Blog Posts Publication

BLOG POSTS Aga Fraczak

Fasten your seatbelts and join me on the ride through my studies. It might be a bit bumpy but hopefully there will be no crashes

Studio X Project 1: Visual Sound Final Major Project Project 3: Prepare, Succeed, Show!

Work Ready 2 Project 1: Boundaries Live Brief Project 2: Work Placement Project 3: D&AD Competition

Studio X

Project 1 Visual Sound

Sound Analysis After analysing the sound I was given (check Visual Sound )it has pushed me towards one direction after brain storming initial reactions: Confusion, lack of communication, efforts to reconnect, unknown, strange.

And the key is a brain storm itself. What I mean by that is that the key words made me think that some of those reactions happen when person is going through a stressful time, anxiety or depression when the brain experiences traumatic reactions. I know it may seem deep but this is my initial response to the sound.

What I have also recorded is how it makes me feel when listening to it, as there is a lot of sharp noises it can make you feel irritable and uneasy and because some of the sounds are repetitive it can make you feel like you are in the trance.

My next step was to do more research into changes that happen in the brain when person is subjected to stress. I have highlighted key words which not just match my initial reactions to sound but also indicate what sort of movement, action may occur.

What I have done next is analyse movement of the sound and used the idea from one of our workshops where we were drawing the sound presented to us.

We have done that exercise with both open and then closed eyes. What I have noticed is when you have your eyes closed you don’t focus on coming out of the page or how yo draw the lines but on the sound itself. As you have your eyes closed there is no vision you are also led by the touch of your hand either laid on your paper or holding a pen. You seem to be more connected with the sound.

Featured image is a collage of sounds from different students created during workshops and then edited in Illustrator or Photoshop.

Inside Brain Cells...

I have looked one again at textures, shapes, colours that you can find inside the brain. I must say that the variety is amazingly broad.

I have then try recreate it analogue way so as I can get an idea of the environment I wan to create for my animation. Once again I am not aiming to recreate brain but to use its texture as an inspiration as it is very rich and I find a lot of inspiration from it. Even if I tried copying is not a word in my dictionary.

I have looked at some images from the internet to get ideas. This is just very few.

I have then using acrylic paint and black paper play around.

I wasn’t happy with it because it felt a bit dull, flat and not very engaging. I have turned into After Effects to help me boost it up a bit and played around with some effects such as glass, glow.

You can see its more lively and it has that 3D feel to it as some of the effects added more texture to it. For instance 3rd one looks like some bacteria put under a microscope. In this case I believe that making analogue work with digital paid off as it’s not replacing one with another but enhancing the effects.

I like to mix and match my experimentations. Like here I have used the texture as a sky background for my experiment where I have tried to create a 3D environment in Cinema 4D. I will talk about that along with my other experiments in my next blog. I have

then animated the effects of one texture. The effects make it look like there is an actual movement where there isn’t. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVdN5x8cI9o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSuHe-BjaXQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGO-e4gRUc0

Psychological hellish twilight zone Since I haven’t been blogging a lot I will try to update the progress on my project in this one blog post.

As I have mentioned in my blog post Digital character design in Cinema 4D I will have a go at claymation.

I have created a character in Cinema 4D and I have finally managed to rig it and I have enjoyed learning new skills but I knew that I cannot stick to only digital. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzFCiVCROlc I decided to have a go at claymation as there is something about the clay I like. Tactile art speaks louder to me as I am very sensual person. It’s not just the

touch but also smell of the materials. Digital can be flat and like I have mentioned before even though it gives you a lot of possibilities it cannot replace analogue so my aim is to make these two work together.

I have done research into claymation and that was the best research ever as I got to watch a lot of cartoons.

I have also learnt about the materials that I need such as a wire that doesn’t break easily and is very soft, plasticine clay that doesn’t dry and epoxy to make bone structure. I have also worked in my sketchbook to plan ahead so things can go smoother.

Work in progress. I have used bulldozer clips to ket the puppet still so as I can work on the body and make sure that it is all symmetrical.

The only thing I haven’t made from scratch is the eyeballs. I bought quite few so as I can animate the eyelids.

Puppet making materials consisting of plasticine, wire that is easily manipulated yet doesn’t break and epoxy, material that is as hard as a bone when it’s dry.

I have also made lips to aniamte the puppet talking. I have made 11 various mouth positions.

The reason why I have created a character for my animation is to create a story. You may ask why I made him look the way he does. Well my aim is to create a character who is obscure, annoying, obscene, who is an unwanted lodger, creepy intruder and everything you may hate in person. That is what depression feels like “master that takes control over your head”. I have taken a turn in my research and focused on people’s personal accounts of life with depression and anxiety. Rather than what happens in the brain (hippo-campus) is what happens with emotional response to it.

or make it sound like it is not all that serious but to present a life in the different world that can represent what it feels like to live with a “brain” that you are not in control of.

My approach towards it is not to mock depression

Creepy looks, judging and looking down on you...

In some of the accounts someone describes depression as “Psychological hellish twilight zone” where you constantly feel being watched and judged.

I have then went on to creating more scenes that can reflect living in the world that feels like a “twilight zone”.

Pointing fingers...

Talking mouths... http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1weIrnyEmSY

I have created a scene from inside the hippocampus using colours from the palette and fairy lights to recreate nerves which he uses as a laundry wire. I made an armchair, TV set, books, big pillow for his pet finger. Well you may think this is all confusing but that is exactly what living with depression can be: things will not always make sense. Just like this finger sitting on the chair ha

Here is just a quick scene of the puppet (no audio) that would be talking loud on the phone while having a TV on full blast. Just like the sound I was given for

the project it can get very irritating at some point when you have few noises overlaid or when there is too many sounds coming on at once.

