JUST WHO AM I, ANYWAY?

It's high time I properly introduced myself!

Milton Knight was born

in 1962 in Mineola, N.Y. Started drawing, painting, creating my own attempts at comic books and animation at age two. Always enthused about drawing and creating characters, so much that it became a life force.

I've never formed a barrier between fine art and cartooning. The art of expression was always the most important one to me, and growing up, I treasured Chinese watercolors, Breugel, Charlie Brown and Terrytoons equally. My very young childhood was during the era of "pop art", when fine artists were freely inspired by comics and other popular culture; I remember being captivated by these works during trips to museums and galleries in New York. Graduated from BOCES Cultural Arts Center (Syosset, N.Y.),then took classes in art at Hofstra and School of Visual Arts while beginning a freelance career.

Wrote and drew comic books and comic strips, illustrated, designed record covers, posters, candy and T-shirts, and exhibited paintings. My work has appeared in Heavy Metal, High Times, National Lampoon and Nickelodeon Magazine, and my comics titles include Hugo, Midnite the Rebel Skunk and Slug and Ginger. Came to the West Coast in 1991, working in animation as a designer, animator, and breaking in as a director on Felix the Cat.

I continue work on a stream of independent projects; animation, writing, more comics.  My interest in every type of art I make is not in recapturing or approximating reality, but in creating new forms and abstractions and giving them their own unique life. www.miltonknight.net

RESUME:
1978-1979: Completed courses in drawing and painting, BOCES Nassau County Cultural Arts Center. (Syosset, N.Y.)
1979-Present: Illustrator/Cartoonist for national magazines and newspapers. (The Village Voice, The Electric Company Magazine, High Times, National Lampoon, Heavy Metal, etc.)
Create and design theatrical posters, greeting cards, candy, t-shirts, etc. 1982: First independent comic book published. (Hugo, Fantagraphics Books) Continue to create & publish to present. (Midnite the Rebel Skunk, Slug  &  Ginger, Hinkley)
Licensed comics characters handled include Richie Rich, Mighty Mouse, Betty Boop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

1991-Present: Work in animated films.
Design, layout, animation on COOL WORLD (Ralph
Bakshi/Paramount)
Story, storyboard, character, background & prop design, layout, animation on THE ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (DIC Entertainment)
Development art, storyboard, character, prop, background& color design for Disney TV, MGM TV, Warner Bros. Animation, Saban, Rhythm & Hues, HBO,etc.
Directed four shorts on THE TWISTED TALES OF FELIX THE CAT (Film Roman) Directed, animated theatrical& TV safety spot for California Dept. of Water Resources. (Baer Animation) 1984: Gave seminar on cartooning at School of Visual Arts (N.Y.C.) as guest of teacher. Also gave private instruction in cartooning. 1995: Lectured to Asian animation crew on procedures of animation (Film Roman Studio)
2000: Instructed children in film animation at Animation Creations. (Sherman Oaks) 1989-Present: Exhibiting paintings at galleries including Psychedelic Solution Gallery (N.Y.), Colonnade Gallery & Studio (Pasadena, Ca.), Gallery Figueroa (L.A.), Gallery Bink (Portland, OR.)

Works in Progress:
Adaptations of stories from classic authors for GRAPHIC CLASSICS since 2002.
Ongoing work on acrylic paintings.
Secret project work-in-progress.

AWARD: 

1995: Awarded Certificate of Merit for Service to the Art, Craft, and Industry of Animation, by the International Animated Film Society.

Next time, I'll share some of my early drawings.

Our cartoon for today is: The Banker's Daughter-Terrytoon 1933.

If you've seen a strikingly good idea in a Heckle & Jeckle or Mighty Mouse cartoon, chances are it's not the first time Terrytoons used it. Here, 14 years before he debuted in the Mighty Mouse series as a cat, is the first appearance of Oil Can Harry. Note: The bank manager proposes to cut his staff's salaries "right in two", which Paul Terry did to one employee when it was reasoned the artist was too old-fashioned (and drunk) to be employable elsewhere. Prominent animation by Bill Tytla, Jerry Shields, Frank Moser, Art Babbitt. http://youtu.be/6mwdKUY6WHs

 Buh-bye!
Milt