helenas-techniques

[helenas-techniques]

#9 [ AR workshop w/ Bahar Kiamoghaddam and following experiment // 29/10/24 - 07/12/24 ]

At Bahar's workshop, we were 3D-scanning objects to recontextualize them in AR. In the beginning of the three days, me and Antonia built a tiny set for scanning. We used random objects and the element that interested me the most was the chair with high heels, as it ended up having a lot of character.

That's when I thought of the idea of making a stop-motion test with a similar character-- hence the gifs at the top.

I used a wire structure, cardboard and masking tape to sculpt the chair and paper and air-dry clay for the boots. I'm really happy with the result, but the main lesson is that the puppet was way too small to control the poses with precision. I had to tweak a lot in post to make the animation more smooth and that would be a very complicated workflow was it not these very short loops.

[helenas-techniques]

#8 [ independent experiment // 01/11/24 ]

I decided to explore a few approaches to the background design, mostly to get it out of my system. I knew already that I was leaning towards a surrealist atmosphere, but this was good mainly for experimenting the materials-- all three were made with traditional media and scanned.

These are not exactly the styles I'd like to pursue, though it's good to see that I feel the black and white ones lack a fantasy that I think will be very important for this project.

The continuous white background without the floor and walls limits do feel very interesting, as the furniture and objects define the space by themselves. Something to consider in the future.

[helenas-techniques]

#7 [ independent experiment // 27.10.24 - 26.11.24 ]

I've been searching for workflows with which I'm comfortable with, specifically regarding the animation of space, my project's focus.

In this experiment, I started out by creating a simple loop in After Effects, representing an infinite hallway. I then printed the frames and traced it in pencil (the first gif) and in colored pencils (second gif). It was a way easier way of testing a different "lens", as I just added a Bulge effect to simulate a fish-eye lens.

The textures were exactly what I was looking for and the result really motivates me to try more things with fully colored areas (different from experiment #6, which was composed of outlines only).

[helenas-techniques]

#6 [ independent experiment // 17.10.24 ]

This experiment started from my curiosity regarding rotoscoping 3D animation. I first modeled a very simple room, animated a looping 360° rotation and drew the frames' silhouettes in pencil.

It also served as a continuation of my use of the small scale of the drawings to maximize the effect of the analog texture.

I'm very happy with the compositing result, in which I overlayed a real footage of clouds. I would like to expand on this simple loop by distorting the simple shape of the room.

[helenas-techniques]

#5 [ independent experiment // 10.10.24 ]

Eager to start illustrating more complete layouts, I tried testing out this grayscale geometric style. In this, I actually put one foot outside my comfort zone (not using outlines and not respecting a conventional perspective) but not that much (I've illustrated a lot of bedrooms and I stayed in the safety of the color limitations).

I'm happy with some of the "stylizations" I explored, the geometric incongruent shapes. However, I've reflected about trying a more surreal approach to my project's world. I might try adding elements that cause destabilize the viewer's perception (for example, playing with objects' scale).

[helenas-techniques]

#4 [ independent experiment // 01.10.24 ]

And so I got a light table. So as a first test, I used 2 sheets of A5 paper, with a similar scale as experiment #3 (four frames per page).

I decided to test a variety of small loops. And very small they were-- each drawing has about 1,5cm. My goal in this was to explore the behavior of the brushstrokes in such a tiny scale, which is something I wish to take further in my research. I'm very interested by the intense texture this size provides.

In the past, I've made tiny animations with pencil, from which the textures really popped with a high resolution scan. Like the loops bellow, from 2022.

For my thesis project, I really want to bring back this technique because I concluded that, for character animation, I prefer the pencil results. Perhaps I can still use the ink for more abstract animations.

[helenas-techniques]

#3 [ independent experiment // 30.09.24 ]

A technique I'd been planning on exploring this semester was of animating with Chinese ink, in its concentrated black form as well as the shades of grey offered by its dilution. It's a technique I'm used to using for illustration but not animation.

As I hadn't bought a light table yet, in this experiment I planned on doing a spontaneous boil by painting the same landscape four times without overlaying the frames. That is, I painted each background copying the other by sight alone, all in the same sheet of paper. The result created an eerie atmosphere, kind of tense in the way the house looks alive.

It really inspired me to try a more controlled traditional animation method.

[helenas-techniques]

#2 [ stop-motion w/ Vera Verhoef // 04.10.24 ]

What I found most interesting in this experiment was the effects I was able to create of the fire and boiling water, together with Agha. It really showed me how to open my mind in terms of material we can use in stop-motion.

However, I'm was not sure I'd use ready-made objects in my project. I hadn't considered it but this experiment made me reflect more about it, especially as I'm considering diving into themes of memory.

[helenas-techniques]

#1 [ stop-motion w/ Vera Verhoef // 27.09.24 ]

As a first exercise, I went straight to claymation as I've always loved modelling miniatures and characters out of this material. I really love the effect of the animation "boil"-- the way the clay reacts to the fingerprints.

One research parameter I've established is to work with hands-on techniques, be it through paints and graphite or sculpture. As my research is still in very early stages, I won't discard the possibility of further exploring these kinds of textures and material flexibilities.