Stephen's Graphic Novel.

Hi all,

So just thought I'd post a link to my website where you can now buy some framed pages from Stephen's graphic novel. All prices include shipping within the USA.

Just click "LOLA'S STORE". And all proceeds go will towards Lola's bill.

And there's an update to our eBay auctions... because we're newbies to eBay, they've limited the amount we can post. So what we have up there is all we can put up for this month.

We do have some more choice Venture Bros merchandise and artwork so please keep checking back and I'll let you know when we can upload some more items.

Thanks so much, everyone.

x Shivers

UNBELIEVABLE VENTURE BROS ART FOR SALE!

From "storyboard guru", Stephen DeStefano's private collection comes one hell of a sequence!

This is a rare, one of a kind, storyboard sequence from season 3, The "ORB" where Brock visits Hunter Gathers, who is working as an exotic dancer after his sex change.

Stephen bumped up this sequence with 34 original Post-it drawings.

It's sexy hot, don't ya think?! Man, I just love Hunter :D

Anyway, its up now on eBay, please take a look and place a bid if you can. All funds will go towards our Lola's vet bills which are getting higher and higher by the day.

So, many many thanks if you can bid. x

That is all!

x Shivers

MORE VENTURE STORYBOARDS FOR SALE!

To continue our benefit for Lola, our kitty cat, we're offering up more Venture Bros storyboard pages from our collection (see preview above).

In this season 3 sequence, Dean Venture is being seduced by the Quymn twins while Dr Quymn seduces Dr Venture.

A total of 9, 11 x 8.5in xeroxed storyboard pages and 29 ORIGINAL, beautifully drawn Post-it notes by "storyboard guru", Stephen DeStefano!!

Link to auction can be found here!

Please bid and know that your money is going to help our Lola recover.

That is all!

x Shivers

LUCKY IN LOVE

Well, here it is folks... the hubby's new book, LUCKY IN LOVE.

And for anyone who would like to meet Stephen and George Chiffet, they'll both be at Stephen's retrospective 'Black/White' on Thursday, September 16 at 7pm, mdh Fine Arts Gallery.

Details on the flyer below.

Hope to see you there!

x Shivers

Venture Bros Season Finale

Well, its that time of year again, folks. The end of another season of Venture Bros and possibly the end of an entire show. I do hope not but that's up to the big guys, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm usually busy in the revision department but for some reason, known only God... and Jackson Publick... oh and our producer Rachel Simon and possibly the cleaning lady, I've been asked to help finish the storyboard for the season finale. Luckily I won't be storyboarding from scratch but rather storyboarding from Mr. Publick's thumbnail drawings. This is a huge bonus, let me tell you. And even so, I'll have to brush up on my storyboarding skills because as much as I adore these characters, they can be a bitch to draw sometimes.

So onto the reason for this blog. Well, it's to thank GOD, for our season 3 storyboard guru, Mr Stephen DeStefano. He left us with some beautiful characterizations to work from and not only did I use them religiously throughout season 4.2 but I shall also be relying heavily on them for the coming weeks.

As nothing like this previously existed, I pieced these together from the storyboards of season 3 and 4.1 episodes that Stephen worked on to help us in the revision department for 4.2. This is also my first draft of the character sheets and each have grown considerably since.

Now I know that every artist who has worked on this show brings life to these characters in their own special way and that is very much appreciated by all of us, believe me.

And I also know that these specific pages that I'm posting here are not the be all and end all of Venture Bros characterization but there is just something about them that I really adore.

And I also know that I'm married to the man but God dammit stop judging me and just take a look at 'em!

Jeeze!

(I especially love the Billy and Treister expression sheets).

That is all!

x Shivers

I GOT MARRIED!!!!

One of my favourite photos from the night.
Taken by Miguel-Martinez-Joffre.
And incredibly creepy when you look closely at it!

Lt to Rt: Me, Stephen DeStefano, the very Rev. Jackson Publick (who kindly agreed to marry us).
Thomas Bayne and, as always, the uber creepy Peedee Shindell.
LOVE YOU GUYS!!

That is all!
x Shivers (DeStefano)

World Leaders, Chili-Makin' & Chili-Eatin' Contest.

The CHILI-MAKIN' CONTEST

So towards the end of season 3, Venture Bros production manager, Peedee Shindell and Venture Bros editor, Tom Bayne decided it would be a good idea if the studio had a chili-making contest. The story of how this all came about is a long one, which was formed with untruths and challenges to ones manhood, and shall remain within the walls of World Leaders... to be honest, I just can't be arsed telling it!

Anyway, I must say that the whole studio took this competition very seriously.
There was secrecy, dirty tactics, name calling and hurt feelings for the 2 or 3 weeks run up to the competition. Spies were everywhere, resulting in fights breaking out in the W.L. kitchen.
Tensions were running high. So much so, that the night before the competition, there was a serious altercation between two different teams (who shall remain nameless), in Wholefoods supermarket... ahhhh, it was wonderful to see us all getting along so well.

So anyway, the chili had to be made at home and brought to the studio the next day to be re-heated and judged by a panel of chili experts. No cheese was allowed; it was strictly chili tasting only. Cheese was only added after the competition was over.


