November 29, 2005
Adventures in Santaland
By Kat Caverly
It was 1988. I was the last photo elf hired by Macy's Santaland. When I was asked
"Why do you want to be an elf?" I answered, "Are you kidding? Miracle on 34th Street!".
This holiday gig turned into a yearly pilgrimage, that lasted until 2003 and I have the
pictures with Santa to prove it!
Every year I would go on the Monday after Thanksgiving, after 6pm. This is the BEST
time to go; the elves and Santa are not yet tired and everyone in Santaland is still
filled with the spirit that only a week of Santaland training can generate. Needless to
say I was one of your more enthusiastic elves.
This year I just don't know WHO to ask; I never go alone. I got Tom to go two years.
The first year, when I was actually working at Santaland I even got Tom to sit on
Santa's knee. That photo is priceless.
This year we produced Santaland a whimsical close-up of department store Santa's
work-a-day life.
After 16 years of dealing with Santa in the big city I just had to blow off a little steam. But
I do admit a trip to Macy's Santaland here in Manhattan can be quite magical. Your friends
won't get over it when they get the picture!
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:56 AM
November 28, 2005
An Easier Holiday Season
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
In theory, an earlier start ought to make an easier holiday season. But
it never works out that way, does it? The longer prepare time only
seems to mislead me into thinking I can do more.
I will make my gifts - stellar gifts that impress them all! I'll wrap
my gifts with such artistic flair, they will have to be persuaded to
open them! I'll entertain grander! I will, I will, I will...
All of this only makes my list grow longer.
And I actually reduce the percentage of what I complete.
:sigh:
Having more time to prepare myself for the holidays really means that I
have more time to think of all the things that I have not done in the
past - which convinces me that I will fail again this year too.
While the curiously chipper Christmas czars insist that I must simplify
in order to achieve my goals of holiday celebrations, I disagree. Their
definitions of simplification include such gems of wisdom as using pie
or cake mix instead of baking from scratch, and using mix and match
table linens instead of buying a new set of linens for all my guests.
What they don't know is why this doesn't work.
I don't make the food, I 'simply' swing past the pie shop & pick up my
order. And linens at my house are paper towel sheets folded in half.
How, dear home economic gurus, can you get any more simple than that?
Posted by photocartoonist at 10:11 PM
November 25, 2005
Thinking Christmas
Every year, or so it seems, the un-nameable 'they' seem to push
Christmas at us earlier. When I was younger, a child, I remember
hearing similar complaints from the adults around me - and I remember
thinking 'How could this be a bad thing?' As an adult, the one with the
pressure to shop and otherwise prepare for the holidays, I now
understand the complaint...
So when Kat Caverly originally asked me to start 'thinking Christmas' I
resisted.
It's not that I don't love Christmas. It's just that it shouldn't start
in October or even early November.
Some folks wait for the first snow fall to begin to feel the rush of
Christmas. When I lived in Wisconsin, that often meant that the 25th of
December wasn't Christmas, as we often had no snow by them. Now that I
live in Fargo, North Dakota, it means Christmas time is early October
(both a Brr and a Grrrr for me!).
So to me, the only time that I can say that I am ready to begin my
holiday season is after Thanksgiving. Let me get one out of the way,
and then I can focus on the rest of the season.
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:10 AM | Comments (3)
November 24, 2005
An Imaginary Holiday Meal, With Real Holiday Sentiments
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Not all the members of Kat Caverly's Dream Team are American, and so, do
not participate in America's Thanksgiving. However, as a little
community or family of sorts, we would likely celebrate somehow, if we
could. As a writer, I like to imagine what our holiday gathering would
be like...
I don't know quite what our holiday meal would consist of, with all
these different countries & their festive dishes to choose from. (I am
pretty sure that I would bring pies - not because I make a good pie, but
rather that I know I am a terrible cook, so I have learned where to buy
great pies.)
I don't even know if all our place settings would have the correct
utensils, or if we would say 'Grace' - let alone how many forms of
'Grace' we'd say, nor the number of languages it would be said in...
