Favourite Anime Character - Piccolo (Dragon Ball)

This will be the last post of this type for the foreseeable whilst I am committing to future projects. It has been a fun little aside to take part in while my most recent animation has been in the works and now its time to move onto new things.

Piccolo made his first appearance in the latter half of Dragon Ball (the series that preceded Dragon Ball Z, when Goku was just a boy.) He was introduced as the reincarnation of Demon King Piccolo. 

The aforementioned King Piccolo was a powerful villain that once terrorised the Earth. With the efforts of Goku's mentor Master Roshi, Piccolo was sealed in an electric rice cooker using the Mafuba containment technique. 

Centuries later King Piccolo is purposely released, and subsequently targets the World's strongest fighters to eliminate potential competition. This brings him into direct conflict with Goku, and following a tough battle, the Demon King was killed after Goku punches a hole clean through his body.

In a final desperate effort to survive, King Piccolo spit out an egg containing his reincarnated form -before promptly exploding. When Piccolo Jr. re-appeared at the World Martial Arts tournament, he was fully grown, intent on revenge and immediately became a formidable opponent for Goku.

When Goku's brother Raditz arrives on Earth and kidnaps his nephew Gohan, Piccolo forms an uneasy alliance with Goku to neutralise the new Saivan threat. An intense battle followed in which Goku. deciding to sacrifice himself to save his son, held Raditz in place whilst Piccolo fired a Special Beam Cannon through them both. Thus began Piccolo's path towards redemption as he chose to train his nemesis' son for an impending battle with a two more Saiyans on course to Earth.

What I've always liked about Piccolo is his brooding, cool guy attitude - he has a low tolerance for nonsense, particularly in the early sagas of Dragon Ball Z. He has consistently been the most powerful Z Warrior outside of the Saiyans and has even been the strongest on several occasions. He has had some pretty epic moments throughout the run of the show and that influenced why he has always been my favourite.

Stand out moments include when the Salyans arrive with their Saibamen minions that are roughly equivalent to Raditz, who Goku and Piccolo had such trouble defeating. Following on from the death of earthling Yamcha, one of the Saibamen attempts to attack Gohan. Piccolo grabs the creature by the arm, tosses it into the air and destroys it with a single mouth blast, literally stripping the flesh from its bones.

He rose to prominence again during the Frieza saga after having trained under King Kai and subsequently fusing with Nail, the Grand Elders protector. Following this, Piccolo became the strongest Z Warrior and was able to best Friezas 2d form. Sadly, he would be swiftly taken down by Frieze's 3rd form, and frankly humiliated by the Lord of the Universe.

Under similar circumstances during the Android saga, Piccolo fused with Kami - the God of Earth. King Piccolo had once been a single entity but split into a good and evil half so that Kami could take on the role. Upon the Androids arrival they decimated the Z Warriors, including the Salyans Trunks and Vegeta. Piccolo was once again able to cement his place as the strongest Z Warrior, surpassing even the Super Saiyan form that had been held in such high regard. Piccolo was able to fight on an equal footing with Android 17. who had earlier (alongside 18) decimated the Z fighters. Android 18, the weaker of the two, had earlier single handedly humiliated Vegeta in their fight. This fight is often regarded as one of the best in the series and concludes with 17 and Piccolo combining forces to take on Imperfect Cell.

Unfortunately. this was Piccolo's last truly great moment in Dragon Ball Z. His last few storylines mainly involved him looking after the kid Saiyans, teaching them the fusion dance and spending a period turned to stone by Supreme Demon King Dabur. Forfeiting his bout against the relatively weak Supreme Kai in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai was also a low for the Namekian.

I am pleased to say that he has had a bit of a redemption of late, getting a new evolved form known as "Orange Piccolo" in the recent Dragon Ball Super Super Hero which has once again brought him up to a level rivalling the saiyans once again.

A Long Overdue Update!

Hello all!

It's been a little while since l've posted anything of any substance in the blog other than a few pieces here and there. As I've previously discussed in a few different posts, I have been working hard on an animation since last July - the first since Hashtag Live in late 2022. This project is now 95% completed including sound and we are now awaiting final approval from the client. I plan to cover more about this animation in the blog - breaking down the processes behind the work. This will be planned out once everything has been approved and the final production is public.

