Scribble Town (ST): Carly Kasner shows us how animations bring to life more imagination than we could imagine.  It is easy to see in her artwork and her approach to creativity!

Carly Kasner (CK): Hello Scribblers, I come from Long Island and graduated from FIT, May 2012. I am a graphic designer with some essence of illustrator mixed in. From the time I was little till this very day, I have had a special connection with cartoons, which inspires and or impacts my work today.

Anime self portrait of Carly Kasner

ST: How are you spending your time these days?

CK: I am currently interning at The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in New York City. It is a non-profit organization that provides mental health and social services. I design various flyers, books, and print/e-mail invitations there. In my spare time, I have been recently involved in t-shirt design contests between the websites threadless.com, and welovefine.com.

In addition to that, I occasionally create my own characters for fun. In recent years, I do consider my work to be more digital but I still highly respect the traditional methods as well as the digital I utilized InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator as my main digital formats I use whatever tool(s) will get the job done in the best way for my idea/client.

Monster’s Inc scribble shirt by Carly Kasner

ST: Designing t-shirts sounds really fun and it must feel good when you see somebody wearing one of your ideas. When did you start illustrating / scribbling / being creative?  Was there somebody that encouraged you?

CK: The beginning of my creative era was around kindergarten I stumbled into my interest of drawing through the inspiration I got from cartoons and my love for doodling. I used to like to draw dogs. I feel that I was born with a love for drawing.

ST: Your love for dogs is seen in your North Shore Animal League Logo.  I really like how you’ve nested the dog and the cat together.  It’s as if they were hugging each other.  It’s a very clever design!  Where do you find yourself feeling really inspired to create?

North Shore Animal League logo by Carly Kasner

CK: I think my inspiration can come from different sources and/or artists, but I think my, main root was the endless hours I spent in front of the TV growing up. I was a 90s child and some of my favorite cartoons were Courage the Cowardly Dog, Hey Arnold, the Rugrats, and The Angry Beavers. I was inspired not only by the characters image; I was inspired by the stories that molded the characters personalities. And as I got older, I became inspired by Japanese cartoons and comic books a.k.a. anime and manga.

ST: What other forms of art do you practice?

CK: In high school, I did some ceramics, collages, oil painting, and water colors in recent years, I am still partial to the sketchpad and pencil. I try to use that for my creativity as much as possible and even though I haven’t practiced it much lately I am also fascinated by watercolors.

ST: What is your favorite movie?

CK: My favorite movie is Hayo Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

ST: I also really liked Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle.  The story and images are unforgettable!  Carly, please share any tips, advice, or ways of encouraging scribblers.

CK: I struggle sometimes with accepting mistakes but it is important to accept mistakes and to learn from them. Try not to let them discourage you. I try to look at mistakes as boundaries to define what not to do next time. Keep in mind that you can’t get something right unless you get it wrong.

ST: Thanks Carly! That’s great advice!  Making mistakes is a big part of life and making art.  At least we can say we tried

Sweet Bots by Carly Kasner

Irra Verbitsky is an award winning artist, animator and independent filmmaker living and working in NYC.  She has so many talents and accomplishments that it is hard to name them all!  She was also my storyboard teacher at the School of Visual Arts where she still teaches in the animation department.

"Viking Voyage" by Irra Verbitsky

Currently, Irra is the President and Creative Director at Polestar Animation.  She is involved in many things such as designing storyboards, background designs and animation.  Her independent animated films have been screened internationally and at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as well as at festivals here in the U.S.A. and abroad.

Original Storyboard for "Owen"

Irra has directed and animated children’s films for Scholastic.   On the animation “Owen” (1995) Irra was
background painter and color animator while Sara Jessica Parker narrated the animation.

Irra is a very accomplished storyboard artist.  As a storyboard artist she sketches the stories, so that the scenes in the movies or animations can be visualized.  Here you can get an idea of how she sketches out her storyboards to create her award winning ‘Owen’.

I wasn’t the only one who thought ‘Owen’ was a great animation!  Others thought it was such a talented piece of art that ‘Owen’ won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Best Children’s Film of the Year and an ASIFA EAST Award!  Those are two biggies

So far Irra has created over one hundred one minute spots for Sesame Street.

Do you recognize any of these animation stills?  Here’s one from the animation titled ‘The Story of Princess Twelvia’ and another one titled ‘Moving’.  From the picture below, where do you think Princess Twelvia is going?  How many steps are there on the staircase?  Hmm…maybe there’s a connection!

Sesame Street's 'Twelvia' Original Production Cel & Background by Irra Verbitsky

Sesame Street's "Moving" Original Production Cel & Background by Irra Verbitsky

The Last Unicorn movie poster

Irra provided the design work on the title sequence well as the story boards for the feature film, ‘The Last Unicorn’.  The animation is an adaptation from the American author Peter S. Beagle’s class tale ‘The Last Unicorn,’ which was written in 1968.

