Guys With Pencils

This week we chat with Damian Sommer. If you've been to a Game Jam in Toronto in the past little while you have probably heard of Mr. Sommer. He has currently finished working on his latest co creation with Emily Carroll titled, The Yawhg! Have you ever wondered how someone gets in to the gaming community?  What's the process one takes to get to know the people who make really cool games?  Have a listen as we chat with Damian's personal journey as he went from political science student to indie gamer guru.Follow Damian on his TWITTER 

That's Rachel Wolfe! She's a character designer and vis. development artist currently working in mobile gaming and lives in the States. We found Rachel's work by accident and we really liked her stuff! She has some amazing bird sketches that will put your bird drawing skills to shame. Have a listen as we hear her tale of going to school then having to leave after one year! This is a tale for those who are finding art school to be a bit much when it comes to financing. Rachel's story has some great points on things you can do to help continue on your path to becoming a professional artist in the industry. Check out her Daily Bird site HERE and follow her on Twitter HERE!

After losing an episode to the ravages of technology and whiskey, the boys talk about taking breaks and how easy it is to be up to your neck in work after taking one.

Steve Stark has returned to Guys With PEncils! And this time, He made a full length animated feature!! CRAZY! Steve did this out of his home in Toronto! What a crazy guy. But if you think that's crazy then get ready for this..... The movie he made is an official JAY AND SILENT BOB movie! From the universe that brought you CLERKS, MALLRATS, CHASING AMY, DOGMA, JAY & BOB: STRIKE BACK, and CLERKS II and now an anmated feature featuring the two lovelable stoners. JAY AND SILENT BOB'S SUPER GROOVY CARTOON MOVIE!Have a listen as we probe Steve ( in more ways than one *wink wink*) about how he was able to make this feature film a reality!CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE!  

This week we talk about a really wonderful comic that came our way. We found it through tumblr and it's been a really nice gesture that someone has made for us. But not only that, we have an amazing episode filled with ups and downs of emotional termoil! From plane crashes to recaps of our panels during TCAF 2013, it's a wild one! hope you all enjoy this week!Dont forget to check out the awesome comic we mentioned above! 

It's Podcast Time with our special guest ANDY RISTAINO! He's currently working on the ever so popular television smash hit ADVENTURE TIME! Have you ever wondered what it's like to work on Adventure Time? What's the process like? How do they write their scripts? What's it like to design on that show? Well you're in luck because we ask Andy all these questions and many more!Check out Andy's awesome site along with his newly funded Kickstarter comic, Night Of The Living Vidiots! 

This week we are joined with Lee Ann Dufour. A Toronto Local but a Quebec native. She graduated from Sheridan in 2010 but instead of going to work in the studio system she took a different path. It's a road less traveled with fresh graduates but Lee Ann was able to make it work for her situation. Lee Ann has established herself as an successful and accomplished artist and business woman. Have a listen if you want to know the juicy details on how she was able to make this freelance career work for her.CHECK OUT HER SITE HERE! twitter Facebook PageALSO! Check out some excellent resource books Lee Ann suggests to the Freelance Artist. You can find these links at our Guys With Pencils FACEBOOK PAGE  

This week we sat down with the boys from DRINKBOX STUDIOS to talk about their recent release GUACAMELEE!!! If you haven't heard about this amazing game, shame on you! The only way to redeem yourself is to go buy it now! DO IT NOW! .....Did you buy it? Good. Now you can hear the awesomeness from Steph Goulet (Art Director) Ben Thomas (Animator) Cuxo Quikano (Concept Artist/Animator and Creator of Guacamelee). These guys were kind enough to bring us in to their work space to talk all kinds of awesome things that wound up making this awesome game! Hope you all enjoy!! Warning: Small story spoilers CHECK OUT THEIR SITE HERE! 

Out guest this week is Ryan Creighton of Untold Entertainment. Ryan has been working on his game SPELLIRIUM for over the last 13 years. This is a great episode that covers the side of what it's like of managing a team of artists and what an employer must do when it comes to the hiring and firing of the people who make his content come true.  Ryan provides a look into the world where a lot of new graduates don't often get to see. It's a long process with a lot of factors to take in to consideration when you're dealing with real money and not a school grade.Check out more Spellirium HERE!And you can also follow Ryan on his TWITTER 

Robin Joseph is a freelance artist who was one of the graduates from Sheridan's diploma program before it turned over into a four year degree program. Since the mid 00's he has been working as a designer one a variety of projects for major motion picture studios. Have a listen to Robin's soft soothing voice as he recalls the trails and tribulations he faced when he just started out working in this competitive business.Check out Robin's Site HERE 

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Frank Macchia is currently animating down in LA. How does a Canadian make their way from the Great White North all the way down to Hollywood to make some of that sweet, sweet cartoon money? Well look no further my friends, Frank is here to tell us his story about the trials he faced getting to work down in the States. Lots to learn from Frank's story and he's also a fantastic artist and animator! Check out his work HERE!!!ALSO!!If you're a fan for the art of COLIN JACK, then check out the new book series he's currently working on, GALAXY ZACK!PLACE YOUR ORDER HERE TO GET YOUR COPIES! Watch Next EstroGen HERE!

