"Thom Cat" Licensed!

I just wanted to share the good news that "Thom Cat" has been officially licensed to appear in his own series of E-cards for Birthday Alarm (www.birthdayalarm.com)! For the e-cards I have been lucky enough to assemble much of the original talent from the first short, including Jim Meskimen as the voice of Thom, Andy Paley as composer , and David Eppen for background painting! The cards should be finished in a month to two months, and I will include links to them as soon as they are live!

--Mike Gray
www.pencilforhire.com
www.clumsylove.net

Yves St Laurent, Warhol Live, Watchmen, Stan Sakai, Brinkley Girls Museum shows!

This past weekend we made a trip to San Francisco to the Deyoung Museum to see the Yves St. Laurent & Warhol Live shows, and it was fantastic! I cannot give a higher recommendation, especially to the Yves St Laurent show which is only around for this week! I was really impressed seeing the "Haute Couture" clothing (which now I know what that means, it is clothing that is hand-made specifically for a person) that he had designed from the 1950's through the 2000's...Melissa wanted to see this show badly, and I probably ended up making us stay longer in the show because I found it to be so eye-opening on the process of fashion design! The Warhol Live exhibit was also fantastic, it was great to see some of his actual drawings (many from the 1950's), posters & films of his work with The Velvet Underground, examples of the record albums he did the artwork for, his "Club 54" memorabilia, etc!

I also made it to the Cartoon Art Museum (I have to stop every time I am in SF, there is always a great new show, and if not, their permanent collection warrants a revisit any time you are nearby)! They have a terrific "Watchmen" exhibit with artwork from the comic series as well as movie props (like a Rorschach costume, Nite Owl costume, Silk Spectre costume, etc! AND they have a show on my friend, the great Stan Sakai and Usagi Yojimbo that is not to be missed!!! There is also an exhibit there on "The Brinkley Girls" which I did not know of before, but it is terrific artwork from Nell Brinkley who at the time (1913-1940) was as known as the Gibson Girls! And finally, you have to at least visit the Cartoon Art Museum bookstore and chat with Heather Plunkett who runs the store)...it is now stocked with a wonderful variety of known & local artists' work, videos, import toys, prints (you will be amazed and buy something for sure...I bought a cool little Astro Boy toy before leaving)!

On another happy note, my webcomic, "Clumsy Love," was mentioned in the webcomicoverlook.com blog, where I am hoping that "El Santos" will give it a good review when he is back from a much needed vacation!

Thanks so much for visiting, and have a great day!

--Mike Gray
www.pencilforhire.com (portfolio)
www.clumsylove.net (my webcomic, please visit!)
www.cafepress.com/spacepussy

Wondercon 2009 + Charles Schulz Feb14 + Thom Cat, Goliath, Clumsy Love & Space Pus*y Vinyl Toy!

Just wanted to catch you up on what I have been up too! "Thom Cat" and "The Infinite Goliath" continue to pull in new fans at each festival they appear in (they were both shown with a great reception at the San Francisco Bay Area International Children's Film Festival on Sunday March 1st at 1pm, and I was able to talk about the cartoons after the screening...thank you Dan Bennett for putting together such a wonderful show!) and hopefully that will help lead to a series at some point (I hope!!)! I had a great time at Wondercon this past weekend, and as the Artist-in-Residence at the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA on Feb 14 2009 where I was able to do sketches of "Thom" and "Goliath" for the museum guests and show the cartoons on a large screen tv (one of my favorite museums, you must go if you have a chance)! I heavily promoted my new webcomic, "Clumsy Love," which is updated every Mon-Wed-Fri at www.clumsylove.net, including giving out over 500 bookmarks to Wondercon guests! And I was able to premiere my toy prototype of "Space Pussy!" Please let me know what you think of any and all that I have listed here, and if you did catch the cartoons at any show recently please write in with your comments (especially if it is to demand that they become a series...haha!)!


Mike Gray
www.clumsylove.net
www.pencilforhire.com

"Clumsy Love" by Mike Gray http://www.clumsylove.net/ !

I launched my webcomic, "Clumsy Love," on Feb 2, 2009, and so far it has been a great success (and a lot of fun)! Please take a look if you have a chance, and let meknow what you think! I also have my first sponsor, Jantze Studios, which I would like to thank for especially for putting an ad on a brand-new site!

In other news, I have been interviewed by AWN for the work I did on "Thom Cat" and "The Infinite Goliath" for "Random Cartoons" on the Nicktoons network!

And I will be appearing this coming weekend on Saturday February 14th at the Charles Schulz Museum as the"Artist in Residence" from 1pm to 3pm, hope to see you there!

--Mike
www.pencilforhire.com
www.clumsylove.net

Air Dates for "Thom Cat" and "The Infinite Goliath!"

