Hmm.. What to put, what to put.. -Looks into his closet and starts pulling out random things while humming to himself.-

"What are you doing?" 

"Hmm? Oh, just looking to put something on since I keep missing so much with life."

"What about putting on another review?"

"Well I do have that one my TheFabs.."

"Then why haven't you put it up?"

"Err.... I don't know.." Shrugs his shoulders.

Sighing she shook her head. "As your A.I. it is my appointed duty to make sure that you are to give at least something to your audience.."

"I know, I know.. I just keep forgetting is all.."

"Fine, then I will put up this link here..."

"Hold on.."

(User Straydog has been blocked from making any corrections.)

"Hey! Come on Samus! Don't do this!"

User: Samus
Password: ********
....
.....

Thank you User Samus, all commands have been rerouted through you.

Finally, now, while my creator has been locked out for the time being, I present to you TheFabs interview which he has been forgetting time and time again, please allow me to also apologize for his lack in postings. He has many things which distract him from his original goals. -Samus. 


1. You make such great work, what inspired you to create Unfortunate Girl? 

Thank you! I think I first got the urge to animate when I discovered David Firth on Newgrounds. My first couple animations were just David Firth imitations that featured horrible drawings and totally weren't original at all, and I've since removed those from Newgrounds because they were horrendous! But that's what originally sparked my interest in making cartoons. Later down the road, I decided to try and write more of an original story that I could stretch out and make into episodes, and that ended up being my 'Unfortunate Girl' story. Around the time I started writing the story, I was simultaneously getting super inspired artistically by shows like Avatar and Jigoku Shoujo, and games like Silent Hill. Though, my art didn't reflect my inspirations in the first interactions of Unfortunate Girl because it took me years to actually learn to 'draw'. So YEAH, at first I wanted to make weird wacky stuff like David Firth but my inspirations quickly shifted.

2. I love you guitar work, what made you want to go with it?

 I studied percussion for 8 years and played drums in a really crappy band, but I always thought the stuff the guitarists were doing was super interesting and it made me really want to learn. I got my bud to teach my some simple guitar stuff and I went from there learning by myself. Eventually I bought like 6 different string instruments so I could add little interesting sounds here and there in my soundtracks, though I'm not very good at any of them except for guitar!

3. What is your favorite thing ever? 

Creepy things have just always been my most favorite thing ever, I dunno. I love scary movies/shows/games/books and I'll be darned if I don't include my favorite thing ever in my own story! It's gotta have some scary stuff to it or I won't stay motivated.

4. If you can say anything on you your doing next, what would it be? 

 Well, as for Unfortunate Girl, I can say that I have some super big stuff planned for the next episode and I can't wait to start putting all my time into it, but YEAH, I'm working on The Finger Eater right now and it's really fun. I'm doing a lot of kinda experimental stuff, and of course, it's gonna be very creepy.
If I had to pick one word to describe what Finger Eater is about, I suppose it would be "Sacrifice"

5. Would you consider doing a commission for me? 

I've actually been considering commissions lately, so I guess with this question, I'll turn that switch on. Sure, I could do a commission for you!

6. What would you say to those who want to make a dream come true? 

 Well, you only have one life to live, and if you truly enjoy creating art and music, I say set high goals for yourself in those areas. Keep doing it until it could become your job, because we should never settle for a crappy part time/full time job that we hate. We should earn our money doing what we really love, and that possibility will never be available if you give up on your dream. That sounds so cheesy but hey, what can ya do. Also, the mere idea that I have even 1 fan on this earth is the coolest feeling in the world, and you get fans by sticking with something and not giving it up!
Thanks for the questions!
-Fabs

Please look at the latest video and consider supporting their work. Thank you have a pleasant day or night. -Samus. 


                                                                    Remember to click below! 

