2D animation with a twist. Follow the link to watch my video.
During the course of lockdown, I've been a little up and down. Some weeks more head mashed than others which got me loathing about some holiday. There was nowhere in particular I had my heart set on, as long as I could have some time to myself, I'd be happy. Also I was growing tired of doing client work and wanted to focus on some personal work again.
Overview
The log cabin at the end of my mum and dads garden became my basecamp. This was a little awkward. Awkward in that, your parents think you only come home to see them and spend loads of time with them - when really I had other plans! That said, the first couple of days with them I managed to do both and not come across as too rude. (I hope)
From the Wednesday onwards, I stayed for 2 nights in Donnington, Chichester. It was the perfect escape: camping, late night paddles, walks, drawing and fires.
1st night camping
The campsite recommended a walk to the marina using the Chichester canal to help you get there. The canal was overgrown but alive with interesting wildlife. Shortly arriving at the marina with hundreds of fancy boats moored - it was very impressive. The temperature was still very warm which inspired me to go for a swim. Luckily, just over the marina lock, there was a small stoney shoreline where a couple kayakers could be seen launching from.
So before grabbing dinner, I made my way over there for a paddle. Now I'm not usually one to jump in when there's tons of seaweed to navigate. The idea is quite off-putting. So as soon as it got to knee height, I fell flat and floated about, avoiding anymore squidgy-ness under foot. It was so special and peaceful that I spent the majority of it on my back like an Otter - looking out to sea or up at the sky. However there were a lot of slimey incidents with seaweed which I wish could of been avoided but hey ho.
2nd night camping
The second night was a worry for me, after hearing there may be lightning. Luckily the British weather lived up to its usual unpredictability and remained clear all night. Instead, displaying bursts of lighting in the distance. The whole experience was a really beautiful time to pause and recharge.
To help celebrate Happy Go Skate Day last month I put this jolly little animation together for it. My workplace, Six shared it on Instagram as quite a few of us either grew up skating or still do it to this day so it seemed like a fitting tribute. Fortunately, I managed to finish the whole thing in just one sitting (which is unusual for me!). That said if I took any longer, I would have missed putting it out on the day so having tight deadlines are good because you are realistic with what you can do and commit to.
With that in mind, the simpler the better. Most importantly it had have soul and capture some aspect of skateboarding. I used the half pipe shape to draw a big smiley on the page, then thought about how the skateboarder should skate. One aspect I thought of was based on something I've recently been learning which is to go up and back down the ramp effortlessly and let gravity do the hard work for you. It sounds so basic and easy when you talk through it and technically it is really. All it involves is a little trust in how you're moving and patience. So when you go up a ramp, naturally you'll get to a point where you've stopped propelling and gravity will help bring you back down to Earth (excuse my very basic Science lingo), at this point you want to relax and turn your head back down the ramp to turn your board and ride away clean. Here's a much better way to explain what I just mentioned along with a video.
It was that smooth, gradual and floaty movement that I wanted to mimic in my animation. When the character races across the bottom of the ramp, I stretched his body to exaggerate his movement which is a technique I've wanted to toy with for a while.
All in all, I'm really happy with how this turned out!
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