Nickelodeon has finally released the air dates for my two animated cartoon pilots, “Thom Cat” and “The Infinite Goliath” which will air as part of the “Random Cartoons” show on Nicktoons in January! “The Infinite Goliath” premieres on “Random Cartoons” Saturday Jan 17, 2009 (West Coast 10:30 a.m., East Coast 1:30 p.m.) and “Thom Cat” premieres on “Random Cartoons” Saturday Jan 31 2009 (West Coast 10:30 a.m., East Coast 1:30 p.m.). You can see more about both cartoons at my website: http://www.pencilforhire.com/!

“Thom Cat” synopsis (created & written by Mike Gray):
Thom G. Cat is a genius inventor, a brilliant scientist, and a fashion trendsetter…not bad for a cat! The smartest cat in the world that is! Thom Cat makes his animated screen debut dealing with a young bully...who will never, ever pick on little girls again after enduring Thom’s unique form of justice!

“The Infinite Goliath” synopsis (co-created with Erik Knutson, written & directed by Mike Gray):
Infinite Goliath is the most dangerous villain in the universe, who has been paroled (after spending 30 years in the Quartz Nebula) and forced to live in suburban America as a model citizen. Essentially a 'super villain in recovery,' he has to try and live his life without destroying people, places, or things... or risk a return to the Nebula!

Please let me know what you think of the cartoons if you get a chance ot see them (use your DVR or TIVO!

--Mike

Ape Escape Trailer!

A terrific new trailer for the "Ape Escape" cartoon series I worked on (as Head Writer/Script Editor) can be seen at the link below, you must check it out!!: http://frederatorblogs.com/ape/2008/12/11/ape-escape-trailer/

I can't wait for Nicktoons to announce a date for the series to air...as soon as I know, I will be sure to post!

--Mike

CAPS Bil Keane Banquet Nov 15 2008

Doug Gray, Melissa Gray, Mike Gray (myself), Stan and Sharon Sakai!

Melissa and I with Bil Keane, creator of Family Circus!

With the hilarious Mel Lazarus (creator of Miss Peach and Momma)!

Melissa and I with Glen Keane, one of the greatest animators of all time!

Melissa with Cathy Guisewite, creator of one of Melissa's favorite strips, Cathy!

My wife Melissa, my brother Doug and I had a terrific time at the CAPS banquet this past weekend (11/15/08) at Maggianos in Woodland Hills, CA! Getting to meet Bil Keane (creator of Family Circus), and to see a ton of his original art in person, was a real treat! We also met Cathy Guisewite (creator of Cathy), Greg Evans (creator of Luann) and his wife wonderful Betty, Mel Lazarus (creator of Momma and Miss Peach), and Glen Keane (one of the great Disney animators of any generation)! It was terrific to catch up with old friends Stan (Usagi Yojimbo) and Sharon Sakai, and we are looking forward to seeing them at Sac Con in December and Wondercon in Feb! And it was great, as usual, getting to see Stephen (one of the great cartoon designers of our time) and Heidi Silver, and Sergio Aragones! The banquet featured terrific food, hilarious entertainment and fantastic company all around...it's good to be part of CAPS (and I can't wait for next year)!

--Mike

Costco Cartoon Contest

These are two cartoons I did for the Costco Cartoon Contest last month, I haven't heard if they have announced the winners or not, but they were a lot of fun to make! The guidelines were that they had to (of course) be about the "Costco" experience... --Mike

Cartoon Art Museum: Mike Gray Cartoonist in Residence Oct 11, 2008

I was honored to be the October "Cartoonist in Residence" at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco on October 11, 2008! The museum is my favorite to visit everytime I am in SF (with incredible original comic book, animation, and comic strip artwork), and I recommend it to everyone who gets a chance to go there! It was terrific to be able to show "Thom Cat" and "The Infinite Goliath" to the museum patrons, and they both were given great reviews (thankfully)! I can't wait for both cartoons to premiere on "Random Cartoons," hopefully in January 2009! --Mike

October “Cartoonist in Residence”: Mike Gray

I am honored to be the October “Cartoonist in Residence” at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco this coming Saturday, October 11, from 1pm to 3pm! I am excited at the opportunity to promote “Thom Cat” and the “Infinite Goliath,” to show the cartoons at the museum, and to talk about my work with the Museum patrons! If you have never been there, I highly recommend that you go, the Museum has a fantastic permanent art collection along with terrific, special shows!

Here is the press release from the Museum:
“The Cartoon Art museum hosts Mike Gray, artist and creator of Thom Cat, (which will air on Nickelodeon in December 2008 as part of the Random Cartoons cartoon series) on October 11, 2008, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum visitors will be offered the chance to watch Mr. Gray at work, watch his cartoons, chat with him about cartooning, and get a free sketch!

