Finally found this - on an old VHS tape. Part of how I'm spending my pandemic time. Here is the animation pencil test of Homer On Chili, done on Adobe Premiere circa April 1996. For the
@TheSimpsons
ep El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (3F24) which aired 01/05/1997.
Guessing I animated Homer's skip around this time in 1991. "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" (8F09) aired Dec 5, 1991. I xeroxed my animation, figuring my drawings would be lost once sent to Korea. Here's hoping your weekend is hoppin'.
@TheSimpsons
One day in 1989, in the middle of doing the main title and my first show, I got a call from Matt Groening and Sam Simon - they asked me to do a drawing of the family in a logo like fashion. They described it as the family smiling & waving, with Bart aiming a slingshot. I drew it
Today we mark 32 years ago
@TheSimpsons
appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show 4/19/1987. (We animated it in 1 week starting 3/23/1987.) No drawings to show, I offer this montage of images, posted here 4 yrs ago. 1st thing I animated: Marge tucking in Maggie.
December 17, 1989 was a big day for us. The airing of The Simpsons Christmas Special. Hey, whaddaya know, that was 30 years ago. It won an Emmy. Woo hoo! Here's an image . . .
Okay then - so 33 years ago - The Simpsons first appeared on the ol' TV on The Tracey Ullman Show. 4/19/1987. Years ago I edited this montage of The Shorts Era for lectures to campuses I use to do. Here's a clip of the ending. Music: Perpetual Motion.
This has to be the earliest sketches I made for the Simpsons opening title. Circa May 1989, in a meeting with Matt Groening and Sam Simon. Notes are fairly intelligible, tho they were only meant for the 1989 me. The 2018 me doesn't recall everything.
And -- 34 years ago plus one day - Dec. 18, 1988 - "Simpsons Xmas" aired on The Tracey Ullman Show. Amazing a year later we produced the first full episode. Remarkably, I have this rough layout and a cell from the same shot.
For no other reason that
@CromulentShot
posted an image of this scene, here is a clip from the animatic of Homie the Clown (2F12). Happy to say I recently discovered I have this animatic in its entirety.
Yes, this was a hard sequence, especially back then. A lot of planning with the panning, and having to be aware of how many levels of cel animation the camera would handle. I prefer the artistic freedom of digital paint and compositing - !!
@tubatron
@canyonjim
@simonsam
@TVGuide
The "Snow Day" sequence was one of the most difficult sequences David Silverman had to animate, as it featured multiple panoramic shots and was hard to time coherently. (And it's interesting that such a Christmas-y sequence does not appear in a Christmas episode.)
Krusty Gets Kancelled (9F19) aired 25 years ago 5/13/1993. I found this, my 1st sketch of Worker & Parasite plus 1st storyboard page of their antics. My nonsensical title card includes an S and backwards P, which don't exist in Cyrillic. No idea what the clock tower is for.
"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" (8F09) aired 28 years ago today, Dec 5. "Burns Verkauft das Kraftwerk" is what it should have been titled, but there wasn't much of an internet then. All I have to offer is this skip cycle, posted before. Perhaps something else will show up.
Another animatic clip from HOMIE THE CLOWN. One of my favorite scenes, referencing another film you may recognize (scripted this time). I added music from Dumbo (which Alf Clausen did his adjusted version for the final). Marge's line is different from the final version--
Hiya everybody, I just found this. Done in October-ish of 1989, a drawing of The Simpsons for the script cover. As described to me by Matt Groening & Sam Simon. A few months later I wanted to redraw it, put more on model. They liked it as is - and still do, it seems.
This is an interesting one: a cel made for the 1st Butterfinger commercial, circa Nov. 1988. Not in the ad, but a color mock up for the client. The post-it reads: "John - we included this partially painted closeup so Planters could see the product"
Here's my first impulsive rough doodle of Worker & Parasite, based on my memory of the 1961 Oscar winning short Ersatz. Followed by the the storyboard - also drawn on impulse - and the final. Sometimes it's best not to overthink it.
