aimeekitty

Hey folks!
This morning I want to show you guys the etsy shops of two Futurama coworkers, Crystal and Tricia!


Crystal's Jewelry
I've been friends with Crisso for years. She's worked at Disney, WB, the Simpsons and currently is a Director on Futurama. In her free time lately she's been making beautiful jewelry!


Tricia's Artwork, "onelittleelephant"
Tricia is another one of my friends and coworkers on Futurama and has also worked for Disney and the Simpsons. She does beautiful and cute illustrations in her free time.

Please check them out! <3

GO BEYOND THE IMPOSSIBLE AND KICK REASON TO THE CURB!

Mitch is one of the two finalists for ACP's Kamina contest! Thanks you guys! So Mitch'll definitely be wearing his Kamina on Saturday at Anime Expo and going to the movie. :)
Huge thanks again to Oscar for taking such cool photos of Mitch's Kamina. :D

I need to decide which day I'll wear my Fujimoto (assuming I'm able to finish him. At least my fabric came in this morning!). Anyone wearing any Ponyo costumes any particular day? Is Sunday still a slow day at AX? (or should I try to go on Friday?) I think Mitch would kinda like me to wear Leeron with him on Saturday, so, just trying to figure stuff out. (but I could just wear Leeron later in the day)

FUTURAMA---
Thanks all of you for watching last night! Hope you liked the first two episodes!

Last night I went to the Futurama premiere on the FOX lot. It was fun to see the first two episodes on the big screen in the Zanuck theater and watch it with all my coworkers, the writers, the voice actors, etc. A nice start to the airing season!

Next week (THURS, same bat time, same bat channel) is my first episode, ATTACK OF THE KILLER AP! YOU BETTER WATCH.

FUTURAMA -
There's a crew-only Futurama premiere on the 24th at the FOX lot. That's cool. Mitch and I will go. I'm looking forward to everyone finally getting to see the new episodes!

ANIME EXPO -
I'm actually really looking forward to it. I won't be doing any selling or panels this year, I'm just going to hang out and cosplay. I did a rough muslin of my Fujimoto (Ponyo) suit pattern last night by rubbing off a pattern from a suit-jacket I have that fits like I want. Little iffy on the finishing bits of it (esp the collar), but I think I can figure it out by looking at my existing similar garments.
Mitch is excited about wearing his Kamina costume again, and if I'm feeling brave I'll probably wear Leeron. (Leeron's scary purple jumpsuit requires a certain amount of hutzpah to wear.) Regardless, just looking forward to the con.



FUJIMOTO's WIG
- I really wanted a slightly candy-color for Fujimoto's wig, but I'm having a horrible time finding one. The color is rare... all places that have the color are either japanese or chinese (which has language barrier or shopping service problems).... and so many stores say " you can have this wig in any color" but then you ask them about 4 different colors and they can't get them in any of them. :\ What I really want though is this wig from Airily, that's the color I want. But it's sold out. :( :( :( :(

SDCC/BIOSHOCK-
Just a reminder that I will not be doing any panels or selling at SDCC this year. My last Futurama deadline is right before the con, and I just need to take it easy this year. I will be GOING to SDCC, but mostly only on the weekend.

I probably haven't mentioned it on here but I'm going to be doing Bioshock with my girls for SDCC masquerade this year. You can see some of their insane progress work on HCC's journal. I'm mostly just there for moral support, handling and feeding them, but I will have an outfit. It just won't be an outfit with robot parts or mutations. Instead, I'll be wearing this 40's dress! It's actually my first real vintage pattern, I'm looking forward to messing around with it. And I'm sure I'll end up wearing the dress as a non-cosplay every-day dress, too. I like this style. I'll try to do a really nice clean job on it.

GARDEN -
Figured out I was actually UNDERwatering my lavender and camellia. I've been getting so much conflicting advice about how much to water that I was getting really frustrated. But one of the ladies at the nursery said that I should be doing a deep water (of about an hour or more) about once a week or once every two weeks. I did a deep water last night of the camellia and problem lavenders in particular, and already this morning the camellia's leaves look perkier, so it definitely was an underwater issue. I think I was watering too frequently, too shallowly. So I'm going to have to figure out the irrigation systems more and set up a once a week deep water, and have the other days just water the lawn only. I think it can do that. Overall I'm starting to get the hang of watching the plants for signs of what's wrong with them. So hopefully I'll get it all figured out eventually. I've only killed a few rogue plants. All the agapanthus, morea, roses(!) and trees are doing great and there's this one variety of penstemon that just does fabulous for me as well as one variety of lavender (grosso) that seems to be really happy, too.

