Space Constellation Part 2. Digital Fabrication

Proceedings of the URECA@NTU 2010-11

Space Constellations II – Towards the New Pictorial Space Series Zurianah Bte Hashim School of Art, Design and Media

Asst Prof Ina Conradi Chavez School of Art, Design and Media

Abstract - Recently completed works within URECA research have opened an original field of explorations into inventive abstract and surreal art and non-narrative experimental animation.

This research determines a subjective methodological approach into pushing current investigations of unconventional animation by utilising ready-made presets and brushes in computer to form contemporary ways of image-making techniques. Initial research focuses on how traditional ways of producing 2D pictures, i.e. drawing, painting, and printmaking can be fused with 3D images generated from computer graphics software, Autodesk Maya.

In the process of assembling this set of uniquelyblended images, new pictorial spaces are invented – spaces that are capable of dissolving their own perimeter and traditional surface planes.

In the second half of the project, the research would move from abstract-referencing art into experiential phenomenological art work to create immersive art installation pieces.

2 AIMS / OBJECTIVES The aims of the study include extracting working techniques and methodologies that have already been observed by abstract animation artists from early traditionally-made films to contemporary ones that are aided and enhanced by digital means.

Using the collected information, studies of still images are made and short film clips are drafted which are then collected into the research directory.

The entire project is focused on the concept of ‘growth and decay’; with this idea in mind, research is narrowed down and relevant artistic references are cited.

An important criterion that is followed throughout the course of this research is the concept of merging both traditional and contemporary techniques in developing the art works that are presented in this study. Though digital means are necessary in order to create the animation videos, the approaches that are taken in order to create them are based on conventional methods which are fused with innovative technology to bring about an immersive and fully experimental film. This is to ensure that the artworks that are produced remain visually artistic and creative, with the artist’s vision and emotions as direct influences on the films that are made.

Keywords – abstract animation, immersive art, experimental animation, expressive filmmaking

1 INTRODUCTION The world of animation art is vast and extensive, anchoring on artistic concepts of vision, imagination, ideas and interaction. Animation is a visual technique that creates the illusion of motion, rather than recording motion through live action. [1] Animated films are popularised through audience consumption via readily available mass media. Fully abstract animation, on the other hand, is lesser established as a form of consumable art, although it is strongly rooted from the early history of animation. It is therefore a fascinating domain to delve into, a premise that encourages a more experimental and creative perspective into the process of making an animation film.

The final outcome is an abstract animation film that brings forth collated studies and materials that are done during the first half of the research stage. Previsualisations are also essential components during the development of the film as supplements that assist in installing the final film in an actual immersive space.

Sound for the film is another fundamental part of the research and is introduced during the post-production of the completed film.

At the end of the research, the final film will be presented in an appropriate exhibiting space and relevant research materials will be uploaded and shared within existing similar groups of study.

The study centres on creating abstract animation that is more riveted towards the involvement of the artist’s introspection and emotional constituent. Non-objective and non-representative practices are used to create a series of short animation videos, borrowing traditional image-making approaches in the initial stages. An appropriate leitmotif is chosen to narrow down the findings in the study and to have a more definite focus in the development of the project.

3 LITERATURE REVIEW / BACKGROUND Throughout the development of this project, the subjective and emotive concepts behind abstract animation have remained the core essence and inspiration behind the works that are created. There is a broad directory of artists who have contributed to the emergence and sustenance of abstract animation. Stan Brakhage, an avant-garde filmmaker and his works in

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particular, have been studied extensively and referenced prevalently in this study.

Stan Brakhage – Brakhage was an American-born avant-garde filmmaker who is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the scene of experimental film during the 20th century. His works remain as contemporary and radical even after many years since they were first created, and are often lyrical embodiments of his perceptions as an artist, focusing on the visual phenomenon that is derived from cinema and using that concept to bring to life his artistic visions through his filmmaking. A narrative film creates an arc of expectation that sets up conflicts and tensions the viewer expects to have resolved — or at least, lead to some form of conclusion. Brakhage's films are organized according to a precisely opposite principle.

[2] Where his predecessors used metaphor as a means of relating one image to one another, Brakhage’s films were themselves expressions of a single, great metaphor: visual perception. [3] His works mainly expressed and explored the themes of mortality, birth, innocence and psychosexuality, ideas that actively stimulate the project’s own theme of ‘growth and decay’.

