It is great to discover new animation blogs and if they are written by professionals in the animaton industry then that is a special treat. Much can be learned from the wisdom imparted by these talented bloggers. Sometimes even a casual remark can shed light on the creative process.

These are my favourites picked from my list of bookmarked websites. Rather than put them in order of merit I am going to give them in alphabetical order.

Angry animator. Written by Dermot O’ Connor who tells us he is “an itinerant animator, making a living through contract work”. He has worked in the animation industry for over 20 years, in features and TV.

Animation Blog. Written by Ian Lumsden, an animation teacher and deputy head of Performing Arts College, in the United Kingdom, it is billed as a critical guide to the animated short: classic, new, and on-line! Ian says he began the blog “to highlight art and suchlike that may be of interest for our animation students”.

Animation Tips & Tricks. This blog has numerous different guest writers from the world of professional animation. It is run by AnimationMentor.com as an add-on to their online animation school.

ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. This is a treasure chest of illustrations, cartoons, history, instruction and much more. The blog is indexed under various headings but if you want to view it in date order look for the small “Archive of Past Posts” drop-down box part way down the right-hand column.

BJ and the Blog. BJ Crawford is a freelance animator in the Midwest of the USA. It is subtitled “a character animation blog” and is packed with contemporary illustrations and movie clips. There are also lot of links to other animators and illustrators.

Jamaal Bradley is a character animator in Los Angeles, California, USA. He blogs about his work in the animation studio and uses lots of his own sketches to illustrate the posts. Jamaal also runs the excellent Pencil Test Depot blog.

Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. Joel Brinkerhoff is an animator from Oregon, USA, who also sculpts and paints. His blog has lots of illustrations from stuff he has worked on.

John K Stuff. John Kricfalusi is a cartoonist in LA, California, USA. He worked at Hanna Barbera studios in the 1980s as a layout supervisor. His blog is packed with illustrations and he analyses the cartoon films with great authority.

Michael Sporn Animation, Inc. Michael blogs about the art, animation, work and some of the thoughts of the artists working at his New York animation studio. He has produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.

The Cartoon Cave subtitled “The Blogsite That Time Forgot”. Blogger Pete Emslie is a freelance cartoonist and also teaches character design in the animation program at Sheridan College, Canada. His blog is packed with illustrations plus hint and tips on drawing. He says “I love to draw cute characters”.

If you have favourite that is not on my list please let us know in a comment to this post.

Pencil Test Depot is a blog for the people who love pencil tests. Jamaal Bradley has amassed a collection of pencil tests from classic Disney films plus interesting pencil tests from other sources. A recent addition is a series of pencil tests from Disney’s Princess and the Frog that were animated by Matt Williames.
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The 11 Second Club holds a monthly character animation competition in which animators from all over the world can participate. The challenge is to animate a character speaking a line of dialogue provided by the club. During the competition participants can share their progress with each other and evaluate each other’s work. At the end of the month, everyone votes for the submission they consider the best for that month. The idea is to give animators a chance to practice their skills in a fun, challenging environment.
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Mother of Many

Emma Lazenby’s film “Mother of Many” has just been nominated for a BAFTA in the Best Short Animation category. Emma has documented the making of her film in a fascinating blog called MoM written under the pen name of ElsieDarkwinter.

“Mother of Many” is based around the rhythms of a baby inside the womb and the rhythms and day to day routine of the midwife being calm and controlled – leading women through the most life-changing and challenging event of their lives. It was made using real recordings of childbirths and foetal heartbeats, combining painting on glass, hand drawn animation, Flash and After-Effects.
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Colors! is a painting program that takes advantage of the pressure sensitivity of the Nintendo DS touch-screen to create a digital sketch-book. Animator Sheila Graber, who has been experimenting with it, told us; “It is great for ‘smudge and click’ as I used to call it in ye pastel days when I used 16mm film. It is SO much easier using this programe and you don’t get your hands dirty! I can recommend it for animators of today”.

During her long and illustrious career Sheila has produced a number of “face to face” movies where one face dissolves into another. Now she has produced one using Colors! called “Facelife”. It covers life from cradle to grave through various faces.
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Coraline

A series of short videos about the making of the animated puppet film “Coraline” can be viewed on the Film in Focus website. Coraline is directed by Henry Selick and is said to be the first stop-motion animated puppet adventure to be originally filmed in 3D.

It is the story of Coraline Jones, who is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door and discovers an alternate version of her life on the other side. This parallel reality seems much better than her real life to start with, but then this seemingly perfect world turns dangerous – and the fun begins.
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A collection of 13 short films from the Aardman Animations studio have been added to a film site called Indie Movies Online. The movies are free to watch although you do have to sit through a 30 second advert before the movie plays.

Among the movies on offer are Peter Lord’s Oscar-nominated Adam in which God is attempting to lay down some rules to the first man on Earth – while Adam himself is longing for somebody to keep him company. Plasticine animation.
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