In September last year I also completed illustration work on a feature length film titled "Make it to Munich." The film follows Ethan Walker, a young Scottish footballer who, following a life-changing car accident, makes the decision to cycle to Munich for Scotland's opening match against Germany in Euro 2024 - only nine months later.

The film premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival on March 9 2025. I am pleased to say that I was in attendance, getting to spend some time on the red carpet and soak in the experience of a film premiere. I initially had the opportunity to meet with all the cast and crew in a function at the Dakota Hotel and even got the chance to catch up with Martin Docherty and lan Bustard, whom we animated in "Marty Goes to Hollywood" in 2014.

Make it to Munich itself was fantastic, a deeply enjoyable film on many levels with the ideal balance of emotion and comedy. The film will be released in Scottish cinemas in May, though could possibly see a wider release.

I have also taken part in two local fayres (Christmas and Easter) in which I have been selling my prints. These have been an enjoyable experience and not entirely outside of my comfort zone since I have a background in sales and upselling.

Going forward I have a checklist of smaller projects that I intend to get through before taking on anything bulky. I will be taking a laid-back approach and treating this period as a break whist I recharge for what's next. However, I do have a few ideas for future graphics work and there is a certain animation that I started a few years ago that I may just revisit.

On the subject of animation, I have learnt over time that these projects tend to be few and far between, my next animation project may well be 2 years away. I have no idea what the future holds in this regard, how exciting!

Favourite Animation Style- Hanna-Barbera (Limited Animation)

The Hanna-Barbera style of animation (better known as "Limited Animation") has always been attractive to me, even when I didn't necessarily know what I was looking at. Since learning about animation processes and techniques, I've realised that every scene in this style isn't just about the animation - there's problem solving being done. Finding the most efficient way to create a scene with a reduced time frame is an integral part of this method.

Hanna-Barbera operated in a time when Disney and Looney Tunes were kings of the animation industry. After success with theatrical Tom and Jerry shorts, the studio looked to make animation for television. However, the processes being employed by Disney and even Warner Brothers were far too costly and time consuming for the medium to be a success on TV.

From studying different Hanna-Barbera series, I observed many of the "tricks" used to create entertaining content with efficient production. This style had a massive impact on the animation industry throughout the 20" century, particularly with the rise of animation made for television. What made this style so attractive to the studios was the use of fewer drawings and a reduced frame rate - resulting in snappier animation but more importantly less cost and time spent. These factors are intrinsically linked in animation, especially for TV.

Limited Animation has a reputation for being of less quality, and traditional animators of the past have criticised the style as not being "art" unlike Disney classics Snow White or Pinocchio. However, as previously mentioned, this was the only effective way to bring the medium to TV. Nevertheless, the quality of modern television animation has greatly improved since.

Limited animation relies heavily on sound, particularly dialogue, to carry the plot - it is an effective way to produce animation cheaply but keeps it entertaining for the audience. The animators would frequently re-use assets i.e. backdrops, walk/run cycles and character poses, minimizing the need to create new elements for each frame. Additionally, they would extend the duration of key poses, reducing the necessity for complex in-between movements.

My favourite examples of limited animation are from shows like The Flintstones and Top Cat, both highly entertaining cartoons in their own right. From studying these shows, it's apparent there's not an extraordinary amount of animation taking place. There tends to be mouth/head movements & when they walk their legs move but the upper half is usually pretty rigid.

Many times the animation on screen is limited to only two layers, for example a head & mouth layer, or as few as one layer. In some scenes, if a character is having an internal thought there may not be any animation at all!

What you’ll notice with Hanna-Barbera is the characters arms and legs tend to have specific cut off points to hide the edge of the appendage, which would be on its own layer. I believe this is why many Hanna Barbera characters had ties, necklaces, collars and high shirt lines. The key asset that Hanna-Barbera had at its disposal was its music, voice acting and scripts - without great acting and great writing, the animation (or lackthereof) would probably have stood out more. Instead of relying heavily on motion, limited animation emphasizes strong dialogue and compelling soundtracks to make up for fewer frames, keeping the audience engaged through storytelling and audio elements.