So this week we are trying something a little different. We're joined with Troy and Ryan from DARC PRODUCTIONS. They both work on a variety of projects that involve everything from post audio services to custom sound designs. Not only do they offer their services with audio ambiance but Both Tony and Ryan are working on a documentary about the global phenomenon of Game Jamming! Have a listen as they talk about the endless amount of hours they have put in to developing this project! And to find out more information about DARC, head on over to their website! *NOTE: Andrew drops some Les Miserables spoilers in this ep*

Steve Lambe is our guest this week. A designer from the East Coast of Canada, Steve has been working for the past years in the animation business. Originally started studying to be a teacher, Steve changed his path and has never looked back. Working on such shows El Tigre, Fanboy & Chum-Chum and currently he is boarding on Craig McCracken's new animated series, Wonder Over Yonder. Check out his awesome Blog and Tumblr and enjoy the episode! 

This week we chat with the lovely, adorable couple, Lindsay & Alex Small-Butera. They are the creators of the sensational animated series, BAMAN/PIDERMAN! We get to have a lovely talk about what it's like making content for the internet. Check out their shorts HERE if you haven't already heard about the show. Alex and Lindsay are probably two of the nicest people we've ever come across in this business. It's really wonderful to talk about creative content with such down earth people. Have a listen as we dive in to a ton of laughs and good times with these two!Alex's TwitterLindsay's Twitter 

How do you get your work out there? Well there's the internet obviously. But which is the best way to go about showcasing your talents? You have; Twitter, Deviant Art, Facebook, Blogger, Tumblr, the list goes on. But what are the pros and cons between these sites? Well that's what we talk about this episode. Have a listen as the Boys try to figure things out!Thanks crypticink for the show idea! 

Lisa Bell is a good friend of ours who we have seen time and time again at all the local conventions. She is the creator and owner of Nerdbiskit, plush and print treats for geeks! We have Lisa on as our guest this week because she is a super talented lady who has been able to create her own business. Have you ever sat around saying to yourself, "Gee, I wish I could have my own business. How do people do it?" Well look no further because we're going to prey these secrets out of Lisa's head and in to your ears for your learning and listening pleasure!Follow Lisa on Twitter  

WHOA! We reached 100 episodes? This is crazy! Crazy good that is! So for this very special episode, we've had the tables turned on us. Instead of interviewing a guest or just talking amongst ourselves. We've invited some of our previous guests and mentors to a sit down dinner where they get to be the hosts of the episode and interviews the Guys With Pencils.Special Thanks to our Guest hosts: Mark Mayerson, Paul Teolis, Scott Caple and Jim Caswell (AKA The Guys With Glasses) Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for listening and sticking with us! We have the best audience that we could ever hope for!  

This week we're chatting with Scott C! Scott is a painter/comic artist/illustrator/Kid's book illustrator and art director for video games. He's worked for LucasArts and Double Fine Productions on such titles as PSYCHONAUTS and BRUTAL LEGEND. Not only is Scott an inredible force of talent with his professional work he is also the creator of the wildly successful series "GREAT SHOWDOWNS". Have a listen as we dive in to the thought process and delightful style of Scott C!!!!!  Check out Scott's Website HERE! Scott's Twitter

WARNING: THIS EPISODE HAS BEEN DEEMED TO BE HIGHLY AWESOME & CAN RESULT IN INCREDIBLE RESULTS IF USED CORRECTLY This week we are joined with Cartoonist extraordinaire, Stephen Silver!Recently Stephen has posted a series of videos where he talks about the importance of protecting the rights of an artist. We followed up with Stephen to go more in depth about the issues that affect artists all over the world. Specifically when it comes to being exploited by clients from hell. If you have ever been contacted to work for someone providing your art, this is a very important episode to listen too. There's great advice Stephen has to offer and it will help you to learn about  your rights as an artist.  Stephen's TwitterStephen's Facebook 

A few months ago, four friends with experience making games got together to talk about the mediumin depth, then made a podcast about it. We then put the fate of the podcast in your hands, if you liked it we would make more and if not we would end it after the first one. We are happy to say you liked us so we are happy to give you the second episodeand this time we have a name! This month on Team 4x we talk about Stealth Bastard, what makes a stealthy game stealthy and rant about Far Cry 3! This episode was recorded in December but more are on the way, so expect a siteand a separate Itunes feed soon!Talk to us at,Henry Faber - @henryfaberMiguel Sternberg - @spookysquidAlex Bethke - @MrAlexBethkeAdam Hines - @guyswithpencils