Oh, the summer in New York! Everyone's out in the Hamptons partying, and I'm stuck in my studio, working night and day trying to finish "Hair High" before October 1, the Sundance entry deadline.

In between "Hair High" animation, I was invited to do some animation and character designs for "ChalkZone", a wonderful, very imaginative kids' show from Nickelodeon.

Their concept was: what if Rudy sees the wacky animation of Drew Yerface, a famous animator. After seeing some of Drew's famous, bizarre animation, he gets excited and decides to meet Drew - who obviously is a take-off on yours truly.

Here are some of the morphing characters that Drew Yerface interacts with. I don't know when the show will air, but watch for it in the fall. It's a great, fun show. They let me do all the morphing animation.

Then, this weekend, I took a bus up to Woodstock to direct an Animation Master Class. It was a marvelous day - taught some good students and had some great food - very enjoyable.

The Woodstock area is filled with wonderful artists, and the Woodstock Film Festival, which runs from September 17 to 21, is one of the warmest and most interesting festivals around. You should go and check out the animation program - great stuff! I'll be there, along with a whole gaggle of other animators.

Today's cartoon is another old classic - it's not an original idea, a hydrant getting payback on a dog. I've seen the same gag a few other places - that happens a lot. I even used this joke in my short film "Plymptoons", an early version of my very short 30-second gag spots. It can be found on the "Plymptoons" video.

Talk to you next week. Keep cool!

Bill