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Seattle Animator Drew Christie Opens Studio and Shop on Whidbey Island

Lucky Langley gets a DIY animation mercantile

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This article originally appeared in the March 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.

!–paging_filter–pGiven Seattle’s current love affair with all things artisanal and old-fashioned, the arrival of the Kalakala Co. Animation and Mercantile should perhaps come as no surprise—but it’s a nice one. The brainchild of local animator Drew Christie (best known for his painstakingly drawn old-timey cartoons, featured regularly on a href=”http://www.nytimes.com” target=”_blank”NYTimes.com/a) and his longtime romantic and creative partner Amanda Moore, the shop/animation studio serves as a fount of inspiration for wannabe animators and fans of all things drawn by hand. Located in quaint Langley on Whidbey Island and named after the iconic ferry, Kalakala Co. offers animation workshops ($300; scholarships available) and endearing animation kits, crafted by Christie and Moore, which include a story sketchbook, a cutout puppet and a pen (BYO camera; $35)./p
piframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qdcf-pE2-SY?rel=1autoplay=0wmode=opaque” width=”400″ height=”250″ class=”video-filter video-youtube vf-qdcfpe2sy” frameborder=”0″/iframe/p
p“We want to show people that animation is an amazing way to express yourself and your ideas through moving artwork,” Christie says. Or as Moore puts it, “We want Kalakala Co. to be the Johnny Appleseed of animation.” The shop also sells the couple’s colorful, limited-edition, screen-printed tea towels, totes and baby onesies. Catch free in-store screenings of Christie’s films during Langley’s first-Saturday art walks, and mark your calendar for April 13, when a compilation of his work will be screened ($5 to $7) at neighboring Clyde Theatre. Then set pen to paper and bring your own stories to life. Open daily 11 a.m.–5 p.m. 221 Second St., No. 8; 360.221.0161; Facebook, “a href=”https://www.facebook.com/KalakalaCOShop” target=”_blank”Kalakala Co Mercantile/a”nbsp;/p

 

Rearview Mirror: Spinasse at Home, a New Spa Experience, and Seattle Mag’s Reader’s Choice Awards 

Rearview Mirror: Spinasse at Home, a New Spa Experience, and Seattle Mag’s Reader’s Choice Awards 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

YOUR VOTE MATTERS Everyone has a favorite restaurant, coffee shop, or local boutique. Call me old-school, but I will die on the hill that Caffe Vita has the best coffee in town. Disagree with me? Now’s your moment to speak up. Each year, we survey Seattle magazine readers, asking them to weigh in on everything…

Studio Sessions: Ling Chun

Studio Sessions: Ling Chun

The Seattle-based artist brings playful color to ceramics and neon while exploring memory, transformation, and life between cultures.

For Ling Chun, creating begins with something sensed before it can be named. Working with clay, glass, light, and sometimes synthetic hair, the Hong Kong-born artist gives physical form to things that words cannot always hold. “For me, the magnitude of making goes far beyond the object that is eventually produced,” Chun says. “The object…

The Magic of PAX Is Stronger Than Ever

The Magic of PAX Is Stronger Than Ever

PAX West draws more than 100,000 people to Seattle each year. Co-founder Jerry Holkins reflects on what the gaming convention set out to change, how its community has grown and why gathering face to face still matters.

Access to game news as it was happening was difficult back in the day. Even with the advent of the internet, communication between game publishers and journalists was still a very elite affair.  I used to fake credentials—via fax machine!—to attend the Electronic Entertainment Expo, mostly just known as E3. It was simultaneously as loud…

Your Guide to Bumbershoot 2026

Your Guide to Bumbershoot 2026

Navigate Seattle’s wildest end-of-summer weekend with 20 picks spanning Death Cab for Cutie, Blood Orange, wrestling, skateboarding and—obviously—movies made in 48 hours.

Four years after Bumbershoot returned with its quirkiness revivified, Seattleites broadly acknowledge the two-day multimedia extravaganza as a welcome finale to the summer festival season. Fests like Bumbershoot are designed around a choose-your-own-adventure model, but if you’re the kind of person who looked at this year’s sprawling lineup—featuring multiple bands, artists, and exhibits happening at…