Kilogramme

Kilogramme is an animation studio have been based in Manchester since 2005, producing amazing animations that incorporate both 2-D and 3-D processes. The studio cover the initial concept and design, following through to the final aesthetics. They also create animations that are based for the internet, commercial and children's television series.

I was really inspired by the character designs that the studio had made for their featured animations. It was interesting to see the development designs for the character Bernard as in the animation he looks completely different in both appearance and style, the finalised style reminds me of the Hanna Barbera's The Flintstones and The Ricky Gervais Show through the formation of line and colour, however I believe that this is the aim of the design through the mature humour that is it is aiming for.

'Compared to the other angels, he’s quite short and dumpy – his life is a bit like Ricky Gervais’s in Hollywood –surrounded by people who are a lot more attractive than him. He has a kind of ‘hang dog’ expression a lot of the time – he generally fears the worse.' - Kilogramme

Character design for the 2-D animation, Angels Inc.

I also really like the character design for the short introduction animation for the Big Chip Awards, The style reminds me a-lot of Yusuke Nakano style of work in the Legend of Zelda games such as Windwaker and the Phantom Hourglass; this is through both the design of the background and the character. The character holds the same inspired style of the facial features and expressions. The animation runs really well, smooth and fluid with the characters movements which use a form of squash and stretch as the character runs and falls through the floor. I also liked the combination of the 2-D and the hidden use of 3-D animation style as it suits the appearance of the composition.

Background design

Character design for the 2-D and 3-D animation, Big Chip Awards introduction

I did not really like the style of the 3-D animation, they created for Kaspersky Lab, however the movement of which ran smooth and characters had their own characteristics when moving making it more fun. I did however really like the concept art , created by Guy Mckinley, for the virus characters one of which was an evil house that ran after the main character. The use of line and colour in the concept art reminded me of a style similar to the animated series Gravity Falls, through the use of colour and the stylised portrayal of the house as it is more elongated and shorter than a regular house.

Concept art for Max and the Encounter with the Mobile Malware Monsters animation

hitRECORD

hitRECORD is a collaborative company, which encourage artists of all art disciplines, writers, poets and other creatives to join forces and create something new.
The process starts with a person submitting an idea, or part an animation in which other people can take and edit it/finish the ideas.

I found this interesting as it was a chance to collaborate with other artists and writers to create something and also a chance to develop different aspects of my work, creating a plot, storyboards and character designs.

It is also an amazing site to gain feedback for your work from other artists that can give different points of view that you wouldn't normally think about, there are many artists that upload their work and are offered collaborations by other people who like the piece that they have made.

As its a community that creates work in a collaborative manner, I imagine that the site uses a creative commons form of copyright, to ensure that people retain the right for their work and the right to share and edit other peoples work.

Website

Cicada Princess

Cicada Princess is a beautiful short film that uses CGI animation and is narrated by Stephen Fry set in a fairytale enchantment of the life of a Cicada.

Cicada Princess from Jesse Solomon Clark on Vimeo.

Cicada Princess was directed by Mauricio Baiocchi, in which he has worked on the visual effects of films such as 'Star Trek in to Darkness' and 'Looper'.  Interestingly this film was made entirely on self funding, sponsors and money donated by the public; the film production started from a kitchen table until they raised enough money to move to a larger studio in which over a hundred of contributors aided the process.  At first I thought that the video was a stop motion animation, however Baiocchi is strongly against the film being recognised as a stop motion, and wants it to be known that it is actually regarded as a puppeteered film. The film uses CG, modelling and rigging to create the movement of the puppets, and I found it inspiring through the low budget rigging that they had created themselves to made the wings and movement of the character.
To add depth to the composition, such as using multi-plane camera effect, by which they use a green screen to give the appearance of an environment beyond what the viewer sees. The film also uses a classical instrumental audio which matches the extremely detailed decor of the composition, puppets, panning, multi-plane, green screen.

The film inspires me through the amount of time taken to create the rigging for the character even though it was made with a low budget, the design is presented well and the plot still works with the composition. The making of Cicada Princess was really inspiring as it showed, in depth how they moved the puppets and how they created them, they used wire and sponge to pad out the body of the cicada. 

Cicada Princess Behind the Scenes from iBelieveInSwordfish on Vimeo.

Thought Bubble Nove 2013

Visiting Thought Bubble last year was a huge inspiration as I was able to meet inspiring illustrators, artists, alongside with meeting Jamie McKelvie and Kieron Gillen.

I met an illustrator/storyboard artist from London, Sarah Jones, who mainly works with traditional media, ink and watercolour being the most prominent in her work. It was interesting to talk to her about her work and ask her questions about her illustrative style, what her influences are and if she's found her drawing that she'd stick with. She felt that an illustrators style may or may not change but it's good to experiment and develop your style even if you think you have found a style you want to stick with.

I met another artist, Jake Lava, who illustrates and animates work, and is known for his Pokymon Online web comic. His style is definitely cartoony and I could visualise his work being animated, he went on to tell me that he has animated a few works, but mainly creates small comic pages.
He is currently finishing his degree in Graphics Art & Design in Leeds.

Meeting Jamie McKelvie was such an inspiration as his work is so influential and gorgeous, that can not only be seen through his western comic style of illustration but through the consideration of the composition, the presentation of the comic panels, and how it compliments the action and atmosphere of the page.

I began to consider getting a table for the upcoming Thought Bubble event or being more realistic, the year after, as to sell some work and get to interact with more inspiring comic book artists and animators. The prices for tables last year ranged from £40 - £70, however I could share the table with other people from my animation group, which would be a good experience with selling wares and opportunities for collaboration.