1 Word, 1000 Pictures
Sometimes when I receive a project, I already have an idea that's been floating around in my head for some time that I'm able to pluck out and finally see through to completion; this happened to be one of them. I've always especially had a love for animation, but I'd never felt encouraged or comfortable diving into a frame-by-frame piece until receiving this prompt.
Having fairly strict parameters -one word, 33.3 seconds, 1080 x 1080- gave me the freedom to trust my drawing abilities and dive headfirst into creating a moving image. First, I sketched some rough ideas in my sketchbook, but continued onto ProCreate fairly quick; I didn't want to waste what felt like a boldness by putting too much energy and detail into traditional pen and paper. I wanted to get animating immediately.
It was easier for me to expand my idea of "elastic" when I could create my own reality. Initially, my first draft focused only on a rubber band (cliche) and a man trying to keep his waistband up. I didn't mind the tediousness of drawing each frame; it was meditative and enjoyable. However, I used the same six animated GIFs by chopping them up and reorienting them to create different compositions and cuts.
I've always been inspired by the free and experimental animation provided by the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim teams. I wanted to create my own little world and characters within the guidelines provided. It was a difficult but ultimately extremely rewarding process, and I hope to at least integrate some hand drawn animations into my other works this semester.
