Another Kentridge-Style Animation

This time it's of my feet!
35 photos. Roughly 5 hours.

(For some reason the sides of this video are cut off unless you view it in full screen, or on the youtube website)

Copying Kentridge

In my Figure Drawing class last week, we were assigned four hours of figurative drawing based on the subject of our choice. I choose to practice drawing my hands, as they are a body part I always find challenging. Realizing that four hours is a rather large amount of time, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with a process made popular by artist William Kentridge. Kentridge creates thought-provoking animations using still images, drawn with traditional media (Automatic Writing) .

To create his stop-motion animated films Kentridge starts by making a single charcoal drawing on a piece of paper, and then photographs it with a camera. After that he will alter part of the drawing by adding to, erasing, or redrawing. Then he will take another picture. He repeats this process over and over until he has hundreds or thousands of photographs. When the photographs are compiled (using some sort of movie-editing software such as iMovie or Final Cut Pro) it will create the illusion of movement.

Here is a great interview with Kentridge where he explains his unique process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_UphwAfjhk

This is a wonderful way to animate because anyone can try it. You do not need any expensive software, as it only requires a digital camera, and drawing utensils. I found it helpful to video myself performing my action and projecting it onto a wall to use as reference material.

While my first attempt is far from perfect it was a fun experiment, and allowed me to practice drawing hands in positions that I wouldn't typically study.

(To view the non-cropped version please double click on the video below to watch in full screen)

A Work In Progress: "King Louie"

Here's a pencil drawing I did for fun last week. He's a cross between Louis the Fourteenth and King Louie from The Jungle Book. (Trust me he looks a lot cooler with a touch of Photoshop paint). Hopefully I'll have a more polished version to show in a few weeks!

What I've Been Doing In My "Spare" Time

"You ARE What You Wear"



"THOR-MOS" (for Threadless' Thermos design contest)

Monster with Fro

Another monster... my favorite part might be his sandals.

RECAP: Providence Children's Film Festival

On Friday I ventured to Rhode Island to see "Sarah's Story", at the RISD Museum of art, for the 1st Annual Providence Children's Film Festival. I was so excited to get to see my film on the big screen, in front of a large audience of kids. My animation was shown in an hour and a half assortment of short films. I was so impressed by the variety of all the creative films shown. A few of my favorites included a stop-motion film about an adventurous garden hose, simply titled "Hose", and a musically inspired 'cut and paste' style animation called "Electric Car". It was truly an inspiring experience, and a festival I hope to be involved with again next year.

"Sarah's Story" is currently available to watch here:

Doodle Hits Big Screen at "Providence Children's Film Festival"

This fall I was inspired to finish a short animated film, I began working on last year. I spent a good portion of winter break enhancing and tweaking this film, and in December submitted it to the first annual "Providence Children's Film Festival".

When I learned of this festival, who's goal is to "bring high quality, independent and international children’s films, animation, and documentaries to Rhode Island, and to present them as shared theatrical experiences for the community", I knew this was a perfect fit for my film. My animated short, entitled "Sarah's Story", is about a about an imaginative young girl who's passion for books inspires her to write her own so she can share her adventures with others.



I recently found out my film has been accepted to the festival, where it will be shown on the big screen at the Cable Car Cinema, and/or the RISD Museum. The four day screening will take place over Presidents' Day Weekend (February 12-15), and promises to be an exciting family experience as there will be workshops and presentations, in addition to the big screen fun.

As a student, I feel very fortunate to be a part of this extraordinary event filled with talented professionals, and am so excited for my big-screen premiere!



Check back soon as I will post the screening schedule when I find out. In the meantime, to find out more about the festival visit: http://www.providencechildrensfilmfestival.org/