MILKY PLANET -
Broke down and preordered Milky Planet skirt in yellow through a shopping service. It's so Candy Land! I figure the skirt will be the safest bet for me considering how ridiculously short this line appears to be. I'll figure out some way to modify it though to make it work if it's short, because this print is THAT AWESOME. I'll have to figure out some cute way to make a bodice to go with it. I loved the scallop on the JSK... so maybe I'll do something kind of like that (but with a white cloud scallop...?)

Mitch, Crisso, Derek and I were invited to go to the Annie Awards last night to help represent Futurama and Rough Draft. It was fun! We went to the pre and after party and I saw some people I hadn't seen for years... and some of the guys I went to school with got nominated, which was pretty surreal! I guess we're adults now, huh?

The campus was really lovely. (UCLA's Royce Hall)


(as you can see I caved and got that H&M dress)


The event was hosted by William Shatner (YAAAAAAY!) and lots of the announcers were pretty fabulous, too,... like June Foray, John DiMaggio and Seth Green.

Futurama won "Best Animated Home Entertainment Production"!
They really didn't need us... but it was nice that David X. Cohen asked us to go up with him and Matt Groening! (We decided not to go up.) I liked the nod they gave to the artists, too (even then, done in a funny way.) So many productions just don't really give a crap about the artists, but the Futurama guys do.

Also, Eric Goldberg won "Best Character Animation in a Feature Production" for Louis on Princess and the Frog and did a shout out for hand-drawn animation. ( you can see the rest of the nominees and winners here )


me, Mitch, Crisso and Derek

Working for Warner Bros and Fox over the years I've gotten to see a couple of the backlots and sets. I always think they're charming. Here's a couple from FOX today. (I only go down to the FOX lot for table reads and screenings...)

I can't tell you anything about anything, of course... but the Futurama table read for my next episode was GREAT. It's SO FUNNY. I can't wait to start drawing it and already have my eye on a couple sequences. I can't wait for the episodes to start airing so I can see ya'll's reactions.


( More FOX lot photos under the cut )

First day back at work on Futurama. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm actually really looking forward to working with the characters again. I seemed to remember my workflow for Storyboard Pro, too.
Other than my script, I got two presents,...

a box of the friggin adorable KidRobot Futurama chibi toys (I think Zoidberg and Bender may be my favorites...) I don't get all the Futurama toys/stuff that comes out, only my favorites. The only other item I have other than the DVDs and crewshirts is the Gender Bender Fairy.


and Crisso and Derek got me a CREEPER!!!


His job:


ok, I'll stop spammin ya'll with photos, now. (for now.)

NO CUT FOR YOU.
Mite bit stressed,... but mostly ready for battle!
I have some preview images from some of my friends, too, so please read this post!

(SIDENOTE: I'll be going to the Kanon performance tomorrow night 6:30 PM at Royal/T (see Kanon in this youtube vid SHE IS AWESOME.)


------Comic-con--------
I'll have this new sketchbook for sale (24 pages with 15+ new not-see-before drawings .... including several preview images from "Cosplay Ai" my next book due out this spring!) The new sketchbook is LIMITED TO 50 COPIES

---- and as always I'll have copies of Japan Ai and my previous sketchbooks for sale. If you buy something, I'll do a sketch for you!

IMPT. INFO
MY SDCC BOOTH IS G-9 (row 800...go towards the back of the convention center, right across the aisle from Missmonster). You can see my banner on the right here. :) I'll be at the convention for the entire time (including preview night), but due to the Doctor Who shenanigans on Sunday, you're unlikely to find me much at the booth on Sunday except a couple hours before dealers' room close. Other than Sunday, if you come by and I'm away from the booth, my fellow booth mates can try to txt me to bring me back. I'll do my best. <3

I'll also have some artwork of Felicia in the Udon Darkstalkers Tribute Book which will be sold at SDCC booth 5112 and online.

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MORE AWESOMENESS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT AT SDCC::::

MIYAZAKI/PIXAR/DISNEY:
FRIDAY: 12:45-2:15 Animation Panel — Walt Disney Pictures, Disney•Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios present a director panel with previously unseen footage from its upcoming animated slate, including Toy Story & Toy Story 2 – Double Feature, Beauty And The Beast, Toy Story 3, Prep & Landing, The Princess and the Frog and Ponyo. Special guests include Lee Unkrich, Kirk Wise, Ron Clements, John Musker, and Hayao Miyazaki. John Lasseter hosts the panel, with Patton Oswalt moderating. Hall H
(For more ANIMATION goodness, please see the bottom of this post for stuff from Eric Goldberg.)

