This class went much better for me than the previous one as I am trying really hard not to overthink the drawings too much. I am still a bit unsure as to what is expected of me during these exercises, but I think I am struggling to get out of the mindset of trying to draw accurately instead of thinking about the emotion behind the pose. I definitely need a lot of practice but feel I am improving a little each week so I know I should continue.
Different head perspectives
I have more experience with drawing faces than anything else (although I am a little out of practice) so I felt more comfortable with this exercise.
Marching/Limping walks
Drunk/Sneaking walks
Walks around the room
I’ve never done an exercise like this – it was both fun and stressful! I think I did well to get the drawings down on the page but there isn’t much of a clear difference in action between them.
Last week’s exercise was animating somebody diving into water, using extreme stretch frames with a focus on timing.
Key FramesFinal Version
I’m enjoying using TV Paint and creating these short loops so much! Initially I tried to go for something more creative with this task but a little way in I decided it would be best to keep things simple whilst I’m learning the basics. I loved creating the stretch frames and seeing the effect that they have, and I have also really got to grips with using timing charts which is allowing me to work faster.
So far I have been copying Steve’s timings and drawings for these exercises, so moving forward I would like to do something a little bit differently whilst still keeping it very simple. I think this will help me to feel more confident and prepare me for animating my own work instead of just following a guideline. Overall I am really happy with how this came out.
I really enjoyed this session and felt more confident in my drawing this week. Morgan’s poses were amazing which definitely helped me to feel more inspired, and I felt that I started to understand how to capture the movement by focussing on exaggerating the lines I was using and thinking about the line of action.
With my presentation coming up in a couple of weeks, it’s time to start writing down some ideas I have for topics I would like to explore! I have been thinking about a couple of things since we received the brief, which is to make a 10 minute presentation about either an animator from my country or an area of animation I am interested in (preferably relating back to your country). The idea of exploring an animator or topic from our home country is interesting to me as Wales is known for many things but animation is not one of them.
Welsh Children’s Animation and Stop Motion
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Welsh animation for me is kids TV shows such as Fireman Sam and Bobinogs. I thought it would be quite interesting to look at Welsh culture in mainstream children’s animation but I can’t seem to find much substance on the topic.
Branching off this, I thought it might be fun to look at the use of puppet animation in children’s television programmes and the movement towards CGI production. Growing up with shows like Bagpuss, Noddy, Pingu and Postman Pat, I absolutely love the nostalgia of this animation style and would love to do some research on them, however the only show that originated in Wales was Fireman Sam. I could possibly use Fireman Sam as a starting point for a presentation about the use of puppets in early animation and then explore the recent movement toward CGI animation. However, I do think that this would end up with me looking into the financial side of animation, which isn’t really the aim of the brief. I have also done a lot of research on stop motion vs CGI already so I think it would be better to look at something new.
Postman Pat
Bobinogs
Fireman Sam
Welsh Mythology in Animation
There are not a lot of well-known animated feature-length films which were produced in Wales, however it goes under the radar that Disney’s 25th animated feature film, The Black Cauldron, is actually based on Welsh mythology. Based on a series of books called The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, the film is basically set in Wales and all of the characters have Welsh names. Despite this, the Welsh nature of the film is never addressed. Interestingly, this was the first Disney animated feature film to incorporate CGI in addition to being Disney’s first PG rated animation. This was Disney’s attempt to appeal to an older demographic, containing themes of a darker nature. Due to this shift in focus as well as weak characterisation in comparison to the other Disney classics, the film was a total box-office bomb and put the future of Disney animation in jeopardy (Article by Katie Bellis, 2019).
Still from The Black Cauldron (1985)
This film is definitely a good theme for my presentation. Along with exploring the links to Wales and how the original mythology is represented, it would be really interesting to see how Disney changed their approach in this animation and what made it unsuccessful. I have already found a lot of research that has been done in relation to Disney’s experimentation in the 80s, and as someone who is interested in themes of darkness in animation I would really enjoy learning some more about this era. I think this topic would surprise the audience, as it definitely surprised me.
