Thursday, October 25, 2012

Crash for cash?

Thinking about it the other day...


An idea came to mind...


Looking for simple and convenient opportunities to generate additional income for my school that don't require preparing conventional crowdfunding campaigns at this time another strategy formulated instead. One that could involve good ol' Crash Bandicoot himself.

The Animation Academy in Burbank is looking to acquire new computer equipment to expand our program into digital animation  production and education. One of the ways we could possibly do this is through the sale of original art. Since my personal art blog has a significant following of Crash fans I wonder if you'd be open to the idea of purchasing new drawings and other art I create of Crash. Perhaps through Ebay auctions or through some other means. Drawings I've done of Crash in the ownership of others is very rare along with ownership of my original art in general. Would you be open to this? Does the idea appeal to you? It's something I've been kicking around. Your input is welcome if you would like to comment and leave suggestions. I'm interested in your thoughts on the matter. 

Thanks very much!
     

43 comments:

okuraorca said...

I think this is a grand idea to get you some additional funding behind you.
For Crash fans to have originals of such artwork from the original artist would mean quite a bit to them, particularly if signed and such.

If I may also be as bold to suggest, being a bit of a hobby artist myself, another option also could work would be possible small sketch commissions?
Many Crash Bandicoot fans have a fan character or such that they created (I've created at least... fifteen of them over the years in my time in the fanbase).
Perhaps offering to sell them small sketches of a character in the Crash-y style or even maybe alongside Crash could also work and earn you a bit more towards your goal as well.
Just a small suggestion I thought I'd throw out there as well.

Overall, I like your idea, as an avid Crash fan of old and I think it could work out well.
I'd be definately looking for one when getting the chance!

Anonymous said...

Have an original Crash Bandicoot art inked and colored would be great! But are you sure that it is legal? I mean The drawings are yours but the character doesn't so I was wondering if Activision can legally stop you to sell original Crash arts, both old and new.

Unknown said...

I would recommend selling the new Crash art you're doing right now. I'm sure all of us would like to see the original artwork that was never before seen and are considered treasures to you Charles!

Do you have duplicates/replicas of the original Crash artwork Charles?

Charles Z said...

Thanks guys. I might just go ahead with this. Not only would it benefit my school but it'll keep Crash going creatively.

Gabriele I don't think there would be any issues involving the sale of original Crash art that I create. Fan art is sold all the time for all sorts of things and there's no problem with it.

Pat this would be new art that I'm coming up with.

Okuraorca thanks for your input.

Unknown said...

Oh boy! Hope I can get some art of Crash.

Go head on it Charles!

Anonymous said...

Well you found a customer :D

Unknown said...

Hey Charles, since you're thinking of doing this idea can you include Crash along with other characters such as Cortex, Aku Aku, Coco, etc..?

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey my name is daniel and I live in israel and I own all the crash bandicoot games from ps1 to ps2 except GBA and such but I got emulator on pc to run those, seeing how you draw crash like this and scream in this art to bring back crash really makes me feel sad because I am a huge fan of crash bandicoot and I don't care about if crash has tatoos or little changes, I will always love the franchise no matter what, I even made a youtube video telling the fans that it's their fault for not having a new game because the fans won't quit bitching and not just letting it go, I even do cutouts on photoshop of the actual games in HD since I have a playstation 1 emulator on pc so it's in really good quality and I want you to have a look at my gallery http://videogamecutouts.deviantart.com/
And this is the video that I talk about the whole crash bandicoot franchise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAYtkwwZUho
I honestly would like to have a conversation with you charles because this is very interesting and I would love to discuss with you about crash, thank you, you are a great person and I really hope to hear more from you.

Charles Z said...

Thanks for your comments everyone.

Daniel, Pat, Gabriele, okuraorca, everyone still interested in Crash and all the other characters. This idea is a way to keep things going. I know there are a lot of fans out there that want to see Crash continue. I figure it's the best I can do to help in that regard and also have it benefit in other ways such as helping to fund my school. It's still a thought and I haven't made up my mind as to whether or not I'll do it but I'd like to at least try and see what happens if possible.

