Featured Artist : BeeJay Hawn

BeeJay Hawn is a Kansas City local gal with a long history hand drawing caricatures at our very own Worlds of Fun and provided fast paced caricatures at over 500 events in the midwest through her company Oodles of Doodles.

BeeJay has competed in the 2007 NCN minicon, the 2007, 2009, & 2010 ISCA conventions, and the 2008-2011 Cripple Con competitions.
She was awarded the 2009 Cripple Con first place in the theme catagory, then took home the 2nd place Certificate in the Sick & Twisted humour catagory and 3rd place Certificate in the theme catagory at the 2011 Cripple Con competition. She came in the top 11 in the 2009 ISCA speed competition. At the 2010 ISCA competition she came back and worked even harder to come in top 8 in the speed competition and also was awarded 2nd place for Outstanding 3D technique for her caricature cut out shadow boxes.

In March 2010, BeeJay was sketching her daughters for the umpteenth time when she struck upon some character designs that she said, "looked as if it could just get up and walk off the paper.." In the coming weekend, BeeJay said that she was watching TV while doing some household chores and she looked down to see a snake in her living room. "It was as if he was just watching cartoons along with me.." but no, he had to go and no longer was he out the door then another snake popped up under the couch and another through the back door. She put them out and immediately her cat, Sausage, jumped through the window with another in its mouth. As is heard often around her house, she laughed and told the kids, "..and draw it!" Then the idea struck her that some people can take pictures, some scrapbook, and she could make a comic strip. Since March 2010, BeeJay has put out a regular comic showing her sarcastic views on the complex life of a caricature artist.

She wears clean socks every day, love BLTs, and perform Broadway musicals in her shower for standing room only audiences. BeeJay's hobbies include growling at her Chipotles, stealing paint chips from the hardware store, and quoting movies with voices as they play (to the detriment of her friends).
Until the rise of the zombies, she can be found sketching away at her drawing board with her 2 beautiful daughters, Amanda and Truly at her side.

She is available to draw caricatures for either gifts or live at your next event!
You can find more of Beejay on the web at http://beejayhawn.com/ and see more Hobo Stew on her facebook page http://facebook.com/beejay.hawn

BEAT THE HEAT IN THE RIVER MARKET

Contact:
Janet Simpson, Executive Director
The Kansas City Artists Coalition
201 Wyandotte Kansas City, MO 64105
816.421.5222

ARTISTS COALITION: NEWS

© July 21, 2011 Kansas City Artists Coalition
kcacnews@kansascityartistscoalition.org

:BEAT THE HEAT IN THE RIVER MARKET

The Artists Coalition will be open this weekend from 11am to 5 pm as usual, so be sure to stop by the much talked about River Market Regional Exhibition.

While you are out and about though, why not make a day of it here in the Market, and check out some of the other events happening in the area!

-Stop by the Farmers Market between 6am and 3pm for fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, baked goods, flowers and more. Stop by early to ensure you get what you want! For more information and helpful hints, go to http://www.thecitymarket.org/.

-Then take some time to cool off for lunch in one of the many restaurants located in the Market. From Bar-B-Q to Mediterranean, the options are endless. Members don't forget to take advantage of your Bo-Lings discount with your membership card!

-After lunch, get a little indoor exercise and stroll through the River Market Antique Mall just a few blocks from the Coalition. They have some of the best deals around, not to mention some of the best treasures as well. With over 100 dealers and 4 floors, how can you not find something to feast your eyes on! For more information visit their website at http://www.rivermarketantiquemall.com/.

-Afterward take a peek at the raging Missouri River while you are down here. She sure is full up to her banks this summer.

It is hot out there, but there are lots of things to do here in the River Market that will keep you cool! Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing you here on Saturday for our current show.

Six Short Films Nominated for the Cartoon d'Or 2011

Press Release from CARTOON

Six short films from Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland and United Kingdom will compete for the Cartoon d'Or 2011, the award for the best European animation short film.

The jury composed of directors and producers Stéphane Bernasconi (France), Tony Loeser (Germany) and Victor Maldonado (Spain) have selected the finalists among a shortlist of 30 films award-winners at the major European animation festivals.