Visual Sound Final: Part 2 In this part of the blog I was briefly write about the progress I have made with my final outcome for this project. I am extremely proud of it as when I look back at the experimentation I have done I would never guess that is where it will take me. I have also taken time to plan and make rather than rush through it. I knew it will be tricky to do it on top of the rest of the projects however I was ready for the challenge and used my time management skills to make sure other projects are not neglected.

I have created clay nose and used the mouth made previously to challenge the sense of smell. Once again the sense is being sabotaged by the cruel character who messes with all of the senses.

I have created a small book with the stills from the animation for the viewer to be able to look closer at the characters I have designed. I will also use this as a physical presentation for my physical portfolio which is one of the requirements for my university outcome.

The front and the back page I used my favourite images to give a sneak peak of the character from the back and front.

Not sure how many rules I have broken creating this book but my focus was to make sure the images are good quality and give an insight into my animation in non motion way. For this there is no rules just like my animation is a creation of chaos. I believe that stills from the animation can speak for itself and are interesting on its own.

And here is the final outcome which I am very much proud of. I know the longer I will have to make it the better it would be. I have learnt more in the process than I have possibly learnt through my entire course and I am happy that I have discovered my true passion and something that comes naturally to me.

Taking risks and challenging myself paid off.

Enjoy!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_ continue=2&v=FB_09X42wdQ

Final Major Project

Final Major Project Initial research My initial research consisted of gathering and summarising my interests, passions and things that I am good at and do it with pure pleasure. As I have found my creative voice I know exactly what I like. I have brainstorm few ideas and hopefully the more I do it the more it will come together.

My interests/themes to explore in my research: adult humour, mockery, ridicule, controversy through cartoons, why we still love cartoons, cartoon fascination and psychological reasons behind it childhood memories and imagination, living in imagination world away from world’s influences Exploring themes of lost childhood, child imagination,

I love especially ones from Malaysian artist Eddie Putera. The detailing is out of this world. He has been doing it for many many years and has a professional studio. One diorama can take him as little as one week. WOW

keeping innocence in adulthood, keeping what we lose when we experience adult life “Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world�

As a miniature lover I looked at some examples of dioramas. It fascinates me how little scenery can make you believe you are a part of it and drag you in. Just like when we were kids making our own houses or sceneries to imagine being part of it for real.

Dioramas give me sense of wonder, memories of the space contained in it, it’s like you can recreate a moment, space in time, capture a memory and revisit a place that doesn’t exist anymore and memory that is only in your head now. It also gives me a sense of nostalgia and melancholia.

I have also thought of remaking traditional, classic toys with an adult twist or to reflect something that it really isn’t. I have had a go before making a praxinoscope with images from one of my stop motion animations. Didn’t quite work as the image didn’t have much dynamics.

I have also done some research on childhood memory and it was fascinating to find that it can be deceptive, brain fills in gaps with things that may have never happened the it cannot remember things. Also how children memory is mixed with imagination, exaggeration and elements that are not always accurate. When we grow up on the other hand our imagination and thought process has influences from the world and life either bad or good it does change our way of seeing things. I am not even get into it too deep as I am writing my dissertation on blindness and this topic can wake up a philosopher in me ha.

It was also interesting to read about some fears and worries that we experience as children and it stays with us until adulthood. Our minds are very powerful however still very susceptible to the world we live in. Children have the advantage of imagination overpowering it. That gave me an idea to create sculptures of our childhood fears that are still present.

My initial concept was to recreate my childhood house and place that had two sides to it: my imagination and playful creativity versus hard reality. The power of how children imagination can create a bubble around them to protect them from the “real” world that is not so fun.

Museum of Childhood has always been my favourite place for this type of exploration. It fascinates me how some of the toys are pretty creepy.

Especially dolls. Learnt that there is such thing as doll phobia: pediophobia and automatonophobia fear of humanoids, wax figures or any figures designed to represent human figures.

Final Major Project Initial concept I must say that in my final year I enjoy doing research a lot more than in my first year. I like how it triggers so many ideas in my head and also helps me with problem solving and I don’t get moments when I am stuck. Also it helps me to take my thoughts to another level.

From doing all the research about the memory and childhood and looking at dioramas as a way to freeze a memory and bring the image of the memory back to one place creating nostalgia, I have decided to create a photo memory book.

Through making my own sets and characters I will recreate some more or less memorable situations from my childhood, the games I used to play or memories that when I think about it I think to myself “what was

I thinking” or “how embarrassing”. The scenes will be based on true stories and using my art directing skills I will create elements and arrange scenes in the way that it will represent the ridicule and humour in each scene and a bit of exaggeration just like child’s memories are sometimes. I have faith in my skills and right now I am at the stage of making elements for the scenes having no idea of what the final outcome will be.

As I am conscious of time I am cracking on with it and creating things daily whenever I can. Here is a character which represent me as a kid. mischievous tomboy who until today has a nickname “trouble”.

The hair once again I borrowed from my friend’s fake extensions and may be too dark but to be honest my hair used to be darker before I damaged it.

Started off with making my own eyeballs as my puppet will be a lot smaller to what I used to make. Well I must say not bad, from now on my own eyeballs will be used.

As the eyeballs will not be moved I have made eyebrows which move so as I can change face expressions and also I will make few different mouth shapes to indicate expressions.

My iconic corduroy shorts and trainers have been made with care and attention too detail.