More glorpy animation - yes, I found more from ep 3F24 (the "Chili" episode). Here's "I hope I didn't brain my damage" + all that follows. Note that you can see Homer's 2 hairs jump - which wasn't visible when in color. I left the ol' Premiere start window on the front -
The Way We Wasn't in The Way We Was (7F12). Here's the earliest sketch I have of Homer & Marge in HS, first shot at the design. Developed further of course. Aired Jan. 31,1991 - hey I'm posting these things early for once -
My first choking drawing - - for Family Portrait (MG25) - aired 3/6/1988. Probably drew it mid February 1988. And here’s my latest, drawn a couple weeks ago. It won’t be the last time I draw this…
Another sketch from Winter ‘95 writers retreat (
@thatbilloakley
&
@Joshstrangehill
show runners). Ken Keebler suggested what became the Simpsons Spin-off Showcase (5/11/97). Note that “Smithers & Co.” became “The Love-magic Grampa.”
First time - I think - Homer says "D'oh!" Definitely the first appearance of Krusty. Simpsons short on Tracey Ullman Show - "The Krusty the Clown Show" (MG39) aired 1/15/1989. And here are the d'oh! drawings.
Happy anniversary of the first Simpsons broadcast on Dec 17, 1989 - Simpsons Xmas Special. Did this art for Simpsons on IG, should be okay to post here. Will look through archives to see if I have any other art to post from back then … festive season to all!
And here’s the drawing for the next shot, which became Homer’s skipping. Looking at this close up, you can see I did tone down the face - always my intention. But I drew it that way to emphasize his glee. Delirious glee.
33 years ago
#OTD
"The Simpsons Christmas Special" aired. Actually the 3rd show I directed, the 8th episode in production - 7G08 - but 1st to air. We didn't add the completed opening title sequence to make it a "special." Held that for official premiere on 1/14/1990.
Ok I have one more surreal animation test from El ViajeMisterioso de Nuestro Homer (3F24). Homer's POV before the end of act 1. The sound isn't the best but still, it's pretty interesting. All I can say is Barney's burp was a confusing one to inbetween -
"Wake up everybody, it's World War III - !" says Homer in the last Tracey Ullman Simpsons Short done in our "1st season." Was number 20 done week of Sept 14, 1987 (aired 11/22/87). We had no idea if we were coming back to do more. Well - we did come back - to do more...
Just found the drawing I did for the
@EW
cover for
@TheSimpsons
from 5/18/1990. I gave them several faces to use, then adjusted eyes later, etc. Been buried under other drawings for a while . . .
And my final posting for this 30th anniversary of Simpsons Xmas Special. This was to be the final image after Bart says “Like Attila The Hun - aack!!” freezing into a snapshot, a la Family Photo TU short. Was decided to be an OS gag.
So here’s a scene NOT in the Simpsons main title: Lisa pre-saxamaphone. I had no clear Lisa personality to work with from the TU shorts. I tried this lame ballet gag to hang a light on it. And during the main title meeting, it led to
@canyonjim
creating her character.
My board rough and then finished art (layout pose by Drew McPhail). Thrilled to see Bad Bunny video Te Deseo Lo Mejor has 10.7 million views, 1 million likes - - a fun project. We all had a great time doing it, BB & co approved everything 1st time through - just a blast.
Treehouse of Horror time! My rough thumbnails for boards of Bart Simpson's Dracula (THoH IV - 1F04, 10/28/93). Comparing to final images - pretty close!
So here's something in honor of Bart The General
#OnThisDay
(2/4/1990) - rejected Herman designs. This was of course his first appearance - and he didn't appear as any of these guys.
More
@TheSimpsons
3F24 Chili - first appearance of Space Coyote animation. (No sound btw. And dig that video rainbow.) In the finished animation the color dept did a great job painting his distortion animation, with little help from me. I'm a lazy, lazy man.
