Snail Backgrounds

These Backgrounds still need a little work, including the intentional displacement of color so that they look more like Warner Bros BGs but I thought it had been a while so I would put something up. The images are all part of the opening Shot to The Snail and the Road Runner written by Shane Lewis with Story by Shane, Adrian Ropp, and myself.

Vis Dev Artwork Needed

Looking to Develop the story of the Arabian Horse. If you need a subject matter to sketch on or create artwork for here is an idea to run with. Need a noble Arabian man, the Arabian Horses, and designs for the terrain. If you are interested email me and I can get you the story. Love the idea of doing something in the middle east.

Long Overdue Update

So much time has passed that I will shotgun this:

We hired Cynthia Overman away from CalArts and Seth Holladay back from Pixar.

Students won 2 Student Emmys. Kite's took 1st, Pajama Gladiator took 2nd.

Grandma Scottie passed away. Great funeral. Amazing lady with one of the most interesting lives a person could live. Love you Grandma.

Students informed that Kites and Pajama have won Student Academy Awards. We go to LA next week to see what places they took.

Revising Curriculum for the Animation program. Man I hate this sort of thing.

Sold my house. Have to be out by the end of this week. Don't have a new house yet. Moving into an apartment for the time being. The kids don't really care though because we will have a pool over the summer. Looking to move to Draper.

Killing myself to get Lion and the Mouse- done - done. Thanks to Claire this is finally happening.

Sheriff is getting really close and looking extremely good. Thanks to former and current students along with Rob Allen, Brent Adams and John Reinhard.

I think I am finally done with The Movers script. Got great notes from my friends and fellow faculty members at BYU. Happily the writing was not to shocking. Tom Russell said one scene made him burst into laughter so that he spewed out his nose or mouth... can't remember... but it made me proud.

My kids are great and my wife is the best.

Grandpa Barben

Yesterday my grandfather Howard Barben passed away at the age of 96. Ultimately it was a good thing but it is still a little hard to deal with. He is absolutely one of the greatest heroes in my life. Some of my earliest memories involve him. Although he was extremely religious and an extremely focused individual he had a great sense of humor and was always looking to have fun. (because of this he really loved my dad) He had 7 daughters, 50 some odd grandchildren and I don’t have any idea how many great grand children.

I am now crying as I write this.

Born in Park City Utah and raised most of his life in Ketchum, Idaho he learned to work through his time on the farm. When he was younger he worked with his father to break mustangs to sell to other farmers. (he became a great source of information for me when I was working on the film Spirit at DreamWorks.) Some of the ranch hands worked with him and he became a trick horse rider doing a lot of the dangerous sorts of things you might see at a riding demonstration at a rodeo.

He served his LDS mission in the Eastern States mission where he ended up being the preacher for several months to a Baptist congregation that couldn’t afford a preacher. Little did they know he was not only preaching to them from the Bible but from the Book of Mormon as well. When I was pretty young he was called to be the mission president in Alaska. I don’t remember much of this but I do remember helping him unpack a crate that he had shipped back when he returned. The crate had a preserved King Crab which he mounted on a large black velvet covered board that he then hung in his home.

He won local political office and after seeing how much money the government wasted became an advocate for making sure that as much money as possible go to the church - as he felt that it did a lot more good. I’ve been told and I am not sure as to the accuracy – but he never made more than 10 K in salary a year but ended up giving more than 10 million to the church and church education. (lesson- by land) He even allowed me to use a small portion to start the animation program the first year I taught at BYU- when the departments were hesitant to invest in a program that was not approved.

There are a lot of crazy stories about my grandfather’s inventions and things he did in his spare time but I’ll save those for another day. Since my family was the blue collar family in this extended family we did a lot of work for and with grandpa and whether we were mowing his lawn, shoveling the snow off his driveway or pouring cement on a home improvement project it was always a joy to be with him.

At 90 or 91 his doctor told him that it was probably time to stop his tennis playing which he did a couple of times a week. He had been going down hill for a while but still had moments of brilliance. I went to visit him at my parent’s house on Tuesday. I thought he was sleeping and when walked into the room he called me by name and said hello. I will always remember that our last exchange was that I told him I loved him and he told me he loved me too.

It’s weird to think that he is gone. When many are raised in the church to think, “What would Jesus do?” I always grew up thinking, “What would Grandpa Barben do?” When many students were going to BYU on scholarship funds paid for by my grandfather my mother and I, as well as many of my relatives worked to pay our way through school. Although I haven’t always felt this way, I do now appreciate how he helped to give me a strong work ethic while also understanding that we are owed nothing and yet owe everything to God. He was quite often at my sporting events when I was younger, gave me my patriarchal blessing and preformed my wedding as well. He specifically told me how proud of me he was for the work I have done at BYU and the impact we are making. What a man!

Love you Grandpa.

Hair

This post is of considerable interest for two reasons: first it shows that I did actually have hair at one time and second is that these women that I met in Portugal while on my mission, did actually have facial hair. The worst part of that story is that the Portuguese give the greeting kisses on the cheek and although missionaries are not supposed to participate in this old women would kind of force the greeting on you. I don't want to say much more than, it tickled, and while tickling disturbed me for life.

Annecy

I will get back to my own artwork, I swear. For now I am stuck writing and assembling my dossier for my tenure review at the university. In the meantime here is the poster from the latest BYU Student Film - Las Pinatas - which is currently playing at the Annecy Animation Festival.

Leo

In the same loving tone that made Shane Lewis have a dog on a stick on his latest post, I now share with you my love of the canine as well.

Leo was my favorite dog I've every had. Admittedly I have really ever only had 3 dogs but he was great. He annoyed my wife some with all the slobber, his large size, the whining, the snoring, his almost dying after having eaten rat poison in the garage and all the money spent to save him but he was great just the same. We named him after a waiter at this place we ate at a couple of times near Venice, Italy.

We only had Leo for two years because he was born with deformed hocks and eventually because of the weight he gained, due to his being a neo mastiff, had to be put to sleep. Leo loved to chew on my hand, Kristen's grad school books, and 2 litter bottles.

Sure he cost a lot, initial costs, food, vet fees, books, diet cokes, two of my fingers and three of my toes... but what you going to do, man's best friend ya know.

Leo, I salute you!

Ugly Carrot

My design of an angry Carrot from my Redhead Mocumentary. This is really old and apparently I was trying to get the ugliest most contrasty carrot I could get.

Other Projects

Artwork by Seth Hippen, Shane Lewis, and Eric Boden.

Pete

I'm the one on the right with the beard and the guy on the left is my little brother Pete. I've been dragging him into my artistic endeavors for as long as I can remember. Although he always seemed to quit a little early his was always good about getting involved.