But I am pretty sure I know what we would give thanks for.
1) Creativity: As Anders says, he is thankful for "not drawing someone
else's same nose for 1 year."
We are all grateful for both being blessed with creativity and the
ability to use that creativity as a means to support ourselves. We are
thankful that we are paid to do what we love.
2) Technology: As Chris has said, "There's a lot of freedom (to push)
the limits of software and hardware - and breaking the rules is
encouraged."
Technology gives us the tools by which we create what we want - in an
affordable way, so as to still be able to feed ourselves and our
families. (Artists all, we prefer not to be the starving kind.)
3) The Internet: Nayan remembers when he first contacted Kat via the
internet to show her his work: "I was fortunate that Kat loved my work
when I first showed it to her and since that day (2nd Jan 2003) I am
working with her."
We are thankful for this specific technology, the internet, for this
gift allowed us to find and connect with one another, no matter where
our earthly location. (It even allows us to find you!)
Last, but not least, we count Kat Caverly herself as one of our
blessings. For without her, it's uncertain that we would have the first
three blessings. Or at least, it wouldn't be quite the same experience...
Here's how Sai Ming describes working with Kat: "Kat pushes me a lot
and encourages my work too. She can entertain you and drive you crazy
sometimes. You have a lot of freedom from her. And she always
understands artist's feelings."
And Shefali says, "First it was Kat Caverly's encouragement, her trust
in me that I could produce quality work and her absolute dedication for
her work, that drew me. She has an amazing sense of form as well as
feeling which I greatly admire."
And while we all tease Kat that she keeps us on the phone a
very long time, each one of us appreciates her knowledge of and
respect for artists and their work, along with her passion, and her
sense of humor.
Yes, we at No Evil Productions have much to be thankful for. And we
hope you are as happy in your work.
That said, will someone please pass me a piece of the pie I brought?
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:01 AM | Comments (6)
November 22, 2005
Is some-bunny you love getting another year older?
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Don't play it by ear - plan to get a jump on their special day with
adorable bunny ecards!
For those that age gracefully - or those who wish they did - here's a
greeting card that uses humor to gently make a point: All those
birthdays; only one grey hare.
(Hey, at least it's only one hare & not a row of rabbits moving
backwards - you know, a receding hare line! :wink:)
Would you rather send an ecard to have the birthday boy or girl paws &
reflect on how special their day is? Send an ecard that illustrates the
magic of birthday wishes!
This cute bunny plants the seeds & while he waits, his dreams rabbit-ly
become reality: a giant carrot tree!
Another birthday is nothing to wrinkle your nose at, so hop to it! Send
your special some-bunny a special ecard now!
Posted by photocartoonist at 9:47 PM
November 21, 2005
Tis the Season for the eCard
But are they safe?
In this season, The Season, where all things greeting card are exchanged,
we were asked, “Are eCards really safe?”
eCards are environmentally friendly, sparing trees & saving landfills;
they save us time and money; and most importantly, allow us to make the
folks we care about smile. But are they safe?
Yes Virginia eCards are safe, but there are bad people out there and
e-mail is being used for nefarious reasons and sure people have used
the good name of the wonderful eCard to lure people into their traps.
Some people fear using eCards, feeling they are risking downloading a
virus, spyware, adware or some other unwanted evil. Let's look at the
facts as well as tips for avoiding all e-mail troubles.
Fear #1: The eCard Bears Unwelcome Gifts
The Truth: Reputable eCard sites host the images, sounds and designs on
their own servers. This means your computer isn't downloading anything,
just playing files on a webpage.
Repeat: Legitimate ecards do not contain attachments.
Safety Tips: While we can't tell you the urls or names of all the bad
sites, a good rule of thumb is this: If you get a pop-up requesting you
to name ('save as') a file &/or select where to put a file, click
'cancel' or close and go no further.
Don't try to save an eCard for viewing later. Most sites protect their
eCards for copyright reasons, but this also protects you. Currently
BirthdayAlarm.com saves a history of all ecards, so the cards are always
available to play again later. This option means there is no need to
worry about saving them, along with anything undesirable, to your computer.
