THE ANIMATION

This is the final product. It is a short animation on the process of observation and sketching. The viewer first notices the shape of the object, in this case the Red Centre, and then as the time continues the viewer can focus on the detailing and minor features which add to the overall recognisable image of the Red Centre. Then, a changing of perspective takes place, as the viewer begins to appreciate the bigger picture and context of the object, and so the process of shape to detail continues.

PROCESS

Due to the nature of the storyline, a building up of detail, it made sense to try and use the same drawing continually captured to create the majority of the animation. To do this, I drew an outline of the finished sketch, and then through tracing I would add a line, photocopy the page, add another line, photocopy the page, etc. This way I had hard copy versions of the sketch as I drew it. For the shifting perspectives I could not use this method, but I found it none the less enjoyably challenging. Before scanning and adding the drawings into iMovie, I had a total of 80 slides. The actual sequencing of the slides into a movie was the simplest part of the project.

STORYBOARD

My process of creating the storyboard for my animation was to first decide on a begining, middle and end slide. Then, I would continually divide the slides into five, ten, twenty and eventually forty thumbnail sketches of what I roughly plan on drawing. To allow the animation to flow smoothly I will need more than forty, but these are just basics to get me to plan what I will draw.

Currently, the storyline is that an observer who will be sketching the outside of the Red Centre, first thinking of its shape and gradually adding detail. I would like to play with the idea of losing the gained detail, perhaps through loss of light or shifting of perspective and/or distance.

SHAPE TO DETAIL

Brief: There is a process of observation when sketching an object, be it animate or inanimate. First, note the overall shape and obvious features of the object, and then, as time permits, focus on individual detail. The build up of detail is what in the end allows the sketch to be recognisable. An experimentaion of this process will be the aim of the animation.