What I would really like to do is go beyond Crash and get my other projects up and running. Especially the one that influenced the development of Crash. I think it's really good and I've done a lot of work on it through the years. I'm at a point where I'd like to begin publishing it. I'm working towards getting it out by early next year. Frankly I'd rather work on that than Crash. I enjoy Crash and Spyro and J&D too but I want to move forward with new things. If I do this and if Crash fans will support the idea of making new original Crash art available for purchase it will help in a variety of ways. We'll see how it goes.

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey charles you need to check this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG9jKl9MdKk I uploaded this video on my channel and this is what I got on the video whitin 3 hours, people are screaming for a new game!
Also other than that charles, here is an original character I created and of course you inspired me to do this
http://th02.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2010/317/3/f/kris_on_the_mountain_by_crashrule1-d32s1fq.jpg
I also have a story I started called crash bandicoot: oast and future and I would like you to look at it and tell me what you think http://crashrule1.deviantart.com/art/The-plan-129628507?q=gallery%3Acrashrule1%2F10977432&qo=423
Infact I want to have a proper conversation with you charles, can you let me have your email? of course I won't give it to anyone else so people won't bug you but I would really love to have a proper convo with you

Charles Z said...

If I knew the Crash art I was doing recently would be featured on a video I'd of made it a point not to post the drawings I wasn't entirely happy with. That's a nice video Daniel. Thanks for putting it together. Got some views today! Good to see you coming up with new Crash content as well. You can get in touch through TheAnimationAcademy.com. Email is a real problem for me. Too much incoming and not enough time to get to it all. You'll need to be patient with my reply. Thanks again. Crash fans inspire me to keep creating.

Daniel Fischler said...

If you can make art so the fans will see it then please do, I will make a video about it, I will make sure that heaps of people will watch it and leave feedback, do you think that there is still any hope for a new crash game to come out? also other thing I wanted to ask you, is there any proper demo of crash 2, 3? you know like the one from the videos that has different design of the levels.

Daniel Fischler said...

Also you are the man, the soul and the creation of crash bandicoot, me and all the fans support you and that is why I uploaded your latest crash art to youtube so you will see that people love your creation even if the series havn't continued, we are not going to let you down charles :)

Charles Z said...

Thanks Daniel. You guys are truly great. I appreciate your enthusiasm and love of Crash and everything you're doing to keep things going. I don't know if another Crash game will come out. The one thing I can do is create more art so fans will stay excited about Crash and keep him from fading away. The rest is up to you the fans. The more you encourage Activision the better the chances are of something happening down the line.

My time is limited as I'm pulled in many different directions. I can only do so much on my own. There's other projects I need to get to along with maintaining my school and things in life in general that demand my attention. Fan art helps. Crash fans are creative too. I don't have to be the only one drawing Crash. Fans can help.

There's still quite a bit of Crash art that I'll be featuring on the blog. I think most of it has never been seen yet publicly. Hopefully this will help keep things going and fans will stay attached to Crash.

Daniel Fischler said...

You are welcome charles and yeah I get what you mean and as I was ment to ask charles do you by any chance have a prototype version of crash 2, 3? I mixed prototype with demo by accident lol

Charles Z said...

I have copies of art I did from 2&3 but that's about it.

Daniel Fischler said...

Because I want to try out the prototype version of crash 2 because I love crash bandicoot 2, out of all the games crash 2 was the best of the best, also charles may I ask how can I contact mutato muzika because I want to upload all the soundtracks in HQ but I want a written permission to upload the music and also marc baril, spiral mouth, I am a partner on youtube and I want a written permission from each company for fair use so if you can tell me emails or phone numbers please reply :)

Anonymous said...

I really want to see stuff from the project that inspired Crash Bandicoot back in 1994.
Crash is still loved from a lot of people, even IGN.com made a video about him being in Playstation All Stars, but sadly it seems that Activision didn't let Superbot had Crash to the roster. That's sad because his appearence in this game maybe could have made Crash popular and famous through the newer generations of players like he was in the 90's. About the Crash for cash project: why don't you start doing commissions? Basically people ask to draw something like a character or a scene or somenthing else and they pay you for this. I hope I was clear.

