Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog

I enjoyed this little animated Christmas card from Picasso Pictures.

Hogan’s Alley has shared an early Christmas gift with us today–a collection of cartoonist Arnold Roth’s personal Christmas cards that he has been sending out since the 1950s.

My favourite is 1968’s epic Jekyllesque comic:

I love Simon Cook’s “Christmas Cheat Sheets” (snapshot above; full sheet below). You can download high-res PDF or JPG versions (one for boys, one for girls!) for your very own holiday shopping needs. Lots more fun stuff on his site here.

Seasonal Short from Trevor Van Meter on Vimeo.

Oh no, is it too late for a piece of seasonal holiday animation? I don’t care, because I simply adore this short from one of my favourite creative minds, Trevor Van Meter. And I think you’ll adore it, too.

Related:
Fun animated game: Crappy Cat
Trevor Van Meter
Somewhere Between Punk Rock and Lollipops

Instead of typical Christmas card iconography (trees, Santa, angels, etc.) illustrator Brandon Dawley decided to go pre-Christian Alpine and use a character not familiar by most: the Krampus. His words:

In 19th Century Germany, legend had it that those who were pure of heart bore witness to the magic of Christmas Eve. St. Nikolaus would drift in on the cloak of night, leaving gifts and treats for the girls and boys who’ve been goldenly good all year. Children of goodwill springing from their bed to find a surprise of joy to fill the air.

Disobedient children, however, would awake to shakes and shivers. Terrorized by the thought of another visitor in the night. For those who have behaved badly are paid a visit by. . .
the KRAMPUS.

The traditional event looks incredibly horrifying, in a good way. Nothing like scarring the children for life, just so they’ll be obedient during the holidays. Gotta love that.

Hogan’s Alley has posted this amazing archive of cartoonist Roy Doty’s legendary annual Christmas Cards. The highly imaginative collection, dating back to 1950, features puzzles, contraptions, and other creative twists. 2007’s was even presented as a möbius strip.

(via Mike Lynch)

All I Want For Christmas Is … from Paul Rayment on Vimeo.

And the winner for Best Use of Nat King Cole goes to… Paul Rayment

Previously:
Super Furry Animals: Drygioni

Phil Hartman hosts this entertaining documentary on the making of Chuck Jones’s brilliant adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

The special features animation tests, footage of narrator Boris Karloff, and interviews with Jones, Thurl Ravenscroft, and even the likes of Tim Burton.

This is so great, it helps me forget the live-action abomination ever existed.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

(via MetaFilter)

The stop-motion Christmas adventures of the sock monkey and wooden horse named Cecil and Britches (seen in last year’s short No Santa Today) continue with Paul Corrigan’s Crumby Presents.

A treat from the Ronald Searle Tribute Blog: Searle’s title designs for the 1970 film Scrooge directed by Ronald Neame.