Frightened chicken. You will soon find out why

At this stage I make few things at the same time going back and forth as sometimes I need to wait for things to dry or simply look for solutions when I make it and work out what materials to use as there is no guide I can follow with this.

There will be some animals featuring in my story like chicken or my boxer dog. I don’t design the characters at this stage, the image is in my head and I let hands to the job of recreating it.

I understand that some people may not relate to the stories from my childhood but we all had a childhood and we all like to bring our own memories back to life. Whether our childhood was bad or good we all have those mental images of happy events.

Some of the elements will only be meaningful to those my age and born in Poland remembering communism but still everyone have their own memories which some of the scenes may trigger.

As my family wasn’t wealthy we had a car that was considered a danger to be driven on the road- Fiat 126p.

I was always a cool kid at school but not because of what I had but my character and personality. I was dropped of to school in most embarrassing car yet I still was liked by everyone which these days things may not work like that.

Fiat 126p real photograph. I have picked red as it’s the clour we had when I was a kid.

Cardboard cut out covered in clay. I have made a mistake in the process as the clay was wet and cardboard started to absorb water and get disfigured while drying.

Final body painted with acrylic paint and the sprayed with transparent acrylic to even out the paint and add shiny finish

Some people shop for clothes I shop for rocks, sand and grass.

I am a professional sculptor now. Anything that can add texture..even my old toothbrush

Left original, right my version in case you cannot spot the difference haha. Health and Safety risk washing machine which will feature in the scene where my little life was at risk as I like to put myself in dangerous situations.

I am being ambitious and I recreate items that won’t be the centre of attention yet I want things to be realistic, not in the sense of trying to make the item the spit image of what it is. I even prefer that rough crafty look rather than perfect polished one.

As a kid I loved making comic books and even writing books however now I don’t feel confident even with using type simply because I have had not enough practice in that.

As the final outcome I am aiming to collate all of the images and create a photo story book. Each image will have a quick witty story which gives more depth into what it’s on the picture, telling the story.

I want to challenge myself as I want my book to be not just picture and type but be more interactive. Yes

I am ambitious as some people who know me would know me and creating books don’t get along as I just simply break all of the rules of graphic design. That doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the process I just need more support with that than with anything else. Also people who know me even more would know I am good at witty story writing and in high school I had a section in school’s newspaper with my limericks. Rude and witty has always been my thing.

In my next blog I will explore possible layouts and examples of books that kind of show more what I want my final outcome to look like so let me stop talking here.

First Scene: Frania “the evil washing machine” attack So the day has finally come for me to record the first scene now that I have done the backgrounds. I have also bought a rig to support the puppet with the movements and I was all ready to go.

Recorded the scene 3 times and then I cracked on with editing not realising that is when things will go up the hill. I have never worked with a rig before but I knew masking techniques in After Effects so I was confident it will go well.

It didn’t at all. I have taken pictures of the empty scenery but after shooting with a puppet on it throws shadows and colours of it change so the difference showed too much. Another obstacle was that if there is any shakiness of the scene or camera that makes removing rig even more difficult.

On one single picture you may not be able to tell where the rig was however when removing rig there is slight difference in colour in each scene in the place where the rig was and that creates movement when all images are put together as an animation. This is the best as it got but each image had slight difference which was enough to create this movement on the right hand side.

I have tested masking technique of my other video of Frania the washing machine walking. It shows how crazy my washing machine used to get and as a child I was scared of it because always something bad would happen when I approached it.

I have also researched new software which could help me remove objects in moving image. I found Mocha Pro however it proved difficult to use as it’s easier to use for grainy footage.

FMP: Testing magnetic tie down Going back to the idea of a magnetic tie down. I must say it does the job. I have redone all of the elements that will need it including mine and my sisters shoes. Also I have fixed my neck with epoxy putty so as my head can stop falling off.

I have put two magnets in each shoe and covered it with epoxy putty to keep it sturdy which I used to make bone like structure for my puppet’s armature.

I will paint it with white acrylic. This will make it better as well because previously it was made with polymer clay which would get deformed when touched.

I understand that the outcome may not be 100% how I wanted it to be but the experience is for me to take. I do things not just for the good grades but to make sure I learn as much as I can for the future. I never played safe and I knew this idea is not going to come easy.

animated a puppet to make it walk or run. My puppet isn’t the best to be used for action but at the time of making I wasn’t planning for it to be animated. For some reason I planned the easier route but I am glad I took on the challenge as it is a big learning curve.

Learning how to walk again. As simple as it may seem I have never

I have accepted the fact that I will need to shoot each scenes few times before I get it to the acceptable level. Things do happen half way through shooting such as me kicking the camera and displacing it which means I need to start all over again.

Certain things can be ignored such as my puppet’s zip opening up. ha

Here is few shots from one of the recent scenes where I come up to the table, sit on the chair and then fall of it stabbing myself in the neck. Based on true story.

Now that I am not using the rig falling off the chair scene might be a challenge.

Project 3 Prepare Succeed Show!

Portfolio draft We were asked to create a draft of our portfolio for the potential work placement. Since we have done our collection book (Collection book is here!) I find it less daunting to collate my work and try to present it to the best standard. I still find it challenging to do layouts and I think it's one of those things that don't come naturally to me.  I have definitely improved during my studies. I am always trying to be aware not to overdo things and because my images are quite colourful and there is a lot going on I don't want to distract from it too much.

I think towards the end of my studies I have definitely found my own creative voice and it is fascinating how I just went back to what I used to do best as a kid but now in more advanced level: puppet making. I used to be a part of the theatre group and costume,

set design was my cup of tea. Also I used to make puppets for my friends as a birthday gift. Hands on approach is definitely something I enjoy best and because I do you can see that is where my best work is produced.

