Richard Whillock's Animation Blog

Statement of Intent

2012-02-09T17:22:00.000Z

What?
What is your project about? What are your aims?
This project is going to be designed to raise awareness and de-mystify the process of death for a younger age group, in a friendly and charming way. With sophisticated language and appealing visuals to keep all age ranges entertained. Its structure will be based upon a pre-determined narrative, and its visuals will be a figurative puppet based stop-motion animation with a cohesive visual aesthetic. The hand-made nature of the process will be a feature or the piece, and a source of its appeal.

How?
How would you achieve it? Setting out tests/micro projects?
This will all be achieved with careful research into possible styles and aesthetics, as well as time management and planning. Narration will be a key element, so multiple possibilities will need to be explored and tested.

When?
Projected delivery? Schedules?
Deadline is 25th March, so ideally want to be finished a good week or two before then. Everything is to be mapped out on my calendar in terms of pre-production, designing, fabrication, production and editing, in that order. Any Milo use will need to be planned well in advance.

Limiting Factors

2012-02-09T16:11:00.003Z

Putting a few limiting factors in place for this piece of work to make production and research a little more streamlined:

Medium
Puppet based stop-motion, figurative and not too abstract, but with a cohesive visual aesthetic.

Audience
Primarily aimed at youngsters, but with sophisticated language and appealing visuals to keep all age ranges entertained.

Visual Aesthetic Research Ideas

2012-02-09T15:07:00.000Z

Crisp, white papery goodness:

Early Inspiration

2012-02-06T11:34:00.000Z

White clean paper theme, crisp lines and clear visuals.

Mix of handmade and clean cut visuals

Cross Section Research

2012-02-06T11:31:00.002Z

By Lisa Nilsson

Also, look at this:

Scratch that... New Showreel! (for real)

2012-01-26T14:01:00.002Z

After getting a fair bit of feedback from the facebook BCU animation group (see below) on my other showreel, here's a newly amended one!

The main points of alteration were:

remove the 'page curl' transitions
concentrate mainly on stop motion
sort some of the timing issues out
other bits and bobs

Feedback welcome!

New Showreel

2012-01-24T15:02:00.000Z

Here's a brand new version of my showreel with some fancy pants new music:

Why Don't we do Something? by Hey Geronimo

Have a looksie and let me know what you think?

No Task Left Behind

2012-01-16T21:49:00.001Z

Another way I find it useful to keep on top of work is this:

A hideous mess right? Right, but also one of my best tools for staying on top of jobs. Ignoring the pixellated out bits (due to these being things I don't want everyone knowing with birthdays and things coming up), the main purpose of this is twofold:

I make the list each night, of the top six things I need to do the following day. The main benefit of this is the fact that I can prioritise without being influenced by the lazy side of my personality, as is so often the case if you try to make the list just before you have to start the tasks. Secondly, when I wake up, there's no real deciding-what-to-do period, I can just consult the list and know what I'm working on and know it's important enough to put the blinkers on for a while.

For the cost of a £1 cheap whiteboard and pen from Poundland, this has been (and continues to be) a great little tool in the battle against procrastination and disorganisation.

Time Planning

2012-01-16T20:43:00.000Z

So, as part of this project I thought I'd better blog up how I like to schedule my time for these kinds of modules. A bunch of pages from Google Calendar printed out and glued up, enables me to mark out everything nicely. I do this in combination with having a digital online calendar, as it's nice to have it up on the wall near where you do the actual work so you have a good visual clue as to where you are and to where you deadline is, an unavoidable reminder as it were. Also, crossing off each day and task is satifying in its own right.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-05T16:09:00.000Z

2 0 1 2

It's all been a bit quiet on here as of late hasn't it? I'll put that down to the festivities that always come near year's end, but also polishing off my dissertation report. But that's as good as done now, and so to kick off the blog for a new year, here's a quick self portrait of me in deep thought, with a bongy eye, which is my natural state of affairs.

SS1 Presentation Slides

2011-12-07T16:09:00.001Z

Presentation online, and if it's not working, here are the individual slides:

Evaluation & Contextualisation

2011-12-06T07:53:00.001Z

The Original Brief:

Stop-Motion pre-production

Fabrication process and techniques

An in-depth look at the fabrication process for the pre-production of stop motion animation, and the influence the character of a puppet plays on its fabrication and construction.

Why?

(Purpose & intent)

This field is the direction I want to be heading in, and I feel has unexplored areas (or at least not-well-documented ones). The traditional processes are still as strong as ever, and I feel hold a uniqueness that holds them in relevance in the current era.

The challenge of creating puppets and armatures of characters that are capable of varying degrees of expression, as well as different shapes and sizes, dependent on their 2D designs, will be a good challenge and a great learning opportunity.

Target audience?

(Evidence, or primary and secondary research)

The stop-motion and model/puppet making community. Stop motion amateurs and professionals, to explore the construction methods currently used and to show my own techniques for fabrication to them, for feedback from people within the field.

Which medium?

Physical puppets, photographs and short test animations. A variety of traditional and modern techniques will be researched and used.

Which platform?

The final outcomes will be physical puppets, with correctly lit photography and test pieces of animation to show their characteristics of movement/expression/character off.

Project strategies?

(Reflection, action plan, strategies i.e. in-depth study on the subject matter, micro test animation etc)

Fabrication and construction process are the main point of this project, so not too much time must be taken up with the actual design of the characters, as long as they are chosen to illustrate certain aspects of the fabrication process, i.e. flexibility, exaggeration of expression, etc. The principals of animation must be taken into account throughout, as they need to be incorporated into the building process.

Potential learning?

(My own personal learning outcomes)

To enhance my skill-set in the pre-production of stop-motion films, and to learn in-depth techniques for puppet and armature construction, and working with predefined character designs and the constraints they entail.

..........................

Evaluation

Working on the early brief, as shown above, I think this entire project has been a success. It has been filled with useful failures, from the alginate experiments that collapsed, to the limbs that didn't last quite long enough on the armatures. To fail is the best way to learn, and i've got a list as long as my arm of things not-to-do in the future. I feel like the only way to learn these issues is to try and them and see what happens. A small sample of the list:

- if in doubt, use larger cable connectors, if you are forced to use them at all

- even if not in doubt, don't go for the small ones

- solid wire joints if at all possible

- make sure any plaster casting is free of anything with sulphur in

Contextualisation

Going back to the purpose of the pieces I've created, working with predefined characteristics when fabricating a model or puppet is a constantly shifting process. Pre-planning and measuring is essential.

