Channel Frederator Blog

Once upon a time, Tim Biskup was Frederator’s One Man A-Team Go To Macguyver BG Guru before finding fame and popularity in the Art World.
Tim B. shared a few seconds w/ Channel Frederator.
I also wanted an excuse to show off his newer, darker art in preparation of Halloween closing in on us! (insert Maniacal Laughter here!)

CH.F: How long have you been animating/drawing/painting?
TB: I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid. Art school tried to break me of the habit, but animation brought me back.

Did you go to school for Animation or Painting? If so, Where?
I went to Otis/Parsons for fine art training. Dropped out after 2 years of hearing that I would never be taken seriously.

I really dug Freddie Seymore’s Amazing Life. Everything about that Frederator Oh Yea! short was Grade A Quality Tim Biskup. From the BGs, to the character designs, to the story. All kinds of awesome all around.
What were some of the hurdles and obstacles you had in your way in the creation of your own short, and how did you deal with them?
I think it was a good example of an idea that went astray. I lost track of the original intent along the way. The idea was really simple and it just got more & more complex in order to meet the needs of the format, the network, etc. I think the hardest part about doing something within a complex production system is keeping your vision.

You were THE One-Man A-Team Go To Macgyver Guru on a ton of other OY shorts. What did you do on them? How was it working with those creators?
I was the in-house BG guy for a long time. I must have done 20-30 of them. It was amazing to be able to switch up what I was doing all the time. Working with the creators was mostly great.

What projects are you working on currently?
Trying to pull together funding for a large scale art installation. No animation for the past 4-5 years.

Slayer, cel vinyl acrylic on canvas, 24” x 24.”
I’m an avid reader of Juxtapoz, and have seen your work grace their pages every so often. How has the art world been treating you as opposed to the Animation world? Which do you prefer? Where have you shown your art?
The art world is much more flexible than the animation world. I have so much freedom. It’s really wide open. I can make what I like & just put it out there. I’m lucky that what I make keeps getting purchased so I can keep goofing off and making a living at it. I’ve shown all over the place. So far Barcelona and Berlin were my favorites. Those were both this year. Tokyo was great, too.

Scatterbrain, cel vinyl acrylic on wood, 10.5” x 7.5.”
Who are some of your influences in both painting and animation?
Lately Picasso, Francis Bacon, Jill Greenburg, Damien Hirst… When I was in animation it was James Flora, Mary Blair, Bob Clampett… I could go on forever.

Looker, cel vinyl acrylic on wood, 8” x 8.”
What do you think makes for a great cartoon?
Solid visual storytelling.

You are a father now, has that changed your perspective on animation or art in anyway?
Yes, in a huge way. My daughter has made huge changes in my life. I think I want a lot more from my work, now. In an odd way I feel more serious about it. It’s more personal.

What animation DVDs have you picked up lately?
The last thing I got was the Disney outer space set. I forgot what it’s called, exactly. It’s got all that amazing Ward Kimball art on it. Totally amazing!

What animation websites do you check in on regularly?
Nothing regularly. I look at Cartoon Modern once in a while. My favorite blog is Supertouchblog.com. I look at that daily.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to break in or just beginning in the Animation industry or Art world?
Draw all the time.

Whatever, cel vinyl acrylic on canvas, 24” x 24.”
Is there anything you want to say to the people out there in Ch.F Land reading this?
Listen to the new Brazilian Girls album.

Thanks for hanging out w/ CH.F a bit Tim! You Rock!
Keep Tuning into CH.F, Your #1 SOURCE for Animation News & Interviews!
For more Tim B., check out his Site, TimBiskup(dot)com!
-JX!

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