The nominees are:

- "Mobile" by Verena Fels (Germany, 2010, 6'25''. Prod: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg)

- "Paths of Hate" by Damian Nenow (Poland, 2010, 10'. Prod: Platige Image)

- "Pivot" by André Bergs (Netherlands, 2009, 5'. Prod: Il Luster Productions)

- "The External World" by David O'Reilly (Ireland / Germany, 2010, 17'. Prod: David OReilly Animation / DETAiLFILM)

- "The Gruffalo" by Jakob Schuh & Max Lang (UK, 2009, 27'. Prod: Magic Light Pictures in association with Studio Soi)

- "The Little Boy and the Beast" by Johannes Weiland & Uwe Heidschötter (Germany, 2009, 6'30''. Prod: Studio Soi)

The winner will be announced on Thursday 15 September 2011 in Sopot (Poland) during Cartoon Forum Polska, the platform aimed to boost the co-production and distribution of European animation for television. The directors of each nominated short will present his film to an auditorium of key players in European animation, providing them an opportunity to strengthen their ties with the industry. The winner will receive a trophy together with a financial aid of 10,000 EUR, thanks to the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

The Cartoon d'Or was created in 1991 by CARTOON in order to promote the talents of European animation and to act as a pipeline between short film makers and the industry. Previous winners include Nick Park, Sylvain Chomet, Mark Baker, Michael Dudok de Wit and Jacques-Rémy Girerd.

About CARTOON FORUM
Created in 1990 to boost the co-production and distribution of European animation for television and new media platforms, Cartoon Forum has helped 450 animation series obtain financing to the tune of over 1.5 billion EUR. For three days each year, European producers have the opportunity to pitch their animation project in front of all decision-makers, buyers and investors in order to speed up financing and find cross-border partners.

Cartoon Forum Polska is organised by CARTOON with the support of MEDIA - a Programme of the European Union, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, the Polish Film Institute (PISF) and the City of Sopot, in collaboration with Studio Miniatur Filmowych (SMF). Cartoon Forum Polska is one of the events under the patronage of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council.

About CARTOON
CARTOON is an international non-profit association based in Brussels that organises Cartoon Forum, together with Cartoon Movie, a co-production forum for feature-length animation, Cartoon Master training seminars and Cartoon Connection, a new programme intended to explore ways of reinforcing cooperation between EU and non EU animation professionals.

Autodesk Education and Training Events at SIGGRAPH 2011

Press Release from Autodesk

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., July 13, 2011 -- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, announced that the company will offer tailored programs and host special events for students and teachers during SIGGRAPH 2011, which occurs August 7, 2011 to August 11, 2011 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. At these events attendees will be able to access the latest information about Autodesk's products and programs, gain fresh insights from industry experts, and network with like-minded students, professionals and industry leaders. During SIGGRAPH, selected presentations and interviews will be streamed live from the Autodesk booth (#429), together with free Autodesk Master Classes available through the AREA community.

Autodesk Student Experience
On Sunday, August 7, 2011 at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, Autodesk will host an exclusive event for students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, with the support of Dell and NVIDIA, with a reception to follow. The Autodesk Student Experience is a series of targeted workshops and presentations designed to improve student skill sets through use of Autodesk 3D animation tools, including Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Softimage software. Students can benefit from a day of classes and one-on-one feedback sessions with Autodesk technology experts while engaging in presentations and seminars led by industry experts, including Duncan Brinsmead, principal scientist at Autodesk, and Carlos Baena of Animation Mentor. Autodesk software will also be running on Dell Precision workstations, equipped with the latest NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics.

Get a complete schedule of the day's events and registration information.

Autodesk Education Summit
Autodesk's annual SIGGRAPH Education Summit, supported by HP and AMD, will take place on Monday, August 8, 2011at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., PST, followed by a cocktail reception. Education professionals will have the opportunity to network with one another, connect with Autodesk executives, discuss industry trends and best practices, and learn more about Autodesk tools and programming. Register.

Autodesk Digital STEAM Workshops for Secondary Education
On Monday, August 8, 2011 at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel from 11:00 am to 12:30 p.m. Autodesk will be hosting an information session about the new Digital STEAM Workshop, offering teachers the opportunity to experience a project-based learning program. Designed for high-school students, the program explores the study of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, through real-time 3D games and easy-to-follow videos guided by industry professionals. Get more information or register.

Professional Education Opportunities at SIGGRAPH
In addition to programs for students and educators, Autodesk will run several programs for professionals throughout the week of SIGGRAPH 2011. During show hours, Autodesk and AMD will be offering training sessions on Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Softimage software in the AMD booth (#631). In addition to on-site training, the following free Autodesk MasterClasses will be available online beginning August 9, 2011:
• Using 3ds Max in the Realm of Visual Effects, by Joe Gunn
• Rigging and Animation Workflows Using HumanIK and Face Robot, by Jean-Marc Belloncik
• Next-gen 3D Head Creation Techniques, by Laurent M. Abecassis
• Live Animation Binding, by Mark Jackson
These master classes will be exclusively available on AREA. Get more information or register.