Looking at the "Ratman" character I created from a Don Kenn illustration, I think I managed to get an almost exact build of the model, with only a few minor differences in, but nothing that affected his character. The main one is the eyes having pupils, but my version can be animated with or without them, I did so with them so that I was able to do a few more animation tests. The major flaws in it are due to some fabrication choices on the joints leading to no-so-great durability, but that's a lesson or two learned.

See the images below for the original illustration on the left and my completed model on the right:

Keeping the principals of animation in mind was one of the major aspects of each build, and working out how to incorporate anticipation, exaggeration, etc within a solid model construction, and without losing any aspects of the puppet's original character design.

For example, without enough flexibility and control a puppet would not be able to move incrementally enough to be able to use timing efficiently. This was the case with 'Ratman's' legs, as they were very short it was hard to make sure there was enough wire and bone structure in them to keep their shape but without limiting them. As a result they ended up being far too stiff to animate, which resulted in higher pressure to manipulate them, and eventually the led to one of them snapping off. He lasted for as long as he needed with these tests and photos, but from a more substantial project a new method will have to be worked out.

One of the greater successes of this project was 'Zeke's' Head. This was a latex build up of a fairly complex face armature that allowed for movement of (both upper and lower) maw in all directions, as well as eye rotation, eyebrow deforming and movement, ear deforming and movement and neck movement. Because of this I managed to get a massive range of expressions out of him. This is a fabrication method I'll be using in the future, as there seems to be so much mileage in it, especially for more caricatured and expressive characters:

From the uncertain start of this project, its fleshed out into in a great education for me on the implementation of character within the stop-motion puppet character base. Figuring out how to reach certain goals in terms of emoting and characteristics such as fear, determination, etc was a real challenge to the fabrication process. But, with the correct planning and implementation was more than achievable, and I think my final animations and photos reflect the characters and emotions that I'd set out to achieve well. Any areas of failure were ideal situations to learn from it, and try a new technique.

Also looking at other working examples from the people at Laika, Aardman etc were fairly good resources for my own work, as well as independents like Suzie Templeton and Ray Harryhausen. Seeing the wide range of techniques used, each for different styles and types of puppets and sets, made me realise that there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to fabricate a piece, but just whatever works for you and the visual aesthetic you're going for.

It's been a real inspiration on what puppets to try next and to see where I can go from here.

Animation Compilation

2011-12-05T15:45:00.000Z

Here's the compilation of test shots and animations I'll be handing in as part of my assessment work this week. Evaluation coming soon, and feedback appreciated!

Ratman Pose Photos

2011-12-05T15:17:00.001Z

Just had a bit of a photo-shoot for some printable images of Ratman, turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as he was on his last legs, joints popping out limbs falling off. Managed to get a few pics with some tinkering though. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and, as usual, any feedback is always welcome.

Zeke Face Test (Emote)

2011-12-05T10:13:00.001Z

Finally got to do a little something with Zeke's face, getting him to emote a little and try a few different expressions and facial movements I had intended from his very construction, things like the neck and jaw displacement, eyebrow deforming as well as movement. Also a few techniques I learnt from previous feedback, such as boiling the fur (while he was angry/growling), which I think turned out great and really added to the emoting.

I still feel it all goes by a little too fast, but definitely getting there in turns of the timing, plus working on 24 frames per second, the minimal amounts are so hard to judge, onion skinning on dragon helps a fair bit with that though. I think the best way to improve this is up the scale on things. At the moment Zeke stands at about nine to ten inches tall, but I think with a slightly larger puppet, smaller movement would be much more manageable.

Pastiche-tastic

2011-12-05T08:11:00.000Z

Not just because it's a combination of two of my favourite things, but isn't this wonderful? Gorgeous little puppets holding onto their handmade characteristics. Expressive and beautiful. This really should have been made into a full film.

Ratman Test (Tail Movement)

2011-12-03T13:30:00.001Z

Working the movement from the base of the tail as suggested by Ben, it's much improved over the last attempt. Dope sheeting required in future methink if other bits will be moving too, it'll be hard to keep track of what's going where.

Ratman Test (Sneak Cycle)

2011-12-03T11:27:00.000Z

The animation is a bit choppy but it was interesting to work with something that was to be a loop-able cycle and having to meet up with a pre-defined starting point. I think the feet look good, its just the upper body moving around that makes it a little choppy. Maybe a little more movement in the arms/head would improve it, but for now I achieved what I set out to do, which is to complete a walk cycle and concentrate on the legs.

Also i got this rather nice little photo out of it:

Ratman Test (Reluctant Roar)

2011-12-03T09:41:00.001Z

Just another little test, with a bit of sound, seeing how it goes for now and trying to get some more testing done.

A Look at Pirates

2011-12-02T15:50:00.001Z

I love these behind the scenes peeks at the usually very secretive work of stop-motion studios. It's great to see some of the scales of the sets they work on, as well as the sheer numbers they have to work with when it comes to puppets and props etc. Co-ordination of the pre-production and production must be on such a massive scale, with the amount of planning of how many films they can be shooting at once.

I think the one thing that draws me into this work more than anything else is the sheer creativity and detail of the work they produce, from every shop-sign to the tiny goblets. Anyway, enjoy this little video.

First Test and some Feedback

2011-11-29T14:22:00.001Z

And here's some of the feedback grouped together so I know where it is:

And a still from setting up, just because:

Travis Millard

2011-11-29T13:46:00.001Z

Another artist I wanted to look at for good character references is an illustrator called Travis Millard. His mostly monochrome medium is more often filled with moving, meaningful monstrosities. From pages of eye practice to expressive yet simply designed monsters. These kinds of simple yet expressive forms are useful to look at, as well as a joy to behold.

Now the following two would be lovely to do in stop motion: Double-face dude and grabby faces already look like you want to reach out and interact with them and are solid and 3D, even with simple use of line. Begging to be made into models. The possibilities of animating these are amazingly complex yet simply full of opportunities of expression and story-telling.

Suzie Templeton Interview

2011-11-29T13:06:00.000Z

A Suzie Templeton interview from Don't Panic Magazine:

Your adaptation of Peter and the Wolf won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film last year. I think it's charm comes from the exquisite model making and decision to make it a stop motion animation. What drew you to using this medium and where did the idea for the film come from?