Figure 3: Stan Brakhage, stills from The Dante Quartet, 1987, 8 min, 16 mm

4 METHODOLOGY In the developmental stages of the study, preset brushes are carefully selected and further explored in Autodesk Maya’s Paint Effects platform. In line with the appointed leitmotif of ‘growth and decay’, brushes appropriating the theme are picked out from the available preset directory from Paint Effects. The brushes in focus are trees and plants, which represent the concept of growth and decay suitably.

Figs. 1 – 3 below are stills that are taken from three of Brakhage’s films that have been studied thoroughly in order to understand the methodologies involved in their creation and also act as primary visual frameworks in the course of their referencing.

Figure 4: A brush is selected from the Paint Effects Visor, and can be used with the in-built 2D canvas to create images using a mouse or a graphics tablet.

The brushes are then tested out on the surface of the Maya 2D canvas (Figure 1), using a graphics tablet to create painting compositions that can be borrowed or added into the later stages of the project. A series of such images using the brushes are collated, as shown in Figs. 2 – 3.

Figure 1: Stan Brakhage, stills from Mothlight, 1963, 4 min, 16 mm

Figure 2: Stan Brakhage, stills from The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1981, 2.5 min, 16 mm

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Figure 5: The Paint Effects 2D tool encourages a more traditional and painterly effect on the images that are composed. Different brushes are available in the Visor to experiment with. A graphics tablet is used for more definitive strokes to create the image.

Figure 7: An individual mesh is formed from the selected brush and its attributes can be manipulated and animated accordingly. A brush’s mesh can be customised, including its flow animation, number of branches, leaves, twigs etc; shading, texturing and brush profile, growth and creation of the mesh can also be edited. Before the final rendering is done, the mesh animation can be previewed in the 3D window.

Figure 6: Canvas size can be adjusted according to the artist’s preference. For this project, a resolution size of 1920 x 1080 pixels (High Definition Television, HDTV Video Mode) is used.

Figure 8: A single frame can be rendered out as lowresolution preview. Adjustments to the background colour and foreground attributes of the brush can be adjusted before rendering.

Autodesk Maya’s Paint Effects tool is again utilised in the making of short, abstract flow animation videos, this time using the 3D canvas (see Fig. 4) that is available alongside its 2D complement. 30-seconds clips are created using the preset tree brushes from Maya’s Visor in Paint Effects. Options and settings in the attribute editor allow for various changes to be made, making the process and end result exciting and unpredictable as there are many possibilities that are presented during the making of each sequence of the clips. This parallels the non-linear and non-objective expressions that initial studies of Brakhage’s visuals inspired, and enables us to mimic the conventions of his methodology that is understood, even through the usage of today’s digital software. When the mesh is set to flow animation, the motion, speed and action of the tree can be previewed by scrubbing the timeline. Each frame can also be sent for a quick render to preview it before setting a batch render (Fig. 5).

The second part of the methodology is to fulfil the objective of fusing traditional techniques and influences into the main body of works that is presented in the study. Conventional methods of creating art are looked into, and are based on the artist’s preferred medium and personal interpretation of the theme, ‘growth and decay’.

Techniques that have been brought into focus and explored are drawing and mark-making using abstract inking and staining approaches which also help to promote the visual concept of non-objectivity identified in the works that are being produced. Organic and abstract forms and shapes that mimic the growth of branches are created using graphite pencils (see Fig. 6).

Different grades of pencils are used in the creation of these pieces, to give the images more flow and depth. A series of such drawings are replicated using ink (see Fig. 7), a medium that allows for a more fluid-like set of lines and marks. Small, preliminary sketches are made before the decision to work on the images on a larger scale, which allows for more space to work with, and extending the possibility of mixing more forms and expressing the theme through the combination of various media (see Figs. 8 – 9).

The result is subjected to the artist’s preferences during the editing of the meshes, as these preferences are dependent on an emotive and intuitive aspect of creation. Other than changing the attributes of the mesh itself, other alterations can be made in the 3D environment, for example, the colours and textures of its surroundings. The camera can also be animated, thus giving life to even the space that exists in the entire animation, highlighting not just the visuals that are being experienced, but also the existing amplitude that surround the growth and subsequent decay of the trees.

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Figure 12: A0-sized printmaking papers are used to create larger scale ink drawings. They are first toned with brown ink and then given multiple layers using watercolour washes and Chinese ink. Above is a series of close-ups from one piece of big drawing.

Figure 9: Preliminary sketches are made using pencil on printmaking paper. The drawings are influenced by the experience of working with the preset brushes of trees and the way they were manipulated via Maya’s attribute editor, combined with personal interpretation of how trees behave in nature.

