Flo Fitzgerald and Sam Bailey stuck in to a Skills Swap

For the Future Producers Gold session on Thursday I took Part in the Animation workshop facilitated by Hannah and Rosie Cooke and Hannah Williams Walton. The reason I chose this session for the Skills Swap was because I thought it would be really interesting to combine the process of my primary art form, which is Printmaking, and the process of animation. I think they complement each other well as they are both processes that use the idea of layering in order to build up a final image, and both have a sense of repetition and careful consideration.

For the workshop we were firstly introduced to different forms of animation, and the concept of animation itself. Rosie explained different reasons why she liked the process of animation and I found this a very engaging way of beginning a workshop. Secondly we were introduced to ‘I Can Animate’ a perfectly simple but very effective software for capturing stop-motion. I managed to find a small lego man, and a green pipe cleaner and instantly thought up a little story to tell – I was overexcited to say the least. Sam and I set to work, me instantly taking the role of director and Sam my right hand man. After only an hour of tweaking, twisting and snapping shots we had a completed animation, which you can watch by selecting the link below!

“Don’t PIck Up Snakes”

I was really glad I decided to take part in the animation workshop, as it made me even more enthusiastic about my initial idea for my Cinekids artwork …

I thought it would be a fun challenge to attempt to animate a multi-layered print. I believe this process would lend well to the brief and to a young audience, as the completed artwork would unfold in front of their eyes, as well as the film being an artwork in it’s own right, making both mediums very clear. it’s a project that will lend to colour, simple images and movement. Using Stop-Motion animation I hope to photograph the different stages of the printmaking process as I build up the image layer upon layer, bringing the printed image to life.

Not only do I think this will be an effective project to undertake in terms of the brief, but will also challenge me in a new way creatively, and develop my own skills both in my primary art form and a new art form.