But don't panic when you see a file loading. A taskbar showing
you the progress of a loading file is not the same thing as
downloading a file. (You will not be asked to 'save as' or
provide any locations for saving the file when files load.)
Fear #2: eCard Companies are Phishing
The Truth: Premium e-greeting companies like BirthdayAlarm.com do
request billing information from recipients. And most offer at least a 30 day
free trial to their service. Payment details are required.
Safety Tip: Like offline, know the companies you are doing business with.
Check the About sections. Legitimate companies publish contact
information which includes a brick and mortar address. Check them out.
Contact the local Better Business Bureau.
Fear #2: eCards Are Tools For Spammers
The Truth: Reputable companies, eCard or otherwise, do not sell, trade or give-away email addresses or other information.
Safety Tip: View the company's privacy policy for assurances prior to agreeing to any site policies - even the viewing of the ecard.
Working With Email Accounts
As senders, we often use our Hotmail, Yahoo! or other free email accounts to send our ecards. We do this out of the fear that the ecard company will spam us or send an abundance of 'newsletters' or other unwanted emails. Or perhaps, this is to shield your personal doings from your workplace or another reason (heck, on the Web we all have more than one identity - so I won't judge you!).
However, our friends and family often do not know these other email addresses. They become suspicious of these emails and are quick to hit delete. And many email filters may 'junk', block or otherwise mistreat emails from 'unknown' senders, preventing your ecard from even being seen by your recipient.
Give your friends and family members the chance to find your e-greeting - send it from a known email address. And use credible e-greeting card websites.
General Safety Tips:
Do not open e-greetings from people you don't know. If you receive an eCard from an unknown email address which has a name you recognize, email your friend or family member at the email address you do know, and ask them to verify if they sent you an e-greeting from another email account.
Preview a link's Web address before you click it. If the link doesn't show an address, move your mouse pointer over the link without clicking it and the Web address should appear on the bottom bar of your Web browser. If the address doesn't seem legit, don't click the link.
Don't accept an end-user agreement without reading the fine print first. Oh, sure, it's tedious, but you might inadvertently agree to install spyware, adware or something else you don't want.
Don't accept "e-card viewer plug-in" - even if it has a certificate that looks convincing. Most ecards are viewable without additional plug-ins.
When in doubt, do a quick Google search for url's, plug-in names and other details to avoid scams. If it's a legitimate eCard, it will be there after a few minutes of quick searching.
Keep your anti-virus and spyware protection programs running. If
you did make a mistake, you'll have better chances of avoiding the worst
case scenarios.
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:52 AM
November 15, 2005
A Special Marriage; A Special Talent
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Shefali Nayan was born 30 years ago in Ahmedabad, India. She fondly
recalls being raised in Ahmedabad, "I was surrounded by art and music
since I was a kid. I have been encouraged by a wonderful family that
has imbibed and created an aura of positive energy for me."
With this wonderful support, Shefali persued her education, earning a
Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) with Painting as specialization. Shefali met
Kat Caverly via her husband, Nayan, and began work here in 2004, about
one year after Nayan.
Now a fine art illustrator and painter, Shefali creates the
characters and backgrounds and her husband animates them.
Shefali loves the ability to be imaginative and creative while working
on her illustrations. And she is happy to know that her art is
appreciated. She states that her work with Kat Caverly allows her to be
more creative, both in terms of moods and characters.
When asked about her favorite projects, Shefali said "Each concept, each
character, each piece of music and all that they emote are so distinct
and nice in their own way, that in some sense they could all be my
favorites!" Since Shefali won't name her favorites, I'll tell you that
one of our most popular ecards is Queen For A Day, which is by Shefali and Nayan. And my
personal favorite by this husband and wife team is the lovely Joyous.
Shefali said that she is drawn to this work by her "urge for experience and
creation of the world and surroundings and also a sense of sharing my
aesthetic experience with like minded souls."
