Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

Bill Peckmann forwarded another beautiful book by Fritz Baumgarten. Here’s Bill’s note:

“Teddy’s School Walk”. As Always, Baumgarten’s wonderful detailing is never over done and leaves you wanting more of it!

Book’s cover

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- Bill Peckmann has given us a wide assortment of beautiful books by Fritz Baumgarten. The illustrator has written many books built around a world of creatures and their environs that he’s created. His style is so affectingly attractive with the very rounded turns that we almost miss the beautiful inking and the fine watercolor techniques. The books are all very different, but there is a bit of a sameness to the work in that we don’t stray from the woods where the creatures – the small animals and dwarfs – make their homes.

This book takes a different turn and gives Baumgarten a chance for some fun. Sportfest im Walde is obvious in its subject. The dwares and animals compete with a number of sports. From tennis to racing to boxing, activities abound.

I hope you enjoy it; I do. It’s a world I wouldn’t have otherwise seen, and I wish there’d been an animated version somewhere along the way. When Goebbels set up an animation studio to promote all things German, he should have animated hese books. They would have been wonderful as a series. They still are.

Many thanks, yet again, to Bill for the scans and the book, itself.

The book’s cover

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- There are times when I wish I had a political blog so that I could vent some of the political venom that builds up in my little world.

Fortunately, my first love is animation, and I maintain steadfastly an animation and cartooning blog. And believe me, one blog’s enough.

Given that, I’m proud to present this post.

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- We’ve already met Fritz Baumgarten‘s characters Teddy and we’ve seen his version of Santa. In this sweet little book, Teddy gets to meet Santa. It’s another wonderful Christmas book done in the very round style of Mr. Baumgarten. That coupled with his delicate and limited color palette.
Teddy’s Weihnachten.

This book comes from Bill Peckmann. Many thanks to him. His one short comment is:

Here is our second German Christmas card (book) from Fritz Baumgarten. (Man, can he do birds, or what!)

I hope you enjoy it.

Book’s cover

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You’ve got to love this picture !

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Beautiful poses on those birds.

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The End

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And a last note comment with an additional page from Bill Peckmann:
“In keeping with the Spirits (hic!) of Christmas past, a peek of a future post…”

Fritz Baumgarten has done Chrismas as well as any other illustrator out there. For the next four Fridays, beginning with today’s post, Bill Peckmann and I are presenting Christmas stories through the eyes of Mr. Baumgarten and other such great illustrators.

We start with this book, Weihmachtsfest in Wichtelland. And here to introduce this book is Mr. Peckmann:

As a kid many years ago, if you had a favorite cartoonist, the only thing better than that was when that cartoonist did a Christmas book or story for the Holiday Season. Here is a charming Christmas confection by Fritz Baumgarten and a delicious delight it is, both the single color pages and the full color ones. Enjoy.

The book’s cover

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The End

- As you know by now, I am a fan of Fritz Baumgarten‘s illusration work.
Bill Peckmann couldn’t please me more than by sending more scans of Mr. Baumgarten’s work. And it seems as though Bill has a large collection of his books. Here’s another one, Teddy und Kasperle. Teddy appears in quite a few of Mr. Baumgarten’s books, and he’s an entertaining character.

The book’s cover

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Hoppity comes back to town and gets maried, or in this case, at least, it’s Fritz Baumgarten. He’s a brilliant illustrator that Bill Peckmann introduced me to. He’s done a series of books in German, and Bill knows how much of a sucker I am for this ma’s illustration work. The book Bill sent me, here, is Das Hochzeitsfest im Wiesengrund or as we say in English, The Wedding in the Meadowland. I hope you enjoy it.

Book cover

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Many thanks to Bill Peckmann for sharing this excellent book.

- Bill Peckmann introduced me to a fabulous German illustrator, Fritz Baumgarten, who’d created many beautiful children’s books. These books feel as though they come from an earlier generation, yet Baumgarten died in 1966. In a sense they are from an earlier generation, but they feel more like the 30s and 40s – Snow White. I think of the world of Albert Hurter.

I’d like to post this one, written by Liselotte Burger von Dessart. Zwitschi.

cover

(Click any image to enlarge.)

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Many thanks to Bill Peckmann.

- Bill Peckmann continues to send me treasures. Here’s a calendar by Fritz Bumgarten with illustrations that werer taken from some of his many children’s books. The guy has a beautiful stle that feels like the work of many of the Disney Silly Symphonies and the early features. That Albert Hurter feel.

The calendar’s cover

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The back cover of the calendar.

As mentioned, these 12 months’ worth of images were culled from illustrations taken from some of the books by Fritz Baumgarten. Here are the covers of some of those Baumgarten books in Bill Peckmann‘s enormous collection.

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- Before we get into today’s posts, I have to remind you again
that we’re in the last days of our
Kickstarter Campaign.

Thanks for your support.

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- It’s turning back to a more naturally cold March in New York. This after a glorious week of refreshingly beautiful weather.

I’m sure the weather inspired Bill Peckmann to send the delightful, German book, Sommerfest im Märchenwald by the great illustrator, Fritz Baumgarten. The book’s a gem, and I hope you enjoy it.

The cover

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- Fritz Baumgarten was a brilliant illustrator who drew many fantasy worlds in books populated with forest animals, elves, fairies, and birds. His style reminds me a bit of an illustrated version of early MGM Harman-Ising cartoons. There’s a charming innocence in his approach, and I have to say I love all of the books of his I’ve seen. It’s fortunate for me, because Bill Peckmann has a collection of them and delights me by sending scans.

Here is Hoppel und Poppel from Baumgarten, which unfortunately is not translated. But we’re here to look at the Baumgarten pictures, not read the Lena Hahn verse. So, I hope you enjoy.

The book’s cover

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