On the Subject of Animation

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Animation

Sweaty Eyeballs

I’m so very happy to say that A Job as the Moon will be screened at this year’s Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival: Friday, Oct 23, 2020 – Friday, Oct 30, 2020. I’ll post more as I know it.

From the event site:

?Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival is a 7-day juried festival of the world’s most boundary-pushing, mind-blowing animation.

Since 2012, Sweaty Eyeballs has carried the torch of the animation scene in the Mid-Atlantic with independent programming & special events. Now in our 9th year, we have partnered with our longtime friends at the Maryland Film Festival to launch our 2nd international festival of animation. 

The festival will take place October 23-30, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the festival will be held online in 2020. The festival will open with six original animated music videos set to music by six Baltimore area bands, an international competition of 80 animated shorts, a Baltimore showcase, animator retrospectives, and online workshops. 

Animation
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Animation

Everything is Over

Here’s a quickie I did, to support my old college pal, Frankie Rollins. Her new book is called The Grief Manuscript. It’s powerful and moving and sad and about divorce. It’s available on Amazon, of course.

This animation is drawn from imagery in the manuscript.

Animation
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Animation

The Benefits of Radiation

I am happy to present my latest animation, The Benefits of Radiation. It’s the backstory for some of my action figures.

The story takes place in a Baltimore bar called Roshambos. You’ll figure the rest out if you watch the video above.

I’m happy with how this turned out. I’ve spent more time on this than anything I’ve completed to date. Time, both in terms of the hours it took to make, and also from the time I that had the idea for the story, up to this evening.

A ream of drawings...

I drew each frame on a light box and used about a ream of paper.

Drawing of a hand holding a can of space dust.

I finally found a use for Space Dust, too.

I enjoyed doing the foley for this. I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters. Perhaps you will enjoy this.

In any event, please please please… Enjoy Radiation Responsibly!

Animation
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Animation

Scientifically Sound Question: COVID-19

I made another installment of Scientifically Sound Questions – the Coronavirus Edition. There’s a lot of bad information flying around that needs clearing up.

I created a site where you, dear reader, can ask your own questions. It’s the Bureau of Scientifically Sound Questions. Please ask something today!

Animation
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Animation

Higher Ed

I just finished another short.

Everything in this came from a library. The cutouts and text are from 1960’s copies of College & University Business journal advertisements. I like the subliminal, did-that-just-say-something feel of this, especially as it progresses. Put a bunch of random elements together and see what surfaces.

I captured the audio with my phone – everything came from the library except the piano, which is in my garage. Maybe I’ll do another edit where I swap the piano for library sounds.

Animation
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Animation

I Got a Job as the Moon

I had a dream where I got a job as the moon.

During the day, I was normal me, and I did regular, normal me things. But at night, I was the moon. I watched the dew fall, and ushered dreams to their owners.

I made this animation, based on that dream. I hope you enjoy it. The music, Clair de Lune, was recorded by Amber Short.

This is my longest animation to date, and I’ve been working on it for a month and a day. I might make another version, where this above video appears in a paper theater, like a crankie.

My hands, drawing.
A scroll of black tyvek.
The God Mars in shown with a speech bubble saying foul things.
Animation
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Animation

Scientifically Sound Questions…

Scientifically Sound Questions are inspired by conversations I’ve had with my daughter, Lily. This is another scroll animation, and mostly likely, part one.

Below are some working shots I took…

Scroll on the camera stand.
The scroll in the studio.
Me, painting letters.
Hand puppets.
Brains.

Update:

Part Two is now available! And, I created a site where you, dear reader, can ask your own questions. It’s the Bureau of Scientifically Sound Questions. Please ask something today!

Animation
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Animation

Shimmer

I made a short animation for Jenny O’Grady’s Light Ekphrastic. My prompt came from Ms. Shirley J. Brewer, and goes like this:

All the Fine Golden Threads

Born a sequin, baptized in glitter,
I blossomed in childhood light.
Tender arms wrapped me in filigree.
Grace gave me wings, assured flight.

I wear my changes like an ornament.
Gauzy yellow. Beads of sun in rows.
How to measure the luminous
wires of the heart? Even pain glows.

My favorite color is Gem.
I am Shimmering Goddess Energy.

That last line really caught my attention. I put together an audio track of outside sounds + harp, which is very shimmery to me. I then began to draw and film and this is how it turned out:

And here are some process photos.

A pencil drawing on a camera stand
A robed figure in the woods
Me, holding a cut paper robed figure
A goddess with her wings spread
Animation
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Animation

Chapter One WIP

I stumbled on these old books at work. They’ve been removed from circulation, and I found this whole scene to be inspiring. I took a few – they called out to be repurposed. Objects like Altoids tins and spoons sometimes do that to me.

The audio for this piece is a collection of clips I’ve accumulated from field recordings, old tapes and found sound (literally sounds that I found somewhere and edited).

I hear each different section as though it’s a visual background to a comic panel, and that’s where the inspiration for the animation comes from.

The audio below will likely change and evolve, especially around the rhythm component. But here’s the working draft so far:

Animation
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Animation

Scientifically Sound Questions

While hiking this weekend, Lily proposed some interesting questions, which lead to this particular inquiry.

Scroll of paper with the words "If you look young."
Paper scroll with a painting, for animation
Animation
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Animation

BIRBS

This one features the character Red Ibis Cowboy that I created a few months back…

Animation
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Animation

WIP: Opening scene, Roshambos

This is the opening scene of a short called the Benefits of Radiation. I’ve already prepped most of the sounds/foley. I wanted to share this today.

Animation
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Animation

Working Title? Oil

I’m enjoying this so very much.

This animation is on a scroll of paper that I purchased from IKEA. I’ve been making scrolls on this stuff since 2008. I really love working this way – on scrolls, I mean. I’ve always thought animation and scrolls are intertwined.

This was my first attempt, but I chanced my mind and decided to work in the opposite direction (to go down instead of up, from this point of view). I got to seven seconds of footage, which is 168 frames, before I abandoned this one.

The above photo shows me wrapping up this scene. It was about 8 hours of work.

Below, the final scroll.

It’s worth mentioning – and, really essential that I explain – that the music in this was the starting point of this animation. In fact, every animation that I’ve produced this year (12? 14?) began with some audio that I authored. This was recorded with a Moog, and I love it. I hope you do, too!

Animation
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Animation

Mouth Music

Here’s another quick 15 minute animation (as in, I made it in 15 minutes).

I’m having the hardest time getting it to save on my dumb iPhone so I can post to Instagram, so I’ll just leave it here.

Animation