Another notable Welsh feature-length animation is Y Mabinogi (or Otherworld) (2003). It is based on a series of Welsh tales written by bards in the Middle Ages. It is mostly animated with a couple of live action sequences. It follows three main characters who find themselves moving from their world in West Wales to the setting of the tales of Welsh mythology known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi.
Still from Y Mabinogi (2003)
I was interested to find out about this film and definitely want to watch it, however there isn’t anything notable to talk about in regards to the production or animation of the film and isn’t often referenced in articles or research.
Welsh Animators
I personally haven’t come across any Welsh animators that have captured my interest yet, so am having to conduct my own searches to find them specifically. There are a couple of artists who I have found so far.
The first animator I looked into is called Sean Vicary. I found out about his work through an arts organisation that I am a part of back home. Working alongside artists of many different disciplines, I thought it would be good to ask the group if they knew of any Welsh animators. Somebody suggested Sean’s work to me and sent over his website.
Sean is a Cardigan based artist whose work explores the relationship of humans to the natural world, place and landscape. He observes and collects objects and fragments of detritus and manipulates them to create unique and poetic stop motion animations. Although I think his work is really interesting and creative, there are no characters in these films and hence not much material for me to explore.
Miyazaki and Wales
Studio Ghibli is one of the most prominent animation studios in the world, known best for their highly detailed imagery and distinct visual style. Co-founder of the studio Hayao Miyazaki is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation. It is a lesser known fact that Miyazaki’s inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s first film, Castle in the Sky, came from a trip he took to Wales in 1984 (Brooks, 2005).
Still from Castle in the Sky
Miyazaki was on a location-hunting trip in Wales during the mining strike of the 1980s. He admired the miner’s dedication to their work and community, taking inspiration from the way they battled to save their lives (Bowen, 2020). The influence that this visit to Wales had on Miyazaki is clear throughout not only the narrative and characters but also in the scenery of the film. Although we don’t see use of literal Welsh landmarks or places, Miyazaki was inspired by the way nature was reclaiming abandoned mines and towns during this period. He shows ruined Welsh homes of crumbling stone being overtaken by grasses, seeming to disappear into the landscape – a reminder of what was lost in the strikes, but remodelled as fantasy in Castle in the Sky (Denison, 2020).
In addition to this, Studio Ghibli’s 14th feature film, Howl’s Moving Castle, is based on a children’s book by Welsh author Diana Wynne Jones. I was surprised to learn about the connection between this studio and Wales and such a small place having a huge influence on one of the most loved studios of our time! I am very interested in watching more Studio Ghibli films and learning more about their techniques and influences, however I’m not sure if this specific theme is rich enough to expand upon.
Overall it has been really useful to consider all of these topics and brainstorm my ideas. Now that I have narrowed down some options I can do some further research and decide what theme to focus on before creating my presentation.
References
Bellis, K., 2019. The forgotten Welsh themed Disney film which almost killed the company. [online] Wales Online. Available at: www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/forgotten-welsh-themed-disney-film-15947589 Accessed 21/10/21 Brooks, X. 2005. A god among animators. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes Accessed 21/10/21 Denison, R., 2020. Hayao Miyazaki’s European Animation: From European Literary Influences to Nostalgic Re-imaginings. Wasafiri, [online] 35(2), pp.67-73. Available at: <https://doi.org/10.1080/02690055.2020.1721124> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
Maya is very familiar territory for me having used it a lot for many things during my BA projects. Knowing the software well meant that I could go straight in and focus on the movement of ‘Bonky’, getting the task done quickly. It was fun to be able to apply what I have learnt so far on the course to this exercise, like timing and squash and stretch.
https://vimeo.com/645321864
I am very happy with the result of the workshop, I think I was able to make a nice fluid movement with lots of energy by animating follow through action on the head and eyes. This task helped me to understand how much difference subtle key frames can make.
Each week I try to visit different galleries, museums or places of interest where I can capture some inspiration and learn about other cultures and artists. This week I went to the British Museum with the intention of seeing some of Hokusai’s work but ended up being interested in lots of other things too.