The models are indeed exquisite. They were made by the wonderful artists and model-makers at Se-ma-for Studios in Lodz, Poland. I wanted to make the film in stop-motion right from the start. It is the medium I love the most and have the most experience in. The idea to make a new film version of Peter and the Wolf came from Hugh Welchman, (then a recent production graduate from the National Film School in the UK), and Mark Stephenson, a conductor. Had they not suggested it I don't think I would have chosen something so well-known and well-loved, and more importantly, a piece that exists so brilliantly in its own form without need of visual representation. I did always have reservations about portraying the work in a visual medium because I always thought that it was exactly the absence of visual representation which made the piece so powerful.

Tell us a little bit about the set? How big was it, and how much of it was created using the computer?

The set was gigantic. It was designed by Jane Morton, the English production designer, who used Maya as one of her tools. It was made in Poland by the Polish production designer Marek Skrobecki. It was all made by hand.

Your two films Stanley and Dog are very different from Peter and the Wolf. They seem to be based more on personal issues and in particluar issues in the home, and human relationships. You touch on different emotions, such as lust, anger and sadness. What messages are you trying to convey through your films, or should I say hidden messages?

I always work with layers of meaning in my films that are there to be explored by the viewer. If I was able to communicate them in writing I wouldn't go to the trouble of making the films!

What materials did you use to makes your models?
The puppets are made with traditional ball and socket and wire armatures in foam latex bodies. The animal fur is ordinary fake fur expertly laid in small pieces onto the bodies. The human hair is various types of animal hair such as llama wool. The human skin is made of silicone. The clothes are made of real cloth.

It amazes me how you are able to capture such emotion through the eyes of your models, especially in your film Dog. Is there a special technique you use to do this?

The eyes are very important to me to convey emotion. The eyes in both Dog and Peter and the Wolf are ordinary painted plastic beads. I use glycerine to make the eye surface wet and sometimes animate the glycerine itself. But mainly the illusion of life is achieved by subtle movements and acting.

The animals in your films are very realistic. Did you study real life animals to capture their movements?

Yes, I filmed crows, runner ducks and fat cats as reference for the animators. I also spent a couple of days at a wolf sanctuary to study wolf behaviour and movement. I would have loved to send the animators to the same place, but unfortunately the budget would not stretch to that. I would have loved them to have the same experience as I had, really feeling the spirit of the wolves first hand. I assumed before I met the wolves that they would be very similar to dogs, but they are very different indeed, in spirit and movement, and I would have loved for this to come across in my film.

Are your characters based on people you know, or are they purely imaginary?
I am inspired of course by events and people in my life and my own experience. Some characters might be based physically on real people, but that is as far as it goes.

What are you working on now?

I am writing a feature, working on a fun, small short and i'm open to commercial work.

Extra Helpful hands

2011-11-24T19:15:00.000Z

After ordering a few more pairs of the 'helping hands' I dismantled the lot and had a look at what sort of components would come in useful. Turns out, nearly all of it was, and I was able to build myself some nice pieces of rigging without too much tinkering. What's extra-nice about it all is that it's fully customisable depending on the character and shape of the puppet being used. Check out a few action shots of it being used here:

Also, cleverly disguised with a bit of black cloth here:

Rigging (Heavy Duty)

2011-11-24T16:31:00.001Z

Sanding the ball joints to a rough finish helps keep them tight and grippy
Doubling up the side portions of the ball joints makes them much less likely to deform under pressure and therefore much tighter
Replacing the desk clamp with an old chemistry retort stand, much more stable, slightly harder to manoeuvre but will hold much more weight.

Problems now seem to be solved...

Setting Stage

2011-11-22T19:44:00.001Z

Getting the stage I'd built earlier on ready, I decided it'd be best to glue some non-slip mats to the bottom of it just to reduce the chances of it moving while filming, even though it'll be clamped down. I'd rather over-prepare than under prepare. Also, it turns out the rig clamp fits just nicely onto it and seems to work quite well, although I'm worried the cheap metal ball joints are going to give way after a while, but we will see. It seems to be doing the job for now.

And here are two of the puppets here for a size comparison. I'm pretty excited about animating 'Ratman' as he feels nice and solid (touch wood), and I've always wanted to have a go at doing a tail swooshing around. Not only that, but a good experiment in fur also.

Last bits of 'Ratman'

2011-11-21T11:00:00.001Z

Finish up the model, final coats of latex, making sure the fur is the right length. Next up is taking Ben Whitehouse's advice and adding some dirt and skin blotching to keep the flesh looking real. I'm still not 100% sure about what the ears are doing being a mix between flesh and black. The black seems too contrast-y and the flesh doesn't stand out enough but I really want to keep a limited colour palette to the whole piece.

There should be a few new photos going up soon but for now I need to concentrate on getting the mes tidied up and the stage set for a bit of animating as time is pressing on and the timetables says it's photography and animating time. Fingers crossed the construction of the puppet will hold up to the job!

Rigging on the Cheap

2011-11-21T10:52:00.001Z

When it came to rigging I was looking around and the best I could find was a £49.99 piece. I thought I could do something similar myself and had a good idea how to go about it. First step was to buy a pair of "helping hands" online, then get about breaking it down into it's component parts.

After a bit of moving parts round, I had it how I wanted it, it was simply a case of a bit of resin and M4 screw rod. I was originally going to find a heavy base for it, but I had an old clamp off a ping-pong net lying about and it fitted just nicely, and should make it even more secure. The Ball joints aren't the best but I think it'll do the job it's intended for. So I've saved myself £45ish.

I may give it a coat of green/blue paint so it's easy to key out if need be.

John Kricfalusi Presentation

2011-11-16T22:44:00.000Z

Dactyly Development

2011-11-16T19:22:00.001Z

The past few days have been taken up with various bits of work, but one of the main ones is the completion of the hands and feet for the "Ratman" model. Here's how it went:

First step was to model the feet, to scale, out of super sculpey, and make sure they were going to look OK size wise on the model. I wanted to keep the oversized style of the original illustration, as this would look really nice when animating.

The next step was getting them cast, so dishes were made and lined for easy removal once it had set. The plaster was then mixed up, as best I could to avoid bubbles and lumps. Added to mould and left to cure.

The moulds were removed carefully after a few hours, and cleaned up. The detail quality looked really rather nice, and kept all the little marks of the models. Next up was getting a first layer of skin painted into the moulds, along with details such as spots and nail colour.

Then it was a case of making some hand and feet armature to fit snugly into them,making sure to be padded with foam to keep a soft shape. Also, keeping the wire right to the tips of the fingers and wrist, to make sure they were flexible right up to these edges.

Pour on the latex (a slightly redder tone for under the skin transparency to show through). Any split blobs or splats can be worried about later as the flash lines won't be too much of a problem to clean up afterwards, and will actually aid in the removal of the latex from the mould once set.

