Last weekend I taught my first animation workshop to adults aged 20 to 65 during a SCI work camp at the Thuringian Forest.

Our color palettes.

Warm-up: Getting the creative juices flowing

Compared to kids, grown-ups are much more afraid of play and their own creativity and need often more encouragement. I brought a lots of colors with me, literally my whole studio equipment. We had watercolors, wax crayons, acrylics, drawing ink, colored pencils and big sheets of paper. I also brought brushes in all sizes, bamboo sticks, painting knifes and drawing feathers.

My idea was to trigger the people's right-brain part where creativity and play are located. So I ask them to simply try all the materials before we start working on there animations. With their non-writing hand. With their fingers. And to give their natural body movements into the painting, because animation is all about movement.

We decorated the walls of the
yet to be refurbished house with our paintings.

Developing ideas

…was quiet easy for the participants then. I encouraged them to try easy things first, and to keep their story rather simply because we only had two days for the workshop.

While kids are good at play and experiments, my adult students had a better understanding of the technical aspects of animation, and a very individual way of finding stories. Only one of them had animated before, so it was all new to them.

They came up with some really lovely ideas, based on their individual experiences and knowledge. I'd like to share the videos of the workshop with you to get you an idea.

The Animations

All of them (except one) tried animation for the first time. Inspired by last weeks animation tutorial by Terry Gilliam we did cut-out animation since it's easy and often looks funny, too.

This first one is very special. Han Tse and Siao Chu are from Taiwan, and we talked a lot about Chinese language and calligraphy. Chinese signs are based on "real" pictures of objects or else. Han Tse and Siao Chu teamed up and produced this lovely animated piece in which the things in our world turn into their Chinese symbols:

Peter (like Pierre) is from the Netherlands, and they both were the oldest members of our group (around 65). Peter tells the story of a house that is searching for a good place to stay:

Pierre paints since he had retired, and also has a very painterly approach towards animation. He tells the story of a woman who wants to hang clothes onto a washing line.

Katrin from Germany shows us what happens if pylons interfere with New York's rush hour:

Guiomar (from Spain) tells us a contemporary and rather brutal version of Red Riding Hood:

And Micha did this beautiful animation off a swimmer who jumps of a diving platform.

Finally: Ella (7) and Gabriel (8) were the youngest participants, guess who did what:

I'm always excited about what you can achieve within two days… They all did an amazing job!

If you want to join one of my animation classes…

you're more than welcome!

The next animation course for adults will take place in November 2011. From Friday, 11 November to Sunday, 13 November you have to chance to have an animating weekend (The course's timetable: Friday from 18:15 to 21:30, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 15:30 o 18).

If you work with kids, that's great since I'm going to show how you could do animation easily with children as well.

I'll hold the course at the VHS Bielefeld, please check their website for details or just give them a call: +49 (0) 521 51 22 22.

– I'd love to see you there!

Love,
Jessica

During the last week I worked on the mold for the Orpheus puppet, but when I triedd to open the mold, it broke. I had to remake it completely. In order not to bore you with picture very similar to those from last Monday, I'll share some completely different thoughts with you:

…you promised! | mixed media on paper | ca. 84 x 46 cm | 2011

Why am I doing this?

When I'm motivated to do something, I have no issues to start, to continue and to finish a project. When I'm disciplined, I somehow understand the necessity to start, to continue and to finish a project, but that doesn't mean neither that I like what I'm doing nor that I'll eventually do it.

Motivation doesn't come easily. Most of the time it will be easier to be disciplined and to follow a path that others or yourself may expect from you. – It's really hard work to find out what motivates you. But it's worth trying.

There's a simple question:

The answer though is often difficult. But the more I understand my motives, the easier it is to become motivated.

I was thinking about motivation and discipline a lot the last weeks because I try to understand why it's so easy to work on my Orpheus film project currently, or why I suddenly keep working in the studio in general. I had in my guts that it wasn't discipline that helps me to do the work.

(Oh, and I really tried to be disciplined. I tried working an hour a day on my film for several weeks. I tried to build some external pressure, but that doesn't work either. I tried so many things that I can't even remember them.)

