Monthly Archives: February 2023

Charcoal Animation

Stop motion

Charcoal stop-motion animation is a very interesting art form that uses hand-drawn or charcoal drawings to create stop motion. This form of animation often gives a very unique visual experience as it captures the detail and texture of the lines, making the animation look more realistic. I had never tried this approach before.

We mainly used larger grams of watercolour paper, the thicker thickness of which made it possible to avoid the paper becoming unusable due to heavy wear and tear during the drawing process, and the charcoal pencils were divided into different thickness and hardness so that the texture of the drawing would be different.

There were two types of experience, one was stop-motion animation through toner and the other was making a self-portrait together as a class.

For the toner stop-motion animation, I used a grinding tool to grind the charcoal into powder for stacking to create the effect of waves, and added white powder to the ebb section to make the image look clearer and more three-dimensional.

Drawing a self-portrait together as a class was more of a new form for me we drew for 2-3 minutes leaving our canvas and through multiple actions eventually becoming a huge experimental stop-motion animation. This activity allowed me to try drawing with carbon strips for the first time, a process I found very testing in terms of hand drawing skills and control of the line, requiring me to accurately capture the texture and detail of the line and to capture my own appearance.

All in all, I had a lot of fun and I learnt a lot of new techniques and forms of animation. Charcoal can produce a stronger contrast between black and white and more pronounced textures, which brings more expressiveness to my future work. Also, the nature of charcoal drawing allows me to make quick revisions and changes on paper at will. This freedom and flexibility allows me to be more creative and imaginative.

Animation and Business – Howl’s Moving Castle and Loewe

Reflection & Expansion

The Howl’s Moving Castle animated film has a high audience reach and influence as a form of cultural entertainment. A co-branding with a well-known luxury brand allows the luxury brand to gain exposure and recognition in front of a wider audience, enhancing brand awareness.

Animated films often come with some kind of theme or storyline, and co-branding with a luxury brand can create a new brand story or plot for the brand and the film, thus adding interest and storytelling to the brand and the film, which is more likely to be of interest and resonate with consumers.

For example, Calcifer and Moving Castle, the co-branding has spawned many products such as food lines for macarons and biscuits; clothing lines for hats and scarves; and card cases and bags

In terms of publicity effects, the offline pavilion, online promotion and surrounding wall graffiti have all played a very good role in promoting the brand, attracting widespread attention from young consumers From these aspects, the effect of Hal’s mobile castle in association with Loewe can be considered a success.

The co-branding attracted a lot of attention from anime fans and luxury goods lovers, as well as created a wide range of discussions and buzz on social media. The co-branded products have also received good sales performance, proving that consumers have a high level of recognition and willingness to buy the co-branded products. In addition, the co-branding has brought more young consumers to the Roewe brand, further expanding the brand’s audience base.

All in all, the Hal’s Moving Castle and Loewe co-branding can be said to be a successful collaboration that has brought good publicity, sales performance and brand image enhancement for both brands.

The exhibition hall also honours the film and its fans by displaying the original hand-drawn manuscripts.

Kew Garden——Animation and Nature

Museums ＆ exhibitions

I recently visited Kew Gardens and not only did I feel the beauty and magic of nature, but I also got some inspiration and insight from the visit.

The garden has greenhouses for flowers and the warm and humid environment provides for the survival of a diverse range of plants. It also shows the magnificence and diversity of nature. I saw many flowers and plants that I had never seen before, in all their different forms and colours, which made you amazed at the creativity and wonders of nature. The visit also made me realise that we can also draw inspiration and creative materials from nature in our animation work to make it more colourful.

I imagined and drew some sketches based on the roots of a bonsai tree, a few elfs, with the image of the elf also referencing some flowers and plants. I also drew the tree sprites based on the grain of a tree in the park. The plants are like little miniature worlds, perhaps a tiny plant hiding a whole kingdom of little people!

I think in animation I need to focus on the ecosystem and the balance presented in the work to make it more natural and realistic. The botanical garden shows exactly that.

Another thought was about the plant textures, where tens of thousands of plants have their own unique ‘coat’, which varies from plant to plant depending on climate, temperature, humidity, time and space. I was inspired by these wonderful textures. They can be used in future animations, such as textures for stop-motion transitions.

To sum up, my visit to Kew Gardens has given me a deep sense of the beauty and magic of nature, and I have gained many inspirations and insights from it. I believe that in my future studies and creations, I will draw more inspiration and creative materials from nature, pay attention to the ecological balance and natural authenticity in my works, as well as bring my unique creativity and thinking skills into play.