“The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.” – Peter S. Beagle ‘The Last Unicorn’

From that short paragraph of the book’s prose-poetry you can get an idea of how the story is very tender and beautiful.  In the movie the unicorn is told by a butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind because all the others have been herded away by the Red Bull.  With that in mind, the unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly’s words.  On her quest, the unicorn is eventually accompanied by Schmendrick, a trying magician, and Molly Grue, a woman who has dreamed all her life to see a unicorn. Their journey leads them further and further away from home. They travel so far, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

Irra Verbitsky shares her talent as an animation teacher at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  Her excitement for the arts shines through her teaching and encourages her students to be as playful and thoughtful when creating moving pictures!

Flashbacks From My Past: "Departure" by Irra Verbitsky

Scribble Town (ST): Let’s move to the New Year with Kristine Marsh’s animations! Thanks Kristine for being with us today!

Kristine Marsh (KM): Hello! I’m a full time illustrator and designer who specializes in creating original artwork for children’s media using a variety of styles. I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2010 with a BFA in Cartooning. Afterwards, I started my own business called Knightingale Studio. We are a small design group that does animation, illustration and graphic design work in addition to creating original content. My work has appeared across a range of commercial platforms including books, games and apps. In my down time I enjoy cooking and relaxing with my loving fiancé, Eric and our adorable corgi, Colonel.

Munch Friends by Kristine Marsh

ST: It sounds like you are surrounded by love I can see that in your super cute illustrations and animations. Where are you and what are you up to these days? Is there a particular animation you are working on?

KM: I currently live in NJ and aside from freelance I’m developing two animated series concepts titled, “Samurai Chinchilla” and “What’s for Lunch, Munch?” You can find out more about the first at . I hope to launch a Kickstarter campaign within the next month in order to fund a short animation showcasing the world and characters. Keep in eye out!

Samurai Chinchilla Poster by Kristine Marsh

ST:  There are many things for all of us to look forward to! With all of these current goodies in the works can you tell us how has your art practice changed over time? What kind of animation or art did you start out doing and where has that taken you?

KM: I actually entered SVA as a traditional animation major. It has actually been my dream since the 6th grade to be the creator of an animated television series. When I was really young, I did what most kids do: Draw my favorite characters from my favorite cartoons! I drew Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Cardcaptors, a lots more (I actually really loved Kids WB!). To this day I still say that I developed a knack for adapting to different styles by do so. Once I got to art school, it really pushed me out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways, but it taught me to experiment with different techniques and forced me to look at elements of design in a new way.

ST: Kristine, you just proved that dreams do come true! That in itself is such an inspiration for us to all just continue with what we have fun doing. Are there any other artistic mediums you work with?

KM: For mediums, I do a lot digitally these days, for the sake of time and efficiency. I use Adobe Illustrator almost exclusively, with a little bit of Photoshop. When I work traditionally I like to experiment and I often mix media, like pen, ink, brush, marker, colored pencil and watercolor.

Pirate by Kristine Marsh

ST: Is there a particular animation technique you like to create with? Does the story follow the technique or vice versa?

KM: My goal with my art is actually quite simple. To me, I see art as a very powerful medium and I always strive to create artwork and stories that makes a positive impact in peoples lives. Hope, Unity and Love are actually the core believes of my studio as well. I believe firmly in the aspect of family and friends, taking care of and giving to those you care about and who need your help. For me, art of course is a form of self-expression, but more important I see it as an opportunity to speak into people’s lives and leave them with something encouraging and I hope that that same perseverance will spill over in the life of another and so on.

ST: We all have mentors, who are some of your favorite artists? If so, how have they inspired you? It’s always nice to be aware of what about their artwork touches you.

KM: Some of my favorite artists and directors include: Makoto Shinkai, Hayao Miyazaki, Bill Presing, Peter McCarty, Anne Pätzke, Sean Galloway, Luigi Lucarelli, Jen Corace, Mary Blair, MEOMI honestly there’s just too many to name! And I discover new favorites online all the time! But the things that always catch my attention: Color, Composition, and Character! I’m a big fan of a really simplistic style, but I’m also a big fan of beautiful line quality and color. These are all things that inspire me and challenge me in my own art as well.

Ashby by Kristine Marsh

ST: I know what you mean when you say there are just too many to name!  It’s the same with crafts and art projects. But out of all of them do you have one craft, piece of art, or art technique you can share with our Scribblers for them to make at home? Perhaps give advice on how our Scribblers can start making their own animation at home.

KM: A quick bit of advice: I love looking at kid’s drawings and hearing them talk so passionately about their ideas. Never let go of that enthusiasm for creating new things! As you get older, it’s easy to get bogged down, you start comparing yourself to others and not everyone may like your ideas. It can easily become more about technique (which is still very important) and less about the concept. But keep plugging forward, learn, absorb and experiment, don’t let go of that boundless creativity! May you stay inspired all your life and always keep drawing by hand!

ST: That’s amazing advice, Kristine!  In short- let’s keep our ears, eyes, and heart always open for the creativity to flow. To learn more about Kristine Marsh please go to www.kristinemarsh.com or email her at . Thank you for being with us!