Repeating the process for the feet (slightly more complex armature required for them, as they will be involved in the anchoring and rigging of the character to the floor, and supporting his weight).

To note: I'll be using M4 size threaded rods and bolts for this puppet, for both the tie-downs and rigging.

Then it was a case of waiting and topping up the latex as it dried into the moulds, the process took a good two days or so to fully dry out.

The removal from the mould went smoothly thanks to the rigging points on the feet and using the flash lines to lift them out. Then the flashes were trimmed off with some nail scissors (why hadn't I started using those sooner? They're perfect!).

All that's left is a bit of touching up the latex with some painting and affixing them to the rest of the puppet securely. The skin blotches and other details worked out nicely, and the more I use this technique, the more I'm sure it's the way to go with model making.

Knee Surgery

2011-11-16T19:15:00.001Z

So, after a bit of posing and fiddling with Zeke, I noticed his knees coming a little loose, mostly due to the face I hadn't use twisted strands of wire, and instead used single strands (causing the bones and latex to lose it's grip on the wire and swivel around it). I decided to try and salvage the situation with a little cutting up of the back of his knees and filling the misbehaving joints with a little epoxy resin to try and affix them to the armature a little better.

It worked for a little while but soon came loose, and with no other options but pretty much a complete model rebuild. He'll have to stay as he is, but it'll limit any animating a little.

Fur and Foam

2011-11-10T19:15:00.001Z

Puppet Progress Shots

2011-11-08T21:56:00.002Z

Just a collection of shot from today's progress on the full-body armature/puppet, have to leave it mid-foaming up for tonight. Also the eyes and lips test head is coming along nicely, the latex layering is taking a little while and has to reconstruct part of the jaw as I'd made it a bit too small, but wasn't too much of a difficult fix. More coming soon.

Next Full-body Puppet

2011-11-07T22:13:00.002Z

The start of the next full body puppet, this time I'll be adding a few things, such as the brass tubing and epoxy resin, so we'll see how that goes.

Lips and Lids

2011-11-07T22:12:00.002Z

Some quick progress snaps of a little experiment on posable lips and eyelids, Don Kenn's monsters inspired. More to come.

Epoxy Resin Testing

2011-11-06T16:57:00.001Z

I thought I'd give this brass tubing a go, instead of the usual Sculpey bones I'm used to as I've had a couple of failures on Zeke's legs. Trouble is, I could only find round brass tubing in stores, so I'll see what I can do with it for now until the online square tubing I've ordered turns up in the week (I hope). Also managed to find an ancient box of epoxy resin, so will be using that too, I'm hoping that using better quality components will give a bit more durability to my puppets.
I wanted to try two things with the tubing, fist just gluing them on with the Araldite, which worked a charm as expected, but then also just pinching the ends tightly around the twisted aluminium wire. This also worked pretty well and hasn't come loose let, so could be a good back up tactic to remember. I'll stick with the epoxy resin from now on though.

Quick Build Base

2011-11-06T16:38:00.003Z

I realised I needed a base to do a few practice animations on, so I built myself a proper tie down base this Sunday morning. An investment in a decent electric jigsaw and drill/screwdriver seems to be a wise bit of spending of my student loan. A few scraps of wood from some Ikea packaging, a bit of PVA and nails later, and I have a good serviceable base:

I won't be pre-drilling holes in the top and instead will just be drilling them as needed for the tie downs. As you can see, the tie downs are working great, and some really nifty poses can be held. However the puppet's legs seem to be doing a bit of a wobbler which I'll need to look into.

"The Quiet Life" Case Study

2011-10-31T18:04:00.000Z

A wonderful little short film by Timothy Hittle, "The Quiet Life" is the third of the Jay Clay feature series. Originally about a nomad and his dog and their adventures, things take a slightly different direction in this instalment.

The exposition of the story sets the scene beautifully, first using a few nice wide shots and pans to show the audience the setting and landscape or the environment. Also note the references to Hittle's previous animations in the series, with Canhead now appearing as a garden ornament in Jay's new garden, a sign of a past conquest if ever there was one. All of this adds to the newly found nature of Jay - no longer that of a wanderer and vagrant, but now of a home-owner, and a proud one at that. Nothing makes this more clear than his house-proud actions during this opening section. The slow pace is relaxing and letting the viewers into Jay's world and letting them see just who he is. Small movements like how he spins the broom, and his casual smooth gait let you know he's in good shape and enjoying his easy-going life.

Enter the dying bird - the start of conflict in Jay's perfect world. His home is invaded and damaged, a good metaphor for his life at the moment - something he had worked hard to get just right has been suddenly thrust into strife. The arrival of an attractive stranger on a horseback, warning him of the impending danger brings out two aspects in the protagonist; that of the possibility of a love interest, but also that of impending danger. His stubborn nature is shown with his reluctance to give up his home (a good side to this character trait), as well as his dismissive gestures towards an opportunity to forge a relationship with someone new in his life (the obvious downside to his stubbornness). This backstory and emotion is told through Jay's internal dynamics and movement alone.

Soon enough, the crisis unfolds and his worst fears are realised as his home is destroyed. The machine making it's impression on the landscape with bright red (psychologically notorious for danger) 'waste' standing out amount the muted browns and golds of the landscape. The 'Canhead' fountain is a great metaphor for Jay's mind, being turned off when danger first approaches [putting past glories behind him to face a new threat], then reaching into it to extract the tools needed to fend off this new threat [using what he did back then to help defeat this new threat].

During the final climactic fight scene, we see much faster frantic action, as well as a change in the sounds of the piece. An angry electric guitar for all the scene involving the skeleton, giving him his own unique sound, and much more menacing.

As well as this, there are some great point-of-view close up shots to accentuate punches during the fight, and some nice metaphors such as the skeleton 'wiping his feet' of Jay after supposedly defeating him.

After the fight is over the story is resolved and Jay is able to take up the offer of a love interest in true 'happy-ending' style. Also, a cheeky little hit back from the resurrected skeleton, leaving that character open to a comeback in the future? With the rebirth of the bird, phoenix style, it leaves us knowing that despite the loss of his home, it's alright as he's been left with the journey of rebuilding again, this time with some company of his own kind. Almost like a family.

"Zeke" Character Shots

2011-10-31T11:13:00.001Z

"Zeke" is complete, click to embiggen.

Any feedback appreciated!