I understand that my work is not commercial but it definitely reflects my personality and unique style and approach that some may not get. Being able to express my ideas clearer will come with practice but I am very pleased with the progress I have made considering I have never studied arts prior to my first year. Enough of the reflection let's crack on with my portfolio draft.

As the limit was up to 5 pages I have done 7 as one is a cover and one is an intro page.

FRONT COVER My front cover is a quick diorama of a toilet and a skeleton/office worker puppet. My aim was to show a tutor reviewing some portfolio's and mine is jaw dropping as his jaw appears to be dropped and eyes engaged. I have edited picture to be kind of an old style to keep it toned down. This picture is a humorous way to engage viewer and make them want to explore more and show a bit of my character from the start.

Why toilet? Some people like to have a good read when on the toilet and some take a very long time on the toilet. If you have lived with a man you will know ha. Â I understand that portfolio needs to be professional but no one said it cannot be fun. I have learnt now to just do what my instincts tell me otherwise the outcome won't be true to me.

INTRO My intro page features a clay sculpture of me and I am pretty pleased of the outcome. Also the phone, email and insta logo and dots from the skills section are made of clay. I have been very careful with use of any extra shapes and colours but hoping for a feedback from tutors to play around more with layout.

Also amount of information is just basic for now.

CONTENT Character design I wanted to show different aspects of my work and skills that I have.

Designing characters and giving them personality is one of my favourite activities. It can be used either for still photography or animation. I started to use minimalistic approach when I do collate my work however want to make it a bit more designed than this.

Claymation Stop motion animation using my designed characters where I also make hand made sets and environment for them.

Before I record the scenes I set the puppets up for a small photo shoot.

Set Design Photography Making small sets and bringing them to life using photography is something that I have successfully done. It helped me to practice use of light and different camera settings. I love miniatures and creating an illusion of the real world through photographing miniatures is something I find fascinating. That is kind of taken me into discovering dioramas which I may develop in my next project.

Animation I have included only one animation which I believe is best when it comes to production and shows different types of skills. Now I am thinking I could have included one more to show skills in using digital packages. I am planing on redoing my very first animation with a skeleton because I think it's genius but I want to use my editing skills that I have now to improve it.

Cartoons I have included few drawings. I haven't drawn for a long time but I always loved drawing caricature, cartoon strips or cartoon like characters.

It shows my different type of skill yet goes with my overall interest and style of work. As I have been discovering new skills I haven't practiced drawing much but this is still something I like to do.

Here is some examples of what I did before I even started uni and haven't drawn since I left my country. Now I definitely have more skills and want to create some more work like that. This are mainly drawings of people I know.

Letters made with fabric sawn together and filled with cotton

As a final portfolio I want to include more work such as my illustrative typography posters.

Typography has never been my strong point however making 3D type has given me a pretty good outcome

Portfolio in making It's the time of the year to gather all of my best work to show to the world. As a part of the university project we were asked to make both digital and physical portfolio. I am glad that it is a project so as we get more time for it and more focus than last year students who had to prepare all this along with other projects. I have already crated a draft for when we were looking for work placement. Here it is in my blog: Portfolio draft. I have made few changes since but nothing major.

We have also been given an opportunity to have one on one 20 minutes session with Fig Taylor who has visited us last year. A persuasive portfolio- Fig Taylor.

This time it was so much better for us as she could advise us individually. She works with illustrators and graphic designers so she said she cant advise me much on animation industry but what was useful she

said to also brand myself as 3D illustrator to open more doors. I have suggested that apart from animating the puppets that I make I like to make sure I photograph it to either use as an introduction to the character or a promo poster for the animation etc.

I was also happy as I got good feedback on my portfolio. She said that the volume of work I have and the consistency of it is very good and the way I put it all together. She advised short title and one sentence descriptions for the project is enough. It obviously varies on what jobs I apply for but it is enough to keep the interest of the viewer going and not to overwhelm.

What I am going to do is stick with the approach and be selective with the work that I do. I will also use the same approach for my website which I am constructing on Squarespace.

Rather than overload of stills from the animation I will include 4: 1 big to introduce main character, 3 smaller ones and there is still space to put quick description.

I will also include short animations/GIFS that I make using the clay elements that I make for the animations. I like to do that in my spare time so even though those elements don't play huge role in the animations I give it new life.

I will also use two pages for set design and model making. This is an example of what I could include however will still go through my work to select best ones. I may also photograph the building model with my hands there so as it can reflect on the scale.

Page each will be given to my two other animations. I know those are very amateur as one is from year 1 and the other year 2 but I want to show different approaches I have used and it also shows my problem solving skills.

I have been thinking of my logo and name and I have made clay typography. I also liked making 3D type.

Using the clay typography and the character I made below I want to record a quick introduction to "Aga Animates".

I must say that last time we had a session about portfolios the work I had was pretty much all I did for university and because project varied from one another my work was pretty much like a miss match. We had only one project where moving image could be an outcome. I understand as the course is illustration not animation.

I would like my portfolio to reflect the work I have done so far and also show clearly what I am interested and skilled in yet I wouldn't want that to limit me as I want to discover more of what I can do.

80% of work that is in my portfolio I have produced within a year as first year of the study was pretty much experimental for me and half way then the second I had a chance to do more of moving image.

That assures me that with experience I can thrive even more. It may sound big headed but I am talking about my personal progress not comparing myself with anyone else. I compete with my last project in order to improve my skills.

