New Plushy Show: Spooky Eddie

A quick little Happy Halloween video from Eddie and Shark. If you saw last Halloween's Eddie Eel plushy show, you'll get this one better.

I have personally been rather busy and rather depressed myself. So I can't really go into Eddie's personality cause I don't have much to be happy about. STILL I have been drawing and working on lots of other art projects on my Tumblr and Deviantart Accounts. Still I do plan to do something for Xmas, if not the new year, just for kicks. (we'll see)

The characters Eddie, Shark, and Jenny are MY original characters you can read more about on my DA page, Tumblr or my Blog.
http://anniemae04.deviantart.com
http://anniemae04.tumblr.com
http://dontpokesmot.blogspot.com
Please Buy Stickers and commission me!! Note or comment and I'll send you the paypal address.
I am on Google+ but I don't know how to link to it.

Song Credits:
Doctor Daze - Synthesizers Unlimited - Electric Bazaar
Dramatic Link (b) - Ren and Stimpy soundtrack

The plushies I used where Morrie Eel and Crush the Shark from Ty. The one doll at the end was a custom plush made from a great friend of mine.

Eddie Eel Plushy Show: Halloween Special

This was a totally last minuet idea. It's shorter cause I did NOT recording the music at the same time as I'm recording the action. This is good cause I can adjust the sound better and the videos are shorter but I found the music sets the pace for the whole video while I ad lib it. I also didn't want to have music recording in the background because I was having such a hard time getting the right takes. I couldn't focus on anything and the family was being to loud, there were only two good takes I could use, and in this video I cropped and cut out certain parts and audio from each of them to make this vid (I saved some of them so I think I'll make a blooper reel for kicks).

Anyway, I really liked how this came out, but I think I'll have to start righting out what I need to say. Sharks speech about Halloween costumes came out better when I wrote it down, as well as Eddie's candy advice. Every one I do gets better, keep giving me feedback.

Annie's Top 10 Albums to Inspire Art.

So I need to get something else posted in April. It's been a busy month for us all. Hopefully it'll chill out later, BUT I wanted to give you something that's a little different on the other blog posts, but nothing you're not familiar with. I'm going to list out Albums that have inspired me to draw from track 1 all the way to the end. Most of the time there are albums that give us one good song and the rest are a waist, but here is a list of albums worth more then a full 20$ ...

So lets start from Number 1 and go to 10, cause you'll look at them all, there is no point for you to wait for it.

#1: Mink Car by They Might Be Giants
This album was the 1st time I found myself blown away by current music. For years I was listening to things my parents liked and suffering through the Limp Biscuit and N'Sync crap that was all over the radio. This album opened my mind and within moments I was drawing (think I feel asleep listening to it). The humorous lyrics and fast paced techno sound of "Man It's So Loud in Here" just filled me with joy.


This album hit the market on September 11th and watching the way Conan O'Brain announces the band, you can tell the album wasn't going to make top charts. I make this my number 1 for that reason. I only had heard of TMBG prior to this through Tiny Toons MTV parody episodes where they make music vids to "Istanbul" and "Particle Man". I had no idea they were a real band, so hearing new music from them was really awesome. I could say that this isn't the band's best album but every song on it paints a picture and it has to be one of their best, if it isn't their most ignored.

#2: Very Greasy, David Lindley & El Rayo-X

This might not inspire the rest of you to think of the crazy things I did as a child but I keep coming back to it cause each track is so catchy it's hard not to think of Werewolves playing guitars with their tongues...yah that's what was going on in my head. I had a hard time picking my number 2, but I figured I'd do with the album that inspired the creation of my character Toby. I remember that each song had a little story in my head to go with it. The "Texas Tango" still reminds me of the mexican song from the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (the good one from the 80s). If it doesn't get you to draw, it'll certainly get you to dance in a silly way.

#3: Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles

If I had to pick my favorite Beatles album, this would be it, BUT cause I have not really studied each other as much as I have this one, my opinion could change. I always have liked the Beatles, when I picked up the album 1. This choice how ever, is a more modern choice because only recently have I become a full fledged Beatles fan (meaning I've moved away from just liking Yellow Submarine, to knowing all the names of the albums, what they were about and who sang and wrote what song, ect...I'm still learning though...I know more about TMBG then the Beatles). Now I believe that this album could be turned into a full on movie, which it already is a movie, but let me explain. From start to finish each song can relate to one another, and tell a story in a very surreal way (the Beatles way). If not a movie, then I do plan to create a masterpiece of artwork about each song separately, and when they all come together creates one big image.
Regardless, I feel out of all of the albums I've listened to, it has the most unity, all the while with each song being so unique to it's self. The earlier albums were the 60 crew cut sound and they all sang about "lovin' you". The later experimental albums like the White Album are good, but it sounds like the music was made by 4 different guys. This album was one of those experimental albums but it has a golden sound different from the others, and I feel like most people can get a lot out of the listening experience of it.