Codpieces and Strappy Sandals

2011-10-31T07:40:00.000Z

Going back to working on the body of Zeke, most of the 'skin' had been complete, it was time to work out how I was going to go about making some clothes and accessories for him. I had planned for him to be a scavenger, living off the throwaways of humans, and so all his bits of clothing and tools must be as such. First step was some shoes for his feet and I decided some simple gladiator style sandals maybe the best bet, only needing some leather straps and soles. Breaking out the sewing kit I got stuck in, and soon to follow was the leather belt for his waist and some under-pants too. Little bits of co-ordinated thread held everything together along with some epoxy glue to strengthen it all.
Bits of string were fashioned into a shoulder belt for clipping some of his tools onto, such as a simple club I built out of balsa wood and a screw with a bit of acrylic paint to weather it a little. Also, a grappling hook out of paperclips, with a special 'rope' I built out of a piece of wire (so its manipulable during animation) wrapped with a white thread dipped in white latex to make it appear as if the whole thing is string.
Photos will be up soon as this puppet is pretty much finished now...

Silicone Casting Experiment #1

2011-10-31T07:31:00.001Z

I wanted to have a go at seeing what thickened latex is like, usability-wise, as compared to the previous alginate compound I used for casting. I'll be using the exact same sculpey model (goblin head) as last time, so I can get a good comparison of the final moulds. Already I know silicone latex won't dry up as fast as the alginate has (it's already starting to harden after less than a week).

Anyway, as you can see, I put one thick coat of the latex over the model, let that dry and then another thickened layer over the top, so only 2 in total, but it did take a few days to dry properly, and ever then I was a little worried it would be too soft still, but I went with it anyway. It turned out to be just about okay for use.

Next step was to seal up the gap that was cut into it to remove the original model, and to find a way to prop it up as well. A few small pieces of duct tape seemed to do the job of closing it up well, and a nice ring of clay help hold it up in the desired position. The plaster was mixed up smoothly, and poured in and left to cure.

When I popped it out, it wasn't all that great quality. The silicone took some of the plaster with it and left some big chunks missing. Other than that the detail looked good, it held it's shape well, and I know it'll last a lot longer as a mould than the alginate one. I think perhaps using something other than plaster of paris might be on the cards next for casting harder materials.

Alginate Experiment 2 [Part 2]

2011-10-25T13:48:00.002+01:00

Back to the plaster of paris head from the alginate mould: I managed to get three out of the mould, but it is starting to deteriorate a bit. I think I could get another couple out at a push, but for the purposes of this test I don't really need to - it was all about what level of detail could be achieved and the practicality of using the alginate. Which, I think is pretty good. I coated one of them up with a bit of green latex for a nice goblin finish, and quickly made a few replacement mouths for the photos. I didn't want to spend too long on this though as this wasn't about having a perfectly finished model. But you can get the idea of where these might lead from these quick snaps:

I think from all of this, I've seen that alginate is a good viable option for the production of any hard pieces that might need replacements or identical copies made. It gets good level of detail provided you manage to mix both the alginate and the plaster of paris smoothly, with minimal bubbles in the mixture. Although on the later moulds, where the plaster found its way into tiny air bubble pockets, it produced some great little nodules and bumps on the surface which look nice and warty!

Feet Success!

2011-10-25T13:23:00.000+01:00

After a good day and a bit of drying off, the feet were coaxed from their moulds (fairly easily, which was a surprise) and turned out just lovely. They have great flexibly in the arch of the foot and are lightweight and hold their shape really well. And as a bonus the mould is completely undamaged so ready to go again for when I next need some feet! This is definitely the way forward I think...

Alginate Experiment #2

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000+01:00

Back to the alginate and a little more planning with this one. Firstly a made a nice little Sculpey head with no mouth for a replacement face puppet. I made a small wire stand to support him upside-down in a tin-foil lined jar, and made sure the neck was nice and long (as this would be acting as the funnel to pour the plaster into the mould once it was made). Then the alginate was mixed again, firmly but slowly so as to avoid as few lumps and air bubbles as possible, then poured over and into the mould, and tapped to let it settle into all the cracks and crevices:

After twenty minutes or so the alginate had set nicely and I up-ended the jar and peeled away the tin foil. Carefully slicing down one side of the mould with a craft knife, I was able to gently slide the Scupley head out with almost no deformation - it's good to go again! This is great as I managed to only cut one side of the mould which means there will only be one seam to worry about when casting in plaster:

So then mixing up the plaster of Pairs, nice and smooth, and gently pouring in and giving it a shake to make sure there are as few air bubbles as possible and it fills in all the gaps:

Another ten minutes later and voilà, the plaster of Paris version next to the original Sculpey one:

Turned out much better than I had expected and has encouraged me to perhaps use alginate a bit more in the future, although I think might try and repeat the process with latex to see which mould making process works out the best for me.

Alginate Experiment #1

2011-10-24T15:39:00.001+01:00

I'd been meaning to try this for a little while; I had a bag of quick setting alginate left over from my Fine Art course, and wanted to see if it would be any good for mould making, so giving it a go on one of my old model heads, see what level of detail we get and how it'll react. It was simply a case of mixing it with the water pretty quickly, then slopping it over the model.

Unfortunately, as you can see, it was a bit too thick in some parts and thin in others, causing it to fail when removing the model. Detail-wise though it looks promising! Stay tuned.

Next "Steps" (pun intended)

2011-10-24T15:30:00.002+01:00

Adding the skin layer of flesh coloured latex into the mould, and building the feet 'bones' with bolts in for tie downs, and flexible sole for greater movement possibilities. The extra sponge is to pad out the foot so that it won't be solid latex and should hopefully make it a bit easier to bend and move around:

Putting them in situation and pouring the latex in and around them, I'm guessing it's going to take the good part of a dry all the way through, possibly more, so I'll leave them there for now and move onto something else...

Fingers and Toes

2011-10-24T09:13:00.001+01:00

Digging out the old hand cast from before and it's in perfectly good condition to get a few more hands tried out. The Aluminium wire ones turned out to be too firm so trying a slightly thinner one, and will see how that goes once it's all layered up and looking nice:

I need a new cast for feet that will hopefully get a few dozen uses out of it, so the first step was to make some soft, unbaked sculpey feet, and get them in a container just the right size (as I had no potter's clay to make a mould), then smother them in a thin layer of vaseline (as a release agent). Next, mix up the plaster of paris, and (stirring it slowly and gently to keep the air bubbles out) and pour into the mould at leave to set. I also added a pair of wire handles into the plaster to allow myself something to grip when trying to remove it from the tupperware mould.

Next step, getting the feet armatures baked and putting them in the moulds with the latex...

