Episode #2 "The World of Snowboy & Crow" - Family Problems!

Check out Episode #2 for Snowboy & Crow at: http://youtu.be/sVryHm3RXkE and you'll be helping to support the Snowboy & Crow series!

Little Gothic Horrors: Ken Turner's Captivating Freak Show

Emma of "Little Gothic Horrors" has put up another feature on her site of my work entitled 
"Ken Turner's Captivating Freak Show".

Click the link or picture to go to the post:

http://littlegothichorrors.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/ken-turners-captivating-freak-show.html

Here's an excerpt:

"I've been delving a tad further into Ken's portfolio of work, and I discovered a little gem in the form of a short stop motion animated film he made in 2007, called Tim, which is an homage to Tim Burton's brilliant short film, Vincent. Not only is Tim a treat for anyone with a love of the Burtonesque aesthetic but it is also a really poignant tale that will resonate with those of us who can relate to being something of a misfit."


Go check out her blog and facebook at the links below for more delightfully dark art:

http://littlegothichorrors.blogspot.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/LittleGothicHorrors

Thanks Emma

Cheers

Everyday is Halloween - "Snowboy & Crow" Post

A German website named "Everyday is Halloween" posted a spot for "Snowboy & Crow" and also mention "TiM".

 http://pixella-bloggt.com/2012/06/19/snowboy-crow/

Here's a rough translation of what they say:

"That Ken Turner, a big fan of Tim Burton is, is not well deny.
His latest work is a web-series called "The World of Snowboy & Crow".
Here is the first part: "The Birth of Snowboy".  Also noteworthy is the way his very first film work about a boy who would like Tim Burton: TiM."

 

Cheers

Strange Kids Club Interview

There is a feature up on the site"Strange Kids Club".

http://www.strangekidsclub.com 

 https://twitter.com/#!/StrangeKidsClub

For those unfamiliar with the site:

"Strange Kids Club is a daily dose of adolescent enthusiasm for your inner child. An online hub for assorted strange, geeky and otherwise nostalgic content; SKC features articles on video games, comics, unbelievably cool toys, exclusive interviews and movie reviews."

 

Rondal Scott III of "SKC" conducted the interview with me, which features info on my childhood, going to animation school and some of my current and future projects.

Excerpt:

"Imagine – if you will – a world filled with misunderstood monstrosities and outlandish outcasts. a world where vampires falling out of the sky are as often an occurrence as ufos and the decay of Winter is as delightfully magical as the renewal of Spring. This is the world of animator and director Ken Turner.  Turner, a huge Tim Burton fan, has been in the animation industry for over 5 years and worked for some of the biggest names including Cuppa Coffee, CORE Toons, Jib Jab and Nelvana (to name a few). Recently, however, Turner has kickstarted his first web series starring the child-like duo of Snowboy (an adolescent snowman) and Crow (uh… he’s a crow). Embarking on an ambitious 6-episode stint, Turner hopes that Snowboy and Crow will catch on with fans of Burton’s equally odd menagerie of misfits, albeit with his own twist and sense of macabre humor."

Here's the link:

http://www.strangekidsclub.com/2012/06/18/ken-turner-interview/

 

 

 Cheers

JibJab Featured E-Card: Robo Years!

 

Today JibJab featured my e-card Robo Years on their site.  I also did an interview for them about the card.

 I've included the interview here:

"Our newest birthday card, Robo Years, comes from the brains and hands of Nate Theis and Ken Turner. After Nate whipped up a robotic animatic, Ken went to work putting his own spin on it. We talked with Ken to find out a little more about the man behind the robot.

Where did you go to school?
-I went to Sheridan College for Animation and graduated in 2007.

How long did this card take to animate?
-The Robo Years Card took about 1 – 2 days to animate.

Where did your inspiration come from?
-Well the design wasn’t that far off the rough story reel design, but I wanted to change it a bit.  I gave him a round head, a mouth, more antennas, different hands (one is scissors, and the other has fingers), and redesigned the circuit board on his chest.  I think I had just watched the film Forbidden Planet and really liked that dome head design.  There is also a certain amount of charm to that robot that I wanted to bring to this eCard robot.

Favorite robot in the media? (The terminator counts)
-If it’s robots in pop culture, I’d say the UFO robots from 80′s film “Batteries Not Included.”"

