Thesis, what have you done to me?

After months of being hunched over drawings, my back has really started feeling sore. Stretching has helped, but I finally gave in and bought this back brace. It does help while animating, so I think it was a good investment.

Destructive Animation

Throughout my thesis, I am using a technique known as destructive animation, pioneered by animation masters Piotr Dumala and William Kentridge. What this means is after I create an image, I erase it and draw over it. In traditional animation, you would have each image on a separate piece of paper so that the image would be clean. With destructive animation, the previous drawings leave a ghost image that remains on the page throughout the duration of the shot.

This type of animation is perfect for my story because it evokes the idea of memory and loss. The ending images are like maps of where I've been, and the time I put into my animation. Below is an example of the type of drawings I'm left with after finishing a shot.

Animation Continues...

It's been awhile since my last post, but I've just been plugging away at my animation. I try to animate almost everyday, though it can be difficult with other work and life getting in the way. Here's a tiny peek at a shot I'm working on now.

In other news, I finally used up my tuff stuff eraser which I've had for over three years now. It has served me well and now I definitely need a refill so I can keep on working.