Zeke Body Fabrication

2011-10-22T13:42:00.000+01:00

Laying out the components on a scale diagram to get the size right.

Adding fastenings and the solid sculpey parts to hold it all together, making sure to all suitable room for screws and movable joints:

After baking, bulking out the body parts with foam, leaving solid areas for moving and posing the puppet (something firm to grip onto when animating):

Thin latex bandage to smooth ou the underlying foam and give a bit more shape to the body and its limbs:

Neck fastening screw hole (top) and rig mount (bottom), and the body with its first layer of latex on.

The Process of Zeke's Head

2011-10-20T22:20:00.002+01:00

Two thicknesses of wire
Aluminium foil
Super sculpey
White beads for the eyes
Acrylic paints
Liquid latex
Thin bandage foam
Standard sponge padding
Talcum powder

That's pretty much the total of what went into him, and I'm pretty pleased with the result. It's strong and can take a fair bit of punishment, seems to have a lot of use in him, as well as a lot of flexibility for facial exaggeration and expressions, which is exactly what I was going for. The methods for covering up the edges of the hairline need to be improved a little but do a fairly ok job (it's simply a case of attaching the hair and then using more flesh and hair coloured latex in patches to blend the edges until it looks natural, a better way to do this is yet to be found).
Next up is the body, and a bit more in depth analysis of the process and what techniques I'm taking from where, and what are my own devising.

Glossing the eyebeads:

Back fo the head and hairline, and acrylic skin painting around the eyes/face.

Zeke

2011-10-18T11:46:00.002+01:00

"Zeke"is finished, click to embiggen

A Wooly Addition

2011-10-17T13:49:00.000+01:00

After reading about how wool can be used to soak up latex quite well I thought I'd start a little experiment on how well it works as a replacement for foam for the lightweight bulking up of puppets. First jobbie; ill see how it helps with the bulking out of hands and fingers and hopefully shortening the process of layering up the latex. Lets see how this works out once it's dry...

And here's a little more progress on the goblin man, with a bit more skin and hair, stay tuned for more progress:

A little less Human

2011-10-12T14:29:00.002+01:00

For the next model I wanted to do something a little less human, and something very expressive, by putting a few more control wires underneath the face, so for this Goblin, not only doe he have mouth wires, but eyebrows, tongue and ears also. Thicker wire for the maw, as I know that'll have much more tension on it from the latex when posing, and then thinner wire for the ear, eyebrows and tongue.

Before baking:

Post-baking with foam buildup starting:

His current state, with most foam work done and starting with the early latex build-up:

Continued...

2011-10-11T19:06:00.000+01:00

Modelling the replacement mouth/beard and finishing off some detail on the face:

As it stands so far, just with the hair, eyebrows and some tidying up to do:

Latex Layering

2011-10-10T17:20:00.000+01:00

And so onto the first latex head of this module, I decided to keep it simple and try to sculpt one of one of the drawings of characters I've done (I'll show you at the end). I started off with some thick wire and the foil for the head's base as usual, popped in the eye beads (placeholders) and got to it with the super sculpey.

The sculpt over a wire and foil armature:

Bake:

Starting the Latex and Foam layers:

That's it so far, oh and I've started the hands too, so we'll see how they go....

Change of Plan

2011-10-10T17:19:00.001+01:00

So, there's been a slight change of plan. No longer is this going to be centring on texture, as per the last post, but instead on the fabrication of the puppets and possibly sets.
I’ve realised I’d much rather concentrate on this and it would be much more useful for my progression in the long run than my original pitch idea.

The new pitch is a report on the various different fabrication processes that different puppet makers use, and then my own research and practical work into the construction of these armatures/puppets. I’d be working from some pre-defined character designs rather than making my own, so I can focus on the construction process, and end up with quantifiable outcomes like: several test shots/sequences of the puppets, built of various techniques and processes. A nice little practice mannequin would be nice too.

SS1 Pitch Video

2011-10-05T19:11:00.003+01:00

Just popping this up here so I have an online copy

Things to Implement

2011-10-03T20:34:00.000+01:00

Just a quick list of new changes I want to make to get myself into gear for this module:

Small sketchbook for the module - for keeping on me at all times. Sketch anything inspirational - even unrelated things can create a conversation that could lead onto something interesting and relevant.
Large sketchbook for the module - for 'sit down' work.
Create a digital 'Texture bin' - a library of photographs to be built up over time for inspiration and resources.
Treat the blog posts as a 'best of' and an area of reflection for things studied and found in the sketchbook and research.
Always be reading relevant material.
Time-planning and eliminating procrastination.

Getting Going

2011-09-29T16:35:00.000+01:00

With the briefs written, and a final day of organising done, third year is about to begin. Looking forward to seeing what is made of my plans and which one I choose. I'll probably post them up later, but for now the themes are Visual aesthetic/music video, Storytelling/self, A tribute to empiricism, and Social anxiety/self perception.

All stop-motion based of course ^_^

Resources

2011-09-24T18:31:00.000+01:00

Just listing a few resources for use of anyone who needs a little inspiration, will keep topping this up in time, but here's a few to get started with:

Blogs
JohnKStuff
Scribble Junkies

Websites
DeviantArt.com
ConceptArt.org
Reddit.com

Books
Drawn to Life Vol 1 & 2
Any Calvin and Hobbes
Story of Art

Artists
Norman Rockwell

Summer Fades

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

So as the end of summer fades, it's time to get back into the swing of things.

There's been plenty to plan and think about, as well as I've been working on some spreadsheets to help get myself organised and motivated in preparation for my final year. Expect more recent updates now that I'm off again, but for now here's a little picture I did of myself that I'm pretty pleased with:

Dead Love - Finished

2011-08-07T18:22:00.002+01:00

The film is finally complete!

And a bonus update on my website too!

Click here to head on over to my website and watch

All feedback welcome ^_^

Repairs

2011-08-04T14:42:00.000+01:00

They always fall apart by the last few scenes, latex models instead of plasticine next time methinks...

Getting Warmer...

2011-08-04T08:50:00.000+01:00

I have about 6/7 scenes left to film at the moment, but it's slow going as the room I'm filming in is pretty hot/humid with all this summer heat we're having. I have two fans going (carefully obviously, so as not to move any of the set!)

I think one of the biggest lessons I've learnt filming this is that Dragon (Stop-motion software) is amazing, and make such a huge difference. There'll be a couple of scenes which I didn't use Dragon for left in the final piece, as I don't think the difference is too noticeable. Well, hopefully not once the film grain effect is added.

