Several weeks late, but Inktober 2020 has come and gone, and since I'm still not leaving the house, and isolating like everyone else, what else would I have done, but gather my thoughts and churn out 31 new drawings throughout October!
Inspired by all the fun I had last year, I decided to bring back my Sermonibus Animalis series for another
wave: 31 new animal drawings and puns. You can check them out on my IG, or check back here soon, where I'll post the whole collection to my gallery page, and soon put all Wave 2 prints and originals up for sale. I enjoyed returning to this little whimsical outlet after starting it last year, though coming up with 31 new puns was a bit more challenging than before. Though I suppose it's only natural that such a project grows and pushes me to challenge myself and expand and struggle creatively in order to move forward.. why do it if not for this?
So now with 62 total drawings completed between last year and this year, the long term plan is to do 7 new bonus animals between now and next October, so I'll be at 69. Then, come Oct. 2021, I'll complete Wave 3, with 31 MORE drawings, bringing the grand total to 100. We'll see if I can pull it off. And then what? Who knows? I still like the idea of a whole book of all of them - some fun catalog of the whole collection.. More on that, as I think of the possibilities..
On to other quarantine fun: Even though I lament the loss of going to in-person film festivals, there have still been several events, some strictly online, that have kept the spirit of film festivals and indie animation alive. First off, 'Of Crumbs and Dreams' was awarded best animated short at the Black Cat Picture Show Film Fest back in August! A tremendous honor, and my film's second festival win! I only regret that I was unable to attend in person and enjoy the festivities. When the world opens up again, I hope to be able to attend for a future event. A big thanks to Duane Brown and the festival team for the honor!
Last month, I was also asked to be a festival juror for the 6th annual Animation Chico Film Festival. Both of my short films have played at this festival in the past, so I was deeply honored to be involved with this festival again (albeit in a different capacity this time!) and review and assess all of this year's fantastic 37 entries. It was online only, so anyone could view from the comfort of home. I was blown away by the diverse range of creativity, and so many wonderful films that really pushed the boundaries of the art form.
Always great to see a community like this flourish, even during a time where we can't all meet in person or congregate at public screenings. Congrats to the festival and to the winners!
Finally, 'Of Crumbs and Dreams' has now screened at its 5th festival - the Silicon Beach Film Festival - organized by the fine folks from the Culver City Film Festival from 2019 (where 'Of Crumbs and Dreams' previously screened last year). This year, it was online only via the ShortDaily Roku channel, which screened all of last week! Hooray for innovation and continuing to make the best out of a very strange and difficult time.
As 2020 draws to a close, I can only hope better days continue to lie on the horizon, and the world will be safe to open up again soon enough. In the meantime, we continue to push, create, innovate, and learn..
-Brian