Thom G. Cat is a genius inventor, a brilliant scientist, and a fashion trendsetter…not bad for a cat! The smartest cat in the world that is! Thom Cat makes his animated screen debut dealing with a young bully…who will never, ever pick on little girls again after enduring Thom’s unique form of justice! Thom Cat first appeared in the first issue of Mike’s self-published comic book, Fluff, which will be available at his presentation.

Mike Gray is an award–winning writer, cartoonist, animator, director, and stand-up comedian who lives and works in Northern California. His cartoon, Thom Cat, which he created, wrote, and co-produced, will appear on Random Cartoons in December 2008, along with the cartoon, The Infinite Goliath, which he wrote, storyboarded, directed, co-created, and co-produced. Thom Cat’s awards include: Honorable Mention and Official Selection of the 4th Annual Brooklyn Kidsfilmfest of 2008, Official Selection of the 2008 San Diego International Children’s Film Festival, and Official Selection of the 2008 Fire Island Festival. Mike was also the Head Writer and Script Editor for the upcoming Nicktoons series, Ape Escape, based on the hit video game from Sony. Mike’s work and updated news can be found at his website: http://www.pencilforhire.com/.”

http://www.cartoonart.org/

http://cartoonart.livejournal.com/

Hope to see you there if you are in the area!
–Mike

Charity Auction Artwork for "From The Land Beyond" Convention

This is a piece I donated to this weekend's (today and tomorrow) Sacramento convention "From the Land Beyond." The Charity Art Auction benefits the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Loaves and Fishes Mustard Seed School for Homeless Children, and I am very excited to be a part of it! You can find out more info here: http://www.sacanime.com/fromthelandbeyond/html/auction.html
--Mike

"Thom Cat" Official Selection of the 2nd Annual SDSU Children's Animation Mini-fest

"Thom Cat" has been selected to be shown at the 2nd Annual SDSU Children's Animation Mini-fest which will be held on November 1 at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings, SD. This event is free and opento the public and is followed by a hand-on animation workshop for kids!

In Memory of Mr. Bobo

Our family cat, Mr. Bobo, passed away this week on 9/15/ 2008 at 20 years of age. Originally named simply "Bo" after Bo Jackson by my sister (hey, it was 1988), he became known as "Bobo," then finally "Mr. Bobo" the last 8 years. He was a great "little brother," and will be missed. I am glad that Mr Bobo will be immortalized as the "Infinite Goliath's" cat once the short airs on "Random Cartoons" hopefully in January of 2009 (he appears as a white cat in the cartoon, in order to help him stand out from Goliath's color scheme): http://frederatorblogs.com/goliath/2005/12/25/merry-christmas-from-mr-bobo/

Miss you Mr Bobo!

--Mike

Fluff #1 Reviewed!

There is a terrific new blog that the talented writer Searnold has created in which he has vowed to review one new comic a day! Lucky for me, my comic "Fluff #1" (first appearance of "Thom Cat!") was reviewed on 9/11/08 and made it through with a nice recommendation!:

http://supersearnold.today.com/2008/09/11/fluff-1/

Be sure to check in daily, Searnold is reviewing all genres of comics from big companies to independents!

Thanks Searnold!

--Mike

“Thom Cat” at San Diego International Children’s Film Fest, Cartoon Art Museum, and NCS Booth at Comic-Con!

The above photos were taken at the San Diego International Children's Film Festival held at the San Diego Comic-con on Sunday July 27th during the 12:30-1:30pm screening of "Thom Cat!" Audience reaction to "Thom Cat" was (thankfully) great, and the Q&A following the screening was a lot of fun! Thanks so much to Dan Bennett who put together the festival, and made it such a wonderful experience for all involved!

After the screening, I was at the NCS (National Cartoonist's Society) booth from 2pm to 3pm signing and doing free sketches for people who saw "Thom Cat," and those who were just walking by and seeing it for the first time on my portable DVD player! I am sitting next to "Archie" artist Craig Boldman (pictured), and on the other side was Nancy Berg, daughter of the Mad Magazine great, Dave Berg (I bought an original page from her of Dave's while I was there, and it is a hilarious comic!). Special thanks to Phil Pyster for setting up my time at the booth, it was great to be a part of NCS at Comic-con and to promote "Thom Cat!"

On Saturday July 26th, from 12 noon to 1pm, my brother Doug and I were doing sketches for donations to the Cartoon Art Museum (pictured at their booth). If you get a chance, and are in SF, you must stop by there! We raised some money for the museum, and was able to promote "Thom Cat" in the process. Special thanks to Andrew Farago and Summerlea Kashar of the Cartoon Art Museum for making it all happen, I can't wait to help out again next year!
--Mike Gray
http://www.pencilforhire.com/