I'm not expecting the film to be perfect, as it was all a huge learning exercise for me, but to see it complete will be a huge step for me, not to mention free up a lot of space and time for the long list of other projects I want to get cracking on this summer.

Flashtastic

2011-08-01T16:57:00.001+01:00

Spent most of today doing the opening sequence, but still unsure on the narration, but I still have one yet to come (hopefully within the next 24 hours) so the timing for that final part will have to be done one I have it. Other than that, most of the credits are done too (has been mostly a flash day today) and I knocked together another piece fo title text which I like better than the old one, so I'll be using that instead now.

Now I have just eleven scenes left to go then doing the sounds and any minor editing that's left!

Stay Tuned!

I'm still alive! It's still alive!

2011-08-01T11:16:00.002+01:00

For now, here's some work-in-progress shots of the opening scene...

Airshow Antics

2011-07-18T10:01:00.000+01:00

A few of my photos from Fairdford Airshow this year:

Trying out Dragon for the First time...

2011-07-01T17:18:00.000+01:00

Duct tape and Leather...

2011-06-29T12:27:00.000+01:00

... make for a nice new wallet

Sid & Samson

2011-06-29T11:08:00.001+01:00

A couple more models I've finished Not very detailed quality but I thought I'd photograph them and make something of them nevertheless. Again, all latex layering over wire and sculpey frames, bulked out with sponge. The acrylics and talc for the details.

Click for larger views.

"Charles"

2011-06-20T13:27:00.000+01:00

The completed head for Charles, the skeleton, really enjoy the flexibility on his jaw, makes for some more variance in expressions, see below for its full range of movement:

Thanks Ekabutr!

2011-06-14T16:29:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Ekabutr for the digital sketch!

Whales and Latex

2011-06-14T13:31:00.000+01:00

Just layering up the bandage and latex for the first layer of the whale's skin, keeping it nice and white at the moment due to over mixing an abundance of white latex, but hopefully will be ending up a nice shade of blue by the end, no matter how appealing making 'The White Whale' is...

More Progress Shots

2011-06-13T17:18:00.002+01:00

The next one in progress...

And Skeleton progress (next to 'Ernie' for size comparison)

More and more...

2011-06-13T12:55:00.000+01:00

Sculpey and wire head for the next one, having a go at a skeleton while I wait for the layers of latex to dry on the previous one, which seems to be taking a fair bit of time. Speaking of which, here it si so far:

Next up, baking the parts and making sure everything works and fits together well:

And then onto the first layers of white latex mix and stretch bandage for covering the moving joints:

Full Body Latex

2011-06-10T20:06:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd have a go at a full body model now, using the layering latex technique. As you can see I spent some time building a good flexible 'skeleton' for this characters, out of sculpey and wire. Once the sculpey had baked, I bulked up the model with some foam along the back and on the maw, before applying the latex and then layering with some foam bandage to shape the form of the body. First layer is drying as we speak...

"Clive"

2011-06-10T17:59:00.000+01:00

Clive's head all done and dusted, click to embiggen!

Nearly There..

2011-06-10T15:33:00.000+01:00

Just waiting for last few bits to dry then it's time to photograph!

Fur me up, Baby

2011-06-10T12:24:00.001+01:00

Also, replaced the eyes as the other were a little too psychopathic-looking.

What's left - eye detailing, mouth, ears and photographing.

Another Go...

2011-06-09T16:29:00.002+01:00

"Ernie"

2011-06-09T12:10:00.002+01:00

The finished head 'talced' and posed. Click to embiggen.

Painting Done

2011-06-08T19:55:00.000+01:00

Last one for today, it's pretty much completed, just need talcing up to get rid of some of the gloss over the skin and make it a bit more handle-able. Tomorrow I'll give a full stress and stretch test and see what it can do in front of the camera!

Final Latex Layers?

2011-06-08T18:29:00.000+01:00

Skin latex pretty much done, and eyebrow wires in place, next up is fluffing out the eyebrows, and painting the skin for a bit of variance.

Latex Layering

2011-06-08T17:01:00.000+01:00

Initial layers of standard latex used to build up the detail areas such as eyelids etc

Colouring the latex: a good glug of water, plenty of white and then a blob of yellow and a small blob of red. Works so far!

Initial redder undertones/layers of the skin, looking a little sunburnt.

Top layer of flesh colour, leaving extremities exposed and slightly redder.

more to come...

Trying out Techniques

2011-06-08T15:33:00.000+01:00

more to come...

Inspirational 'The Quiet Life'

2011-05-29T20:23:00.000+01:00

If you don't enjoy this you're dead inside. Seriously.

From ten years in the making, from Timothy Hittle, the third installment in the 'Jay Clay' series, probably the single most influential stop motion I've ever seen. They and John Kricfalusi's work are what got me into animation, almost alone.

'BirdBox'

2011-05-27T14:16:00.001+01:00

Finished Fauna, Fiddly Flora

2011-05-26T21:00:00.000+01:00

The grass is made from carefully sliced glassy magazine paper that just happened to be the right shade of green, works quite nicely, once you get it to stand upright. A few more bits of greenery, fixing on the hands and it's pretty much done, finished pics coming soon.

Fiddly Fauna

2011-05-26T18:57:00.000+01:00

Making the companion for the Birdbox, working at this small of a scale is a real challenge, lots of fine tools needed, and i seem to have misplaced my helping hands - would really be useful around about now. Anyway, here's the bird so far, minus tail and wings.

More 'Birdbox' Progress

2011-05-26T14:43:00.002+01:00

Even more

2011-05-25T20:55:00.000+01:00

And... last post of the day just to let you know I'm painting a small bust I made in sculpey that I had lying about. Use up the last dregs of the model paints I think. So hopefully with these few builds on the go, I should have lots to update int he coming weeks.

Birdhouse Progress

2011-05-25T18:25:00.000+01:00

Working with Wood

2011-05-25T14:07:00.000+01:00

A few snaps of the next little piece that I'm working on:

New Armature Technique

2011-05-25T11:45:00.000+01:00

So I thought I'd give another type of armature a go, this one doesn't involve any wire, and relies on joins made of nuts, bolts, wooden dowel, washers and eye screws, as you can see form the joint below.

The dowel splitting on several occasions, grr.

I'd say it's turned out a a reasonable technique to use if I could overcome a few problems, mostly, the wood splitting, but more importantly the loosening of the joints as they become unscrewed.

Next step: trying replacing regular washers with spring washers, and maybe nylon ones, see if that helps.

