator), played guitar, and wrote stories (original comic book Sci-Fi adventure). I always liked that image of myself. But, in my darkest moments of self-doubt I'd think of it as being a "Jack of All trades..." and the lesser used ending of that saying "...and master of NONE". In any case, I hoping to rise my interest in the other creative areas of my life that have atrophied over time as I pursued a professional career, which causes you to specialize in one area to be marketable. Stick around, maybe "knowing "Jack" isn't a bad idea.

Dragonfly Flipz Sampler on German Flipbook Site

What a pleasant surprise! My Dragonfly Flipz Sampler is now listed on a very cool flip book site in Germany, Schacks Daumenkino run by Holger Schack an flip book collector and seller. Holger and I connected over a year ago when he brought a couple of Dragonfly Flipz Samplers from my EBay store, Dragonfly Emporium. He then agreed to purchase a small order of the Sampler and the Alien Parade Part 1 - Web Flipz book. He even help me get my books into a Flip book museum exhibit, Daumenkino-Festival, in Leipzig, Germany organized by Wencke F. E. Wassermann. But, for some reason, neither book has been on his web site until now. Better late than never. By the way, "daumenkino" means "thumb theatre" in German.

I hope everyone checks out Holger's site, although, it is all in German, it's cool to see and the other flip books being produced from around the world.

Here's a better preview video of the Dfly Sampler:

James Brown "Funky" 1970's TV Spot

Here my tribute to James Brown, " The Godfather of Soul", who passed away last week.

When I first heard James Brown as young teen in the early 1960's , I didn't quite get it, but later in my late teens and twenties when I started going to dance parties and discos. Your feet could not resist the beat. No one could get a room of dancers moving like James Brown. A true music genius and great human being has passed but his music will live on forever.

This video is a cheap record spot I worked back in the '70's. When I say cheap I mean - budget under $800.00 total (including art and 35mm animation stand camera work). Funky as it is, I still enjoy watching it sometimes. I did all the art prep and the super funky, very limited animation. I've ever try to sell myself as an animator to anyone and this will show you why.

I have other novelty record spots I post soon. They just as funky and fuuny.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment.

A Memory of President Ford

I never had strong feeling about the late President Ford, but in comparison to some the guys that followed him into office, he wasn't that bad.

That said here's an old illustration of mine about the Nixon pardon. It must have been done soon after it happened. It no great piece of art, but Ford's passing reminded me of it.

May he rest in peace.

Note: The lettering on Ford shirt reads "Ford's White Wash Co."

Happy New Year and New Beginnings.

Well, Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome.

This will be my new blog site for Dragonfly Entertainment, my creative vehicle for my own projects.

Every year one of my New Year's Resolutions is to update my website and blog page more often. So, this year I figure using Blogger might help me keep one part of that resolution. The problem was always, what to write about? I'm still not sure, but just start a Blogger page is a good start, I think.

I look forward to sharing my ideas, opinions, views, and projects like my Dragonfly Flipz™ books and the other animation projects I have in the development stage. Mainly, this blog will be a way to hopefully keep the creative juices flowing after after a rough dry spell (more on that later).

For now, I'll just say welcome and hope you keep coming back to see what happening with Dragonfly project and myself.