Netsuke, intricately carved ornaments worn as accessories by Japanese men
This was the first time I have visited a museum since starting MACA and it’s interesting to me how much my perspective has already changed. Every piece in a museum is so unique and I wonder where the designs come from. I was looking for character everywhere, imagining, as Steve advised us, how these objects would move if they were alive. I particularly love these Japanese ‘Netsuke’ as they are full of character and each one tells their own story.
‘Demons of disease’
These masks were used in African exorcism ceremonies designed to control a demon that was disrupting a person’s internal balance. Masked actors dances on by one in front of the patient. The mask that provokes a reaction indicates which demon is present. The demon is challenged and forced to accept a gift from the patient which breaks the connection between them.
These masks caught my eye because of their striking features and colours, but after reading about them I also find the history behind them really intriguing and thought-provoking. I think there is potential for a good story inspired by them.
Spirit Figures
Carving or weaving a spirit figure (belum) of air, water, earth and forest is a way of making the cause of disease tangible. Once a spirit has been made to stay in its belum for 3 days it is banished to its proper environment. This is a Melanau Earth spirit figure from the late 19th/20th century. These spirits live in the ground and are angered if a person builds a house across its forest path. It attacks a persons soul bringing sickness and severe itching.
I am always intrigued by depiction of the elements and the beliefs that derive from them, and after reading about this Earth spirit figure I could see the scene coming to life in my head. I felt it would be a good point of reference for future projects and ideas.
Other Thought-Provoking Artifacts
Very Street of Crocodiles!
Love the style and colours of the Igbo sculpture
Amazing design and detailing in this moko jumbie figure
Overall this trip was surprisingly inspiring and has made me feel more confident in my approach to finding ideas. Looking into the art and traditions of other cultures is so enriching and interesting, I definitely want to do it much more often. I felt very motivated to make art and find something that I want to say with my work after this trip which I really needed. Starting this course has already changed my perspective and way of thinking so much and I already know my work will be better for it. Currently working on some drawings and animations inspired by this visit which will be done soon.
Chose a 6B for this session which immediately made a huge difference to my drawing. I have also discovered that using this sketchbook is not ideal for these sessions as the size is too small and I’m going to run out of pages!
This week’s focus was on drawing the verb instead of the noun – capturing the action rather than the figure. This is definitely new for me and I think my drawings show that I still want to draw more precisely, however, I feel I have already massively improved from last week.
These were the first 30 second drawings of the session – my mind was so blank I had no idea how to even start trying to capture the movement! The format of these sessions is so interesting to me as it really helps me to get into the flow of drawing and understanding how to get things on the page.
Some of my final drawings. I attempted to create more drawings using lines of action but felt like the bean method was working much better for me. Hopefully with more practice I can combine the two and get some more interesting drawings on the page.
This session was much more comfortable for me now being more familiar with TV Paint and timing charts.
https://vimeo.com/645322222
For the bouncing animal exercise, I chose to keep it very simple, following my ball and string exercise so I could focus on getting the animation of the nose, ears and tail right. I think some of the frames need more work but overall I am happy with the movement. I also found that writing the frame number on each drawing makes life a lot easier!
I have wanted to try out puppet animation for so long so this gave me a lot of joy! At first, being meticulous was making me feel frustrated as I was trying to make the animation so perfect, but I felt this was holding me back. With it being my first try, I eventually decided to just go for it and see what happened – I think the result turned out just fine! I did rush the ending so the puppet is making very large movements – something to keep in mind if I want to redo this piece.
Would really like to keep practicing puppet animation as it is my personal favourite animation technique and I would love to make my own stop motion piece.
I have been drawing since I was in school and have produced many observational drawings but I have never attended life drawing classes before. This format is very new and unusual to me, I was especially uncomfortable with 30 second poses as I have always spent a lot of time perfecting my drawings.
This week’s main teaching was about ‘the bean method’ of life drawing. I found this structure useful but also found myself getting confused when having to work out the angles in such a short time. I was also clearly drawing way too small on these pages.
These are the more successful drawings from the session. Again I found it difficult to leave the drawings like this when I wasn’t happy with them, but I also think this is the best kind of activity I can do to break out of my perfectionist mindset. I am very much trusting the process with this class and can’t wait to see how my work changes as I understand more about life drawing.