#4: Perennial Favorites, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Didn't think I would have this so high on the list, but it is the album to get me into retro cartoons. Discovered during my years at Brooks, this album really gets me to think about pacing and timing of animation with music. Just about all if not some of my Rokko ideas come from this album and many of the other SNZ albums they have. I feel that out of all of the Swing Revival Bands of the 90s, this band has the most soul...or lack of soul because to get so much deep swing you have to sell your soul to the devil, and with their top single called "Hell" I believe these guys are the swinging-est of sinners.

#5: The Essential Perrey & Kingsley

I've actually talked about these guys before on a previous blog about music for Eddie Eel's show. So it's no surprise that I would bring this up here too. And while you can say any old Moog music would be good for Eddie, these guys where the first. I spent money to get a CD copy of it, it's that good. XD

#6: The Hazards of Love, The Decemberists

I would say that "Picaresque" was their best, but "Hazards of Love" has to be their most artistic. The whole album tells the story of a girl falling in love with a fawn boy who is the son of the Forest Queen . She hates the girl and allows an evil "rake" to steal her away from her son, but he goes to rescue her, and they drown in a river together to spite the Forest Queen, and be married together in death. You HAVE to listen to this album from start to finish to get the whole story, and the lyrics are so poetic, the music and themes are so haunting. It should be higher on the list, but it really only paints the ONE story. You can take each song as their own story, but some of them are less then a minute long and cause so many themes repeat to doesn't give much to imagination. STILL, the signers voices and the story they tell just inspires you to make your own mental movie.

#7: Six Demon Bag, Man Man

I used one of their songs before on a blog post and I didn't think the rest of the album would catch onto me like it has. It's hard to explain why I feel like this album is so good, but it might be because it sounds so different. There is intentional melody in their madness, and because they're rhythm based band you can set some great walk cycles to them. I would really love to give these guys a break into a theme song for a show or get more recognition. Pick up this and their secod one Rabbit Habbits.

#8: Thunder, Lightning, Strike, The Go! Team

This band is so edgy and it really pumps you up...why didn't we have these guys at our high school rallies? Anyway, if you need some sort of power music to wear your rainbow unicorn t-shirt to while you're pokemon training, these are your guys. They're very 70's sounding, mostly because they take samples from 70's music. Their song "Milk Crisis" was featured on Cartoon Network for a while, and while their second album does have more original scores, it doesn't have the same energy as this one does. This album pumps you up to draw...if not for an action jog.

#9 Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman

When I typed in the phrase "best albums of 2007" in google, somewhere on the internets I came across this guy. Never heard of him before, but I love this album. Now he's low on the list cause I skip over a few songs here and there, but the 1st two tracks on the album are so 70s sounding and epic, you can just imagine the swells of sound and light coming from behind you, much like when Tony signs about Maria in West Side Story. His since of humor is very good to, as he sings about how he's asked to pose as a boyfriend to his lesbian friend's father during dinner. The rest of the tracks have that same level of causal humor, and he sings about them like they're a big deal. Just makes it funnier, and would be corny if it wasn't so romantic sounding.

#10 Contra, Vampire Weekend

Sadly I have to put these guys low on the list cause they really haven't inspired me to draw art but both of their albums are worth listening to from start to finish and this band is definitely going somewhere. I should have more to say cause I really can't get enough of them and even when I'm sick and tired of listening to their music, I put at least one song from each album on and it makes me feel good. But up both.

Well All I can do now is just list 10 more albums that are worth getting (if not torrenting if you can't afford it).
David Byrne - Uh-oh
Mr. Bungle - California
Martin Solveig - So Far
Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah (or wait until Night Work comes out in June)
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion
Reel Big Fish - Why Do They Rock So Hard?
Aquabats- The Fury of ... The Aquabats!
Apollo 100 - Reach For The Sky (Joy)
Franz Ferdinand -(self titled)

Love for the Eel

Ah I was at DisneyLand this weekend and saw the Electrical Parade at California Adventure and Eddie had to make his comments about it (to see the whole parade and more Mock Eddie Plushie clips look on my YouTube account)


Anyway, I'll have more of my art on a blog soon enough but for now check out MORE FANART from other wonderful people. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them all, really I do. I love seeing Ed in different styles. To see some more earlier drawings check out this Blog Post
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This top one was done by a gal named Kelmar2593 (click image to see it on DA). Love the colors in it and looks like a lot of work went into it. This was a gift given out of the blue, the best kind of gifts.
The Human Eddie was done by an artist named Gara and it's a great little interpretation of him as a human (FYI: not the human version I see but I don't care it's still adorable). This was a gift requested by DMajorBoss, thanks a lot to the two of you.

