                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeMuDHncWa4

                                       TheFabs Newgrounds page: http://thefabs.newgrounds.com/

                                         My FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/Straydog
                                      My YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Reggier2d2
 

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive, and that I haven't really forgotten about things, it just slipped, again and again... X.X But now that school is in full swing, and I'm taking my lunch break from work to write this.. Again, just wanted to update you on how things are going. I will be showcasing interviews, artists, art, flash movies, and possibly some other things that I come across. But between lack of sleep, baking my brain from school, and working I don't have the time I had in the past. Maybe things will work out.. Maybe I'll get enough sleep, maybe I'll stop moping about how my ex-fiance is now riding a English man named Jack... Isn't love just beautiful? Eh, at least I try to keep moving on.. Anways, make sure to keep coming back for some of the great things I find. -Stray.

P.S.

Did I ever mention that I hate dolls? Guess that means I won't be seeing Annabelle and go see Dracula.. :P 

Happy April 1st everyone, and I decided to make a wacky day into a cool day with a new interview with a small comic series Guinea Something Good. If you haven't noticed on newgrounds, or on some other site, then you really need to expand your horizons. WaldFlieger is pretty good at what he does, and has been doing this for a long time, well, almost. You have to read the interview to find out, so just wanted to put this here and get back to homework. -Stray. 

1. Do to the fact that you have a small cult following for Guinea Something Good, what made you start doing comics in the first place?

 I started drawing comics when I was a little kid. Some of the first drawings I made were in "children's book" format, so I've always had that desire to combine drawings with some kind of narrative. As the years went by, I started drawing more and more comics, and I started thinking of myself more and more as a cartoonist.

2. Do to your unique humor, where did you get the idea for your characters?

The characters in "Guinea Something Good" were actually originally characters in the comics I made as a kid. I kept drawing them through high school, but then in college went on to pursue different ideas and series. It was a few years ago that I thought it might be fun to bring them back in a new way, and it's easily the most fun I've ever had drawing comics.

3. I've seen different takes for animals, but never talking Guinea Pigs. Did you pick them because they were easiest to draw at first or because they were so cute?

The comics I drew as a kid were actually based on my real-life pet guinea pigs Joe and George. There's something about guinea pigs that are incredibly fun to draw, and there's something inherently ridiculous about them. I see them as nature's cartoon characters.

4. I took a look at your earlier comics, and compared those to the present. How did you challenge yourself to become better at your comics?

 I've always tended to draw storyline driven comics, so Guinea Something Good was really a challenge to myself from the beginning to try my hand at stand-alone gag comics. When I first started it, though, it was really a hybrid. Each comic was stand-alone, but it was more of a "funny situation" than a straight-up gag. Over the past few years, I've tried more and more to hone in my ability to write a clean, simple, short gag with impact and phase out the more rambling silly scenarios I used to write. It's definitely more challenging, but I think it creates a much more effective comic strip. Thankfully, now I can use the animated shorts to have fun writing those longer scenarios, so I'm able to keep doing both kinds of comedy.

5. Have you ever had any guest appearances from other people that you know ever pop up in Guinea Something Good?

Not yet! But that's a good idea!

6. Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to do online comics but don't know where to start? 

The first thing to do is just post stuff online immediately. Anything you start with is not going to be good, and it's going to take a long time to come to terms with that. You kind of have to take your lumps when you're starting out. Put stuff out there, see how people respond, and keep refining and pushing yourself to do better. Don't try to figure out your grand strategy or anything like that. It will probably be years before you'll be in any kind of position to think in those terms. When you first start, it really is about just toughing it out, honing your craft, pushing yourself to get better, and learning from any source you possibly can. Don't be afraid to fail. It's the only way to learn. There's a great quote I love. I forget the source, but to paraphrase, it's: "If you haven't yet succeeded, then you just haven't failed enough." It takes many, many failures to learn enough to become the success you strive to be.

Thanks for the interview!

