February 2023 – My Explores

Self-Motion Portrait

What is the difference between a good and a wonderful day? It may be subjective, but while the cause of happiness may differ, the experience will be universal. Dizzy eyes, a broad smile, relaxed brows, and an intimate contraction of the facial muscles. Today, I felt all that while working on a charcoal-drawn self-portrait.

We had to draw a self-portrait and stand back every 2 minutes so the camera could click the progress and turn it into an animation clip. More than ten of us stood in a row, each depicting our own version of the self. That wasn’t all; we also had to gradually adjust the expression of the image being created. The most challenging part of this was standing back from the paper. I was so immersed in the process that I would be the last person to stand back, most of the time.

We have overjoyed adults who couldn’t stop laughing while drawing or looking at the portrait. I couldn’t, especially when I was staring at it. This was the first time I’d drawn so quickly under such tight conditions. I also learned that if you start to like what you’re drawing too soon in the process, you won’t want to edit or transform it.

As I progressed with the subtle expression changes of the lips and eyes, I began to notice some defects in the portrait; the perspective of the face and the proportion of the eyes to the mouth and nose to the mouth were achievable, but these little details were plainly visible the next day. It was challenging to look at yourself in the mirror, develop an emotion, and then try to reference that with the charcoal image. I was making random expressions without drawing at one point.

Despite this, I could make some substantial facial expression evolutions and transitions. As we went on, my coordination improved, allowing me to better understand the imaging and its motion. Charcoal Animation was the most enjoyable workshop in the last two semesters. There may be more to come, but this day will be associated with my first year in university.

photographing myself after an animation self-portrait session

It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t share my happy self-photos; they are proof of the perfect ending to a delightful and beneficial day.

Burning Charcoal

Violence up close has a smell. Like copper blood and charcoal burning.
-unknown

I enjoy the feel of charcoal in my hands. I’ve always adored it since I first touched it in junior high. The aftermath of using them was always a mess, but creating an image was always splintered, in my opinion. Please forgive me; I’m coming from a fine arts perspective. I had no idea I had feelings for it until I felt it again after so many years.

When it comes to making a single still image, the process of snapping progress and sequencing a scenario in the same form is beyond capacity. At least, that was my own opinion. The session of seeing samples of how charcoal animations were documented and performed appeared to be very intimidating.

We were encouraged to try our hand at making simple animatics, such as passing clouds, fluttering birds, and swimming ducks, as well as everyday simple character actions. I chose fire since there were many more references for me to establish a basic shape and movement of it while blazing up and down. However it did not turn out as planned; although I did not plan it well. I expected it to just seem that way as I went through it frame by frame.

The burning fire animation was made out of 48 snap photos, and because I didn’t have a camera stand, the shots were taken with some approximation in terms of framing. To make it more exact and flowing, I had to remove and change individual frames after the shooting (there was so much concentration; I used to not remember if I missed certain images that I drew and ended up repeating a few).The animation’s pace had to be tweaked so that certain visuals were not missed.

Fire Dying Down or Burning Up

Honestly, it was an excellent warm-up for the charcoal and its texture. The actual connection to the paper felt terrific. I hadn’t felt this good about creating something traditionally in a long time. I remember being completely drawn to it. I would like to use this sometime in the future to tell a story that soothes the eyes through soft and gradual movements.

Sceptical Granny

Finished Puppet

Being the person with the least spectacular puppet-making ability, I can assure you that the art of doing things as you go along will never cease to amaze you. I felt the puppet was not what I had expected; instead, I channelled its energy and aura into a character from the heart.

As a citizen of great culture, I have always watched my grandma act and behave in a specific way, emphasising the body. Their motion is generally restricted to their limbs rather than their torsos. This was an intriguing insight while wrapping my puppet’s bottom section.

I chose loose clothing for the puppet to highlight the body structure just enough to make manipulating each body movement easier, allowing me to get away with the actual twists and turns of the spine (which would have been impossible, considering a single block of balsa is the complete body).

granny doing cardio (major back problems)

The entire process of creating Granny was enjoyable; I can’t say it turned out exactly how I envisioned it because I didn’t start with a definite plan; it was more of a conceptual idea of structure, but the character sort of crept in as I went along. That is why it is referred to as a process.

I created a short video clip of Mrs.granny being herself. I don’t believe I did her justice; her movements were quite restricted dude to my faulty skills in making puppets; Other than that, she was lovely to work with.

What can I say? She is camera conscious.

Even though this was a pleasant surprise of a character puppet, I would like to put more consideration into developing and executing a puppet, if not entirely then very closely resembling the initials. I might also figure out how to perform body movements with specific characteristics so that animation is faithful to the personality.

I’m not sure whether I’ll use her again, but I hope she gets to share screen space in any of my work in any manner, like a sassy granny and a thief; their encounters, in my opinion, are pretty humorous. Mixed media is always an option.