These two were done by a gal named RougeStar and I paid her to draw him. She liked him so much she drew more then I asked for. She sent me some drawings that aren't featured here that are equally wonderful, and I'll get around to scanning one day cause I love digital copies as well as traditional. Thanks a lot.


















Left one was done by my pal SpookyBurrito. Often he's a reasonable voice to my insane ideas and I trust I get an honest opinion about my ideas without running into fanboy yes men, or negative ninnies.
Right image done by a cool guy Lapin Beau, who drew this nice Eddie pic for me. He's got a nice clean style, and while he wants to be more cartoony, I wouldn't suggest him to get rid of his great anatomy. Thanks a lot for this pic.


















Doctor Bollocks is a fan of Ed who totally gets where I'm going with this guy. Just about every idea I've run by him he loves and understands where I got it. He drew this Eddie for me with the tag of the great Charles Nelson Reilly ~ "Now that I'm on TV who do I have to fuck to get off?
Ihhog is just a good guy who likes to draw little badges for people all over DA and I thank him for this cute little doodle of Ed in his style. Thanks a lot man.

















The left image came from a secret santa art trade thing I did on DA and Runde did a great job with tradtional medium and even added Shark in the mix. Very cute holiday pic and I'm glad it was done. Thanks.
The Right is a another gift request from DMajorBoss, drawn by The Galen. It looks so stylized I love it. Ed doesn't have his long neck or tooth but who cares right? It's just enough to get such lovely art from so many people. Thank you all again.

Eddie Eel and Shark Plushy Comedy Show

I finally got Eddie Eel's Show produced. Check it out here in all it's randomness...


Hehe got ya didn't I? Well it's the best I can do with the materials I have in this economy on such a tight budget. If you like it I can do more.

Gulper Eel Need Design Help.

Help, it's Halloween Month and my main villain isn't even complete yet.

This is Gulper, he is the main antagonist for Eddie Eel. He is from the south...deep south...in the ocean..yeah duh but he does have a thick accent. What I'm having problems here is that I can't seem to find a good design and make him as flexible and fit in with the other characters. While stock characters seem to flow out on the paper for me, Gulper however is stuck in the development stage, villains always seem to want give you a hard time don't they.

The designs at the bottom of this page are close to how I want him but it's not fluid looking enough. A good villain needs a good design and I think when I did these bottom ones I was being to accurate to a real animals forme and forgot how to cartoonify it. Either way I just seem really lost. Love to get some feed back on him.

What works, what doesn't? Should I make him look more like a real gulper eel or should I kiddify him more? Neck too long or not long enough? Head too big or not big enough? What type of "hair" should I give him or does he look better bald? Give me your thoughts.

Just to give you an idea of what type of villain he is I'll give you some youtube vids...think less singing though. I'm not a 5 time award wining muscle genius...odd how it seems that deep southern voiced people need to sing.

Music of Eddie Eel

If there is anything about cartoons that people will associate with 1st, it would have to be music. What is the 1st thing most people will get out of a cartoon show; a theme song or opening sequence. Even back to the 1930s once sound was introduced, the music that would play during each cartoon would set it apart from the others. Bad cartoons of those days would desperately try to emulate what other cartoons were doing, as there were so many Betty Boop or Micky Mouse Knock offs, but we knew who had the truer sound.

While visually a cartoon has to look good, many cartoons can get lost in the cartoon lineup by having a boring go nowhere sound track. While Spongebob suffers from a never ending sound track, where there are hardly a few moments that let your ears rest from the overly used stock music, Spongebob still is unique by implementing sea tunes, pirate themes, Hawaiian melodies and 50's house wife stock music. Mighty B is a beautiful show to look at and a lot of effort to make it move well and look interesting, but it uses the 50's house wife stock music, that's been used in more then three shows. Camp Lazlo used this same music and see where it got it's self (plus I think there is something terribly unpopular about the color scheme Camp L and MightyB use that cause them to just be a blur of cartoon madness to the general public but I'll go into that later...I think America just hates camping.)


Regardless of it's screaming madness and sometimes sloppy visuals, Chowder has a STRONG soundtrack, with a music style I've never heard in modern cartoons before. It was that concept that inspired me to realize that Eddie's show has to have a uniquely sounding soundtrack, regardless of how annoying it might be, it would need to fit well to create a great backdrop for the characters to act around. A while back I took a trip to Disneyland, that inspired me to look into more of their music. I came across a favorite tune, The Main Street Electrical Parade Theme. It's very electrical and happy, only a sound that could be made in the 70s. Through further research I found just WHO made the original theme. It's called the Baroque Hoedown and it was composed by Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley (Perrey-Kingsley). Below are a few samples of their music. They're both alive today and still performing when they can, even over 90 years old. A great dream would be to have Mr. Perrey or Kingsley score a few peices of the show for me but for now I'll enjoy the music they've made so far.