Sunday, August 22, 2010

Most sensible people update their diaries in January. Not me. You know how hard it is to find filofax pages that start in Sept 2010 and end in Sept 2011? The people in the shop look at you like you're Rip Van Winkle, and can't comprehend why you didn't buy your pages in the winter. "Have you been asleep since January sir?"

Well, ever since I was a kid, the new year for me starts at the new school year. Oh sure, the Jewish New Year was beaten into me as well as being the start of the year... but really, for me, it's all about new stationary! Autumn equaled a new Mead binder, the smell of new pencils and the sexual purity of a brand-new untouched white Staedtler Mars eraser. I still buy them and try to keep the cardboard protector on for as long as possible, peeling it back slowly... so as to keep as much of the protected bit 'clean' for as long as possible.

The new school year also meant covering textbooks with paper and decorating them voraciously. That tradition hasn't died. Except I no longer have textbooks. I just clean out my filofax and decorate the front with something new.

This is the year of many things, but it felt right to do a 'Mamboesque' painting of Lamington on the cover. I had to paint over Mickey Mouse, but that's how it goes.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Working on a big new canvas for Tamborine recording studio's brand new lobby. As soon as I canfind a quiet Saturday afternoon, I promise I'll finish it.














I'm convinced that co-productions are keeping the Eurostar in business. It's actually quicker for me to get from Sevenoaks to Lille than it was for me to get across London. And I much prefer the Eurostar to the London underground. Loving it!













This is Samantha Barks, having just arrived in Galway, being absolutely sincerely excited to see the name of the show up in lights, well... Groove High written in pen, in the window of the cab... well it somehow means it's actually happening. So it was a thrill.

The show is being produced by Planet Nemo & Telegael for Disney Channel.














After a long day at the records, it's nice to go for a pint or two. Did I mention that we were recording in Galway?












Ah the lovely and talented cast of Groove High. Beth Gardiner, Rebekah Staton, Rasmus Hardiker, Frederick Puech (he has the best part), Samantha Barks, Rupert Degas and sitting on the floor is Jonathan Bailey.

Monday, August 16, 2010

So... in other news, I'm working in France at the moment.

Imagine this happening in my hack French and his equally unintelligible English. So, who knows, this conversation may never have actually happened. But it's how it seemed at the time.

I go in to an estate agent in Lille and tell the guy that I'd like to view one of the flats in his window - after laughing at me and saying that I can not live in his window, I ask if I could meet at the flat to view it, say next Thursday at noon. And he says, "but I eat lunch in my lunch hour which is from noon to 2pm" So I say, "so do I, but its when I have time to see a flat." And he says "how about 2pm?" And I say "I have to be at work by 2pm". And he says "so do I." And then he says, "Don't make me work during lunch hour and I won't make you look at a flat during lunch. Nobody on earth should do anything during lunch but eat lunch. French people eat lunch at lunch. We do not work at lunchtime, we work at work time!!" And I said, "Ah but what about the people who work in restaurants serving you?" and he said, "You are not fluent enough in my language to make such clever retorts you stupid English speaking swine, and that none of the people who work in restaurants will be able to show you a flat, so there!"

And in words I didn't understand, but in gestures that I'm fluent in, he essentially told me that lunch hour is a sacred two hours of the day and that I needed to get my priorities right.

And then I realised, with food this good all around ... I suddenly saw his point and found myself respecting the lunch 'hour'. But still, two hours? Every day? In my next life, I'm coming back as an estate agent in France.

Another voice direction, this time for the most adorable show ever. Well, apart from that other show that was also the most adorable show ever.

Sometimes working on preschool shows, you feel like the Aunty who wants to pinch little kids cheeks. Needless to say, there was a lot of 'aaaah'ing and general squeaking over all the cute bits.

Great fun to work with the Sophie Thompson again. We don't get to see each other enough. When last we worked together she was playing a Kung-Fu villiain. This time was far more adorable.

Sunday, August 15, 2010


I've decided to kick start the blog again. Try to share some fun stuff, general musings and the occasional doodle. Life in animation is never dull. Sure it may seem that way, because it's all at 24 frames per second and takes so long,... but actually it's because we all sign NDA's and can't discuss much.

I had to have a head shot done recently. That was nerve wracking. To smile or not smile? I went with irony. Hopefully others will smile.
So, I'm back and forth to France at the moment on various things. Just did a quick bit of script punch up and voice direction on Bao Battle for Alphanim. It was the hottest day of the year. It's such a cute, cool show. I want the toys already.