Journeying into Acrylics and Gouaches (And Trying to Apply These Techniques into the Digital Realm)

Stream to Nowhere, Gouache on paper

Argh, another late post. I've been so busy sorting things out that I haven't posted in a long while. While tightening the current animatic, I've been taking up another hobby; painting.

Not that I'd desire to become a fine artist, but it's now something that I enjoy doing in my spare time. Now I'm referencing as many artists that inspire me as I can, including Henri Rousseau, Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse and Inka Essenhigh's landscapes, because my earlier backgrounds looked like something a preschooler crapped out. A great deal of patience and analysing existing works will slowly and surely help me improve my art skills.

I'm currently utilising acrylics and gouaches because I originally wanted the film to be very painterly. Some of the former UCA graduates had already used watercolours, so why not go with thicker, more fine-art paint?

Storyboard frame, Digital

Another challenge is creating painterly environments within the computer. So far, I am able to mimic the varying transparency within painted artwork, but the paint bumps and blobs have yet to become convincing. I have developed my own brushes that would be able to paint blades of grass; any open source acrylic brush or preset brush would not be able to draw a convincing blade because there are no sharp edges within the available brushes (and if you're thinking of the preset grass blades that come with the program, well...). Now that I've learned to create new brushes and brush textures (it's actually really simple) I can show off some more creativity within the computer and not be so bogged down by its computery-ness. I know it can be done; many digital artists have successfully achieved a painterly look using detailed textures and brushes, but I still have a long way to go. If, in any case, the digital backgrounds don't work, I'll happily resort to paint on paper.

Stream to Nowhere (an earlier effort), Acrylic on paper

Yet another challenge in itself are the differences between the two paints. Acrylic is known for its fast drying times, but Gouache in many cases has dried faster than Acrylic, especially on the palette. I don't know whether it's the brand (I use Dawler Rowney for both paints) but I don't need to spray water every so often with my Acrylic paints; they stay moist for a good couple of hours (but don't leave them for too long or they will cake into the palette and you won't be able to get your paint off!). When you're finished with Acrylics, you have to soak your palette straight-away in lukewarm water for a good five minutes or so, then gently peel off any dried paint as you wash it.

With Gouaches, it's really important that they stay moist, moreso than Acrylics (unlike Acrylic paint, it washes off easily, so the paint staying on the palette for too long is less of a concern). If your paint is too thick, you can't use brushstrokes, and if it's too thin, it resembles watercolour paint. The paint always has to be at a consistent level or it becomes difficult to paint with. Another advantage Gouache has over Acrylics is that it's easier to mix colours. If I want a blue sky with Acrylics, I can add as much Mixing White into a dark blue and it will always come out with a shade of grey. Gouache doesn't have that problem, and I have more control over shading and lighting than if I use Acrylics.

Well, that's my take on painting. As always, please feel free to comment on my work!

This new animatic is dragging me like a tow truck.

Hey guys, here's some more fun updates, several days overdue.

After working hard on my dissertation, I now find that there would be better things that I could do than make my final film. Honestly, it's come to that conclusion. I would rather not make a film this year! Really, I feel completely drained of any inspiration of the sort, now I'm under the impression that my film will stink regardless of what I do, and I've no idea how to get out of it. I haven't felt this depressed about a project since last year, and if I had this blog running back then, I would spill the details all out.

Somehow I try not to believe this will suffice, but it has in some cases and I sure hope it suffices on this project. But I constantly have this on my mind; if I can't make this film, it's all over as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps this part of the brain needs some convincing:

Maybe I'm being too negative, and that I'll eventually be out of this mess. Who knows?

Down Days

Hey everybody, been busy the past few weeks, so here's some updates for my first post of 2012:

I have failed the animatic task. "Yes By Jesus No" as-is won't work as a short film, so my storyboards have been sent to the virtual trash. The entire film will have to be re-boarded if it ever stands a chance of gaining legs. So off I go to the land of misery and despair, trying to save a dying film. Down days indeed. From this point, it can only get better.

Now that I have feedback for the first draft of my essay, I can make fairly minor adjustments before it can be sent to mark. Happy days.