Number 300

2011-05-24T08:08:00.000+01:00

So, for my 300th blog post, it marks the end of my 2nd year of my animation degree, and the early start of summer 2011. So for a little inspiration here's an animation from someone's second year at CalArts, and it's utterly wonderful:

I have a fair few plans of what I'm going to be working on over the summer, and I'll be keeping this blog updated with my progress, so stay tuned.

Presentation Slides

2011-05-23T13:10:00.000+01:00

Evaluation

2011-05-23T10:55:00.000+01:00

Helping Beckie Smout (pre-production)
As this part of my task never really got off the ground, it's hard to evaluate it fully. Brainstorming and idea gathering session are always useful though, and it was interesting to see another person's stop-motion work. It would have been great to work with someone on a puppet based stop-motion project, but alas, it was not to be.

Helping Karina Davies (production)
This charcoal based project, based on a real person and true story was useful for seeing what it was like to work for someone, rather than as an equal team member (which was part of it as well). Trying to replicate a style as well as working towards set gaols and deadlines. The mix of pre-production and production work was an ideal setting to put many of the things I've learned through my course into practice. But most of I feel it was interesting and challenging to work on something geared towards an audience that I haven't so far within my own work.

Set/Prop Construction Techniques
Building the models and working on my painting techniques taught me many lessons that I feel will be invaluable for all my coming work. From dry-brushing to over-painting, all of these are some of the essential skills I need in order to produce high quality sets and props, and the more practice I get at these the better.

Character Research
The continuous need to keep my eyes open for new inspiration and teachings of established character artists was put into practice for this part, as I made myself sit down and look for new styles and techniques. Studying and analysing these various artists brings something new to my own work, and opens my eyes to options I may not have yet considered.
But more than that, it keeps me enthusiastic and inspired about my area and keeps me pushing in new directions with my work. Learning new techniques, like keeping a visual journal, and new mindsets for keeping myself constantly pushing my creative side, and making the most of every idea.

Planning the next Project
Thanks to all research I've completed on the direction I want to head with my next project, I feel fully prepared to start pushing along further with it. I'm still constantly gathering new media, and solidifying the idea of the piece I want to produce. All of the different aspects and lessons I've learned during this module have helped me progress with deciding on which direction I want to head, and where I see myself in the future.

Another Audience

2011-05-22T12:59:00.000+01:00

Now a few things towards an older audience. Starting with some classic comedy in the form of Monty Python. This brief sketch from one of their productions is based around a brilliant little music number about insignificance and our universe. This is the kind of 'feel' I'd like to aim towards for my piece - comedy with a serious edge, perhaps towards a younger audience.

Taking it a bit more slowly, here's part of a tribute series to some of Carl Sagan's (renowned astrophysicist) wise words. This kind of love of science and empiricism and the history and future of our species, is the kind of awe and wonder I would love to be able to help inspire in younger generations via my work, starting with next year's work.

Now here's something a bit more modern, and as much as auto-tuning is a bit overdone on the interwebs as of late, this is a brilliant way to gather many inspiring words on a unified subject. Again, to inspire and enlighten people about the beauty of a scientific viewpoint on the world.

Old School

2011-05-22T12:00:00.000+01:00

The Animaniacs are probably what set me off on the scientific road with their awesome musical numbers extolling the virtues of the planets, the presidents and many other subjects. These fast paced but enlightening pieces are almost entirely based around the musical number, but work the animation to it nicely to provide a combined visual/audio piece. I think these definitely show that you do not need to dumb down your presentation even when dealing with the younger sets of audiences.

They Might be Giants are up here again, with a lovely little short in a different style to their usual ones. This was created by actually making the characters and sets with crafting techniques and paper/paints etc, before photographing them and then animating them. This gives them a very hand-made and unique look, while still being able to use much more modern digital techniques for smoother animation and tweening, and even some 3D rendered sequences. I love the combination of different techinques, new and old to created a really stand-out looking visual aesthetic.

Not quite educational this one, but good fun nevertheless. Stop-motion music video for Weird Al's Jurassic Park. This kind of puppet based tongue-in-cheek animation is great for pulling the younger crowd in as it's instantly funny and 'cartoony'. You can get away with great exaggerated designs and expressions as well as a vibrant palette, and it sure looks like fun to produce.

How to Teach, Fun-style

2011-05-22T11:36:00.001+01:00

So here I am planning ahead with ideas of next year's project. I have a few ideas of the kind of direction of what I'd like to produce so here's the outline:

- An educational short, or pilot to possible series.
- Primarily stop-motion (puppet based) but with a possible mix of other mediums.
- Aimed at kids to teens, 10-18, unisex.
- Based on real science and real facts.
- Topics showing the benefits of empiricism and logic
- Showcasing scientific discovery and learning.

My first steps in this direction was to see what kind of things are already out there, and what appealed to me as a child. My pick of the best out there at the moment are:

Mythbusters: the science isn't perfect but for getting kids into science this is easily one of the best out there. They don't patronise or over-complicate, and it's full of 'impact' and fun experiments and comedy to keep them entertained. I wish this was about when I was a kid.

Now, coming a close second is this series of music video shorts by They might be Giants, all of which make science all rock-star for a younger audience. From the elements to dinosaurs and many others they've covered many aspects of science in a fun and engaging way.

By using these simplistic yet colourful styles of animation mixed with a brilliant sing-along song, kids are enjoying being educated and it's not even in a sneaky way. It shouldn't be about trying to sneak information into kids without them knowing, it's about making the topics engaging enough that they want to learn about it, and even better if you can get them go want to pursue it even after the animation/teaching is over!

Breakitdown [Update]

2011-05-22T11:01:00.003+01:00

- Define my area of practice (AOP) ☑

= Pre-production; character design & set building

- Needed skills and developed skills ☑

= Miniature painting, general painting and construction skills for sets, etc Character drawing practice, life drawing and caricaturing.

- Application of knowledge and skills ☑

= Model making/painting, sketch journal, photo textures etc, caricaturing, character creation and research.

2) the final presentation [10mins]

- Define AOP and Specialism
- Outcomes?

- Reflection and strategies

- Experiments and innovation

- Understanding the target audience ☑
= Young teen(ish)

- Research (demographics, age groups, behaviour e.t.c) ☑
= See what's already out there.

- Primary and secondary research (record, analyse and evaluate)
= Films, shorts, TV etc

- Appropriate design principals (visual rhetoric) ☑
= see above

- Finish tasks set by the L6 members ☑
= Working on Karina's Project

- Evidence of participation and responsibility ☑
= Karina's Project

- Evidence of completion of tasks professionally - Ongoing
= Karina's Project

- Production Schedule ☑
= Karina's Project