Everyone finally seems to think highly of the work of Tim Burton nowadays, so even the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMa) currently presents a big solo show with his artworks and films.

Since I'm a big fan of his work myself and because I'm not able to travel to New York, I recently ordererd the freshly released exhibition book to have a tiny glance on what is presented within the show. I absolutely enjoy Tim Burtons combination of a childish view on adult problems mixed with absurd humor and yet sometimes weird solutions. Did you know that he also writes poetry? He's a brilliant artist!

My new Tim Burton book: Hmmm, brain nutrition!

Magliozzi, Ron & He, Jenny (2009). Tim Burton. New York: Museum of Modern Art.

While teaching animation in schools, I learned that my older students admire his films and style as much as anyone else. They look at his works and famousness and want to have the same for their life, too, while at the same time they deny that they could achieve anything alike. There's only one advice I can give them here, "Go and start doing it!"

There's an important thing we often miss while looking at famous people and their outstanding works: How long they kept trying before finally someone had noticed and supported them. Did you know that it took Tim Burton ten years of work from the very first drawing to a final movie called The Nightmare Before Christmas which now is a synonym for a succesful stop-motion animation feature? Ten years! My Orpheus project is quite on short run compared to this...

Tim Burton has been drawing since he was a little boy and now he's been somehow and eventually paid back for his work. Someone once said,

"It takes twenty years of hard work to become an overnight succes",

and I think that's just true.

So, what can we learn from this? Forget about gaining recognition for your work. Just work. Learn and grow and stay close to yourself as Tim Burton did. I know, it'se asily said but hard to accomplish. But you are creative, as everyone is. The question is, are you ready and willing to go that way?

Since this blog is mainly about animation, make sure you won't miss Tim Burton's promotional MoMa animation, and its making of!

This doesn't happen often, but yet I am left speechless after watching Going West, a beautiful short film illustrating the hidden worlds in a book by employing papercraft and stop-motion animation. It was designed and brought to life by Line Andersen of Andersen M Studio, and produced by the New Zealand Book Council:

What it makes my this week's favourite is, it

• incorporates papercraft
• is dreamlike, magical and literally wonderful
• also well animated and it's
• simply a beautiful piece of art.

Like no other human activity reading opens up our imagination,

New Zealand Book Council states at the Council's website, and if you watch this promotion video you'll feel how true this must be... The clip's name refers to a book with the same title written by Maurice Gee. Extracts from his book's text provides a sort of script to the animation.

I feel helpless and angry with Andersen M Studio because their video is done so beautifully – and because it's exactly that kind of impression I'd like to give in my current project. I looked up their portfolio, they did some other animations at the same level of quality. And now I just don't want to copy their style... These paperworks just make me feel stunned and touches something deep inside me.

I don't believe in coincidences, at least not really. And so I just enjoy getting lovely recommendations from a dear friend while at the very same moment I just turned up and ordered a book on papercraft myself. Now I have to crawl myself through another field of wonderful discoveries... What a shame!

Last friday there was a show titled Cartune Xpress – Wandering Landscapes + Trash at a local art cinema organized by Artists Unlimited. Peter Burr who's an artist from North America presented a screening of experimental animation combined with a literally animating performance.

Screenshot of the Cartune Xprez' website, October 2009.

This year's programme features artists such as Shana Moulton, Takeshi Murata, Martha Colburn, Bruce Bickford, Jacob Ciocci, Amy Lockhart, Taras Hrabowsky, Yoshi Sodeoka, Francine Spiegel, Barry Doupe, Adrian Freeman, and Jeff Kriksciun. I would't link them all but you could find links to the artists's websites on the Cartune Xprez' homepage. Especially the films of Bruce Bickford (Prometheus' Garden, 1987 and The Comic That Frenches Your Mind, 2008) and Martha Colburn (Meet Me In Wichita, 2006) caught my eye.

I hadn't seen any of Bruce Bickford's films on a big screen before and it was great to watch them that way. It's always amazing how movies transform as soon as they were screened at theatres instead of small displays. His films are pretty disturbing and it was interesting to see how the audience react on them after watching several funny pieces. It's a rare opportunity to see Bruce Bickford's films screened and I pretty much appreciated it.

Martha Colburn employs cut out and painted animation in her film collages. Have a look at her website, too. Especially the Making Of page is both, interesting and helpful at the same time. She offers pictures of her working environment there.

