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tektek
Bronze Supporter
Joined: 24 Nov 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,814
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
10 Jan 2010, 12:42 am
hi all,
i stumbled upon the following and wanted to share...
(click)
Quote:
About
Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at. Updated every weekday.
Letters of Note is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. Scans/photos where possible. Fakes will be sneered at. Updated every weekday.
Quote:
Welcome.
Letters of Note is a blog-based archive of fascinating correspondence, complete with scans and transcripts of the original missives. For a little more background, I suggest reading this interview. (click)
I have a seemingly endless supply of correspondence to plough through, but your input is always welcome. Get in touch via [email protected]. If you wish to send images, please forward high quality versions where possible, don't attempt to compress them to the point of illegibility and don't crop them to death. If you happen to have an original you wish to post to me using regular mail, let me know via email. If you already know it's fake, don't send it.
You have three choices when it comes to receiving updates - RSS, Twitter and Facebook - and unless my fingers crumble away, there will be at least one new post every weekday.
Seeing as you're here, I predict you will also enjoy visiting Letterheady (click), another blog I run which is dedicated to showcasing interesting letterheads, both new and old. It's like Letters of Note, but with less reading.
Finally: donations are the site's only source of income. To make a very welcome contribution, click here and accept my heartfelt thanks.
Yours,
Shaun Usher
Letters of Note is a blog-based archive of fascinating correspondence, complete with scans and transcripts of the original missives. For a little more background, I suggest reading this interview. (click)
I have a seemingly endless supply of correspondence to plough through, but your input is always welcome. Get in touch via [email protected]. If you wish to send images, please forward high quality versions where possible, don't attempt to compress them to the point of illegibility and don't crop them to death. If you happen to have an original you wish to post to me using regular mail, let me know via email. If you already know it's fake, don't send it.
You have three choices when it comes to receiving updates - RSS, Twitter and Facebook - and unless my fingers crumble away, there will be at least one new post every weekday.
Seeing as you're here, I predict you will also enjoy visiting Letterheady (click), another blog I run which is dedicated to showcasing interesting letterheads, both new and old. It's like Letters of Note, but with less reading.
Finally: donations are the site's only source of income. To make a very welcome contribution, click here and accept my heartfelt thanks.
Yours,
Shaun Usher
...one of the more humorous examples:
Quote:
Friday, 16 October 2009
I was ready to sink into the earth with shame
Getting hideously drunk at a dinner party and embarrassing yourself is certainly nothing new. As far back as the 9th Century, the beautifully named 'Dunhuang Bureau of Etiquette' insisted that local officials use the following letter template (dated 856) when sending apologies to offended dinner hosts. The guilty party would copy the template text, enter the dinner host's name, sign the letter and then deliver with head bowed. The letter was discovered, alongside thousands of other documents, in a sealed cave library in western China. To read more - and I suggest you do - visit the incredible International Dunhuang Project. (click)
The entire scroll, filled with Form Letters adapted for various situations, can be seen here. (click)
Translation follows.
Translated Transcript
Yesterday, having drunk too much, I was intoxicated as to pass all bounds; but none of the rude and coarse language I used was uttered in a conscious state. The next morning, after hearing others speak on the subject, I realised what had happened, whereupon I was overwhelmed with confusion and ready to sink into the earth with shame.
I was ready to sink into the earth with shame
Getting hideously drunk at a dinner party and embarrassing yourself is certainly nothing new. As far back as the 9th Century, the beautifully named 'Dunhuang Bureau of Etiquette' insisted that local officials use the following letter template (dated 856) when sending apologies to offended dinner hosts. The guilty party would copy the template text, enter the dinner host's name, sign the letter and then deliver with head bowed. The letter was discovered, alongside thousands of other documents, in a sealed cave library in western China. To read more - and I suggest you do - visit the incredible International Dunhuang Project. (click)
The entire scroll, filled with Form Letters adapted for various situations, can be seen here. (click)
Translation follows.
Translated Transcript
Yesterday, having drunk too much, I was intoxicated as to pass all bounds; but none of the rude and coarse language I used was uttered in a conscious state. The next morning, after hearing others speak on the subject, I realised what had happened, whereupon I was overwhelmed with confusion and ready to sink into the earth with shame.
*edited to include additional detail
Last edited by tektek on 10 Jan 2010, 1:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
10 Jan 2010, 1:10 am
Thanks, tektek, I've had a bit of a look and it's certainly an interesting website. I've bookmarked it for future reference.
tektek
Bronze Supporter
Joined: 24 Nov 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,814
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
10 Jan 2010, 2:00 am
you're welcome, jennyishere. 
10 Jan 2010, 6:36 am
I love this kind of stuff tektek.
tektek
Bronze Supporter
Joined: 24 Nov 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,814
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
11 Jan 2010, 5:36 am
tektek
Bronze Supporter
Joined: 24 Nov 2009
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,814
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
26 Jan 2010, 2:20 am
from (click)
Quote:
Monday, 11 January 2010
Your pal, John K.
In 1998, aged just 14, aspiring young cartoonist Amir Avni decided to get in touch with the creator of Ren & Stimpy, John Kricfalusi. Being a hardcore fan of Kricfalusi's work, Amir sent him an introductory letter along with a few cartoons he'd drawn, some of which contained relatively unknown characters of John's. To call Kricfalusi's response 'generous' would be an understatement, and when I asked Amir about the reply he said the following:
'I think John puts a lot of faith in the younger generation of cartoonists, and wants to make sure they are well educated. He sees the younger generation as the future of cartoons, and that's why he's so approachable and good willed.'