My physical portfolio updates will come soon. I will explain how I am planning to present my animation in physical form.

Creative CV progress It's the time to finally turn my boring corporate CV into creative one. I have been in employment for the past 14 years so I ned to find a way to show that I am a mature student and that the experience that I have is transferable. The work ethics and life skills I already have will definitely befit me in the creative industry.

As per usual the challenge for me is to design my CV but not overdo it too much. I decided to used the

This is an experimentation of I could d the layout potentially and using the clay balls I could separate each section.

clay portrait I made originally for my portfolio. I am imitating the old school type of CV's where you had to include your photograph. I will be also using the clay type I made. This is to simply show the type of work that I produce and I think it does give the character to my CV.

I am testing out the idea of coloured background however I think at this stage is where  I need to stop and take a step back.

I quite like this colour of the background but I need to remember that what I like may not be liked by everyone and also playing safe in this situation is good so I may stick with white.

This is pretty much very close to the final. I may tweak the icons a bit to make it smaller but every time I go back to it I improve it more and more. Â I still need to write more about me and then I don't want to go on and on just straight to the point.

In the end I decided to remove the balls that would score the level of skills. I think that scoring

yourself doesn't look good as we don't know what are you scoring yourself against and also you not score yourself enough on some skills which might be high enough for some workplaces. I have also included my previous degree that I have started but due to lack of funding I haven't finished.

Physical Portfolio progress Yet another challenge to create a physical portfolio.

As you may have seen in my blogs I mostly create moving image and physical puppets which obviously cannot go in my portfolio. I always make sure I photograph my puppets to the best standards so as it can represent my work to the best quality. The only way to present moving image in the physical form is to print off the stills from the animation.

While creating my animations I have taken that into consideration and set myself yet another challenge of creating a physical version of my animations. My

animations are a sequence and tell a story so it is important to me that the stills from the animation do reflect that. For my FMP I am making a photo album and the stills from the animation will be printed as photographs in the sequence that shows each scene.

For the Project 1 Visual Sound I have also made a book with the stills.

Here is few different types of portfolio folders I have looked at. I didn't want to go for the box as it might be too deep and look maybe too much like a storage that a portfolio.

This type of folder looks practical to me as it can expand depending on the work you put in there so my work won't be there all lose moving around.

I can also decorate the folder to personalise it.

I can print an image on the sticker paper. Nothing too crafty yet not too corporate.

When it comes to presenting my character design I decided to print each one off in A3 on poster like paper. I have also tested out the idea naming each one using my good old clay type. Each character is special to me and I want to to be presented as something important.

Also character design is what I want to highlight in my portfolio most than anything else.

The name of the character will not be too big and I am planning to do it in the left corner however I need to make sure that it is placed in the same position on each image.

I have tested out the way to place the name in different ways: box and name, white line at the bottom with the name, name on the top with changed colour. I have also tried to change brightness of the type to just leave outlines.

On my other character I tried to do different colour for the clay type.

I will pick a colour from the character and colorise the type. Here I used his pants to pick colour. As you can see the original pinkish colour blends in too much with the puppet and the background.

I still need to figure out how to present my other animation stills. I may use less images for the other animations that I want to include in my portfolio maybe 3-6 of each. Could be the same images as I have used for my PDF portfolio.

I have also tried to design my front cover or how to represent my logo/identity. I have used again clay type and the clay portrait that I have made specifivally for my portfolio yo introduce myself. It may seem like everything is repetitive but at the same time I try to keep everything in one particular recognisable to me style.

Work Ready 2

Project 1 Boundaries Live Brief

Balcony art installations In order to get a batter understanding of the brief I have done research into different types of balcony art installations and art installations overall.

“Climate capsule” installation is an example of an installation with a message. “Pursuing not to aim of stopping climate change but envisioning means of survival after disaster struck”.

I find this Gabriel Dawe’s installation very inspiring as by the use of textiles he created an impression of light. We should also create images using strings or fabrics.

We could also use strings to attach text to it. That is why having peaks above our balconies may come useful.

How about printing a drawing on the fabric and attaching it to the building?

Making an installation that runs through to the opposite building could be an idea too.

Projection mapping is always an option but costs would have to be analysed as it could be pricey. Also how would that work during the day.

Those are just few of hundreds of examples and ideas but first we need to find the theme and purpose of our

project to be able to pick what medium to use etc.

We need to get to know the area better and learn more about the communities that live there.

Balcony art installation experimentation Here is few examples of ideas for the balcony art installation project. This is just an experimental stage so the final idea is not confirmed yet.

I have printed of images of the balconies and in this experiment I have created a 3D balcony to attach strings to it. Strings have been attached from the roof to the balcony. By interweaving we could create either an image, meaningful pattern or illustrative typography.

This could possibly be carried on from the balcony to the ground or even to the buildings opposite.

By the use of fabrics I have tried to recreate traditional patterns from different cultures such as Bangladeshi or African. Same fabrics could be used to cover the building. This may not look like patterns but just geometrical shapes but that is just a concept. This could be turned into either images or typography.

We could also use textured materials and create a collage. Same material used on the building and in a form of typography or 3D images on the balcony to create one big installation.

Of course we will have to consider health and safety aspects for both pedestrians and residents of the flats which balconies we would be working but we are at the very early stage.

Case study research and project development Through research we got to the stage where creating portraits became a final concept. The focus of our project was always uniting community and the reason: Brexit. After Brexit hate crime has significantly risen and our aim is to try and create something that would show unity. At the same time sticking to the brief we will be creating something that would attract attention and make the dull area seem a lot more upbeat.