Complimenting my films, I create elaborately layered collages, paintings, and installations that incorporate transparencies, recordings, and live performances. As my conceptual process grows, so follows advances in my already detailed and labor-intensive animating process. Technically, I am expanding my technique into working with multi-plane glass animation which represents a physical manifestation of my conceptually layered ideas,

she states about her work.

Her films reminded me of another project of mine which already laid storyboarded and planned in my drawer since I had been to Vienna. I wasn't sure how to realize it but after studying her pictures I now have a much clearer idea of how I'd like to do it. It's always great to spy over other artist's shoulders to learn from them and to see how they'd already solved problems and how they design their work space.

But anyway, I absolutely recommend this programme if you're interested in either experimental animation or Bruce Bickford or any of the other artists. I had a nice chat to Peter and it's great to see how much he's dedicated to arts and animation. Luckily, he's on a tour across Europe, so it's still possible to watch the programme at one of the following occasions:

October 28: Berlin, Germany – Image Movement
October 29: Kiel, Germany – KOKI Kiel
October 30: Copenhagen, Denmark – Husets Teater
October 31: Malmo, Sweden – Loyal Gallery
November 5: Oslo, Norway - Freddy Knox Projectspace
November 6: Gothenburg, Sweden - Koloni
November 7: Stockholm, Sweden - Galleri Jonas Kleerup
November 11: Helsinki, Finland - Ptarmigan
November 20: Glasgow, Scotland - CCA
November 21: Aberdeen, Scotland - Peacock
November 23: Edinburgh, Scotland - GRV
November 24: Manchester, England – Islington Mill
November 27: London, England –The Old Police Station
November 29: London, England – House Party

I took those dates from their website. Make sure you'd check it out for any changes. Oh, and I found this youtube clip below so you'll get a tiny impression of what might expect you there.

Remember William Ketridge? I wrote an article about him and his work a few months ago.

Today Nils again recommended another videoto me I'd like to share with you because in general it follows the same idea of showing the passing of time through animation. It's a kind of meta animation precisely because it's reflecting the animation process itself.

Perhaps you saw the Muto Wall Animation before, which became quite popular last year around the web. It was made by the same guy called Blu who seems to be a highly creative person. – It's always a pleasure to see his works. Besides, he has a fancy website which suits his artworks very well. Have a look yourself at his film COMBO:

a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis | year 2009 | produced by studio cromie | music by Roberto Lange | made at Fame festival 2009

Of course Blu's films differ from those of William Kentridge. Kentridge draws and shoots them in a controlled (and controllable) studio situation with charcoal on paper, whereas Blu is working outside on deserted buildings with wall paint, chunky tools and sometimes capricious weather. Animators love to control lights and to reduce flicker to a minimum so they would have a constant lighting. In this case Blu embeds the changing sunlight and moving shadows in his animation. I love how he includes the building's doors, windows and special traits to literally unreel his organic animation.

And again, the sound design is very supportive to the animation... Animation is purely artificial but in order to build a convincing situation a balanced sound design is absolutely necessary.

During my research for my film I had a closer look on mechanical paper art. I stumbled upon a lot of blogs and other websites (of course) where a lot of gifted people show what they are able to build from paper. One of those made me stay for longer and finally buy a book called Paper Puppet Palooza.

Paper Puppet Palooza: Techniques for making moveable art figures and paper dolls by Norma V. Toraya. Quarry Books, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-59253-484-5.

Norma V. Toraya is a New York based artist who works as an animator director for companies located in the United States and Canada. On the internet she's known as Crankbunny and – referring to her text about the author on Paper Puppet Palooza –

When her brain wants a creative vacation from animation, she makes paper puppets and pop-up paper novelties.

I decided we had enough in common so far and so I bought her book and read more about her work. This book is truely wonderful. I appreciate her style which is weird and lovely at the same time, and her models containing an amazing amount of details. She offers two coloured cut out paper puppets within the cover of her book but I don't brought myself to cut into this beautiful artwork. Besides all the lovely paper puppet templates she employs for explanation, she also describes which tools she uses and what techniques works best for her in her absolutly unique way.

