My Presentation

1: Here are my animations

 

2: I did not do the gestalt theory animation group work. I was told it was not mandatory and I judged that I need the time it would take to start my looping animation. Given how much trouble that gave me I feel vindicated in that choice

 

 

My Bouncing Balls

 

 

 

 

 

My looping Animaton

 

 

My Unfinished Film

 

 

3: During my first brief I was very ridged. A total perfectionist only concerned with doing a small amount of “correct” work.

Over time, I have gotten freer and more creative with my animation. At first I was scared to work pose-to-pose or do anything other than ones. But necessity is the mother of invention. And I have found I can not only do them but do them well!

One area where I’ve HAD to learn new technology is in using Dragonframe and a camera to film my work. It’s hard. But I am getting better at it. Each project shows less and less mistakes in this area.

When it comes to learning new things, if I am not overwhelmed with love for the new thing, I find learning to do one thing over and over and slowly building on it is easier and more lasting than trying to learn everything at once.

 

For the second brief I had to jump from just doing drawn animation to multimedia. And I feel I did all the different types of animation well

I’ve found my mental work plays out very well. I’m good enough at figuring how things will look in my head that I barely need to test my work (Which is good as I don’t normally have time to do that). The fact I can figure out how to make an animation just by thinking it through in my head has been a life saver. The end result was as I imagined it and it is beautiful. The same is true with my bouncing balls and my metamorphosis film.

 

I tried Stop-motion. That I love doing. But not as much as hand-drawn. Cut-outs I can do and they look nice. But they’re boring. I pray I never have to do digital 2D again. It took me and hour to make 12 frames. I’m not cut out for it. I can see why for most people it is so much quicker and simpler. But I am not most people. I do at least like the bright and clear colours a scanned in drawing has over one that has been photographed. I hope to use this to my advantage someday.

Doing hand-drawn animation is hard as hell and takes an infinite amount of time. But even though it drives me crazy, I enjoy doing it more than any other. And seeing the results pleases me a million times more than all the other types of animation do.

 

Sadly. I’ve found I love using colour in my classical animation. Which makes my workload ever harder.

 

Working on the third film nearly sent me insane. I can now understand why the animators who worked on ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ had to go to hospital after making it.

One reason I remain confident this is the right choice for me is I’ve shown I can make really smooth hand-drawn animation. Even on threes! It’s a joy for me to look at. And I wish I had time to make it even smoother.

 

I’ve learned I work best in silence. With no people, books or the internet to distract me. Because those don’t just distract me. They sap my energy.

I’ve learned I can make good animation using threes and pose-to-pose.

I now know that an adrenaline rush from some sudden exercise can really bring my creativity back when it’s flagging.

I’ve learned that I am not good at drawing faces or expressions at all. Hence why I made my characters faceless.

 

But I’ve also learned I can get better at them. Of the two facial animations I did the second one is miles better than the first one.

I just need to lean to draw faster and better.

 

There were times when I wanted to give up. That I felt that I’d picked the wrong subject and that I should pack it in. But when I saw my drawings move, and just how well they move. I have no doubts. This is what I love doing move than anything-else.

 

 

4: I find my timing is very solid. Sometimes it even comes out better than I had hoped. Though I struggle to keep my work long or slow, and keeping the smooth look I like. And I like to have both.

Spacing does give me trouble. I had assumed that it was less important than timing. I was wrong. I don’t know how I can improve beyond practising. Though I do now understand if you need a pose seen you have to draw it. Before and Afters don’t always cut it, or can even show the wrong thing.

 

5: I am no master of gestalt. But I was able to give my faceless characters a strong amount of expression just using hair and posing. I hope in time this means I will get better at drawing expressions.

I think I also did well conveying the idea of movement in my animatic without animation.

And using movement to connect all my different balls in my marble run despite looking so different. I think I’m getting there.

 

6 : I was only able to try transformation from 2D to 3D space during my marble run animation. I would switch from 2D to 3D balls and did so convincingly. I also had to make 3D balls look like they were running down a 2D marble run. Again. I think I pulled that illusion off pretty well.

 

7: When it comes to digital vs analogue, I have to say I suck at both. But in very different ways.

Analogue is my passion. It fills me with joy. But I draw quite slowly and not very well. And I get caught up in making each drawing perfect. It wastes a lot of time and sucks a lot of energy out of me. I can step back and work more roughshod sometimes. But it takes a conscious effect.

 

Digital anything on the other hand sends me into panic mode. Just looking at Adobe Premier makes me want to cry. It feels like someone has asked me to translate an ancient Greek text in mere hours.

I’ve needed help with all the computer elements on the course so far, and I don’t think that will change. Even if I had the brain for it (Which I don’t I do) It gives me no joy. I sometimes long for the ’90s. Back when handing in work didn’t require half an hour’s computer work!

 

8: I think I am good enough with the idea of metamorphosis. Granted my transformation was mostly spiritual. But My woman’s change from executioner to angel looks good to me. The change works and you could never mistake either for the same character.

 

9: I already knew all the great artists and animators who would inspire me. I’ve been prepping for this course for 7 years. I know who my influences are. But it was very nice watching that documentary about Norman MacLaren.

 

10: Despite all the pain it gives me there is no doubt in my heart I want to continue making hand-drawn animation next year. So, I might get better at it. It is the greatest art form in the world.

In particular I’d like to start adding in colour and backgrounds to my work. But we’ll just have to see what happens.

 

Final thoughts: I know this is not what the people here want to hear. But I find time and again the things I have loved since childhood are my greatest influence. And I find I work best by trusting myself that I know what to do. I often leave timing and spacing notes for myself that puzzle me later. But I follow them, and they turn out to be exactly the right thing to do.

Art teachers tend to want to reinvent you. To remake you in their own image. Saying that you know what you’re doing is the biggest way to annoy them. But the more I work the more I find I know what I need to do. I just need to learn how to do it. And that is a lot harder.