Wonderful drawings with great use of contrasts and varied proportions. That cowboy reminds me too of some stylized version of Lucky Luke (especially because of chin and hair). Thanks for posting them, Uncle Eddie. Were these drawings intended for some particular project or series?
Hammerson: I didn't write captions for the drawings because I was afraid that would push me over the bandwidth limit, but I can comment on them here. Most of these drawings are from "Pith Possum", a show that Mike and I worked on for Disney.
I love these drawings. Mike is a born cartoonist. If there hadn't been an animation industry he'd probably have done newspaper strips like his print heroes Walt Kelly (Pogo)and Seegar (Popeye).
["The cowboy up top makes me think of Lucky Luke"]
["That cowboy reminds me too of some stylized version of Lucky Luke"]
Jeez, I swore I wouldn’t comment on this post, but this calls for an explanation.
The similarity to Lucky Luke is no accident. Disney TV was going through its “Marsupilami” phase at the time, and a Lucky Luke knock-off is what they requested - and what they’d determined they would accept.
(Those are the realities of TV production, for anyone who has never done it. You think going in that all you have to do is please yourself - but things are a little different once you get there. You have to please the producer first.)
I disliked everything about the character except for his voice, which was a cool Elvis Presley. The best thing about the series was working with Eddie – always a blast - and Bill Kopp and Jeff DeGrandis. I just remember laughing all the time. Too bad the finished cartoons weren’t as much fun as the working atmosphere.
These are great characters. Wonderful use of proportion to excentuate the size of the character (ex. the small legs on the oafish dog make him look bigger; a giant cigar for the tiny dog). Hilarious.
thanks for posting insider pics uncie ed with insider thoery. keep it up mike its inspiring to see what work studios pay for. i love how the construction shapes form the characters, wonderful silhouettes
Max: Add Tom's name to the list of people who should have a show of their own and don't. If TV execs were smart they'd give him a weekly half hour show with the freedom to do anything he wants: home movies, personal animation, drawings, jokes, satire, stand-up, stories about industry people...anything! It would be an overnight hit!
Kali: Sorry about the bots. At least the dumb format they take makes them easy to spot and avoid.
Thanks, Eddie, for posting these Mike Fontanelli drawings! I always enjoyed inking his stuff when we worked together at Warner Bros. Consumer products! Do a blog, Mike! Let's Go Mets!
BTW, I remember the Pith Possum cartoons. It was part of the "Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show". Shnookums and Meat was probably the biggest Ren and Stimpy RIP-OFF of all time. They even tried copy the Bill Wray style of gross-out paintings and close ups. But as far as I recall, Pith Possum had some pretty funny drawings.
The energy of those drawings just makes me want to leap out of my chair and contort my body in various cartoon like gesticulations; if I wasn't so sure I'd snap in two. Maybe I should stick to my more humanly gestures.
(come check out my drawings and stories if you have the time.)
Shnookums and Meat was probably the biggest Ren and Stimpy RIP-OFF of all time.
Yeah, I remember seeing a commercial for that show stating "form the producers of Ren & Stimpy" or something like that. I naturally assumed it was John K. trying to duplicate his previous success with a similar concept. I now know that John would never stoop so low as to do that.
Crumpled: I read some stories and will read more when I'm able. If I can be frank, the ones I just read weren't as good as the ones you had up earlier. What happened? I really liked a couple of your older stories. I apologize if I'm being to brutal here. That wasn't my intention.
Schnookums & Meat! How can artists working on a series rip themselves off? Eddie, Mike, Lynne Naylor(an original Spumco bigshot), I think Jim Smith and numerous other folks were just employed doing what came naturally to them...I'm pretty sure Disney wanted a "R&S" style" show from Bill Kopp(wasn't it Kopp producing?), but these guys just...do what they do, style-wise. I remember seeing a Possum board Eddie did that was just beautiful, gorgeous, so funny--interestingly(or bizarrely)Eddie never did boards for Spumco, for some reason. I think even Bill Wray himself worked on it, I could be wrong--but if so, he too was just doing what he does. As for Fontanelli, he's always given huge credit to John for showing him everything etc. yet he certainly has a very, very immediately distinctive style that's all his own. I sure am glad I saved all those cool model drawings Eddie tossed out, haw haw! ; D
Jenny: Thanks for the kind words! What you said deserves a fuller comment than I can give it now. I'll try to come back to this.
Josh: Thanks for asking. After all the complications from my eye surgery this site took a slightly more serious tone, I guess because I was so bummed out by everything, but things are improving daily and I expect I'll be my old self pretty soon. I definitely want to do a lot more drawings here.
Shawn: Nobody in the industry can be totally candid about shows they work on. That would be disloyal to the people who are kind enough to hire us.
Why doesn't he have a blog, dammit?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the thug!
The cowboy up top makes me think of Lucky Luke.
ReplyDeleteWonderful drawings with great use of contrasts and varied proportions. That cowboy reminds me too of some stylized version of Lucky Luke (especially because of chin and hair). Thanks for posting them, Uncle Eddie. Were these drawings intended for some particular project or series?
ReplyDeleteHammerson: I didn't write captions for the drawings because I was afraid that would push me over the bandwidth limit, but I can comment on them here. Most of these drawings are from "Pith Possum", a show that Mike and I worked on for Disney.
ReplyDeleteI love these drawings. Mike is a born cartoonist. If there hadn't been an animation industry he'd probably have done newspaper strips like his print heroes Walt Kelly (Pogo)and Seegar (Popeye).
Man! these are all great! I really like that short cowboy dude.. Its a difficult angle and Mike does it very well.
