Submissions are closed. Thanks to the 60+ people who entered. Entries are being reviewed.

Win My Classic Animation Desk

Originating from 1990s Nickelodeon, this desk started life on Ren and Stimpy, then Rocko’s Modern Life, before it became my desk on Hey Arnold. I’m giving it away to a young artist.

To enter, write to me about why you’re the best candidate for this desk. I will choose someone as its next creative custodian. You don’t have to be an “animator” as it’s a great drawing desk. Details and qualifications about the giveaway are further below.

The Desk

My first animation job was on Hey Arnold at the start of season 1 production in 1996. Rocko’s Modern Life had been winding down so desks and supplies were transferred to the Hey Arnold crew. As a background designer, this was my desk on the show.

In 1998, Nickelodeon opened a newly remodeled Animation Studio complete with modern animation desks. The old ones were offered to the artists to purchase. I think I paid $50 for it. It had been against a wall the whole time and I’d never seen the back. So when it came time to move the desk home, I discovered the painting of Ren and learned about its origins on Ren and Stimpy. What a great surprise! Nobody else’s desk had massive artwork on it. (The desk was built new in 1993 when Nickelodeon took over show production from Spumco.)

It became my art desk at home in Pasadena. I moved it with me to Colorado where I used it as a freelance illustrator for 13 years. I moved it back to Los Angeles when I returned to the animation industry in 2014. It was my work-at-home desk for the first half of the 2020 quarantine.

I’ve created thousands of pieces of art on this desk. Your turn.

The desktop angle is super adjustable. I usually kept it angled so that the top edge lined up with a shelf for a seamless experience. Or I laid it flat in order to place modern technology on it, but that often defeated the purpose of this desk. Put it at whatever angle you like. Ledges along the bottom keep pencils and pens from rolling off.

The shelf storage is awesome and very useful. If you keep the desktop tilted up, the shelves behind become hidden storage for seldom needed art supplies.

The white plexiglass simply rests on the wood for a smooth drawing surface. It provides a nice white light for the built-in lightbox. Simply lift it off for cleaning or moving.

The Drawer

The single drawer doesn’t have a handle. It doesn’t have sliders or rails. It’s clunky and heavy. It pokes you in the thigh. But it’s pretty deep and pretty useful.

The Lightbox

Beneath the plexiglass is a hole for an animation disc with an integrated fluorescent light, operated by the wall-stlye light switch. (The switch also pokes you in the thigh.) You can use the plexi for layering art the old fashioned way, or buy yourself a disc if you want to hand-animate like the Nine Old Men. Or don’t use the light at all.

You can tell by the pencil smudges on the wood that this once held an animation disc, probably 25+ years ago on The Ren and Stimpy Show.

About Ren

He’s really special. The entire back of the desk features a giant, original, hand-painted in acrylic character portrait of Ren from The Ren and Stimpy Show. Ren’s crazy eyes and conniving grin capture him well.

I wish I knew who painted it but it obviously was done by a Ren and Stimpy show artist. I tried several times across the years to track down a name. I’ve communicated with people from the crew who suggested who might have done it, but nothing conclusive. My notes on that were lost when a storage shed I had was robbed. Maybe social media can help track down the artist.

I usually had Ren facing a wall and only got to see him when I moved. So he’s always been well preserved. Through several moves, he’s gotten a few scratches, so I’ve touched him up. He’s still not perfect, but he never was.

Disclaimer

Regarding Ren and Stimpy’s creator John Kricfalusi, who is guilty of multiple sexual abuses, this desk and giveaway does not in any way mean I support him or his actions. His predatory exploits are irrefutably horrific and I encourage you to read up on it to educate yourself.

The painting of Ren is not the work of John K. as these desks were new after Nickelodeon terminated his contract and took over production for themselves. If you want nothing to do with Ren and Stimpy and think nobody else should either, I support your feelings. But the show exists in history and I happen to have a piece of it. I like the painting, always had conflicted feelings about the show itself, and certainly don’t like the person from whom the show originated. And we still don’t know the actual artist. These are my own mixed emotions.

However, for me, this desk had meaning long before I knew who John K. really was. It was my Hey Arnold desk where I created hundreds of backgrounds in Arnold’s world, and thousands more positive artworks in the two decades since, including art for my current job on Disney’s Big City Greens. This desk spent a mere 2 years with Ren and Stimpy during its 28 year life.

Other Art on the Desk

Underneath the plexi on the wood are some pencil drawings. Near the bottom is an amphibian like character in a top hat. There’s also a word ballon that reads, “All I vant ess da fame” pointing to nobody. I don’t know its meaning. And in one corner are a couple of crude doodles, what looks like a middle finger up and a - you figure it out yourself. I just always left what was there as it stayed hidden beneath the white plexiglass.

The Good and Bad

• While this desk is amazingly cool, it’s not the most convenient thing for running modern tech. Cords can be run underneath it but there isn’t an elegant way to bring them up from behind when the top is laid flat. Cords have to hang over the sides to be brought onto the desktop.

  A 22 inch Cintiq will sit on it but there is barely enough room for it AND a laptop or keyboard. Because of the drawer underneath, there isn’t much lateral room for seat positioning, thus accessing multiple forms of technology is restrictive. So don’t think of it as a computer desk.

• The desk truly is made for creating analog artwork - good old fashioned pencil or ink on paper, or painting. If that’s your jam, you’ll love it.

• This thing is a bitch to move because it barely fits through a standard sized doorway. You have to disassemble part of the desk and remove your home’s doors from their hinges in order to get it into a room. I’ve done this at 8 different homes so it’s possible, but not easy. If you don’t move as often as I have, it won’t be as big a deal. I’ll show you what to do.

• It’s sturdy as hell, made of plywood, and built to last.

• The desk is is 48” wide and 29.5” deep. It’s 57.25” high and the desktop height when laid flat is 28.5” high.

The Giveaway

Winning:

Depending upon how much I have to read, I’ll take a week or two to decide. I’ll pick someone, reach out to them, and then announce it publicly on my social media. I will also share publicly why I chose you, and document the transfer of the desk on social. We’ll be writing and sharing the desk’s next chapter together.

Getting the Desk:

You have to be able to pick it up in Los Angeles, or arrange for it to be picked up. You can rent a Uhaul pickup truck for cheap for a couple hours. The desk is currently stored in my garage and I can help haul and load it. Also, I will work with movers if you’re willing to arrange and pay for shipping. I once had a vintage rolltop desk shipped from Chicago to LA. Movers can do a single item long distance.

Since we’re in a pandemic, I’ll wear a mask, keep distance, and be safe.

Have Questions?

Simply email me at desk@lowtwait.com.