The Contestants
Standing left to right: Mike Foran, Rachel Simon, Alex Kwan, Carly Monardo, Lauren Monardo, Tom Bayne, Justin Offner, team Liz Artinian & Jackson Publick, Alexandra Andrew, Nick DeMayo.
And posing down in front... the uber sexy, Mr. Peedee Shindell.

First off...

The Re-Heat

Yuuuummmmmmmmm.....

The Judging

And Judges

Left to right: Head Chili Judge, Stephen DeStefano (one of the reasons we had the competition), Jennifer Batinich, Peedee Shindell (one of the organisers/competitors and NOT a judge so shouldn't even be there but I think he's explaining to all how the voting system works), Charlie Miller (President of W.L.), Joe Croson, Ben Stein.

The Wait

Which, now that I see this photo, was also the day we got our crew jackets, courtesy of Jackson Publick. Worn here so fetchingly by Tom Bayne.


While we wait for the votes to be tallied, a heated discussion about cheese...




And the Winner is...
(well, joint winners)

Team Liz Artinian & Jackson Publick (honest to God, it wasn't a fix at all) and Alex Andrews.
Funny thing was, they both used the same online recipe, which used dark chocolate, and yet they both tasted so different.


************************************************************************

The CHILI-EATIN' CONTEST

So to the Chili-Eating contest (oh God, it still makes my stomach turn to think of it), which was a last minute decision undertaken by two of the studio's finest gormandizers, Danny Hynes and Joe Cappabianca.

The Preparation

From left-over chili, scooped so lovingly into paper cups by Alex Andrews and Peedee Shindell.

The Competitors

Danny Hynes and Joe Cappabianca.

The Chili

Ugggggggh!!!!

Let's get ready to rumble...

And we're off...

I love the look on Danny's face here... it says it all.

Both men had very different styles. Danny just went for it, refusing to even stop and taste the chili. Whereas Joe had a much more relaxed approach, as seen here, and was pacing himself much better. Which didn't mean to say he was necessarily enjoying it.

The crowd looks on with baited breath and upset stomachs.

2 hours later...

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Joe Cappabianca ladies & gents.
And the poor runner up, threw it all back up, right after the bell went.

That is all!
x Shivers

The Invisible Hand of Fate

Well, now that this season of Venture Bros is well under way and especially since "The Invisible Hand of Fate" has already aired, I can now post some work that I've done on the show.

Even though this wasn't the first episode to be aired, this was the first episode to be written and storyboarded. Reasons being, you'll find on Mr Jackson Publick's blog.

Anyway, it is unusual for us not to have some sort of problem with our first episode of the season, especially if we're working with a new storyboard artist. The problem with this episode is that time ran out for this storyboard artist so as great as the rest of his work was we were left with an unfinished board. This is where I had to step in and brush off my own artistic cobwebs and complete the final sequence.

I have to say I wasn't looking forward to it too much as there was more than a few perspective shots to work out, some with camera moves and some without but I had a lot of fun doing it and was happy with the end result.

Storyboard Guru, Stephen DeStefano also added some beautiful expressions to Billy and Professor Fantomas and are marked with a red asterisk where relevant.

Oh and yellow post-its are from the direction team, who get the storyboard after I'm done with it. They add any extra poses that they feel are needed for acting purposes.

Hope you like them!

That is all.
x Shivers

Jackson Publick Storyboard Notes

Just thought I'd post a set of
Jackson 'the hardest working man in animation' Publick
revision notes.

My job on The Venture Bros is to supervise an in-house storyboard revision team*.
We get the storyboard. We make notes**.

During this time we're allocated 2 weeks to complete revisions for each episode.
Act 1, the first week and act 2, the second.
Notes for an episode can be extremely heavy and tough on the revision team so we, more often than not, will spill over onto the following week.
This actual information we desperately try to keep from our lovely producer, Rachel Simon. Alas, we usually fail and she eventually busts my imaginary and Jackson Publick's actual set of balls when she finds out.

Moving swiftly on... at the end of each week I have to conform the revised act to a final animatic provided by our genius editor, Mr Tom Bayne AKA T-Bone.
What this really means that I have to watch the animatic closely and make final revisions from any last minute Jackson Publick notes.
I also have to listen closely to the dialogue track and paste dialogue and include direction notes to match the picture.
I then print off a copy of the storyboard so as to write in scene numbers, panel numbers and to make sure the final storyboard is clearly labeled when there's a cut or hook up (H.U.) between each scene.

Still with me? Good.

All in all it can be a pain in the ass but I truly love it and wouldn't change my job for the world.

So anyway, this is one of Mr Publick's notes from the season opener and is one of many, many notes that I get during the course of a season.

And I don't think this one has aired yet but this was my favourite note of season 3 from Mr Publick. And not because of the front side of the storyboard page...

but because of the back, where he sometimes doodles. This one is particularly cool, methinks!

BROCK F***ING SAMSON indeed!

That is all.
x Shivers

*The talented revision team for season 3 was Jon Roscetti,
Danny Hynes, (who's now a character designer on season 4) Rick Lacy, who left us half way through season 3 and was replaced by Lauren Monardo.

**By 'We' here, I really mean its mainly Jackson Publick who makes changes and provides us with notes. During those two weeks I'll spot other technical problems and draw extra panels, whilst also adding all of the amazing panels that our storyboard guru, Stephen DeStefano kindly provides. It can get especially tasking when conforming at the end of each week.