Happy Halloween: Tim Burton's Classic Frankenstein Spoof

Happy Halloween Everyone!

For those of you who have never seen Director Tim Burton's ("Edward Scissorhands", "The Nightmare Before Christmas", "Beetlejuice) 1984 short film "Frankenweenie", this might be the perfect Halloween treat.

The story follows the 1931 James Whale horror classic, with the twist that a young boy named Victor brings his dog, Sparky, back to life after an unfortunate incident in which Sparky is run over by a car (implied, not graphic; my 10-year old watched this film no problem and I'm picky about her seeing graphic violence on film. Also, it has a happy ending, Tim Burton style).

Produced by Disney Pictures, Frankenweenie was Burton's first film. The film, shot in glorious black-and-white is a parody/homage of the original "Frankenstein". Disney apparently fired Burton after it saw the film for wasting company resources and making a film too scary for young audiences (according to Wikipedia). Burton, of course, went on to become a much celebrated director and now Disney has hired him to remake the film as a 3-D stop-motion feature length film. Such is the life of an artist.

The 25-minute film features an early performance by Shelly Duvall, among other actors. You can see the entire short on youtube in 3-parts by Googling "Frankenweenie youtube". Watch the one that is in 3-parts.

If your a fan of classic James Whale horror films and/or a Burton fan, this is a real treat. If not, then just skip it.

Upcoming Composition for Artists Seminar: Nov. 21 & 22

Many artists - both amateur and professional - have difficulty with composition. In painting with any degree of sophistication, composition prioritizes everything from the most important to the least important elements in the work of art. In studio art, in animation, graphic novels or children's books, composition is content. The ability to compose a picture that really communicates an artist's feelings and intentions is the essential element separating the beginner from more advanced and professional artists.

This intensive, 2-Day, 18-hour Art Farm seminar on Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 21 & 22, with noted Art Center Professor Will Weston will help any visual artist with reasonable drawing skills. Using landscape as a starting point, this intensive and engaging seminar addresses issues faced when composing pictures by combining lively lectures, presentations, and demonstrations with drawing exercises that break down the three essential stages of composition.

Students will learn to create pictures with applications to studio art and illustration including landscape painting, composing for animation, children's books, and graphic novels. Examples of all are presented in detail. Students do short exercises to direct the eye, create depth, and establish mood and time of day. Students then draw a landscape composition under the direction of the instructor. Handouts provided will enable students to continue learning after the seminar.

Registration, Dates, location and Fees
When: Nov. 21 & 22, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily
Where: Carlsbad Art Farm in Coastal Carlsbad. Directions provided at time of registration
Who: Adults. Reasonable drawing skills are suggested.
Fee: $249/includes $100 non-refundable deposit at time of reservation. Class is limited to 20.
Discounts: A 10 % discount is available to currently enrolled students with valid student I.D.
To register: Contact director@carlsbadartfarm.com or call 760-688-6147.

About the Instructor:
Will Weston the worked for many studios including Disney Feature and Television Animation, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures. Will is a professor at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he teaches life drawing, landscape composition, visual development for animation, and traditional and digital painting. Will is a gifted instructor known for his information-packed classes and workshops where he imparts information in a clear and user-friendly way. For more information visit WillWestonStudio.com.

About Carlsbad Art Farm: Art Farm is located on 10-acres of beautiful, creek-side property in Coastal Carlsbad, north San Diego County. It is open to children and adults for ongoing lessons, seminars, and workshops. For most current information, visit this blog frequently or sign-up for the email list. For general information and visuals of Art Farm, visit our website at CarlsbadArtFarm.com.

Art Farm Camp Opens for Encinitas School District Holiday

Hello Encinitas Parents! Welcome to the wonderful world of Carlsbad Art Farm.

Several of you have contacted Art Farm to see if we can run camps during the two-week school break starting next Monday. The answer is, Yes, we'd be delighted. The biggest problem at our end is that the Encinitas School District doesn't allow for profit businesses to reach parents through the school, so it's difficult for Art Farm to get the word out.

Our requirement to run camp is a minimum enrollment of 12 students. If you are interested, and know other parents who might be interested, we need to get people enrolled this week. For more information, contact Perrin Coman, director and owner of art farm, at: director@carlsbadartfarm.com or call 760-688-6147. Our website is currently being updated, but we recommend you visit to get an overview. Reviewing earlier posts at this blog from summer camp will provide great visuals of what camp looks like.

We can offer two one-week sessions at a special rate of $300 weekly. Discounts apply for multiple siblings. Students must currently be enrolled in second-grade or older. We recognize that these are hard financial times, so we can work with parents somewhat who can't afford full tuition. It's an honor system so please don't ask for a discount unless it really is a hardship.

Camp hours are 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. We can offer an extended day for for an additional fee. At Art Farm, we teach children how to draw and paint, make nature journals and animal soap (we have fun with many projects) in our outdoor studios on our private 10-acre woodland property in Carlsbad. We use live animal models and our beautiful habitat as sources of inspiration.

Law & Order: Special Doggy Crimes Unit

Here we feature our very own Hilda - protectress of all children and fuzzy green tennis balls - solving a crime scene in our drive way! (click image for larger view).

Hilda thinks the chickens may have done it; or perhaps the alpacas. Our mule, Picasso, could account for his whereabouts during the time-frame when the dastardly deed took place (he was guarding his hay rations from Kandinski, the goat).

Actually, this is a chalk outline of Hilda herself made while she was sleeping. The real crime is she was caught napping while she was on sentry duty. She'll be entering a flea bargain (feel free to groan at puns) with the mitigating circumstance that it was pretty darn hot that day and a nap was in order. As I'm the judge and jury on such matters - and a strong supporters of naps for everyone - Hilda's case was dismissed as a travesty of justice against all nappers.

Snakes are Cool!

Here's out daughter, Emerson, with a young Chocolate Banded California King Snake, we caught out back yesterday. Our dog, Skyler, found him slithering along and started furiously sniffing and wagging his stump of a tail. I put my booted foot lightly but firmly on the nape of the snake's neck (if snakes can be said to have "napes") while Emerson fetched her Dad, who came back with gloves. King snakes are harmless unless you happen to be a rodent (which is why we like King Snakes in the country). King Snakes also eat rattlesnakes.

Emerson named this one "Granger", after Hermione in the Harry Potter series. We kept him for the night and released him this morning into the hole of a very unfortunate gopher. I recall catching gopher snakes when I was kid on the farm, and that my dad was very fond of the snakes for the reason that they went after gophers.

By way of strong disclaimer: We don't recommend that kids go out and catch snakes in the backyard. SoCal is rattlesnake country and all snakes can bite (hence the large yellow heavy leather gloves). In the case of a King Snake, he might think your pinky finger is a feeder mouse. We knew what this fella was before we caught him.