You can click this link to read it or by clicking on the picture (above):

http://blog.jibjab.com/2012/06/18/new-birthday-card-robo-years/ 

You can also view the e-card at this link or by clicking on the picture (below):

http://www.jibjab.com/birthdays/sendables/204700/robo_years/birthdays

Cheers

Sombrero Sam

Sombrero Sam (People Series). 2012. Digital. 11" x 8.5". © 2012 Ken Turner.

Broken Pencil Review: "Henry The Heart Boy" Book

Just came across this review of the Henry: The Heart Boy Book via the latest issue of Broken Pencil.

Check it out below:

"A native of Mississauga, Ontario, cartoonist Ken Turner has worked predominantly in the worlds of animation and illustration in addition to self-publishing his own illustrated books and mini comics. Turner’s latest book is a twisted take on a children’s story that might appeal more to adults than the wee ones. The titular Henry is an odd-looking fellow with a large head and jaundiced complexion. One day he tries to give his heart away (literally) to the object of his affection, but her rejection (or rather revulsion) breaks and, eventually, kills his heart, setting poor Henry off on a surrealistic quest to get it back from the beyond.
There are some very clever moments in Henry: The Heart Boy, both within the rhyming scheme of the story and in the twisted world the story explores. His work, however, owes a very large stylistic debt to Tim Burton’s scrawled pen lines, wispy watercolours and combination of macabre and whimsical themes. All these blatant Burtonisms overshadow the obvious gifts Tuner has for character design and storytelling. His ink work is quite nice, especially in the black-and-white pieces at the back of the book. He has all the potential to become something more than a clone of his greatest influence. If he’s looking to get inspired, he might try following the words of Ed Wood he quotes on his own website: “Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your whole life making someone else’s dreams come true?”  (Matthew Daley)"

Link to Review:

http://www.brokenpencil.com/reviews/henry-the-heart-boy

Cheers

RageHaus - "Snowboy & Crow" Post

 

Special Thanks to Kim & Derek Munn of RageHaus for featuring "Snowboy & Crow" in the latest post on their site:

"Ken Turner is the creator, illustrator and director of the new web animated series, “The World of Snowboy & Crow.” Animated by Freak Show Studios, the characters Snowboy & Crow are two misunderstood child-like characters that live in a snowy landscape full of vampires, ufos, monsters, death and love. I’m a big fan of Tim Burton’s work, and this certainly feels inspired. I’m looking forward to how these quirky characters interact and develop throughout the series. Until then, check out “The Birth of Snowboy,” the first episode in this saga."

 Check out the link for the feature:

http://ragehaus.com/?p=6206

Ragehaus Site Link:

http://ragehaus.com/

Cheers

FilmAnnex Newsletter - "Snowboy & Crow"

Today FilmAnnex posted their newsletter which has a little feature about "The World of Snowboy & Crow": 

"Now back to this week's content. Our featured filmmaker is the newcomer Ken Turner, who has an impressive resume with several awarded animated short films. When he's not working for animation studios, he publishes humor books and pays homage to his favorite film director Tim Burton by creating short films. He came to us with The World of Snowboy and Crow, a mini comic turned animated web series about the misadventures of a boy made out of snow and his crow friend. You will definitely see Burton's influence on the characters and enjoy the first episode of the series. While you wait to see what's next, take a look at Turner's blog posts with great posters and pages from the initial comic."

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLKrgVwA6G2IBk9sIGf3xxA

OpenFilm Editor's Pick

Great News! Over at OpenFilm "The World of Snowboy & Crow" Episode #1 has become an Editor's Pick!

Cheers

FilmAnnex Featured Filmmaker this week!

Hey I'm being featured on @filmannex main page this week!  

http://www.filmannex.com/

Also here's the link to EP #1 for Snowboy & Crow:

 http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/kenturner/movie/the-world-of-snowboy-crow-episode-1/30736 

Cheers

FilmSchoolRejects - "Snowboy & Crow" Post

 

Special Thanks to Neil Miller of Film School Rejects for featuring me in the latest post on the site.  

 "We close tonight with the brief first episode in a new webseries called The World of Snowboy & Crow, brought to our attention by its director, Ken Turner. It shall take you into “the world of Snowboy, a boy made from snow, and his friend a Crow. These two misunderstood child-like characters live in a snowy landscape full of vampires, ufos, monsters, death and love.” All of those things are pretty cool and the animation is just plain pretty. Consider us watching, Mr. Turner."

Check it out via:

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/movie-news-after-dark-george-lucas-and-his-wood-dont-need-you-but-klown-and-snowboy-crow-do.php

Site Link: 

www.filmschoolrejects.com

Animation Nation - "Snowboy & Crow" Post

 

Special Thanks to Charles of Animation Nation for posting about "The World of Snowboy & Crow" Series.