I wondered, "What does motivate me now?" How do I stay on track with my film even when I have to overcome obstacles and difficulties like yesterday, when my mold broke and I lost a whole week's work?

Why do I want to make the Orpheus film at all?

On the one hand, it's the story that appeals me: that metaphorical story about descending into the dark to face death, both literally and symbolically. On the other hand I love storytelling through animation. I love handmade animation. And I have the feeling that I have something unique to say.

It's not about other people. I would make the film in case nobody is going to like it. I've been working on this film for years even though I had monetary or technical or other issues, and I just don't want to give it up because making this film is so amazingly important to me.

I want to finish this film because I want to see if I am able to do this. To work as an animator artist, to earn some money from the things I do and to do it independently (as in freelancer). I want to see if I'm able to live a life with as few compromises (concerning my work) and with as much freedom possible. I'm proving my theory about life.

If I fail, I'll fail. But at least I tried.

– See, this is a motivation. I don't need discipline anymore.

What about you? What motivates you?

Yay for another successful Studio Monday! Since I'd been stuck for the last three weeks or so, I decided that something had to change today. It does, and it was a tough and challenging task. I also had no visitors, so I set to work alone.

I wanted to move on with the sets for my Orpheus film project, but it felt like running against a wall.

I kept going though. After I made the first element, the throne of Hades, I got stuck again. I had this very clear vision of how the set was going to look like, but every little step was annoying and stressful, and often it took me several attempts to get the shapes right.

Whenever something went wrong, I was about to stop. But I kept going for three long and disappointing hours until something changed. I don't know exactly what it was, but eventually I made it into the Zone. I continued to work for three more hours and suddenly a large part of the set was built.

Normally, I would recommend to do something completely different when one is stuck. But in this case I have done something different for weeks, and I really wanted to move on with the set building. Surprisingly, it worked.

This is the main view into the throne room with Orpheus and Hades.

The underworld where Hades is the king of the dead is a world of shadows, and that's why this part of the film is completely made of silhouettes. It's a small set: Imagine another landing, and the Throne Room which is guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed hound.

Today I already finished the interior design of the throne room, some parts of the cave and the landing. Most of the elements are made of corrugated cardboard that I've painted black with acrylics. I used lamp black which is the deepest black available. (Actually it was my main work to paint things black today. You should have seen my hands…)

This is Hades sitting on his yet unpainted throne made of cardboard.

There are only a few things I still have to do before finishing the set: making a door for the throne room from wire and black spray paint and adding more cave elements and a background. Oh, and I need a silhouette boat as well. There isn't much left now what I have to do yet for the sets. But unfortunately I set the progress bar to 97% on set building, so 3% percent are left. Let's see if this is an unbreakable rule…

Today I also designed the gate through which the characters enter the hall.

I really hope to finish this set soon.

"Really? – Yes!" (2011)
Mixed media on paper | 60 x 42 cm

Excited

A lot of things happened during the last weeks. First of all: I married the most beautiful man alive. Finally. After 11 years. How cool is that? I'm also saying goodbye to some paid but annoying jobs. Which means I have more time to spend in the studio, but at same time find new ways to earn a living. 2011 seems to be a year of change for me.

Joyful Days

The wedding came suddenly, and the days (joyful days!) rushed by. We had a big garden party at our house, and we had most of our friends around which was just perfect. I was some kind of jet-lagged the days after the wedding, and so we decided to do some in-house honeymooning. We haven't spent so much time together for years I think. It's still great!

Letting Things Grow

Studio Monday was a lonely event the last three weeks. I didn't write about them because I didn't get so much done on my Orpheus film project. But at least I did some creative work: I started and finished working on several new paintings with which I am very satisfied right now. And I worked a lot in our garden that is still more like a jungle.

I accepted that I got stuck again with the film and tried to do some loosening up through the drawings. That worked nicely, and so did gardening. Sleeping a lot was helpful as well.