Now how do we approach it?

Out of our experimentations we decided to develop group member’s Emma’s idea but use the findings from our research. She created portraits using lines and focusing on recreating features from different communities.

I have then done some experimentation using one continuous wire that would create a face then wrapped in either textiles or strings. Here is a little mock up.

We have started off with illustrative typography portraits.

Our decisions were always based on research of the areas history. Portraits are of people of the communities that live there and colours of each portrait are colours of their native flag or colours of their native clothing.

These portraits were created by group member Emma.

The ideas was to also make connection between each portraits by type carrying on through from one portrait to the other.

From illustrative type portraits we have shifted to abstract. Our ideas was very much defined by the lines and type so we decided to make it more abstract and undefined but trying to still make it look like portraits.

As an inspiration for ideas I have looked at Pablo Picasso -cubism.

He uses shapes to create portraits and use of line has its purpose. I have then done some experimentation on how to connect two portraits into one.

I have tried to remember what some of those images remind me off. Then I realised it looks a bit like Thierry Noir’s work which I see everyday on my way to uni.

Carried on with some work playing around. For some reason I was not keen on the colours. We have chosen the colour palette but I wanted to test out how different shades of it would work.

From this idea I wanted to develop the concept of different coloured shapes layered on top of another and connected with lines. One line is a nose for one shape but a mouth for another.

There is still more experimentation to be made.

Maybe make shapes less defines? I think that 3D aspects of layering and vibrant colour will definitely make the balconies stand out more.

This is not what I would normally go for in my work but all the decisions have been made with a reason and has a connection with our research into the area. I also believe that it goes well with the character of the area.

Lines: connection-unity-weavering Shapes: patterns from traditional clothes-diversity (people come in different shapes, sizes) Colours: flags-diversity (different races)-adds life to the area Portraits: Community-people-faces are shapes Layering: wall of strength coming from communities-one backing up another-3D is visible from the side (brief)

As for the material we are also looking into using acrylic sheets that would be transparent. One colour layered on top of another would create would create another colour.

Boundaries: physical model making In order to enhance the experiences of the viewers I have decided to recreate the balconies in 4D. I absolutely love modelling so this is work and fun put together. I like to recreate it in a very realistic way (not to realistic as I need to bear time in mind).

I enjoy recreating digital props but the actual physical prop is way more engaging. Also this is a physical one so people can touch it and look closely but most importantly the prop of the idea/concept we had can be presented so as viewer can better visualise what it may look like in real life.

Have gone to 4D shop and absolutely love it there. I am a huge fun of miniatures too so it was fun. All together I needed exactly 400 tiny bricks.

I will also use the trees I made for my previous project. To make the model look more realistic I believe adding an aspect of nature is important.

I have made a pavement from clay which I have then added texture to it with various tools.

The pavement is made of 21 blocks. After drying I have painted it grey.

Windows were made with match sticks and then painted it with oil paint. As a glass I have used acetate sheets.

Also small door has been made out of plywood and match sticks then painted with an oil paint.

I have then carefully painted on the number, letterbox and door hanle with silver paint.

Planning was the key as I needed to make sure I put things on in a correct order and don't leave anything behind. I have made a cardboard cut out.

Turntable for the presentation of the model

The shutters are made of rubbery, ribbed material and group member Emma painted on it. The sjop signs and advertisement are cut outs from the newspaper.

Final outcome

Project 2 Work Placement

Work Placement: Earth London TV We have been sent to do work placement for two weeks and I have been sent to Earth London TV. They are an accomplished graphics company, working in motion design, animation, interactive systems, GFX & VFX to produce creative moving image & video for all media including broadcast TV.  Here is their show reel to give you an idea of what work they are doing. Big names such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, Jaguar, Ferrari, Adidas..you name it they have done seriously great job for them.

Their work and professionalism blew my mind. They took time out of their busy schedules to talk me through how some of the software used in motion graphics work and process of what it looks like from when they first get a brief until final submission.

The office itself was very cosy and quiet. The big plus was that the director would come with his dog Fennel.

To let a stranger in, give them an insight into their work and files and make them feel comfortable is something some people wouldn't appreciate but I do.

I have been shown programmes made from scratch which haven't been released yet so I couldn't take pictures and talk about it but experience is something that will stay with me.

They do interactive game systems and I was shown how show "Impossible" has been made and the control system they use. I don't even have vocabulary to describe it all.

Control base where they control all work from situated behind contestants

They even get the buttons that contestants press designed and produced. Those people are dedicated, focused and definitely hard working.

I felt like I have been part of the team already and every day I would go there with a smile on my face excited about what I will do next.

Work Placement Motion Tracking First day I was just observing and being kind of lectured about things, taken to different departments to see how other people work as Earth London TV is subsidiary of Evolutions which is now one of the largest independent full service post production companies in the UK.

https://evolutions.tv

I really appreciated that they understood I am interested in animation but motion graphics it's another level for me. I have independently experimented in Cinema 4D even created my own character and made it dance but I knew narrative animation will be my type of thing. They showed me examples of work they did which was less high tech and recommended books and websites I can learn from. I have still made the best out of my experience and used my own initiative to come up with ideas for my work. They couldn't give me any tasks as the work they did was too advanced.

I have recorded a footage of the desk with a notebook and a cup. The graphic will come out of the notebook and jump in the cup.

I decided to have a go at motion tracking as one of the current project involved a stream of light/energy flying around different scenes.

Motion tracking is the process of tracking the movement of an object within a piece of footage.

Once you’ve collected this track data from the selected point, you then apply it to another element or object.

