One of the top designers working today (in my book), Damien Correll has just refreshed his site with new work. In addition to an eye-pleasing swath of work to browse, he’s got a shop stocked up with premium t-shirts and a fine-art print (sure he’ll add more as he goes).

His style is truly his own, and it’s a style that works extremely well within the context of virtually any design discipline as evidenced by a wide array of goods displayed. Go pay him a visit!

Brilliant capture of a fascinating story involving a 14-year old Beatles fan who managed to secure an audio interview with John Lennon. The animation style is brilliant, using a combination of 3D and hand-drawn disciplines, fused together in a fluid, seamless flow. This is a must watch.

Friend and former co-worker James Tolentino always impressed with his artistic and graphic talent. From his early wizardry with a spray can working walls to his more recent foray into more traditional canvas-based works, he has developed a unique style which evokes another era, but is solidly current and relevant, stylistically.

His current series, Ellay, presented in a stark black on white, displays a unique view of snippets of L.A. life. As part of Filter Magazine’s Barker Block Sunset Series, his work is on display The Barker Block on July 10 in Los Angeles.

Good interview of the fabulously funky Chuck Anderson over at iStock Photo. I’ve been following his work since he started and find it impressive that he not only carved his own niche with his unique style, but also spread his roots deep early on in his career by making the right connections, and through sheer talent and hard work. Be interesting to see his work in 5-10 years and how it evolves, if so.

A co-worker sent out a link to The Eco Zoo, created by McCann Erickson Japan. Not exactly sure what it is, but it’s seriously cool.

A 3D environment where you interact with characters on different sections of what looks like the giant beanstalk (minus Jack). You can move around in the environment and click on the characters, which launch Pop-Up books that you can also move around (pretty cool when you spin them around to see the backs with their multi-faceted and layered views. I like that you can see the supports for the characters or the “backdrops” for the “stages.” Kids will eat this alive. Good stuff!

Science Machine from Chad Pugh on Vimeo

Vimeo’s Chad Pugh has posted a feast for the eyes. It’s a stop motion (screencaps every 5 seconds) piece that unravels a fully-realized and richly detailed Illustrator vector composition. If you want to see a larger version and I’m sure you do, click here. 

This 1968 Oscar-winning film on the creative process comes from legendary graphic designer Saul Bass. I saw this as a kid and it inspired me deeply. This is the kind of work that sticks with you for generations. It doesn’t have the slickness of today’s design, but instead has a core simplicity that transcends style and trends, making it universally good in the same way that modernist architecture stands the test of time.

Unfortunately, this is only a 5-minute preview and you can’t queue it up in Netflix. The only version to buy is apparently available for $125 as a DVD series set.

No, having a cool name isn’t enough, Leesa Leva is one fab illustrator. A self-described “illustrator, insomniac, and puppy cuddler,” she can also apparently design a mean web page as well, as evidenced by her “I Love Birdy” page on Virb, which has drawn a lot of attention. Head on over and browse her portfolio now or skip on over to her blog instead.

Growing up the son of a former Disney animator had its drawbacks, including having your cartoons critiqued as you watched them. Does a six year-old care about keyframing and line quality or whether or not his favorite character is about to wallop the other guy with a trash can? Nonetheless, there is a good side to the story. I was well-versed in the classics, growing up. “The classics” meaning the days when animation was created by human hands. From timing sheets to rough storyboards to masterwork keyframing to ink and paint to museum-quality background art, I learned to appreciate the artistry that goes into the process from a young age.

When that era came to an end, works became prized pieces of art selling for thousands of dollars, being transformed from forgotten stills of commerce to framed gems. Ollie Johnston, one of Disney’s legendary “nine old men” (a popular political term of the day that they picked up while still in their twenties), was the last surviving member until a week ago Monday. Sad to say that animation as an art form has died with him, because in today’s commodified, bottom-lined machine, art doesn’t stand a chance.

With the rise of the computing machine in the 80’s and 90’s, the organic process started its death march into the Museum of Eras Past. While murmurs of resuscitating the hand-drawn approach have been tossed around, including Disney’s return to form with the 2009 release of “The Princess and the Frog,” there has been no sincere industry-wide return to form. Johnston was a pioneer in the hand-drawn area, having helped charter a course for Disney’s legendary high quality output and dominating status in the industry. His work lives on in the characters and visuals he helped create for films like Bambi, Pinocchio, Fantasia (my personal favorite), and Snow White. He will be missed, but his work will remain a legacy to a craft that draws a clear line of distinction from its modern predecessors.

Having sat idle for too long, my old friend and personal design site Filter9 has undergone a transformation. Rather than exist a static collection of music, art and etc, it’s now a flowing collection of music, art and etc that I will be updating continuously as new works roll out.

Featuring my personal art and photography (some of which are available for purchase), it also showcases music from a community of undiscovered artists who forge ahead regardless of the world around them. Oh, and some of my tracks are in there too. (wink).

Here’s to a new F9. Hope you like it.