My friend Shelley Noble wrote an article about why it's so much easier to to the first 97% of a project, but so amazingly difficult to do the remaining 3%. I have similar issues. I've got a big Resistance against moving forward with my film. (Notice the progress bars! The end is near, my friend, at least in set-building.)

I also had a big Resistance (yes, in Capitals!) against writing about it. But I do this for now, perhaps I'll overcome the other as well by doing

Other Things As Planned

Like this:

"They said it's just a memory" (2011)
Mixed media on paper | 100 x 70 cm

Understanding

Those last three weeks in which I spent a lot of time in the studio, and preparing and celebrating my wedding helped me to understand what I need and what I want in life. Working on a complex film project is very similar to live in a long-term relationship. After the first euphoria has transformed into some everyday life, it takes a lot of energy to accept changes and to keep it going though. The good thing is: it's definitely worth it!

Again, I'm sharing my process because I think it's important to see not only the good things in life but the difficult aspects as well. However, I hope you find it helpful.

Still from One Day Animated Short, © Nils Diewald 2011

So far I only showed you the results of the things I did on my first Studio Monday, even though I wasn't the only one having a productive day. My friend Nils came around and asked me if he could try an animated short because he wanted to test different animation techniques.

And here's the result of his one day animation marathon (about 10 MB):

The Making Of

Nils worked on the set building and the animation for about 10 or 11 hours in my studio, and another one (or two?) nights on the editing and the sound. Here's what he says about his film:

"I had in mind to combine several stop motion techniques (classic motion, watercolors, dripping wax ...) in a somehow dramatic plot. Because I only had one day off, everything had to be done quickly – so I thought, using scenes more than one time (by playing them in reverse) would save some time ... and ... well ... that's how the 'story' came up.

The main problem I had to face was, that the camera was only able to focus on objects at least 5ft away. And - I was running out of time at the end of the day.

Whatsoever - I'm pretty pleased with the result of the film. It was a lot of fun! Thank you, Jessica!"

The set-up was the same I use with my kids in my animation workshops: the camera is a cheaper DV camcorder which is connected via Firewire to an 2004 Mac iBook, the tripod is very simple as well, and the light comes from two desktop lamps (Tertial, Ikea).

He edited the animation with Windows Movie Maker which is a free and easy film editing software running on Microsoft Windows. The Mac equivalent would be iMovie.
– You see, it's not the equipment or the tools that make a film good or bad.

Nils animated on a desk and on the floor, and used

• white paper table cloth as background
• an empty lemonade can
• a dishcloth with a simple wire armature attached to it
• Patafix (or White Tac)
• wax, and
• watercolors.

Both of us had a really productive Studio Monday. Even though Nils isn't a professional animator (whatever that means), he's a creative brain that comes up with amazing ideas. On the other hand it's all about supporting companionship and creative atmosphere. – Everything is possible on a Studio Monday I suppose.

What about you? Tomorrow is Studio Monday again!

It's been quiet around here for several weeks now. I got kind of stuck with my Orpheus film project, and it feels like a lack of orientation. I have to sort some things out and to answer some questions before I can move on. But I also can't force it, it's a bit like evolution: one day, the ideas bubble like a spring in the mountains, the other day it feels like I'm digging them from an underground mine. – But hey, that's pretty much the Orpheus theme, isn't it?

A drawing I did a few days ago. The text in English would be like this:
"Really? Your soul for consideration?
Well, how inventive is that?
(Creativity? – Pha!)"

Sometimes a project like the Orpheus film is like a leavened dough which needs to rise before moving on with the baking process… So just now the Orpheus dough is rising and while I wait for it to finish, I spend my time writing a tutorial and drawing illustrations for a book for my godchild – stuff I wanted to do for years.

There's another issue taking a lot of energy at the moment, too:
After I passed my final exam in 2009 it was a weird situation. For more than ten years it was my master plan to achieve a degree in fine arts. I didn't think much about what would be after this certain point until I'd been there. When I eventually had my diploma, I decided I need a new master plan, and I allowed myself to experiment on how I want to live for a time period of two years from then on.