FUTURAMA:: will be having a panel on SATURDAY 1 pm Ballroom 20 (with the Simpsons immediately following) (I'll be working on the new Futurama as an Assistant Director! I probably will not be attending the panel as I'll need to be manning my booth, but go check it out and support the show! Crystal or Derek may go (also D, A.D. on Futurama))

TORCHWOOD/DOCTOR WHO:: SATURDAY 7:30-10:00pm Key talent from introduce the last episode of the five part series Torchwood: Children of Earth and an advance viewing of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, the first of four specials starring David Tennant. Room 6A

SUNDAY: 10:00-11:00am Doctor Who: actor David Tennant, writer/executive producer Russell T Davies, director Euros Lyn and executive producer Julie Gardner discuss their creative process and experiences working on BBC AMERICA's Doctor Who with exclusive clips and a Q&A session. Ballroom 20

Immediately following the panel, Tony Lee (IDW Doctor Who comics) will be having a signing (SUNDAY 11.30-12.30) at the IDW booth #1705

SUNDAY 2:15-3:45pm Being Human/Torchwood: Being Human creator Toby Whithouse and cast members Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner, are on stage to give an inside look at BBC AMERICA's U.S. premiere sci-fi drama about the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. Following that actor John Barrowman, creator/writer/executive producer Russell T Davies, executive producer Julie Gardner and director Euros Lyn talk about the making of the epic five-night television event Torchwood: Children of Earth as well as take questions from the fans. Room 6BCF

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Also at my booth (G-9) my friends Derek and Crystal will have new stuff this year!
Crystal has a new exclusive DEVILED stuffed Haminal! And she'll also have regular Haminal and Musubis.
Derek has a new Marishi10 book out this year, too! What can I tell you, it's a female ninja comic drawn by a real ninja.


I heard Eric Goldberg (master animator of the Genie and Fantasia 2000's Rhapsody in Blue, etc...) was going to be doing a lot of stuff this year at SDCC and asked if he'd give us some details::

"Thought I would pass along a pre-San Diego Comic Con plug for my various attempts to become the world’s most hard-to-avoid animator. First, I will be part of the panel discussion, hosted by the illustrious Don Hahn and sponsored by AnimationMentor.com, celebrating the teachings and years of inspiration to Disney artists by Walt Stanchfield, whose class handout sheets are now lovingly compiled into a two-volume tome, Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes. Alongside me on the dais: Glen Keane, Tom Sito, and Ruben Procopio.
Thursday, July 23, Room 32 AB, 3:00 – 4:00 PM (Note the time change from previously published posts)

Then, my new collection of sketchbook cartoons, Enjoy It While You Can, Kid, is debuting at the Con, courtesy of Stuart Ng, who also happens to be the publisher. (What a coincidence!) I will be shamelessly signing and plugging it, as well as copies of Character Animation Crash Course!, at these times and locations, all a hair’s breadth away from Stuart Ng Books at Booth 5012:
Thursday, July 23, 4:30 – 6:30 PM, Booth 5022, hosted by Creative Talent Network
Saturday, July 25, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM, Booth 5022, hosted by Creative Talent Network
Sunday, July 26, 12:00 – 2:00 PM, Booth 5019, hosted by Flesk Publications

Thanking you for your kind indulgence,
Eric"

Thanks for coming out you guys! I had a really great time!

I'll also be at the Japan LA party tonight.

I drew and gave away this sketch. A really cute lady came up to me and asked me if I was dressed in lolita. (I was impressed! Apparently her daughter is into lolita. <3) Got to see Brianna, Jinyo, Victoria and Christy, too! <3 And then Julie got there, so I drew her! Julie always dresses so cute.


By the way, I signed some more copies of Japan Ai and left them at the B&N in Orange, so if you weren't able to make it today, if you go by there sometime soon you can probably get a signed copy! I do little sketches in them, too.
Barnes and Noble Booksellers
791 S. Main St., #100
Orange, CA 92868

Here's me and Julie at the signing. My dress is from Sweet Rococo.

So I guess since several places online have announced it, it's ok for me to tell you guys! Futurama is coming back! I'll be going back to work on it in a bit! :)

---- completely unrelated, but my internet at home is completely screwed. I can't get online at all. (I'm borrowing a friend's computer to type this) I won't have internet until next Thurs at the earliest. So please call me or email Mitch if you need me (since he can check his email at work). SORRY!