Michael Dante DiMartino

My recommendation of 5 books that can help you create a...

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:29:56 -0700

My recommendation of 5 books that can help you create a compelling story

bryankonietzko: I’m excited to share with you the final cover...

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:05:12 -0700

I’m excited to share with you the final cover art (Korra drawn by Joaquim Dos Santos and painted by me, with a background painting by Fred Stewart) for the upcoming Korra Book One: Air art book, published by our good friends at Dark Horse Books. This was a real labor of love (heavy on the labor) for Mike, Joaquim, and me and all those who helped as we put this book together, and we are so proud of all the great artists’ work inside and can’t wait to share it with all of you. The plan is to do one of these art books per “book” of Korra (so four total), which is daunting yet fantastic.

Direct market on sale date: July 24, 2013.

Book market on sale date: August 6, 2013.

9” x 12” hardcover, 144 pages

Bryan just posted the amazing cover of the upcoming Korra art book! It will have tons of awesome pre-production art from book 1 and captions from me, Bryan, and Joaquim describing what went into developing the story and look of the show.

itscolossal: The World’s Largest Rubber Duck Arrives in Hong...

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:52:08 -0700

itscolossal:

The World’s Largest Rubber Duck Arrives in Hong Kong

Awesome!

A follow up to my last blog post about violence and story.View...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:06:08 -0700

A follow up to my last blog post about violence and story.

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Violence and story

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:27:59 -0700

http://wp.me/p3aXGE-30

Following the Aurora shooting, Gangster Squad’s release was delayed and a scene in which a shooting occurred in a movie theater was altered.

After the Newtown tragedy, Paramount delayed the premiereof Jack Reacher; and Showtime put warnings in front of…

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bryankonietzko: I was a guest on the latest episode of The Big...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:09:04 -0700

bryankonietzko:

I was a guest on the latest episode of The Big Pull Podcast. My good buddy Kurt Mattila (director of the ATLA documentary Avatar Spirits, among many other great things) invited me to join him last week, along with my other good buddies Angela Marie Volpe and Giancarlo Volpe (ATLA director and Green Lantern: The Animated Series show runner), to discuss our top three episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, among many other topics, like being a show runner, Korra, and stuff. Lots of stuff, and more run-on sentences like the previous one. In fact, so many run-ons that Kurt had to split it into two parts.

Here’s the link to the first half of our conversation. And here’s a piece of fanart I did of my favorite character, Data. I’ll let you know as soon as Kurt posts Part II. It was a lot of fun, I hope you enjoy! Oh, and Mike was a guest on some earlier episodes (#10 & 11), so be sure to check those out too.

I normally don’t get star-struck, but I was a little...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:04:14 -0700

I normally don’t get star-struck, but I was a little overwhelmed by the awesomeness of this past weekend’s Breaking Bad panel!

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pocketpicasso: Baby Bolin and Pabu…! I miss Legend of Korra a...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:47:27 -0700

pocketpicasso:

Baby Bolin and Pabu…! I miss Legend of Korra a whole bunch. Can’t wait for it to start agaaaaain

So cute!!

korranation: Book 1 on DVD & Blu-Ray is available for...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:52:41 -0700

korranation:

Book 1 on DVD & Blu-Ray is available for pre-order! Check out the amazing exclusives:

Audio commentary from Mike & Bryan for all 12 episodes

8 animatics of M&B’s favorite scenes

A new Puppetbender original short, “The Making of a Legend: The Untold Story”

WE. CAN’T. WAIT.

Pre-order here. Full article here.

Book one of Korra will finally be released on July 16. And it’s on Blu-Ray!

I just got back from a trip to Studio Mir in Seoul, the studio...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:20:22 -0700

There are inspiring quotes all over the walls, but for some reason, they're only written in english, not hangul.

Joaquim doodles during our meeting with Jae Myoung.

Jae Myoung's work space. Notice the reference he's using -- it's Allison Stokke, a pole-vaulter Bryan uses as reference for Korra's physique.

Some Naga drawings from episode 101.

The BG paint department.

Mako's watching you!

Studio Mir even has a gym!

Meeting with the Mir crew, with production manager Benjamin Kaltenecker and co-EP Joaquim Dos Santos.

Jae Myoung and his adorable dog, aptly named Mir.

I just got back from a trip to Studio Mir in Seoul, the studio that did the animation (and a lot of preproduction) for Book 1 of Korra. They are currently hard at work on several episodes of Book 2. Bryan and I have known Mir’s president, Jae Myoung, for over 10 years. In fact, he animated a lot of scenes on the pilot and went on to oversee and direct numerous episodes of A:TLA. With Studio Mir, he has created a very inspiring, artist-friendly environment. The talent he has assembled is top-notch and the artists are all excited to be working on Korra again! Can’t wait to show you the amazing work they’ve done (and will be doing.)

bryankonietzko: Book 2 color correction with Eska and Bolin.

