Monday, January 24, 2011

Sand Stop Motion - team of 4 animators

Would it be crazy to do two things that you like at the same time? How about planning a day of stop motion animation at the beach.

The 2nd years are working with a client this year designing animation with a marine and coastal theme. Keep checking here for a 'making of' video.

This clip is “Lose This Child” by Yuval & Merav Nathan. Their other work should be recognisable straight away.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Cours Toujours (made for fun!)

By Elise Garcette and Olivier Barré. The key thing is that they made it for fun! In a world where people strive to make art for money, sometimes they forget to make art for themselves and for fun. One of the awesome powers of an animation student is being able to make animation for fun rather than clients. (and I like the music)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Animation Drawing - Try a soft-B pencil

Path

When we sat down around the studio table for our first animation class, our first ruff draw, I asked what do the new animators like to draw with?



As we draw I continue to talk. Animators go into the zone while drawing. That's an 'altered state of awareness', usually an alpha state. A place with no time, a place where cats spend most of their 9 lives.



I talk hoping that the animators are engrossed in their altered state and not consciously listening. So I can implant an idea in their brain - "Use a soft B pencil. 4B or 6B is good. Like Glen Keane." Work ruff and loose, tease your drawing out of the lines, the arcs of marks.



Beast

Animation drawing is a new way of "drawing" for many animation students. The best draftspeople, the people who 'can draw', seem to suffer the most. It's because animation is about observation and thinking, and then expression. Expressing movement and motion, energy and emotion through lines and paths. Animation drawing is about observing. Eventually the drawing gains energy and reality starts to look different the more you study animation.

6B or not 6B... or maybe 2B? That is the question.

The Art of Glen Keane Blog.

"Draw Clear Not Clean," Ollie Johnston