I would also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Japanese animation. known in the West as Anime, which uses its own unique style of limited animation. Characters in anime often remain static whilst only the mouth layer moves, and even simple head and body movements are often limited. As with the western style, the episodes are usually carried by the strong voice performances and writing - using limited frames, animation cycles and the occasional blink. I may do a deep dive on anime itself in future as it is a rich topic in itself.

Merry Christmas 2024!

Merry Christmas everyone when it comes! What a hectic year it has truly been, but an incredibly fast one all the same.

As the year began, there was no real plan for me going forward, I had been working on prints, namely a Twechar map and had a few other pieces planned. In retrospect, its quite funny how tight for time I felt then, as now by comparison, I believe I had it easy.

2024 started with the horrible news that my friend & collaborator Mallorca had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died only a matter of weeks after his announcement. After about seven years of collaboration on The Hashtag Show, I felt a bit unsettled and unsure of what the future had in store for me.

A month later, I was contacted by a film studio in Glasgow that I had previously worked with. I was presented the opportunity to create an animation with a runtime of 3-4 minutes and would be carrying out the majority of the work on the production - story sketches, storyboards, pre-production, animation, character design and backgrounds. The only major aspect of the piece that isn't being done by me is the sound, which the studio will take charge on.

This animation has now been ongoing for around ten months, albeit the post-production didn't end until late June and a different graphics project took priority for two weeks in September, followed by my two-week holiday to the US. The character design was signed off around May and the storyboards approved in late June so animation has basically been ongoing for 5 months now, minus the aforementioned gaps.

I currently estimate the animation to be around 75% finished, and I am hoping to be completely finished by late January. This has been a brilliant project to work on - I will probably do a much deeper and more detailed breakdown of the production in a few months, once it has been revealed publicly.

This project has been a huge undertaking for me and had a number of challenges. I have worked on similar productions in the past, but never by myself, I've practically done a whole team worth of work while also doing a lot of other work day-to-day. I keep reminding myself of this fact as I gradually reduce the amount of work still required. Every time I have hit another milestone in the production, I have encouraged myself along using three simple words (one word really) "Chip Chip, Chip" which basically means I'm gradually finishing the piece bit-by-bit, like a sculptor chipping away at marble.

I also recently completed other pieces of digital art - one of Ibrox stadium, a piece that I was often asked about doing upon completing the Celtic Park and another inside Celtic Park as a Christmas gift to a customer's father - which has now been printed, framed and collected.

Going forward, my road map has me finishing the animation by (hopefully) the end of January. Once this has been completed, I will be taking a much needed break (might be a long break) and only doing some occasional print work and I plan on spending some much needed time with my sons.

Favourite Animated Christmas Special

Hey Arnold - Arnold's Christmas (1996)

This episode has only very recently made it on to my list of animated favourites. I'd watched this Christmas Special several times before, but it was only during a recent rewatch (2021) that I truly appreciated how great the episode actually is. "Arnold's Christmas" has leapfrogged all The Simpsons Christmas specials that at one point would have topped my list, purely for nostalgic reasons.

In the episode, the tenants of Arnold’s home, an inner-city boarding house (Sunset Arms) are running a secret santa in the lead up to Christmas and Arnold draws the quiet Mr Hyunh, who always seems sad around the holidays.

Arnold soon pays him a visit to find out a little more about him and it becomes clear that the man has a very touching back story. Mr Hyunh, originally from South Vietnarn, explains how he was separated from his baby daughter Mai during the Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam war, holding her above his head as a U.S. Army helicopter was evacuating the Vietnamese. She was taken by the soldiers back to America, guaranteeing her safety.

When he was finally able to leave Vietnam himself, Mr Hyunh had been unable to find Mai, knowing only that she had been taken to Hillwood. I won't go into more detail on the plot here as this episode is better to be watched for yourself and I recommend you do! I watch it several times over the Christening period and its fast becoming a tradition.