ReplyDelete["The cowboy up top makes me think of Lucky Luke"]
ReplyDelete["That cowboy reminds me too of some stylized version of Lucky Luke"]
Jeez, I swore I wouldn’t comment on this post, but this calls for an explanation.
The similarity to Lucky Luke is no accident. Disney TV was going through its “Marsupilami” phase at the time, and a Lucky Luke knock-off is what they requested - and what they’d determined they would accept.
(Those are the realities of TV production, for anyone who has never done it. You think going in that all you have to do is please yourself - but things are a little different once you get there. You have to please the producer first.)
I disliked everything about the character except for his voice, which was a cool Elvis Presley.
The best thing about the series was working with Eddie – always a blast - and Bill Kopp and Jeff DeGrandis.
I just remember laughing all the time. Too bad the finished cartoons weren’t as much fun as the working atmosphere.
These are great characters. Wonderful use of proportion to excentuate the size of the character (ex. the small legs on the oafish dog make him look bigger; a giant cigar for the tiny dog). Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteWow. Mike F. please get a blog.
ReplyDeleteEddie tell us something about Tom Minton we wouldn't know. He sounds like an unsung hero of animation.
"I have to accept, I'm becoming a bit jealous here viewing at this web page. It's easily astonishing plus everything I require. - tropical fish"
ReplyDeleteGRR GO AWAY STUPID INTERNET BOTS!
Mike is amazing! Holy crap! I want more Mike drawings!
thanks for posting insider pics uncie ed with insider thoery. keep it up mike its inspiring to see what work studios pay for. i love how the construction shapes form the characters, wonderful silhouettes
ReplyDeleteReal Nice!! I love the construction and design.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMax: Add Tom's name to the list of people who should have a show of their own and don't. If TV execs were smart they'd give him a weekly half hour show with the freedom to do anything he wants: home movies, personal animation, drawings, jokes, satire, stand-up, stories about industry people...anything! It would be an overnight hit!
ReplyDeleteKali: Sorry about the bots. At least the dumb format they take makes them easy to spot and avoid.
I'll put up more Mike drawings soon!
Thanks, Eddie, for posting these Mike Fontanelli drawings! I always enjoyed inking his stuff when we worked together at Warner Bros. Consumer products! Do a blog, Mike! Let's Go Mets!
ReplyDeleteGreat cartoony drawings from Mike. The drawing of the horse looks familar,is that Tiny Toons again ?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMike is my hero!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I remember the Pith Possum cartoons. It was part of the "Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show". Shnookums and Meat was probably the biggest Ren and Stimpy RIP-OFF of all time. They even tried copy the Bill Wray style of gross-out paintings and close ups. But as far as I recall, Pith Possum had some pretty funny drawings.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these Mike drawings - I'm looking forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteThe energy of those drawings just makes me want to leap out of my chair and contort my body in various cartoon like gesticulations; if I wasn't so sure I'd snap in two. Maybe I should stick to my more humanly gestures.
ReplyDelete(come check out my drawings and stories if you have the time.)
Shnookums and Meat was probably the biggest Ren and Stimpy RIP-OFF of all time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember seeing a commercial for that show stating "form the producers of Ren & Stimpy" or something like that. I naturally assumed it was John K. trying to duplicate his previous success with a similar concept.
I now know that John would never stoop so low as to do that.
Anyway, great drawings, Mike.
Really nice and appealing drawings. I agree with Eddie; Mike is a natural.
ReplyDeleteMIKE I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN I LOVE YOU (WORSHIP)
ReplyDeletep.s. i'm wearing that dress you like
Crumpled: I read some stories and will read more when I'm able. If I can be frank, the ones I just read weren't as good as the ones you had up earlier. What happened? I really liked a couple of your older stories. I apologize if I'm being to brutal here. That wasn't my intention.
ReplyDeleteSchnookums & Meat! How can artists working on a series rip themselves off? Eddie, Mike, Lynne Naylor(an original Spumco bigshot), I think Jim Smith and numerous other folks were just employed doing what came naturally to them...I'm pretty sure Disney wanted a "R&S" style" show from Bill Kopp(wasn't it Kopp producing?), but these guys just...do what they do, style-wise. I remember seeing a Possum board Eddie did that was just beautiful, gorgeous, so funny--interestingly(or bizarrely)Eddie never did boards for Spumco, for some reason. I think even Bill Wray himself worked on it, I could be wrong--but if so, he too was just doing what he does. As for Fontanelli, he's always given huge credit to John for showing him everything etc. yet he certainly has a very, very immediately distinctive style that's all his own. I sure am glad I saved all those cool model drawings Eddie tossed out, haw haw! ; D
ReplyDeleteJenny: Thanks for the kind words! What you said deserves a fuller comment than I can give it now. I'll try to come back to this.
ReplyDeleteJosh: Thanks for asking. After all the complications from my eye surgery this site took a slightly more serious tone, I guess because I was so bummed out by everything, but things are improving daily and I expect I'll be my old self pretty soon. I definitely want to do a lot more drawings here.
Shawn: Nobody in the industry can be totally candid about shows they work on. That would be disloyal to the people who are kind enough to hire us.
awesome drawings mike! thanks for posting eddie!
ReplyDeleteBill Kopp has been attempting to get a live action project going for some time.
ReplyDeleteThose are some awesome cigars.
ReplyDeleteI agree, my previous posts were no where near as focused as my others. I just posted one of my fan (mother's) favorites. I invite all to come an read!
ReplyDelete>>Nobody in the industry can be totally candid about shows they work on. That would be disloyal to the people who are kind enough to hire us. <<
ReplyDeleteVery true.