The collection of traditionally hand-drawn images above is then scanned and made digital for the third part of the project. Based on the studies made from Brakhage’s film stills, the same layering techniques are applied to the sets of visuals that have been generated thus far. By using the popular graphics editing program Adobe Photoshop, the images are juxtaposed against one another, creating 2D digital collages (Fig. 10) that serve as compositional and visual references. The advantage of using Photoshop is the extensive amount of improvements and changes that can be made without expending too much time.

Figure 10: Chinese ink and pencil are both used in the making of the above drawing. The use of the Chinese brush enables more fluid and organic lines to be created. Drawings are now more focused on the relationship between positive and negative space and are largely intuitive.

Figure 13: A new image is made using the composition done on the Paint Effects canvas in Maya, which is layered over with the drawings that have been scanned in earlier.

The technique that is adopted in the making of these 2D digital images is repeated with the short film clips that were created in Maya’s 3D interface using the preset brushes. Instead of using a graphics editing program for still images, a compositing software for videos, Adobe After Effects, is used to edit the clips. The latter program uses similar editing tools that are available in Photoshop, which makes the post-production part of the video clips easier to manage. The only difference is that instead of rendering out still images like in Photoshop, the software renders out moving images, which also takes a relatively longer time to produce. Figs. 11 – 13 illustrate three sets of stills that are taken from the different clips that were produced in the course of the study.

Figure 11: A series of purely ink drawings are made and compiled in a book. These ink studies are constructed based on organic forms found on plants i.e. veins on leaves, textures on trees, growth patterns on flowers, using experimental and instinctive marks.

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experience of the film, a sound artist is enlisted to create an original ambient sound for the clip, based on the images that have been created and the mood that the artist wants to convey to the audience. The postproduction stage also includes scouting for an appropriate location to screen the triptych film, in order to present it as an immersive installation art that showcases a new pictorial space, aligning closely with the concept of non-narrative animation. Ideally, the projection would have been placed in a space that can play on the lyricism that the project intends to sustain, in an environment that allows for the theme and atmosphere to be related effectively to the audience.

Time and technical limitations, however, have impeded with that intention, although it remains one of the many possibilities that this project can be steered to in future URECA projects.

Figure 14: Stills from an initial animated clip, Putrefaction, which are individually altered through the use of Photoshop filters. At different intervals, the tones are varied interchangeably and are made lighter or darker accordingly. The camera used for the animation during the rendering process in Maya stays in a frontal position.

6 CONCLUSION With the advent of digital techniques and enhanced interactivity that the current scope of media encourages for artists and viewers alike, immersive art works can be further improved on and made relatable for today’s audience. The art of animation advocates more experimental and subjective ways to create a film that is based largely on purely sensory experiences. Nonobjectivity and non-narrative forms of film can bolster the experiences of the viewer, communicating the intimacy of the art and its space, with the individual human body and its respective introspection.

Figure 15: Stills from a later clip, Erode, make use of more erratic animation done for the ink drawings that underlay as a background. More alterations are made to the colours of the different frames and in a higher speed of change. The palette for this clip is inspired mainly from the decaying of leaves and the process of rusting.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Asst Prof Ina Conradi Chavez from School of Art, Design and Media Sound Artist, Shirin Rafie from School of Art, Design and Media 3D Animators, Yew Yong Xiang Ivan and Lau Wei Kit from School of Art, Design and Media We wish to acknowledge the funding support for this project from Nanyang Technological University under the Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus (URECA) programme.

Figure 16: Stills from a later clip, Ink X, in the process of editing. A moving camera is used, which gives rise to a more immersive use of the space. Different filters are used at specific intervals, and the speed of the entire clip also varies from slow to fast motion, accelerating and decelerating to give it contrasting, unpredictable ambience.

REFERENCES [1] M. McDonnell. (2003). Abstract Animation. In Notes for lecture on Visual Music by Maura McDonnell. Retrieved June 20 , 2011 from http://www.soundingvisual.com/visualmusic/visua lmusic2003_2004.pdf

5 RESULTS

[2] F. Camper. (2003). Stan Brakhage: A Brief Introduction. Retrieved June 20, 2011 from http://www.fredcamper.com/Film/Brakhage4.html

Ink X (2011, 4.45 min, HDTV) is the result that is obtained at the end of the research and is further worked on to achieve a visual product that illustrates the theme and core concept behind the study. A triptych is decided as the final form for presentation as the three panels are able to narrate the processes that occur during growth and decay succinctly. To heighten the sensory

[3] B. L. Frye. (2011). Stan Brakhage. In Senses of Cinema, Issue 59. Retrieved June 22, 2011 from http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2002/greatdirectors/brakhage/

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