It allows the insertion of computer graphics into liveaction footage with correct position, scale, orientation, and motion relative to the photographed objects in the shot. On my own I would not know where to start.

Dots are generated as a reference of the motion and positioning in the footage. Creating shapes, proxy objects is essential as you use it as a reference object which not only will help you visualise when the objects are so you can create motion around it but also then while rendering it will create buffers so as this area when the object is can be then masked and shadows and shading can be reflected against it.Â

View from the side in Cinema 4D to check if the graphic will go behind the screen and then above it.

View from the front in Cinema 4D

Without getting all technical you need to create a spline which then will be modelled into a graphic around the shapes to make it look like its a part of the video. After it was transferred into After Effects to edit the spline and make it blend with the surroundings. I have been watching some tutorials as I wanted to learn by myself and then ask for help when I am really stuck. Relying on people to point and show you things all the time it's not the best way to learn.

I have really enjoyed it as I felt like my brain switched

to 4D working system and working on all 4 screens what a challenge. This is mind blowing as graphic becomes a part of real live footage. This may look simple to some people who never used this software. I have learnt enormous tricks and technical skills in those only 6 days.

Here is the outcome of my experimentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=mVsyEYaeSqU

Work Placement Publication lead experiment The next challenge I set for myself is to create a lead/ intro into my publication inspired by the type of work they do for TV. I am not great at typography but me creating 3D type illustrative did come out good previously. I wanted to set the mood/character of my work placement.

Experiment 1 I have tried few different ways. This is more like a show, striking type that they designed for some TV shows.

Doing this I have gained huge knowledge of working with camera settings, light, illumination, materials and I must say that getting things to have realistic looking light etc is really time consuming and you need a good eye. For those who worked in Cinema 4D is a case of constant rendering to check the progress as images you work with look different after rendering.

I have here worked on both background and type. Type is made of elements that can disperse and that allows me to make each element be in different position so when the light falls on it reflects it differently.

I kept taking screen-shots every second as sometimes random changes created new effects

Looking closer it looks like its moving and creates some sort of movement.

Experiment 2 My second experimentation was with a glitter effect type. I wanted to create catchy type and glitter ball elements I found interesting as it consists of small elements that each is turned different direction and when the light reflects against it looks very textured.

small squares before being randomised and with copper material applied

Setting angles and lights is a long process, the moment you amend angles of the camera the light reflection will change

Final poster

Work Placement Publication Front Page As an outcome of our work placement we will be making a publication. I have been gathering the content for it everyday after I came back home from my work placement. As a final task I decided to make a front cover for my publication. I have tried to use the thought process I observed at my work placement and create a cover that summarises my placement. So I will use the type experiment 1 I created previously Work Placement: Publication lead experiment then create a TV and place it on Earth.

I have modelled retro TV and here is the process. I lost faith half way through as I couldn't get out of my head that it looks like a microwave ha. Here is the process from scratch. I was proud as I didn't even watch any tutorials meaning that some basic knowledge is embedded in my brain already.

Seems literal but then some things created for TV programmes cannot be complex to make people guess and it has to hit general audience.

So far I have done motion tracking, working with materials, light, illumination, type now it's time for modelling. I have started of with a normal flat TV but didn't quite like it as it seemed to simple and decided to challenge myself more.

Final outcome of the model making. I have added aerials and legs. The image is shot in the angle that the light highlights the nobs and is in the same angle that light on the work placement title that I will add.

After composting all elements together in after effects I have added particles effect to make it look like the TV was shoot off the ground.

I am a bit concerned about the quality of the images after print. Those are made for motion and printing can flatten some of the effects. Here is the final with Earth logo. Logo can be moved according to how it fits on the publication.

Project 3 D&AD Competition

D&AD New Blood Awards Competition

We have been given few briefs to choose from for a D&Ad New Blood Awards. I have chosen Adidas. To summarise I need to create either a service, brand experience, campaign or digital or social experience that would get girls ages 1419 engage in sport. To be more specific we were asked to pick one of the key cities: London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and LA. Also focus on one of the sports that needs the biggest shift: tennis swimming, rugby, weightlifting, hockey and boxing.

Here is the brief with key points highlighted by me so as it helps me to focus on main concepts. It is important to keep going back to the brief and reading it again rather than just relying on your memory.

I have decided to create a campaign that focuses on weightlifting in Shanghai. I must say it was a challenge as conducting the research I have learnt that the biggest obstacle young women face are obstacles created by the society. This is challenging as changing people's believes that are embedded in culture may seem impossible. But like Adidas says "Impossible is nothing". Small changes add up to a big change which can come with time.

Body Image The body image is a big one as in China perfect female physique is to have a small frame and be very thin. Women need to stay feminine and muscle weight is not considered feminine. There is a lot of misconception and stereotyping surrounding weightlifting. It is believed to make you bulky and "looking like a man". Their belief is more holistic that the strength doesn't come from muscles but from within.

What is being ignored is the power of exercise. The exercise itself is the best medicine not just for physical but also mental health. There is a lot of scientific evidence of how exercise helps with mental well-being and mental wellbeing is inner strength. The aspects of how young women can benefit from strength and weight training is not being taken into consideration.

As the new generation of young people faces more and more challenges in their lives and mental health issues are experienced in younger ages, it is important to direct them into ways of dealing with their problems in a healthy and efficient way.