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey charles here is a little gift for you for halloween http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/305/4/1/for_charles_zembillas_by_videogamecutouts-d5jnet9.jpg I hope you like it :)

Charles Z said...

Thanks for the Halloween present Daniel! I like your drawing of Crash.

I'm not in touch with anyone from Naughty Dog past or present. Don't know where to direct you as far as contacting them. I think Andy Gavin has a blog that he maintains where he interacts with fans. That would be your best bet for leads and info about Crash 2 prototypes.

Gabriele I got what you posted from before. Also it's really too bad that Activision is just sitting on Crash. He's still a strong franchise. Not doing something with what they own doesn't make sense. Especially one as popular as Crash.

Daniel Fischler said...

This was my first drawing in ages of crash bandicoot and actually on first attempt it went alright, I am really not good at drawing hands in different positions, always found it hard

JackBarrington said...

Hi Charles, I was wondering if you were going to do any art on Jak and Daxter as it is my favourite game series ever. I have been waiting ever since Jak X came out for a new Jak game made my Naughty Dog or a company that can actually manage it. If you were going to do any art on Jak and Daxter, I would buy it, no doubt about it. I would frame it, treasure it forever and hang it above my Jak and Daxter shrine of awesomeness.
- Jack

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey charles don't you want to make a video about your school and I will poromote it on my channel? so it will most likely bring you more costumers? :)

Charles Z said...

Hands are tough to draw Daniel and almost always the last thing that most character based artists get to when they study design. I make it a point to get good at drawing hands early on when I teach. Practice helps. As far as video goes that's something I've been planning on for a long time and will be getting to it soon. Good suggestion and thanks for the offer of helping to promote.

Charles Z said...

Hello Jack. The issue I have with drawing J&D is that I don't feel the strong connection between both characters as I do with Crash and Spyro. I took the design of Jak to a certain point and then ND went with it from there so they could claim that they designed him and minimize my involvement within their propaganda spin. I never liked the dragonball z hairstyle they gave Jak in the first game. His hair in the second one was much closer to what I originally designed. Daxter is a different story as he was completely from the work I did and they still claimed later publicly that I tweaked the design of someone within their staff which was not true. If I drew J&D only half of the duo would be a character that I felt a strong connection with. I'd still be happy to draw them as I have a very strong affinity to the franchise. I did more work on J&D than I did for any other game. If J&D fans want J&D from me I'll do what I can.

JackBarrington said...

Thanks for the reply Charles!
If you don't want to do it then it's fine by me. Personally I love all of the art you have drawn of Jak in his early stages. This is because as he is my favourite video game hero of all time I feel a strong connection to him and I find it fascinating how he was developed. Same with Daxter :)

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey charles here is a little mix I have made of crash 3, bash, woc http://youtu.be/Rc0oRmsPepA I hope you like it :)

Willie Council said...

Hey Charles! I'm a EXTREMELY big Crash Bandicoot fan and enjoy every bit of your artwork. And I am gratefully happy that you took the honors of still supporting Crash, despite the situation he's in it really means a lot. But as far as "Crash for cash" I have a suggestion, it may or may not work depending on the situation but here goes. I'm pretty sure an artist such as yourself is familiar with "Archie Comics" why don't you get the permission from Activision and make an official Crash Bandicoot comic! I think it's a good idea because it's a great way to expand the brand name, and in Activision's favor they will be able to make more money. Please respond with your honest opinion I'd really love to hear what you have to say.

Sarah K said...

Hello, Charles! What an awesome idea you have! It works well on so many levels. As a long-time Crash Bandicoot fan, I'd love to own some new or original artwork made by you. May I ask if you'd only be drawing Crash or would you be drawing other characters from the series as well? What about Spyro? Anyways, thank you for your time. Hope to hear back from you! =)

Unknown said...

Hey Charles, this image shows a model of Crash on his Jet Board:
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n620/NYankeesFan95/3A1766B8-7F76-4782-9855-8C0C770CCB69-234-00000010792EB463.jpg

It strongly resembles your design. Did you first sketched it out then ND made a model to see what the programmers/game animators would create?