This episode actually premiered on December 11,1996 - 28 years ago yesterday. I'm a little gutted that I didn't realise this fact sooner as I'd have loved to coincide this post with the anniversary of its release.

Overall, it is a wonderful, heartfelt episode and I wasn't surprised to find it is often included on "TV's best holiday episodes" lists including Variety's, Screen Rant's, Indie Wire's and Den of Geek's and is the top rated Hey Arnold episode on IMDB. I watch this special several times over the Christmas period and I recommend you give it a watch on Paramount+.

The episode's opening is my favourite part, a catchy tune and a very atmospheric scene - several shots of a snowy Hillwood and a few of the shows best known characters, and a certain football headed snowman. It always gives me strong, nostalgic 90's vibes.

Go watch it now.

First Cinema Experience

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

As I mentioned in a previous post, I vividly remember going to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame with my parents when I was a child, most likely at the Showcase in Barrbridge. I can't say with complete certainty that it's the first film I went to see as I have a vague memory of seeing Aladdin in the Odeon Renfield Street, but I'm not sure how reliable this is.

I would have been a little over three when Aladdin was released in November 1993, so it's certainly possible that it's one of my earliest memories if accurate. However, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the first cinema experience that I remember clearly and is what I am going to discuss today.

For anyone not familiar with the film, The Hunchbank of Notre Dame is the Disney Studios adaption of the 1831 Victor Hugo novel of the same name. The main character, bell-ringer Quasimodo, lives high above the streets of Paris in the bell towers of Notre Dame with only the stone gargoyles to keep him company. His cruel master, Judge Claude Frollo, has forbidden him from ever leaving the cathedral but Quasi watches the world below and longs for freedom. After sneaking out to attend the "Festival of Fools" an incident causes him to be humiliated in front of the townspeople, saved only by the gypsy Esmeralda. Following this, the pair strike up a friendship and he helps her escape Frollo and his soldiers, returning to the gypsy sanctuary the “Court of Miracles:" This brings Quasimodo into direct conflict with Frollo who has a deep hatred and prejudice towards all gypsies, particularly Esmeralda whom he lusts after.

I remember "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" being a big part of my young life, it's the first film where I really bought into the merchandise - l've remained a bit of a merch addict ever since. Below I've included a bunch of the toys that I remember from that period. I owned the Hunchback of Notre Dame Carry Around Bell Tower from Mattel, I don't particularly remember the figures that came with it but the Notre Dame set always stuck in my mind years later. I also remember the toys McDonalds were doing at the time and particularly remember owning the Esmeralda figurine.

  However, what sticks in my mind most vividly is the nestle chocolates -I can't remember which ones it was specifically, it may have been both pictured, but I remember the toys that came in the box with them - everything seemed to come with a toy back then.

 I also owned the CD soundtrack which I think I may have had before I even seen the film. There was also this Quasimodo doll, which I have only just remembered owning, He had a little carpenter's belt and toolbox for his tools and figurines - he also carne with the "heart of the city" which could be worn around his neck. I was impressed by this figure as a kid, most figures were fugly and didn't look anything like the character they were meant to be. Even looking at this figurine now I'm astounded by how accurate and clean it looks, it's one of the best quality kids toys I've seen from Disney.

I remember my favourite character oddly being Clopin, the Gypsy leader and jester, who is barely in the film but is very memorable - he narrates the story and plays a big part in the Festival of Fools. I feel like he may have been quite a prominent character in the marketing and that's why I've always associated the film with an image of him. I do also recall the gargoyle characters - Hugo, Victor and Laverne being a highlight of our cinema trip. The film is quite drab and dreary in places and yet my memories of it are always of the colourful segments.

I've included some photos from our visit to Paris in early 2017, a couple of years before the infamous fire that destroyed sections of the cathedral and art within. We didn't have time to explore inside the cathedral and on subsequent visits it has been closed to visitors due to the repair work. I was quite surprised at how much smaller it was than I expected - it's still pretty big but the movie made it seem huge. I was also quite surprised by how much bigger the building was beyond the more famous façade side that features prominently in the movie.