One and a half year has passed so far and I don't feel much more beyond doubt. Do I really need a plan? Well, I'm an artist, that's for sure, but from time to time I find it so difficult to stay on that track, and when this happens, I'm not sure anymore what it means, to be an artist. I'm interested in so many things that I occasionally forget on which one I really want to focus. Animation and drawing definitely are my favorite topics, but I also love graphic design, teaching, traditional crafts like bookbinding, or gardening and refurbishing…. So little time to do it all as much intense as I'd like to.

I'm still looking for a way to combine or enlace all these activities but I haven't found a solution yet. My dream is to achieve master skills at least in animation… Art today has become such a wide field that I'm absolutely sure that somewhere there's a niche for me and the stuff I do.

These are mainly internal processes, but I thought it would be nice to share these thoughts with you because for me they're an important part of my artistic and human development. What about you? Do you know concerns like these yourself? How do you solve these problems? And what do you learn from situations like these? Share your thoughts in the freshly designed comments section, I'd love to hear your views!

Today was a succesful day, at least so far. I'd given the Hermes charakter design several tries before, but I still wasn't satisfied with the results yet. I decided to go back to the very beginning of his character development, and started brainstorming again.

I swiftly wrote a list of 100 features I associate with him, ancient Greek's Great Messenger. During this process I wouldn't edit myself, and it's very important to do it as quickly as possible. This one is about creativity and I don't want my left brain to question my ideas at this point.

The next step is to find connections between the different catchwords. I ordered them by categories like with regards to content, materials and textures or character's appearance. I then employed these keywords in my research on visual references.

Here's a brief description of what he's going to be alike in my film:

"My" Hermes is a boyish man and the incarnated message or news. He's young and in good shape. He looks somehow birdlike, and his clothing is light and has a lot of feathers attached. He' bright and honest, passive and neutral like Switzerland in WWII. Deep down he's sensitive and lonely.

So I collected pictures of

• Hermes sculptures from several centuries
• ballet dancers
• differnet types of helmets and caps
• travelling cloaks
• angels
• birds, especially raven, and their wings
• silk and
• old newspapers.

From these collection I took single elements and assembled them in a drawing. After a visit to the Photoshop department, I now have a nice concept drawing of the Hermes character (I placed him into a picture of Vienna's Central Cemetery):

Well, this sketch is a lie.

The final puppet will be animated in the Land of the Dead, so he'll eventually be only a shadow of his former self. I'm going to work on his silhouette next.

Everyone finally seems to think highly of the work of Tim Burton nowadays, so even the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMa) currently presents a big solo show with his artworks and films.

Since I'm a big fan of his work myself and because I'm not able to travel to New York, I recently ordererd the freshly released exhibition book to have a tiny glance on what is presented within the show. I absolutely enjoy Tim Burtons combination of a childish view on adult problems mixed with absurd humor and yet sometimes weird solutions. Did you know that he also writes poetry? He's a brilliant artist!

My new Tim Burton book: Hmmm, brain nutrition!

Magliozzi, Ron & He, Jenny (2009). Tim Burton. New York: Museum of Modern Art.

While teaching animation in schools, I learned that my older students admire his films and style as much as anyone else. They look at his works and famousness and want to have the same for their life, too, while at the same time they deny that they could achieve anything alike. There's only one advice I can give them here, "Go and start doing it!"

There's an important thing we often miss while looking at famous people and their outstanding works: How long they kept trying before finally someone had noticed and supported them. Did you know that it took Tim Burton ten years of work from the very first drawing to a final movie called The Nightmare Before Christmas which now is a synonym for a succesful stop-motion animation feature? Ten years! My Orpheus project is quite on short run compared to this...

Tim Burton has been drawing since he was a little boy and now he's been somehow and eventually paid back for his work. Someone once said,

"It takes twenty years of hard work to become an overnight succes",

So, what can we learn from this? Forget about gaining recognition for your work. Just work. Learn and grow and stay close to yourself as Tim Burton did. I know, it'se asily said but hard to accomplish. But you are creative, as everyone is. The question is, are you ready and willing to go that way?

Since this blog is mainly about animation, make sure you won't miss Tim Burton's promotional MoMa animation, and its making of!