Category Archives: Animation

MEGA BAMSE BLOG POST!

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I’m in a Bamse mood today. Believe me when I say I’m not always. As a freelancing artist for Bamse you get SO fed up from time to time. Why am I doing this, you think to yourself. But then you get a blog reply like Tob’s in the last post, and you’re reminded of why you’re in this business. Sometimes, it IS actually worth the effort.

Since christmas time is coming up, here’s my present to all you Bamse fans out there, a MEGA BAMSE BLOG POST!

BAMSE #16: SJÄLV-MÅL eller GLÄDJE-MÅL

Yet another Rune A-script, the follow-up to KICK-NICKE (Bamse #12). Kick-Nicke and Spark-Mark (another former professional football player) compete in training the junior football teams against each other. They are VERY serious about this, to the dismay of Bamse, Skalman and the others.

In spite of having remained in the archives for several years, this script is unfortunately still relevant. Sports get professional too early these days. I heard on the radio about English parents (mostly fathers of course) being a bit too serious about their children’s football, screaming and shouting from the sidelines, calling the referee names and so on. Is it really that important to win? Shouldn’t all children be allowed to participate and play just for fun? Skalman comes up with a plan how to deal with Spark-Mark and Kick-Nicke’s elitism. Classic Rune A material!

spark-mark manus 3 blogPage from Rune’s script.

spark-mark_skiss3 blogMy interpretation.

spark-mark tusch 3 blogKerstin Hamberg’s ink original.

spark-mark publicerad 3 blogFinished page.

BAMSE #17/18: BAMSE och det MAGISKA LJUSET

Most likely, DET MAGISKA LJUSET is the last Mårten Melin script pencilled by me you’ll ever see, since Mårten isn’t working with Bamse any longer. There is more than a little melancholy in this since I think Mårten is THE foremost Bamse script writer to have emerged after Rune. My first Melin script was BAMSE och HUSVAGNSFOLKET, and it was clear from the outset that this scriptwriter was something out of the ordinary. If you like Mårten’s stories, there are plenty of books out there that he wrote. Check them out when you’re up for some REAL literature. And check out Mårten’s blog while you’re at it!

Anyway, DET MAGISKA LJUSET is a comics adaption of an illustrated short story Mårten wrote for BAMSE’s ÄVENTYR. I like the occult elements of this story. Scary stuff. I like scary…

magiska ljuset skiss 4 blogSorry for the crappy quality of the sketches. I had no scanner at hand so I had to do with the iPhone and “natural lamp light”.

magiska ljuset renritad 4 blogCleaned up sketch of page 4.

magiska ljuset publicerad 4 blogFinished page. Ink by Kerstin Hamberg.

BO MICHANEK 50

Bo Michanek turned 50 this year. Bo was one of two artists drawing for Bamse during the eighties and early nineties (when Rune still wrote all of the the material for the magazine). I grew up reading Bamse, and some of my all time favorite Bamse stories were drawn by Bo, like DE TRE SVÄRDEN and VARGENS LIV.

Technically Bo Michanek is on a whole other level than the rest of us. He’s the perfectionist’s perfectionist. He used to draw Bamse with the precision of an architect. He was actually still with Bamse when I started, so my very first Bamse drawings were corrected by him. I was so nervous the first time I met him, since I respect him so much.

Simon Bülow and Oskar Forsgren, both Bamse artists, compiled a booklet paying tribute to Bo Michanek on his birthday. This was my contribution:

bamse 80-talet 1 blog

bamse 80-talet 2 blogBo Michanek is the youngster in the middle. I think you need to be a nerd like me to really appreciate these. 🙂

FRITIDSRESOR’S BAMSE SHOW

And like this wasn’t enough I will end this MEGA BAMSE BLOG POST by throwing in yet another clip from the animated backdrops to Fritidsresor’s Bamse show I worked on last year. I’ve been wanting to add more of these to the portfolio, but I’m planning a complete restructuring of the site, so until then you’ll have to do with these sporadic blog entries. Earlier this year there were talks about doing more shows, but then I guess the financial crisis happened. Rats! I had such a good time making these animations. If anyone out there is able to finance the production of A REALLY GOOD BAMSE GAME using this technique, please get in touch with me! 🙂

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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© Fritidsresor and Junior Productions

All material in this post is © Rune Andréasson.

