hey NG, its been a long time since I had a nice heart to heart chat with you
(The Following is backstory feel free to skip to the end).
A long time ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Killfrog.com. This was the first flash cartoon website I visited, and to me it was worth the 15 minute loading times (hehehe remember dial up?) to watch those sick twisted and funny toons. What was important was that the site taught me that I could learn how to make these toons too. I loved cartoons, y'know the good cartoon network stuff, looney toons, dexter's lab, PPG, Courage, I ate that stuff up and I always wanted to make a toon of my own.
Next Chapter, Newgrounds. Following one weblink to weblink I eventually stumbled upon Newgrounds (I actually saw it a REALLY long time ago when someone was play Pokemon: the revolution). So I saw Decline, Wogoat's Stuff, 8 bit Dnd, and Legendary frog's, (and of course laughed very very hard). Now more than ever I wanted to get involved in the flash world.
I took a summer camp course in flash whereupon I learned all da basics "Tweening the sphere, etc". After that I had a few not worth mentioning projects (but I did end up meeting NutcaseNightmare on sheezyart) and I finished my first toon. I kept on making some really really crappy doodle-ish things and tried to fix a game I made (I didn't know ANYTHING about coding so it was a mess).
I started to make a video game parody "Elder Scrolls Snore Oblivious (which wasn't actually that bad, I liked that toon a lot) but my The screencaps I planned to use for the BG got messed up, I lost the game, and it was uninstalled so that project died.
Animation just seemed too hard so I just kinda gave up
Then my friends introduced me to Unforgotten realms (the old stuff), and I was laughing and at the same time inspired. Robert Moran's work taught me the fundamental key to making a cartoon is MAKING A CARTOON! I was inspired and ready to go again! I was really digging the trailers for bioshock so I thought I'd use that as a reference tool. Out of a small brainstorming came my first cartoon "Bioshlock" and to be honest after I finally finished that I was wicked proud! I came up with a bunch of other Bioshock gags and riding the high of my earlier success I started production on Bioshlock 2
Biosock then hit the front page (Oh man I was flustered, but apothic is an aight dude). I was worried as all hell that all of my Bioshlock 2 ideas would be stolen so I did the one thing that any animator SHOULD NOT DO! I rushed production. I was disappointed with a lot of the animation but really pleased with making a 10 minute long, really full length cartoon. I remember finally submitting and again being really proud. I checked NG the next day AND YES I GOT THE FRONT PAGE!!!! The same place that all of my flash Idols landed and I WAS THERE!!!!
Right about this Time Rtil was beginning the video game parody hating movement, and I will confess he does have some good points. So I wanted to branch out. This lead to me wanting to start the Kubrick collab (Inspired by Valentine 29) and of course I failed miserably getting it off the ground (I should have recruited catoplebas, I used to be freaked out by his tuff but the guys got some mad skill!). This lead to a bunch of other unreleased projects that I shall now abridge.
Choose your song collab- I really liked the idea of this thing, and I liked how my part came out, shame it fell through.
Metal Gear Collab- Jasper did the art and most of the work for this one (Ok I don't want to seem like a whiner but this should have been in the collab!) Jasper did a crapload of work and mimicked the CD-1 style perfectly.
Attack of the Evil TV Collab- (Finished but only on Deviant art) This was mainly intended to get myself out there more, but Lacey was great to work with and I got to work with some pro quality audio for the first time. This was kinda a remake of my first toon (I liked the gag and wanted to give it a re furbishing).
Bad day collab- more practice Anim, collab never finished
Street fighter Collab- Ok I half assed that one. I did it in two days and to be honest didn't have a place in a collab of that quality
Bioshlock EP- This would have been a lot of work, but the animation was Really good this time.
Madness Cereza- Too ambitious
I managed to get one thing done, the April Fools day collab (A part I rushed in 2 days for my buddeh Nutcase Nightmare)
Inspiration hit me for a toon that eventually turned into a game which is now my current project Bloody Doll Circus Blitzkrieg (With the help of the Super Amazing Niklause Liow (who I subconsciously think I didn't deserve to work with )). Of course this project was being met by very, very strict deadlines (trying to finish it in time for contests was a pain and now I'm revamping it to an extreme degree.
(End Backstory)
I look at the frontpage, at the blog posts, and it always seems to be about the same animators doing the same (great) things. And like a selfish child I bawled to myself "Why am I not part of this loved circle, why am I not one of these acclaimed artists of Newgrounds?" then the answer came to me very easily
"YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING YOU DUMB SH*T!"
"But everything keeps bailing on me and my current project just keeps getting messier and messier!"
"SO WHAT? Nothing worth doing in life ever comes easy!"
"But everyone is so much better then me! How can I compete with them?"
"GET SOME DRAWING LESSONS ALLREADY!!!!"
So sure enough that's what I'm doing :) When it comes down to it I can give up or keep going and making flash cartoons is too much fun to simply let it walk by! Knowing that with each one I'm making someone out there a little happier feels pretty cool. Newgrounds is becoming a stronger artistic community day by day and I'm, going to work my ass off help be a part of that!
Be seeing you (Bitches :p)
-Luke
