A lot's been happening, and I haven't been able to adjust my habits to include blogging very much. Apologies.
But the good news is I've still been writing! "in Sanity, AZ" has been on shelves for a little over half a year and the response so far has been very positive. Thanks to everyone who's picked that up, I'm really proud of it. (And if you haven't picked up a copy yet, what are you waiting for?)
The guys I wrote "in Sanity, AZ" with and I started a new project, a prose book, and it's coming along very nicely. I promise to share more when I have more to share.
Finally, I'm working on a children's book with an old friend of mine Bryan McIntyre called "Rotten Little Things". It's a fun little tale about cute, cuddly, candy-crazed kids who turn into cute, cuddly, candy-starved zombies! One of my favorite things about this book is that all the art will be hand-made. Not hand-drawn, hand-made.
Check out the official press release below:
Local artist seeks to revive dying art form with innovative approach to storytelling
PORTLAND – Local sculpture artist Bryan McIntyre is trying to revive a dying art form with his newest creation, Rotten Little Things. It’s a book with a story that focuses on a small town and what happens when a creepy old codger moves in and turns the town’s pint-sized citizens into adorable, candy-starved zombies – all told in narrative sonnet form, written by co-author of the diabolically delicious graphic novel "in Sanity, AZ', Michael Drace Fountain.
McIntyre’s original story will forgo any CGI or digital manipulation. He will be creating all of the art work with sculptures, miniature models, and sets; all created by hand.
“I think there’s more of a tangible connection with this type of art,” McIntyre said. “It’s not computer generated, it’s not two dimensional and drawn on a piece of paper. When our eyes see something real, our mind instinctively knows it.”
McIntyre is a former Laika employee. He left the company in 2013 after completing his work for their upcoming feature file, The Boxtrolls. While looking for work, he decided to re-examine a project he had put aside for a few years. When it came time to decide on his next career path, he jumped at the chance to focus on Rotten Little Things full time.
To generate funding, McIntyre is taking his old-school art form into the digital age: He’s going the crowd-funding route. His Kickstarter campaign went live on May 14, and generated 10 percent of his $65,000 goal in only four days.
“Once the campaign hit Facebook, it nearly went viral,” he said. “Good friends of mine in the band Rival Sons posted a link, and it hit nearly 90,000 people overnight.”
The funding McIntyre generates will go to supplies, his nearly 60-hour work week, and living expenses. He said he anticipates the project taking a year to complete, and that all reward levels will receive the book, as well as other perks based on the supporters’ chosen pledge level.
His Web page, www.rottenlittlethings.com is regularly updated with a blog on his progress on the project. To contact McIntyre, please email rottenlittlethings1@gmail.com.