It's an admirable stance. Below is the fantastic letter Amir received, along with this this picture and a book by Preston Blair. Fast forward 12 years and Amir is currently in his 4th year of the Animation program at Sheridan College, even having worked as part of John's Digital Inking crew on the George Liquor Show. His brilliant work can be seen at his blog, Toonamir, and John's blog is here. Many thanks to Amir.
Update: Thanks to the incredible response to this letter over the past 24hrs, John Kricfalusi is now answering questions over on Reddit, who have even just changed their logo to honour him.
Transcript follows.
Transcript
Dear Amir,
Thanks for your letter and all your cartoons to look at.
We're having trouble opening your flash files, though; when I click the player it opens a blank screen. I have somebody trying to figure it out. If it doesn't work, maybe you can post them on the web and give me the URL.
Your comics are pretty good, especially your staging and continuity. You might have the makings of a good storyboard artist. I'm sending you a very good how to draw animation book by Preston Blair. Preston was one of Tex Avery's animators. He animated 'Red Hot Riding Hood' and many other characters.
His book shows you very important fundamentals of good cartoon drawing.
Construction. Learn how to construct your drawings out of 3-dimensional objects. Learn how to draw hands so they look solid. I want you to copy the drawings in his book. Start on the first page, draw slow. Look very closely. Measure the proportions. Draw the drawings step-by-step, just the way Preston does.
After you finish each drawing check it carefully against the drawing in the book. (if you do your drawings on tracing paper, you can lay the paper on top of the book to see where you made mistakes. On your drawing write the mistakes. Then do the drawing again, this time correcting the mistakes.
Here's another important piece of information for you:
Good drawing is more important than anything else in animation. More than ideas, style, stories. Everything starts with good drawing. Learn to draw construction, perspective.
Ok, now it's up to you.
Oh, by the way - OLD cartoons (from the 1940'a especially are better than new cartoons. If you copy the drawings in new cartoons you won't learn anything - except how to get bad habits. Look at Tom and Jerry from 1947 - 1954 or Elmer Fudd + Porky Pig from the 40's + early 50's.)
I'm amazed at how much you know about us. How do you know about BIGLOAF? and MILDMAN!
You can see Jimmy + George Liquor on the internet. Oh, I guess you know that.
Allright Bastard, let's get to work. Draw! and slow now.
My email address is [redacted] if you have any questions - not too many I hope! I get a lot of email and it's hard to answer it all.
Your pal,
John K.
Your pal, John K.
In 1998, aged just 14, aspiring young cartoonist Amir Avni decided to get in touch with the creator of Ren & Stimpy, John Kricfalusi. Being a hardcore fan of Kricfalusi's work, Amir sent him an introductory letter along with a few cartoons he'd drawn, some of which contained relatively unknown characters of John's. To call Kricfalusi's response 'generous' would be an understatement, and when I asked Amir about the reply he said the following:
'I think John puts a lot of faith in the younger generation of cartoonists, and wants to make sure they are well educated. He sees the younger generation as the future of cartoons, and that's why he's so approachable and good willed.'
It's an admirable stance. Below is the fantastic letter Amir received, along with this this picture and a book by Preston Blair. Fast forward 12 years and Amir is currently in his 4th year of the Animation program at Sheridan College, even having worked as part of John's Digital Inking crew on the George Liquor Show. His brilliant work can be seen at his blog, Toonamir, and John's blog is here. Many thanks to Amir.
Update: Thanks to the incredible response to this letter over the past 24hrs, John Kricfalusi is now answering questions over on Reddit, who have even just changed their logo to honour him.
Transcript follows.
Transcript
Dear Amir,
Thanks for your letter and all your cartoons to look at.
We're having trouble opening your flash files, though; when I click the player it opens a blank screen. I have somebody trying to figure it out. If it doesn't work, maybe you can post them on the web and give me the URL.
Your comics are pretty good, especially your staging and continuity. You might have the makings of a good storyboard artist. I'm sending you a very good how to draw animation book by Preston Blair. Preston was one of Tex Avery's animators. He animated 'Red Hot Riding Hood' and many other characters.
His book shows you very important fundamentals of good cartoon drawing.
Construction. Learn how to construct your drawings out of 3-dimensional objects. Learn how to draw hands so they look solid. I want you to copy the drawings in his book. Start on the first page, draw slow. Look very closely. Measure the proportions. Draw the drawings step-by-step, just the way Preston does.
After you finish each drawing check it carefully against the drawing in the book. (if you do your drawings on tracing paper, you can lay the paper on top of the book to see where you made mistakes. On your drawing write the mistakes. Then do the drawing again, this time correcting the mistakes.
Here's another important piece of information for you:
Good drawing is more important than anything else in animation. More than ideas, style, stories. Everything starts with good drawing. Learn to draw construction, perspective.
Ok, now it's up to you.
Oh, by the way - OLD cartoons (from the 1940'a especially are better than new cartoons. If you copy the drawings in new cartoons you won't learn anything - except how to get bad habits. Look at Tom and Jerry from 1947 - 1954 or Elmer Fudd + Porky Pig from the 40's + early 50's.)
I'm amazed at how much you know about us. How do you know about BIGLOAF? and MILDMAN!
You can see Jimmy + George Liquor on the internet. Oh, I guess you know that.
Allright Bastard, let's get to work. Draw! and slow now.
My email address is [redacted] if you have any questions - not too many I hope! I get a lot of email and it's hard to answer it all.
Your pal,
John K.
amazon_television
Veteran
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,605
Location: I woke up on 7th street
26 Jan 2010, 2:30 am