Female weightlifters in China China is one of the top countries when it comes to gold in weightlifting both amongst man and women. It may seem as what is the challenge in that case. The new generation of young people have a different mentality and priorities. Their mindset seems to be different and there is more outside influences that can drift away their attention from healthy life, healthy body image and self acceptance. There is a lot of pressure on young women to look and behave certain way and anything that is not considered a norm in the society is stigmatised.

www.olympic.org

My challenge now is to come out with a concept that would highlight the benefits of weightlifting to young women and that would inspire them to engage in weightlifting. I need to find a way to overcome the stereotypes that are embedded in society about weightlifting and females entering this sport.

Build your inner strength The idea I came up with to encourage teenage girls to get into weightlifting is to highlight how weightlifting can give them power. I have explained my thought process in my previous blog D&AD New Blood Awards competition My idea was to create light-like strips that come out of the person when they lift and travel with them throughout the day. The meaning of the strips is the inner energy that is being released when you do weightlifting. The power that can protect you from everyday life situations that can be stressful or unpleasant. Being strong inside can create an outside protection that helps you face the world.

To choose colours I looked for an inspiration from the city of Shanghai itself. The city at night is very colourful and radiates a lot of light.

Here are the strips I have created. I have done three strips to also promote Adidas as a brand.

Here are some of the stills from the quick experimentation I have done with the strips of energy.

The image I have used to experiment is still but I will think of doing moving image. Making a video and adding moving stripes can be too high tech as I have only recently been introduced to motion tracking. I want to focus more on the concept.

I have also played around with the concept of weights itself so as towards the end Adidas brand can be revealed. I have used still images of the weights and placed word that reflect what weightlifting can give you: self belief, confidence, strength.

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Sticking to my colour scheme blue, magenta and orange I played around with brands characteristic three stripes testing different backgrounds and applying the moving stripes to it too.

My idea was for the weight to come together as being add on rack. Showing how the strength is increasing and also how weights put together give you all of that: self belief, strength, confidence. In order to present my idea better I decided to create in Cinema 4D.

Each weight varies in colour and size.

The most difficult part was to position each weight on the barbell and set up the camera and lights. But as an amateur I will always find it tricky until I practice and get more experience.

When the barbell turns around we can see three stripes. Then the bar itself comes out with a swoosh effect. On the actual video it's the other way round but I need to go back to it and play with the camera. This is what I have done for now.

Here is just a quick idea of the background for it. Maybe after barbell is gone the type will appear? Like "build your inner strength"? That's the final scene so don't want to focus on it too much will see how the body of the story goes. I will also try out sketch and tone effect to make it look more like digital drawing.

D&AD competition: development I have decided to create a hand drawn animation. My audience are girls between 14-19 and I think this type of approach will catch their attention more. Also as a concept it will be better for me to present my idea.

Here is a quick storyboard. Each scene presents a situation from school girls life that the energy released from weightlifting will help her with.

Scene 1 I am still considering if I should maybe put this scene as last to then show where those stripes, the power, energy comes from. We will see.

This is the character I have created. I have used the colour palette pick from before: orange, magenta, blue. The shades may differ a bit. The challenge of this is that I need to draw the character in at least 4 frames. I will try to stick to 4-5 just to give an idea.

To save time I would just change her face expressions.

Looks a little bit like Umpa Lumpa here. As her movements will be fast the face expressions may not be even noticeable.

All 4 positions needed to be the same size and be aligned together.

I have also reduced the saturation and played around bit too ha

I have decided to add texture to the character so I used this grainy image and colour burn effect.

That’s the final look

I may need to vectorise the images to give it better quality.

There is also a background to be considered. I will try to redo each scene with bold shapes and still testing out colours.

Here is video of an idea not yet finished as I am working on the strips of energy still. This time stripes will have to have a path dictated by me.

In the previous video they were randomly flying around.

Second scene shows a school girl walking across the corridor being protected by the strips.

I have tried to keep the backgrounds same colour scheme on each scene.

Ther ewill also be another scene where the girl is studying and the strips go over her meaning that she is being prtected also when studying and her mental capacities are balanced.

D&AD competition process As part of the project I decided to name my project and give it a slogan. The name is "Generation Qi" as the new generation of female athletes who will carry on with the legacy of the believes in Qi the inner energy that gives strength and supports exercise. It's more of a power of the mind than something holistic that some people may believe doesn't really exist. The slogan is: "Build your inner strength" to show that the focus is not on the physical appearance and strength but the mental strength of the person.

I have designed the logo in Cinema 4D. To create the Qi sign I have used the weight that I have made previously for my short animation.

The weight is accompanied by two barbells that create Q and I

I have then added text which has the same material that the weight does.

I have tweaked the type that I was using by adding fillets so as it can match better with the weight. That also mean that I don't have to credit that font as I have made my own edit.

This logo can also be used in anything related with the project. Such as an app that I have created an idea for.

In order to show how this can be experienced I have came up with an idea for an app that young girls who take on weightlifting can use to communicate with fellow weightlifters, get some advice, receive daily inspirations to keep going. It will have both practical use but also social and entertainment.

This is the first design using the colour palette I picked for this project however it didn't quite work well with the image.

Previously made logo will be also used for the app

I decided to used the green background that I have made for the animation and that will repeat throughout my project.

This is an example of the option where you can watch an animated video of how to lift weight correctly step by step.

Another example of the app feature, inspiration of the day showing influential female weightlifters

Throughout the project there will be a repeating theme of "breaking" to refer back to the brief "breaking barriers"

I have created an example of the end of the scene for the story that I made (It will make more sense in my next blog post). The travelling lights in the end will come together and create a simplified qi sign which happens to have three stripes.

Sketchbook page analysing the Qi symbols which just like Adidas have 3 stripes.