Day One

After today's extensive introductions to PPD2 and Communication Technology, I've been doing some thinking. There's been a doubt in the back of my mind about the "buy-ability" and purpose of my work. It just seems that's it well and good drawing and painting and constantly chasing a style, but what I often fail to take in to consideration is the reason behind it. I feel like my technical ability needs a platform upon which it can shout louder and clearer, so I' am looking to ANIMATION as that stage.

Now I' am not just picking a new place to use my illustration out of a hat, but animation has always been an intriguing and highly attractive new direction to go in. Growing up as any child did on Disney, and then to French animated films like Belleville Rendezvous, I can't help but imagine "I could try that..."

But it's not only this that has informed my important decision, it is also the fact that out of all the illustration work I come across, it's always the cinematic ones that to me are the most thought-provoking. They to me express a story where the audience fills in the ending, displaying a certain ambiguity and an openness to interpretation.

Using animation, I believe my illustration work is more likely to have a purpose and the chance to express a visual message much more clearer than simply working on paper. Although people give me praise when I show my work, and I happily accept that praise, it feels my work is pointless and has been for quite some time.

One challenge I expect to confront is adapting my work in to a moving image, I' am scared of changing from the style I've always felt safe in, so in that sense it's a leap of faith.

Something I wish to pursue that I began throughout the summer was interviewing the various illustrators that inspire me heavily for Don't Panic Leeds' online magazine. As I explore animation more and more, and the more renowned talent in this community of practise, I hope to produce several interviews that can then be submitted to Don't Panic, and thus give anyone that views the interviews an insight, as well as myself. This contributes nicely to my "work on the side" with Don't Panic.

I intend to attend as many animation based events as I can, which will mean going to the Bradford Animation Festival amongst others that I'll soon stumble across. But I'll also be contacting animators outside of the Don't Panic context. I hope to immerse myself in as many short and feature length animated films that include the process of hand-drawing stop-motion frames, as this is the main of animation that interests me most. I'll also be browsing and linking videos from sites such as Future Shorts and BBC, as well as any other animation and stop-motion related networks.

Aside from this secondary research, I'll be attending meetings with both Matt and Sharon to hear about their careers, and to hopefully open my eyes and evoke some questions that I can then explore.

For now, this is the end of the post but it's likely that I'll come back to rejig it and make alterations if anything isn't included or doesn't make sense.