Best,
Jeff

You can reach Wald here:
http://waldflieger.newgrounds.com/
http://joegp.com/

My FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/Straydog
My YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Reggier2d2
 

I waited a while for this interview to come back, to be honest I was about to give up and paste the story that I had been working on, based off of Beyond: Two Souls, and Nether, both games that have in their own right, a sense of death, despair, and insanity. And their own loopy things, at least they have that nice sci-fi depth that always goes good with the audience.

But to be honest, Nether doesn't really have much of a back story, while Beyond: Two Souls made my cry like a little baby, better then any movie ever, no matter what you say. And I guess, I write about things that move me, such as the two above mentioned games, but whatever, now is a good time to celebrate. As I was saying I finally done and interviewed another wonderful person, but this very talented individual who goes by the name of ZeroSnake. I've seen a few of his previous animations before, and never thought to put two and two together before I decided to do a blog like this.

From what I found out about him, is that he is both a painter and an animator, and he doesn't give up, starting to be seen in the animation community as a true pro. Here below is the review that hopefully some of you guys would like to read, also below will be a link to his NewGrounds and FaceBook account and his latest animation; please make sure to like and or follow. Also, make sure to always check in for the latest review, story or just plain video that I find to share. -Stray.  

Sorry for the delay I had an interview with AfroPunk, sure I'll give these a crack. First off I'd like to say thank you for this chance, okay here we go!

1. When did you first start to make animations?  

I realized that I wanted to make what I saw on TV as soon as I saw Dragon Ball Z on TV as a child, I started drawing shortly after that, it wasn't until high school that I decided to take my animations seriously and put away the flip books and MS paint and invest in the most popular program which was Flash CS3 at the time.

2. What made you go with your current style?  

My current style is influenced mostly by kung fu movies, action anime, and hip hop. These three things played a big role in my child hood, so my work tends to take from that a bit. For example in A!M there is record scratching in the intermissions. For ZeroSnake City [where I animate random shorts] it starts off with a record spinning and even has a character named "Bruce Lay". Fireworks is a similar case, even though I took a new route and made it a love story it featured music from Nujabes originally and now has music from DJ Okawari for its final mix.

3. What makes you work so hard on your animations and paintings?

 The biggest rule that I try to stick to is not to compare myself to other web animators; instead I compare myself to work created by a studio. Once I had that mind set my animations really took a turn and gave birth to the animated project A!M. I take my work seriously and often fall asleep when others are waking up, and post sticky notes on my Cintiq saying things like "stay on the grind" which usually gives me a smile. I try to keep myself relevant doing workshops, and galleries in my area. Usually hosting free workshops for kids, just to be a gate for them to express themselves.

4. Did you start painting first and then go into animating or visa verso?  

I actually animated before I got into painting, it was only after I returned home from living in the Middle East for a quarter of a year that I felt the urge to take my painting seriously. I became fond of political leaders like Huey P. Newton and Che Guevara so one of my first paintings was a set of three revolutionaries the connected at the soldiers. And I've been painting since, I even got the honor of being asked to paint for Mayor Segarra.

5. Could I get my own picture painted, for a light fee of course?  

Sure just commission me, I'll be happy to do it. I get the question a lot and they are fun to do so I set up an easy way to request to get work done on zerosnake.net.

6. And last but not least, what words of wisdom do you have for my readers for those looking to animate and or paint?

 The best thing I can say is have fun with it. I wouldn't be working on A!M ep.3 if I didn't love it. Also get out there, where ever there is people the stage has been set. I displayed my art in parks and street corners and it works. Anywhere can be a gallery, just be confident in your work, and remain professional. Also get to know your surroundings draw people you see, host workshops [that looks great on resumes], and know what grants are available around you; you can only gain from the experience. No one is going to make your story for you, so get cracking on turning some heads!

