Smashbits #10: Minecraft Ep 2 (Mature Warning) Released Animation

 (I believe they put awkward intro-ads in these episodes, so please skip past that, I'm pretty sure everything that sponsors them contains viruses) 

So as I had previously warned, I've been assisting on more of these needlessly offensive Minecraft cartoons.  What's interesting about these new episodes, though, is that I am working in even more of a studio capacity than usual!  For episode one, I did all the art and animation, while writing and audio was left to Dexter Manning and some mysterious other folks I'm not usually put in contact with.   From episode two on, I'm collaborating with several other animators!

I am the Art Director for this webseries!  Sort of a weird title for what I do, because I didn't realize I was directing at first.   I started working on this episode in January, probably before I was even done working on the Smosh video.  I was introduced online to another Smashbits animator, Seth Whitehurst, and I assumed we would just do our own scenes separately.  Instead, we realized that he prefers to do body-rigging animation (which I didn't know how to do for episode 1) and I prefer to do frame-by-frame face animation, so we concluded that I would direct most of the shots and draw most of the backgrounds (I take over when the robber girl shows up), all the character designs (except some monsters, but I also did a bunch of props) and then do all the faces.  Unfortunately, the deadline came up faster than we could animate, so Chris Durgin took over for me--  my faces end when they start talking to Ellegaard in front of the brick wall.  I have also heard through the Tumblr tag grapevine that a woman named Kat helped on this episode as well, so perhaps she filled in for Chris Durgin?  

From what I hear, Kat is the art director of the episodes I haven't been involved in, which so far are episodes 3 and 4, which I will try to post tonight as well.  They still give me a credit as art director on those episodes because the style originated from me, which feels nice!  While those episodes were being released, I've been wrapping up the 5th episode, which will most likely be the final one I'm involved with.   It has not been released yet, but should be soon, so get ready!  Today, they have me starting another series, which will begin with an 11-minute cartoon entirely animated by me!  It's based on a game called Hello Neighbor.

I don't have convenient animatic files for the new MCSM episodes I've contributed to, so next week I'll compile a gallery for my patrons, with all the backgrounds, character designs and other such art I've produced for this series.  Thank you all so much for supporting me over the years!  I feel like I've made a lot of progress since I got into freelancing and I'm so grateful for your help.   Have a happy Easter and I hope spring's treating you all well.