So it would seem that working for No Evil Productions is another perfect
marriage for Shefali.
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:11 AM
November 14, 2005
Yappy Birthday: Are Birthdays Going to the Dogs?
Feel like birthdays are for the dogs? How about from the dogs?
This isn't just a group of dogs barking the usual 'Happy Birthday to
You.' This is an original jam session of animated urban pooches! These
canines are so street, the music can only be called yip-hop. And their
performance is sure to make the birthday boy or girl you send it to howl
with laughter.
You don't have to be a dog lover to appreciate the humor of a scrappy
band of dogs, but it sure yelps - err, helps!
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:03 PM
November 9, 2005
Give Everyone The Bird This Holiday
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Holiday traditions are not always as sweet and gentle as Norman Rockwell
paintings. While the collective US 'remembers' warm moments of sharing
enormous dinners with family as we discussed how grateful we are - there
are other more realistic holiday memories, other traditions...
Family members stressed out with all the 'things to do', kids annoying
them as they prepare the food, and other family members who just seem to
do all the celebrating while others work so hard.
While these traditions aren't as quaint & charming as those we see in
commercials or the warm and fuzzy moments we see on the covers of
magazines, Kat Caverly has made sure even these memories have been
captured. You'll see the overworked-under-appreciated mom 'give the
bird' to the not-so-helpful dad and the oh-so-annoying children. The
ungrateful-away-at-college girl may miss dinner, but in this ecard, she
gets 'the bird' too *wink*
I recall many (every?) Thanksgiving where my folks argued about the
amount of work that went into a meal when so many people didn't seem to
appreciate or care about what they all had to do. I'm pretty sure they
too thought they were delivering 'the bird' to everyone at the table
when they served that turkey...
And I too admit to a holiday to two where I didn't want to come home to
be with the family - I was too busy enjoying my 'freedom' and
independence. (Not to mention a meal without a drunk uncle.) I
eventually couldn't stand my grandmother's tearfilled 'Oh, OK...' and
came back for Thanksgiving dinner & all the trappings - complete with
drunken uncles.
But that's tradition! And that's when I knew I was home, having my real
Thanksgiving dinner.
Posted by photocartoonist at 10:46 AM
November 3, 2005
The Giggling Worm
Anders Worm was born in Denmark near Roskilde which, according to him,
is a known for 3 things:
1) The annual music festival (originally inspired by Woodstock)
2) The Viking ship museum (lots of sunken Viking ships in the fjord of
Roskilde)
3) The (protestant)church where the Kingdoms kings and queens have been
buried since ...well, since the Viking age...
Anders claims that between royal burials, every 30 year or so, "nothing
really happens." So he went to The National Filmschool of Denmark, and
became an Animation Director. After school, Anders worked in the
pre-digital animation industry. In December, 2004, he contacted Kat to
show her his portfolio. Several giggling, multiple-hour
telephone conversations with Kat later, Anders joined the company.
He is now 32, and lives in Stockholm, Sweden with his son and girlfriend.
Anders lists Alien Birthday and Granny Birthday as his favorite
projects. When I asked him how he made his selections, it came down to
how long & hard he giggled about them.
When you think about it, it makes sense: That's how he chose this
job.
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:52 PM
November 1, 2005
A Luxurious Birthday Card Laugh
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
She's a lady of luxury: spas, martinis, and a sophisticated air about
her that says she's seen it all... there are no surprises left...
Or are there?
It's the unexpected, not the martinis, that gets even she to laugh. And
laugh. And laugh some more.
What woman hasn't wished for a day to do just this? Heaven is a facial,
a fluffy robe, drinks & having one's toes sucked... (Did I just share
too much information?)
This is the kind of card that will get your birthday girl to laugh - no
matter how bored she is by the whole birthday thing. Even if she thinks
birthdays suck, she'll appreciate the whimsical portrayal of her
sentiments!
Sending this card with its unexpected greetings is sure to elicit a
smile. And it's much easier than delivering martinis – and a goldfish!
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:20 AM | Comments (2)