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:10:35 -0700

bryankonietzko:

Book 2 color correction with Eska and Bolin.

The Science of Story

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:47:13 -0700

I just put up a new blog post about the scientific study of story.

I came across this video from the World Science Festival called, Why We Tell Stories: Science of Narrative. In searching the web for books and articles about stories and storytelling from a scientific angle, I’ve found a handful of accessible books about…

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A few highlights from PixelDrip’s “I’m the art...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:16:47 -0700

A few highlights from PixelDrip’s “I’m the art show deal with it!” In between meeting a bunch of great artists and fans last night, I took a few photos. It’s amazing to see all the different interpretations of the characters. It was a really great show with a lot of really great talent. Thanks so much to PIxelDrip for organizing and hosting and thanks to all you fans who shared your art and continue to be inspired by the show!

bryankonietzko: monsterlings: Today someone reblogged...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:55:02 -0700

bryankonietzko:

monsterlings:

Today someone reblogged something of mine and commented about being discouraged about art sometimes, which reminded me of this.

A family friend’s 6 or 7 year old daughter used to love to draw, but she started to find it frustrating, and so her mom asked me if I could give her daughter any advice. I ended up drawing/writing her this letter. I’d never really intended to show it to other people besides them, but when I saw that post today, I thought maybe it’s relevant!

If you want to see it, it’s right here!

Sage (and adorable) art advice from Korra BG painter Emily Tetri.

Great advice on art or any creative endeavor! We’ve all been there (and still end up there from time to time.) Thanks, Emily!

bryankonietzko: Hot off the presses from ImageWizards.net:...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:02:03 -0700

bryankonietzko:

Hot off the presses from ImageWizards.net: Three glossy metal prints of my art with frame-to-edge mounting that I am donating as prizes to PixelDrip Gallery’s “I’m the Art Show, Deal With It” Korra fanart event this weekend at Monk Space. *Ugly office carpet not included.* I’m really looking forward to the event and seeing all the great art and meeting the artists!

Bryan’s awesome work along with tons of other great Korra art will be up at the gallery this weekend. If you’re in LA, hope you can come check it out!

The Search hits comic book stores today. You will soon find out...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:22:00 -0700

The Search hits comic book stores today. You will soon find out what happened to Zuko’s mom. And that makes me a little anxious. Read about it on my blog.

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Want to READ THE NEXT CHAPTER of SIEGE AND STORM?

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:16:46 -0700

lbardugo:

The first 25 pages are already up on the Grisha Trilogy Facebook Page.

When we get to 3000 likes, Mac will release the next chapter.

More Darkling

More Mal

And you’ll get to meet Sturmhond ;)

https://www.facebook.com/GrishaTrilogy

Okay, all you Grisha fans out there. You can read more of the next installment of the Grisha trilogy just by clicking “like”. How easy is that? And I was lucky enough to read “Siege & Storm” and it’s awesome.

My latest blog post was inspired by a great interview on the...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:13:34 -0700

My latest blog post was inspired by a great interview on the podcast “On Being”.

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ironmouse: Talked to a friend today about what Avatar...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:49:07 -0700

ironmouse:

Talked to a friend today about what Avatar characters we related to; though I want to be a sublime lady like Asami, the truth is I’m closer to the more abrasive Korra. But really, I aspire to be motherfuckin’ Lin Bei Fonnnggg

sorry i drank some whiskey

beingblog: This week’s show came about in the best possible way...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:17:18 -0700

beingblog:

This week’s show came about in the best possible way — while browsing illustrated books about classic literature at a quaint children’s book shop in Minneapolis (The Wild Rumpus). I pitched the brilliant folklorist Maria Tatar as a guest who could talk about why all these timeless stories are infusing our culture in fresh ways these days. The popularity of Game of Thrones and The Vampire Diaries is a testament to the great, inventive work being done.

The result? “The Great Cauldron of Story: Why Fairy Tales Are for Adults Again.”

Fairy tales don’t only belong to the domain of childhood. These stories’ overt themes are threaded throughout hit TV series like True Blood, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time too. These stories survive, says Maria Tatar, by adapting across cultures and history. They are carriers of the plots we endlessly re-work in the narratives of our lives — helping us work through things like fear and hope.

I think you’re going to dig this conversation. If so, spread the word: reblog, tweet, post on your own site, you name it.

~Trent Gilliss, senior editor

Just started listening to this podcast this morning and loving it. I plan to write a blog about it once I finish. But in the meantime, check it out!