The end of university is nigh. I'll soon be a small fish in a massive pond. No way of knowing when or where I'll ever surface.

My last post of 2011...

Hey there, hope all's well. Still getting used to blogging, still punching words infrequently...here's some final updates before the new year. My resolution: to post more stuff with added frequency!

An animatic is now in progress for my grad film, "Yes By Jesus No". The film has to be three minutes or longer, and I'm finding that there's room for expansion. Hopefully it won't feel bloated, and hopefully it won't feel too slight, either.

Since next year will be my final year at university, a dissertation is inevitable. I'll explore the wonders of commercialism, capitalism and some other detrimental effects mainstream animation has had on this industry. Fun!

Happy holidays to everybody and have a splendid new year. Then again, there's that elephant in the room known as December 21st...let's not panic yet!

Workloads, Colds and Delays

Hey guys, it's been a while. Time for some quick updates!

Just been informed that my animation didn't make the cut for the Radio 1 project. Oh well. My congrats go to Jack Payne, who produced a terrific piece that was, to be honest, far above the shoulders of mine. I look forward to seeing the finished version in December!

"Yes By Jesus No" is moving quite slowly. I've had to animate tests and draw some storyboards. I should have an animatic ready by the end of this term.

I've been quite busy recently, so my presence hasn't been as frequent as before. I assure you that I am still alive (although this cold has tried to kill me!).

It's either gotta be a straight Yes, or a By Jesus No!

Storyboard frame, Digital

OK, so what do I have in development at this very moment? I have a short story about a dragonfly and a butterfly. Dragonfly falls in love with Butterfly. Butterfly rejects him. Dragonfly flies to Grasshopper, who turns him into a butterfly. Dragonfly and Butterfly kiss and make up.

And...that's the entire gist of this threadbare plot for my graduation film. This plot is not without inspiration, though. It's actually based on an old poem called "Yes By Jesus No" by New Zealand animator Len Lye. Who's this Len Lye, you might ask? In a nutshell, Lye was an experimental animator, whose favoured technique was to draw and paint directly onto strips of 35mm film. His fascination with motion drove his work, whether it would be film or kinetic sculpture.

Lye's best film (IMHO!) has to be "Trade Tattoo", a fine blend of discarded documentary footage and hand-painted stencils, all tied to lovely Cuban tunes. Unlike the large majority of his animations, which use a tacked-on advertisement at the very end, this film carries a promotional theme from start to finish, a shout-out to the post office labourers in late-30's Britain.

Keep following for more news on upcoming projects. I hope to have another post ready by Tuesday!

The first post ever made!

Hello everybody, welcome to my new blog! I hope your first stay here is pleasurable.

While you’re here, let me shed my proposal: this blog will oversee any projects that I’m making or supervising (provided I’m allowed to talk about them, of course) and give you a virtual rundown of their progress.  This time around, you’ll be here to witness the making of my final film! I’ll be posting sketches, storyboards, animation tests, you name it! I’ll also post some other art and bits and bobs from my archives, just to show how far I’ve come and how further I still have to go.

I’d like to say a big thank you to all my Twitter followers for staying loyal and putting up with some of my incessant rambling, my family and friends who have all supported me to this stage and my fellow tutors who have helped me get this far in the first place.

Why is it called "Inside Absurdity"? In a way, ideas start off as absurd, with no rhyme or reason, until you begin to question the reasons behind it. Well, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. The thing about absurdity is, not only is it imaginative, but it can also be a spontaneous phenomenon. This name was a rare flash in the pan that can only come in brief, random spells.

And yes, most of that paragraph was a ramble. A winner is you for managing to read through it...

In the meantime, here’s a greeting from my mascot! If you’re a Twitter follower, you may have noticed her on my page.  She is a creature that I have made up, perhaps a few crosses between a Brontosaurus, a rabbit and a beaver, but who knows?  I have called her Pomchi for the time being; but what do you think? Are there any more attractive names out there that would suit her better? Please feel free to comment.

Again, I hope you enjoy the blog!