ZeroSnake's NewGrounds: http://zerosnake.newgrounds.com/

ZeroSnake's FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistZeroSnake

My FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/Straydog

My YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Reggier2d2

It would be bad for my health, it really would, when I told my sister to write something, I didn't think she would try to include what she did... I am still the dog that will destroy the world and make sure everyone is having fun at the same time! Rawr! Now! All who bow down and listen to my ramblings will have a share of the world to come! Muhahahahahahahaha!!!!    

  Also, I just got done doing an interview with the legendary Johnathan-Wrathbrone, a very stellar storyteller in his animations, so as I finally got to see his latest animation that he did on NewGrounds called "Bed Time" a short fifty second short that surprisingly made me check my bed just in case of the extreme paranoia that I keep around me.  His animation will be after his interview that I will put on here and on my account on NewGrounds. So please click on the link below to subscribe and like while also following me for the latest animation. -Stray.

1. Who was your inspiration to first get started doing animations?

Didnt really have one. I was surprised I was even able to animate at all when I first started.I just kind of winged it.

2. What was your first animation that you did?

Cant quite remember. I originally learned how to animate on another animation by Macromedia(original publishers of Flash) called "Director". It used raster instead of vector, so all the artwork was pixely. I think I probably did some old Mortal Kombat sprite animations at the beginning. I was originally a film major(got an AA in film production) but lost my passion for film making when I kept fucking up on my shorts, or couldn't get any help to film them. So I went back to animation, picked up flash and started to learn.

3. Did you think that after all this time you would be this famous for what you do?

Nope. Not really famous now. Famous would be like Weebl, Harry Partidge, or Chluaid. My work is still pretty niche and while it gets around every now and then I haven't really managed to make that one toon that seemed to connect with everyone.

4. Where do you come up with your characters?

Usually come up with a story concept first, If I have a concept that can hold my own interest I move on from that point and see if I can build on it. Getting the concept is the easy part, coming up with the characters is more challenging. In the case of Romanticide I came across a Manga style graphic novel at a book store called "My zombie girlfriend". The title was awful. I've always thought that a title of a book,movie,TV show etc, should catch your attention. If a title is just what the story is about, then there goes the mystique of the story itself. I picked up the graphic novel to see how the art was, and immediately put it back. I'm a snob when it comes to art anyways. Either way this book stuck with me because I didn't like the title. I didn't think the author was trying and he was also using the "dating the undead" trope, which was on the rise as the awful 'Twilight' movies had just started filming at about this time.

I thought it might be interesting to try out the trope myself to see if there was anything new I could add to it. The idea of Death being a woman was a little more interesting(Women create life, why not death?), but the idea of Death having no real knowledge of humanity was a fun idea. I was originally going to make fun of Twilight with the series(Death having no facial expressions) but thought that would be pretty demeaning to what I was creating. As the main trope for 'Romanticide' is over saturated the hard part is finding something new to add to it. Death having no real social skills, or knowledge of the world that exists around her creates a lot of opportunities in a story for the character to experience. Death as a character has been done...well to death. From the legendary cloaked skeletal figure to Robert Redford in the original "Twilight Zone" tv series, to Grimm, from "The Grimm adventures of Billy and Mandy" Death has been a monster, a hero, a joke, etc.

But In all these incarnations Death has a lot of knowledge of how humanity works. If I had chosen to make Death more knowledgeable, then I would have stopped at the pilot episode. My Version of Death isn't stupid, shes technically a workaholic. When you're working and in 'The Zone' you stop noticing everything around you. Keiichi was an easy character to make, because hes just a normal introverted guy. Without Death around, hes still just a normal introverted guy. Theres not much of a story to tell there, but the fact that he can see Death, and can see her as she really is(will be explained more in the next episode of the series) makes him more interesting. An interesting story needs an interesting character, if the main character isn't interesting, you need someone or something to make him interesting.

5. I know you're busy, but if I ever asked for my own picture from you, would you not charge me?

As long as it wasn't anything too extravagant I could manage something.