 "There's a new Web project emerging. It's called 'The World of Snowboy & Crow' and is a series of animated shorts created in 2012 by director Ken Turner and animated by Freak Show Studios. The characters Snowboy & Crow appear in the mini-comic The World of Snowboy & Crow, also created and illustrated by Ken Turner, from which the Web series is based.

In the series, you enter the world of Snowboy, a boy made from snow, and his friend a Crow. These two misunderstood child-like characters live in a snowy landscape full of vampires, ufos, monsters, death and love.

Who could ask for more!

Take a look at the teaser trailer below. You can see Episode #1 of Snowboy and Crow at this link here and also here. For production credits and more links head on over to the Forum topic."

Check it out via: 

Homepage article:
 
http://www.animationnation.com/component/content/article/7-charles/416-the-world-of-snowboy-a-crow-new-web-series
 
Forum topic:
 
http://www.animationnation.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3578 

 Animation Nation links:

http://www.animationnation.com/
http://www.animationnation.com/community

Cheers

Episode #1 "The World of Snowboy & Crow" - The Birth of Snowboy!

Check out Episode #1 for Snowboy & Crow at http://youtu.be/90Uow_rhVhk and you'll be helping to support the Snowboy & Crow series!

"The World of Snowboy & Crow" Teaser Trailer!

Check out the teaser trailer for Snowboy & Crow at http://youtu.be/47SZsQy1l98 and you'll be helping to support the Snowboy & Crow series!

"The World of Snowboy & Crow" Teaser Trailer!!!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=47SZsQy1l98

Teaser Poster #2 - The World of Snowboy & Crow

Here is the second teaser promo poster for the "Snowboy and Crow" animated web series.

The 1st episode will make its debut in June, which is only about a week and a bit away.  

 So mark it down in your calendars, set your phone alarms, stick a post-it to your forehead, tell your family, close friends, imaginary friends, neighbors and even your pets that "Snowboy & Crow" are coming to a computer screen near you!  (*probably the one right in front of your face as you read this)

Stay Tuned!!!

Achmed!

This was a early character concept I did for an animated flash TV show in development featuring ventriloquist Jeff Dunham's "Achmed the dead terrorist". 

 I'm a big fan of Jeff Dunham, so it was a real treat to do this particular gig.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Dunham

Happy Mug

Happy Mug (People Series). 2012. Ink pen, marker and pencil crayon on paper. 8.5" x 11". © 2012 Ken Turner.

Orange-Suit Man

Orange-Suit Man  (Death Series). 2012. Ink pen, marker and pencil crayon on paper. 8.5" x 11". © 2012 Ken Turner.

The Armageddon Letters: Was Castro Crazy?

 Seen below are 3 screenshots from a short film I finished, a few weeks ago, for the award winning filmmaker/producer, of Virtual JFK, Koji Masutani and the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

"The Armageddon Letters" is a series of short films which will reveal what it was like for leaders in Washington, Moscow and Havana to look straight into the barrel of nuclear war in 1962.

 

Entitled - The Armageddon Letters: Was Castro Crazy?

This short that I directed focuses on Castro.  I animated the film in a "Catch Me If You Can" type art direction style with narration from Prof. Jim Blight (seen in his "Animated Style" in the first still).

I'll let you know as soon it becomes ready to view and I will make it available via my VIMEO page: 

http://vimeo.com/kenturner

For more information on the project go to:

https://www.facebook.com/armageddonletters

http://www.armageddonletters.com/ 

https://twitter.com/#!/armageddontweet

Stay tuned

Cheers

TCAF 2012 is in the books!

TCAF was great as always.  Special thanks to all who came by for their support, especially:

Spence, Mattias, Katie, Mike, Robert, Melanie, Kelly, Sarah, Sam, Myke, Colin, Mitch, Tabitha, Stephen, Andrew, Saurin and Jodi.

Hopefully I'll be here again next year!

Cheers

TCAF 2012 this WEEKEND!!

 

A is for Avengers (Pop Culture Series). 2012. Ink pen, water color on paper. 9" x 12". © 2012 Ken Turner.

TCAF 2012 starts tomorrow May 5 and goes thru Sunday May 6, so be sure to get over to the Toronto Public Library and check out the madness that will ensue.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2012

at Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.

Saturday May 5^th, 2012, 9am-5pm

Sunday May 6^th, 2012, 11am-5pm

FREE ADMISSION

I'll be at table 158 on the first floor by the water.