When we did
@TheSimpsons
West Wing Story, dropped on YouTube 8/20/2019, I set up this kick line for ending. Just happened to put then-candidates Biden & Harris together.
@AlJean
did we predict future again? Was just telling a group on a call I really don't do that...
Also from THOH 13, immediately following that cut gag: animation for "Play us some PIANEE" - Paul Wee and I had fun with this, trying to get Homer playing with believable accuracy -
Behind the animated scenes of Simpsons/Balenciaga. First the storyboard that I did, then the finished animation by Rick Solonga. We draw, paint, and composite in Toon Boom’s Harmony, and here’s how the scene looks in that program.
Apologies for a lack of posting - but my interest in social media is - - dwindling. However, as Halloween is approaching here’s something that I just got from a dear friend this weekend. From THoH IV, The Devil and Homer Simpson.
Just came across this - don’t think I’ve posted before. From Bart Gets An F, 1st episode of 2nd season. Sketching Bart in his Continental Congress dream. Circa May 1990.
37 years ago today I was flying from LA to visit my parents in Silver Spring, MD -- carrying my unfinished scenes for the 1st Simpsons TU Short "Good Night Simpsons." I set up a crude DIY animation "table" and was able to get things done, even as I was running out of animation
As others have pointed out, this is the anniversary of the airing of BLACK WIDOWER (8F20) 4/9/1992. The 2nd SS Bob ep, and a lot of fun to direct. I've posted drawings in the past, but I will drag them out again. For now, here's a cell I'm lucky to have. (Yes, I did the skip.)
The first script I got of The Raven, with a faint doodle I did of said Raven. Happy 30th anniversary of the first Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Oct. 25, 1990.
Although the episode was directed by Carlos Baeza, the potato chip sequence was directed by
@tubatron
. Some computer animation created using an Amiga was used in the sequence in order to make the potato chip rotation as smooth as possible.
Here's a storyboard panel I came across from the 1st Maggie short The Longest Daycare. And what follows is a behind the scenes panel. Notice we had to build a large prop Maggie to do the shot. Very costly.
After a tidal wave of work I will try to reconnect here at Twitter! So -
@TheSimpsons
fans DO YOU have any questions about the show that have never been asked? Ever?? Let me know and we will answer them on our
@Comic_Con
panel —
Ok - so it's not Halloween, no anniversary. But so what? Found this along with the other old animation tests. Dogs Playing Poker Sez Homer, from THoH IV (1F04) aired 10/28/1993. Overexposed & sound is poor, but nonetheless here's my animation of Homer reacting to high art.
Apparently my pose from Homer's Triple Bypass wassa no good. You can tell from my mini caricature yelling NG. Perhaps it was connected to a deleted line? I dunno - but, it'sa no good, boss.
@TheSimpsons
I put in a very very brief
#AlfredHitchcock
homage in the currently-in-theaters Maggie Simpson short A PLAYDATE WITH DESTINY. From the movie Spellbound - Gregory Peck's character finally recalls his name (John Ballantyne) after this cool flashback.
Some more Magical Man From Happyland drawings. The first one is a xerox of my finished drawing. I shoulda xeroxed the whole scene - eh, we all were pretty busy them days …
My layout from penultimate Tracey Ullman Simpsons short Family Therapy (MG47). Wes Archer and I animated this at the end of January 1989 (I think!) - aired 4/23/89. Appeared in theaters with War of the Roses, released 12/9/89, a mere 8 days before The Xmas Special ...
Today is the first table read for season 32. Homer here reviews his storied past - - (a drawing I did 10 years ago for Stuttgart animation festival catalog) - -
March 23, 1987: 1st day for myself, Wes Archer, and Bill Kopp on The Simpsons. We met Matt Groening & went over Good Night Simpsons (MG01). Can't find anything from that, but here's Bart & Lisa from 3/30/87 (MG02) and circa 1989 (MG46).