6. All silliness aside, what can you say for my readers out there who wish to try animating?

Find out what you as an artist, and a writer like then find something you can add to them. On storytelling, Quentin Tarantino says "Steal from the best". Taking a familiar concept isnt uncommon in this day and age where anything and everything has been done(or almost done), but taking someone elses ideas is as fucking lazy as can be. This is a dangerous way of thinking and why we're plagued by shitty remakes and sequels from Hollywood.

Because they're out of ideas, and have used up all the ideas they've stolen. Its not hard to take something familiar, and make it your own. When you can do that and add more to it, then you'll be surprised how far you can expand an idea to the point what you borrowed, isn't so noticeable anymore. In terms of animation, I'll say this. I draw by mouse. I have since day one, I'm a dinosaur who cant adjust to a wacom tablet, and thats fine. It works for me, find out what works for you. As your art style matures you need to find out what you can and cant do.

I'm not going to recommend spend...2-4 hours a day studying character designs,doing walk cycle tests, or storyboarding, etc... I am going to recommend not being scared of a project not working out and having to stop working on it. Let it sit for a while if you're stuck and get back to it later. It may take you two, maybe three tries to finish something. I tried to make Romanticide back in 2007, it didn't happen. It didn't because I wasn't ready as a animator to tell the story how I wanted. If you don't give up on your idea, and dont rush it, you'll get something better when you reach the finish line. Failing at making a toon, means you get to make it better when you're ready. If your story/idea means that much to you, then you wont forget it. You'll get to it when you're ready.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8HCwIvYuQg

Today is Sunday which means that it is the last day until Monday, which means no more Thanksgiving holiday which entails me to get back to our regularly scheduled posts and reviews. Talking about reviews I have one from MarkAnime, he's pretty good, and his latest animation, "Exorcist" made me wonder how on earth this guy decided to do what he does.

So after a couple days of back and forth messages I finally got back the interview which we here at "Interesting Life" are so into, doing what you love. His interview is both going to be on here and on my newgrounds account. So please click on the link below to subscribe and like while following me for the latest in news. -Stray.

1. When did you first start getting interesting into animations?

When I was 9 years old, (1998) because My family bought our first computer And I used MS PowerPoint for creating animation and games, I was really exited because before that I was only able to do comics.

2. What was your first animation about anyways?

My first animation was about Mario and Sonic, in an adventure to fight the forces of evil together (not in the Olympics) It was made with PowerPoint,
Later when I was 11 (2001) I did my first animation with Macromedia Director, it was only about sonic racing the Powerpuffgirls.
The first time that I animated original characters was when I was 13 (2003) About Grampa and Saka , both characters also appear on acceptable quality animations like Love 2 Death (2010 in Spanish)(2011 in English)http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/562235

3. Did all of your animations have a voice actor or were they silent?

Most of them have voice actor, I did a few silent, I think that silent animations are brilliant, because the story is told only with pure animation.

4. Was there a time that you wanted to quit, and why?
I never wanted to quit, Cartoons are my life. but when I've got a full time job, I cant handle time for my own animations.

5. Do we (the audience) really get to go for time travel or was that a tease?

Well I don't want to spoiler anyone, but the reason why Mark wants to built the Time travel machine is for something personal, he don't wants to travel to meet Jesus or change the world ( that would be Art,because he wants to be the best artist in the world) Mark wants to travel to his own past.

6. What do you like to do on your time off?

I like to spend time with my family and friends, go hiking and feel the nature or just play VideoGames or talk about Cartoons and Anime with my friends.

7. Do you have any last words for those aspiring to do something like this?

If you LOVE it, go ahead !

Thanks for the review! :D
http://www.youtube.com/Markanime
http://www.facebook.com/Markanime
http://www.Markanime.net

Don't worry, I am still alive, still here, and still doing reviews, just haven't had the time to post lately here, so I do apologize. Also Happy Thanksgiving, even if it is december.... So Merry Christmas!