Here is what I will have there:

1. NEW GICLEE PRINT - The Nightmare Before Christmas "Tobogganing Trio"
2. Giclee Prints - Cheshire Cat (Only 2 Left), Wizard of Oz, Edward Scissorhands and the Henry: The Heart Boy prints
3. HENRY: THE HEART BOY BOOK - illustrated story book
4. PERSONAL ART WORK prints - monsters, pirates, ghosts, etc...
5. FAN ART prints - The Avengers (seen above - only 10 available), Dark Shadows, Alice in Wonderland, Seinfeld, Vincent Price/Peter Lorre, Evil Dead, Harry Potter, Batman, Bane, etc...
6. SNOWBOY & CROW mini-comic - comes with limited edition TiM postcard (only about 20 left) *those who purchase the mini-comic are guaranteed to get the free mini-promo poster for the new animated series "The World of Snowboy & Crow"
7. POSTCARD sets - 5 different postcards in each set/comes with envelopes
8. "TiM" T-SHIRTS
9. FREE - The World of Snowboy and Crow mini-posters (While supplies last)

See you all there!

"The World of Snowboy & Crow" A New Animated Web Series - coming this summer!

Freak Show Studios proudly presents

"The World of Snowboy & Crow"

A new animated web series, based on the mini-comic of the same name, will further expand on the world of a boy made from snow and his friend a crow.

The mini-comic encompassed 10 stories, which will now be told through 6 animated episodes.

"Enter the world of these two misunderstood child-like characters living in a snowy landscape full of vampires, ufos, monsters, death and love."

Snow is coming this Summer...Oh Boy!?!

Keep checking back for when and where "The World of Snowboy & Crow" will debut!

I will be making exclusive Snowboy mini-promo posters (while supplies last) to all who come by at TCAF this weekend.

Cheers

Floor Plan and Exhibitor List for the TCAF 2012 is up!

TCAF NEWS: The 2012 floorplan and exhibitor list has been officially released. 

http://torontocomics.com/news/2012-floorplan-and-exhibitor-list/

I'll be at table 158 on the first floor.

I'll be doing one other post this week on the stuff I'll have this year at TCAF!

Stay tuned for that!

Cheers

TCAF Profile: Ken Turner

 My TCAF profile is up on the site.  Go check it out and many many others before TCAF arrives this weekend.

http://torontocomics.com/exhibitors/ken-turner/

http://torontocomics.com/exhibitors/

Also of note: My good friend Kris Pearn will be doing a work shop and signing at TCAF.  Make sure to check out his workshop on Sunday.

http://torontocomics.com/exhibitors/kris-pearn/

See you then!

TCAF 2012 - MAY 5 and 6

  I just got the confirmation today that I got into TCAF 2012.  I will be there both days so be sure to come by and check it out.

Stay tuned for more info on TCAF as it just next weekend!

Cheers

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  INFO on the event:

Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2012 Poster by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon

Toronto Public Library presents

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival

TCAF’s 2012 programme will feature more than 300 international cartoonists

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2012

at Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.

Saturday May 5^th, 2012, 9am-5pm

Sunday May 6^th, 2012, 11am-5pm

FREE ADMISSION

 WWW.TORONTOCOMICS.COM

TORONTO— The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is back for another triumphant year on the first weekend in May,  returning to the Toronto Reference Library & The Appel Salon for its fourth consecutive year. Last year TCAF (as it is affectionately known) welcomed more than 15,000 patrons at its various venues and events around Toronto during the festival weekend, and 2012 is expected to be TCAF’s biggest and best edition yet. Over 300 international cartoonists are on the schedule, representing more than a dozen countries, confirming TCAF as the preeminent celebration of comics and graphic novels in Canada, and one of the most celebrated literary comics events in the world.

Here's a link to last year's TCAF with some great photography:

http://www.squidfaceandthemeddler.com/art-illustration/tcaf-2011/

SEE YOU ALL THERE!

Prom Pumpkin Present

Prom Pumpkin Present  (Death Series). 2012. Ink pen, marker and pencil crayon on paper. 8.5" x 11". © 2012 Ken Turner.

Henry Sketches

Henry Sketches (Henry: The Heart Boy Series). 2012. Ink pen on paper. 6" x 10". © 2012 Ken Turner.

Tim Burton's Dark Shadows - Willie Loomis

Tim Burton's Dark Shadows - Willie Loomis (Pop Culture Series). 2012. Ink, ink pen and water colour on water colour paper. 6" x 10". © 2012 Ken Turner.