Bamse/Blue Village

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Last year’s Big Gig for me was making the animation backdrop for Fritidsresor’s Bamse show. It’s been on for a while now so I think it’s safe to post a sample:

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© Junior Productions/Fritidsresor

I enjoyed the challenge of producing nearly twenty minutes of animation in approx. two months (!), something I would’ve never been able to do without learning Flash. I became quite good friends with Flash in the end. It’s definately a powerful animation tool.

So anyway, if you’re headed towards one of Fritidsresor’s Blue Village charter resorts this summer, be sure to check out the Bamse show, and especially its animated backdrop.

Happy holidays!

Johan Hagelbäck

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I attended this one day storytelling course in Stockholm recently. One of the participants of the course was none other than Johan Hagelbäck. He’s the man behind Charles Nonsens

This crazy and wonderful animator has been around for a while. He was actually part of the team who made the animated sequences for “Fem Myror är Fler än Fyra Elefanter”. Now THAT is cool, if anything.

I actually persuaded Johan to give me his drawing from one of the excersises of the course.

johan hagelbäck blog

Apparently, the characters are from one of his current productions. Can’t wait to see it. Johan is the Dude!

Studio Qassim 2009

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Illustratörcentrum (http://illustratorcentrum.se/) publishes annually a catalogue of its members. Each participant gets one page each to show off their work. I turned to my dear friend Alfred Gunnarsson (the hippest graphic designer in town: http://www.salmiakmedia.se/) to help me make a nice layout. Many thanks, Alfred! I posted my page to Illustratörcentrum today.

studio qassim blog

Looking at this little compilation makes me reflect on Studio Qassim. Where was I 1,5 year ago and where am I now? Actually, I don’t think I’m that far from where I want to be. Through Studio Qassim I’ve done comics, illustration and animation. I even managed to get some puppetry in there. The only thing missing would be games. So I guess I have to make a game then, just for the sake of it… 🙂

Anyway, looking back at my first year as a company, regardless of the tough times (believe me, it’s been tough at times) I seem to be on the right track at least. I got around. I managed to pay my bills. I even managed to have some fun every now and then. What I need to do now is to grow, as an artist and as a business. Hey! I’m working on it…

The sky is the limit, folks! See ya around!

Bamse in Flash

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I just finished my Bamse animation job for Junior Productions/Fritidsresor. This job was important to me in several ways. I got to animate again, which is always fun, and I got to learn Flash, a piece of software I wanted to learn for a long time. My animations will be used as a backdrop to a live show featuring Bamse, Skutt, Skalman and Vargen (people in suits). The show will launch later this spring, and you’ll see it at Fritidsresor’s Bluevillage charter resorts (like in Gran Canaria and Turkey and the like). Since the show is still Work in Progress, I can’t post any of the animations here, but I’ll share with you the demo I made to get the approval from Junior Productons, Fritidsresor and the Andréasson Brothers (Rune’s sons) to be a Bamse animator.

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© Rune Andréasson

So, last week I went to Oslo to meet the other people behind the show. We hung out in the studio for a whole day talking about the show, adding sound effects and recording silly background voices. Very relaxed, lots of laughs. I had a great time. Here some blurry mobile phone pics from the event:

0109ketil

0109studio-coffee

0109eating

We finished the day with a grand meal at restaurant No. 15 in Frogner, one of the posh areas of Oslo. I had reindeer steak (an apology to all the vegetarians out there) and Crème Brulée and Calvados for desert. Good food = happiness!

0109red_men

The Norwegians are funny. Instead of one red man they have TWO at each zebra crossing. Is this an extra precaution so they definately won’t walk too early?