Did another interview with ActiveObjectX, he is the one that did the animated music video called "Your Bones - Of Monsters and Men." Enjoy, and have a great day. -Stray.

1. Your artwork looks really cool, where did you develop that kind of style?

I normally to draw bubble eyed cartoony characters or funky looking stick figures. I wanted to make a dramatic story so neither of those styles were going to work. I drew some anime and disney inspired characters and then started to mesh them with my normal drawing style. Eventually I ended up with the designs we see in the movie.

2. Have you always been this good at animations?

Hahaha, no. Just look at some of my older animations on Newgrounds. It's pretty clear when I started out I had no idea what I was doing. It took me quite awhile before I got the hang of animation or even drawing in general.

3. Have you always liked animating?

When I first started animating I didn't enjoy it but really liked how finished animations looked. Basically I would animate thinking about the finished product rather than focusing on doing good animation. Now I actually enjoy the process. I don't know when the shift happened but I'm glad it did.

4. When did you first start drawing?

Pretty young. Maybe 5 or 6 years old. For the longest time I only drew stick figure comics and showed zero improvement with my drawing capabilities. Even though my drawings didn't change much, the stories themselves were always improving. I was learning about framing shots, pacing, character development from all those years of stick figure comics.

5. If you have any advice for any of the readers out there what would it be?

Just keep making things! Don't focus on pleasing other people, just focus on making what you want to make! Practice makes perfect. Also, listen to a lot of music! I find a lot of inspiration from the music I listen to.

6. Last and Final question, what are your future dreams? Do they still involve animating or are they different?

I definitely plan on animating in the future, I don't ever want to stop! Currently, I'm working on a bunch of stuff and each movie is completely different. I would like to release stuff more frequently. I just want the next movie I release to be better than my last! I think in the future I'm looking to write and direct my own feature films. It'll be a few years before I start to pursue that goal.

How's it going, good? Good. Just wanted to let you guys know that I just did an interview with the main man who did the Girl In The Room Collab. Putting the interview here, and on my blog, cheers! -Stray

1.What made you first think of wanting to do a animation?

When I was younger, I was always drawing things and making up stories with my Legos. I always had a passion for creating entertainment for people. I didn't know what direction to go, but I was always trying to tell a story.

2.When did you first get started in making animations?

When I was in high school, I met a Korean exchange student who used to always be messing around with books. One day I decided to ask him what he was doing, he showed me some amazing flipbook animations that he had been working on. My mind was blown, I didn't know that doing something like that was possible for a kid to do. He showed me a few of his tricks and suddenly I became fascinated with animating flipbooks, as I kept practicing I eventually transferred over to computer animation with a version of Flash 5.

3.What was the first animation you created?

My first animation using Flash 5 is actually on Newgrounds under my old account. Since the flipbook margins were small I did a lot of stick figure fights, when I moved to flash I didn't know how to do much of anything, layers even confused me. But I worked through it and made some fun animations. This is actually my "First" animation ever done.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/217534

4.If you can tell reveal a secret, what is the next project going to be about?

I have a few things that I am working on actually, doing some management planning for A Girl in a Room II. I am finishing the script for Incognito 1.2. Also tinkering with the idea of doing a comedic short before launching Incognito.

5.Has there ever been a time when you just thought about giving up? If so, why?

Giving up on creating things is not an option for me, it's what drives me. As far as animation, it is a medium for me to express my creative ideas. I do have aspiration for branching out to learn how to work with Games, 3d, and Live Action.

6.And last question, if there anything that you could do in this world, what would it be?

Short Term: I have been trying to get into a school with a great animation program, but they all cost way too much.
Long Term: Work with a great company, (Games, Movies, Television)
Ambitious: Visit Space!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/627443

Been awhile since I was actually on here, been mostly on my blog "Interesting Life." So, if you want to see where I mostly am, and support me, come and see. -Stray.