It's also displayed in this video on behind the scenes of Crash 2, you can see Jason Rubin holding it in his hands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJJtTa9bN38

Charles Z said...

Hi everyone. Sorry for the late reply.

Jack, I could draw ND's version of the final design for Jak and see how he turns out. Never drew the character after my initial development work. Maybe I'll have fun with it.

Daniel, thanks. Enjoyed it!

Hi Willie. That's a good suggestion. I have no idea how to go about it officially with Activision but I could try getting in touch with them and see what they have to say. Or communicate to them my feelings that Crash has a significant following and it would be in their best interest to find a way to keep the franchise going. By the way, years ago ND showed me Crash comics that were being created in Japan. Really unique and hilarious what they were doing with Crash and Cortex.

Hi Sarah! Glad you think this is a good idea. Sure, I'd be happy to come up with Spyro art as well as other characters. I'm clearing my schedule and arranging some backup to get this going. We'll give it a shot and see what can come of it. I'll also be introducing a whole new project online. Looking forward to more time to create!





Anonymous said...

Talk to Acitivision for a comic series? YES! If they decide to let you do it the franchise will have a chance to reborn! I always dreamed about a cartoon or a comic series and i drawn some comic strips about the character too. Let us know Charles ;)

Unknown said...

Hey Charles, I found this Crash Sculpture of him riding on his Jet Board at ND's Offices. It appears to be your design. Is it? Did you first sketched it out then someone sculpted it to see what the animators can render?

You can also see it in this video of Behind the Scenes of Crash 2. You can see Jason Rubin holding it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJJtTa9bN38

Unknown said...

Sorry Charles, I forgot the link to the image:
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n620/NYankeesFan95/3A1766B8-7F76-4782-9855-8C0C770CCB69-234-00000010792EB463.jpg

Charles Z said...

Pat, I don't recall the jet board. I'll have to look through the development art to be certain but I'm pretty sure ND came up with that. I did the jet pack and also the underwater gear I think.

As far as a Crash comic goes, I'll tell you who the perfect person for it would be and that's Joe Pearson. He can really dial in to the heart of Crash. He has a great imagination and a very unique way of thinking creatively. He played a big role in the development of the original project. If Joe and I worked on Crash together we could do a lot more.

Unknown said...

Did you still do the sketch/drawings of Crash riding the Jet Board? Oh yeah, did you came up with the Crash riding the motorcycle in Warped?

Charles Z said...

I'm not sure. I'll have to get out the art and double check. I know for certain that the Crash jet pack was something I did.

JackBarrington said...

Nice! Seeing you sketch ND's version of Jak would be awesome! And I agree that a Crash Bandicoot comic would be awesome and I would definitely but it if it went on sale. :)

Charles Z said...

I'll keep that in mind and try drawing ND's Jak sometime. I never did my version of him except for some very incidental sketches as part of the game's development. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. As for a Crash comic I don't know what the prospects would be of selling it unless it's done through Activision in some way. If I were to do it on my own I think trying out some short comics online would be the best way to go initially and sharing them with Crash fans for free to keep him happening.

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey charles was there supposed to be a new game of crash bandicoot by high impact games? because there are screenshots flying around and such and I am kind of confused if this whole thing is true or not and want to know if you know anything about it
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/074/b/0/crash_bandicoot__147_by_videogamecutouts-d5y4o5q.png

Daniel Fischler said...

Btw here is a very clear transparent screenshot I took of crash from crash 1 with some fixes on it because his eyes were grey lol http://puu.sh/2ikib if you want to use it for anything or if you want any other clear edits then tell me :)

Charles Z said...

Thanks for the images Daniel. I don't know what the status of Crash is concerning possible new games in the works. Your guess is as good as mine. If any credible news comes my way I'll pass it along to the fans although you'll probably be aware of it before me.

Daniel Fischler said...

Hey Charles, I am wondering what do you think of the design of crash in Crash of the titans/mine over mutant? and also what do you think of the changes within every game? and also are there any playable betas of the games? crash bandicoot 1 prototype was crazy and I am wondering if there is a prototype for crash 2 and the rest