Up to now I myyself worked with a single hole paper punch compared to those you'd might have in your office and normal brass brads (they're also called split pins, packaging clamps or brass fasteners or sometimes just thingies). Punch and clamps fit together very well but the brads are 0.6 cm in diameter which is a tiny bit too large for my purpose. I searched for smaller ones to draw the attention away from the pupppet construction and back to the action. Finally I found different kinds of clamps in a local art and craft shop in the scrapbooking section.

Single hole paper punch, eyelet tool (on the right) and split pins in several sizes like 0.6 cm (the brass ones), 0.8 cm (the big black ones) and 0.4 cm in diameter (the tiny and coloured ones).

The tiny ones are just 0.4 cm in diameter, have a really flat head – and hey, they're colored! Yes, you're absolutely right: I could just paint them with acrylics or like but it's nice if I don't have to. The black ones came in two sizes and I'm going to use the bigger brads for the shadow puppets because you eventually won't see them anyway. I also bought an eyelet tool which produces small holes of equal size. For the bigger brads I still can use my normal paper punch.

The crankbunny of Paper Puppet Palooza has a total of five joints.

I wanted to see how the crankbunny puppet works in real life. I copied it from the book on glossy paper and glued it to the inside of a packaging cardboard box to make it stronger and less bendable, cut it out and followed the instruction to put all the single parts together. As you see, the coloured cramps fit in very well.

The most interesting part here is the crankbunny's tail because it isn't stiff but has three joints to move it somehow realistically. In contrast, the head and the arm only have one each. That was very helpful to me since I'm constructing one of the shadow puppets right now. So, back to work!

As some of you already know I also work as a freelance designer. To stay up to date I regularly read some design related blogs. A few days ago I found a list of 10 ways to cure a creative block recommended by Webdesigner Depot.

Creative blocks and lacks of motivation seem to be a problem especially to people working mostly with their brains. Perhaps you already experienced one yourself? When I read that list I noticed that I already use most of these first-aid tips when I'm in similar situations. Perhaps they'll help you, too because they aren't limited to cure designers. They're helpful to anyone who has a blockade.

Accept Your Creative Block

Once you've accepted it you can deal with it. By denying the status quo (which is you having a creative block) you avoid to change it.

Make Your Body Feel Good

If I'm mostly working with my head and hands, I tend to forget that we're consisting of a body which is a whole itself and that we should treat it that way.


Make it feel good. Have a hot long shower or even better, take a hot aromatic bath. Get out of your pyjamas and dressed. Have a good and healthy meal without sitting in front of your computer, desk or TV. The energy you feed to your body is the same energy available to you for your projects.


Exercise. That'll work wonders. Your body will be grateful for all the fresh oxygen and serotonin. It doesn't have to be anything complicated: I myself do skipping, headstands and sometimes swimming. Do whatever you like: taking a long walk, do gardening, go jogging... The list is endless, just move and exhaust yourself.

The tricky part is to get started (it always is) but once you did, you'll instantly feel better.

Clean Up

Clean up your workspace. A clean desk is amazingly helpful to concentrate and to stay focussed. Having a long hot shower and getting dressed is also part of the cleaning-up process.

It also make sense to declutter your head. If you think of what you'd still have to do (shopping, cleaning up, answering your grandma's phone call...), you can't focus on other things. The other day I stumbled upon the Getting Things Done method while reading some blogs about productivity and creativity.*

It seems to work for an amazing number of people and I guess that's because it's so simple. I don't use it myself. But I write lists and this helps me a lot to get my head free for the things I want to concentrate on. There's one suggestion I highly recommend: if there's anything to do which will take less than two minutes, do it immediately. This really frees your mind for important stuff you're up to do.

Another way to tidy up is to talk to your friends or even write a journal. During a talk, your friends may suggest ways out of your misery or simply cheer you up. They sometimes ask questions which lead you to new perspectives. Writing is a fantastic way to reflect your situation on your own.

Allow Yourself A Pause

We luckily aren't machines and that's why we can't work 24/7 at 100%. We need to rest and it is more than okay to do so. It's absolutely necessary we regenerate when we tired. Have a nap. Relax. Meditate. Just watch the clouds. Take a walk. Have a nice meal. Allow yourself to recover. The great thing is, some of my tools cover more than one aspect.

Find Inspiration

It's not a mystery how to do that. Just do something completely else for a moment. It is my experience that it doesn't matter what you do as long as it is different to the work you're stuck with. Our brain almost always finds a connection and a new way of solving our problems. Just feed it.

Play to trigger your inspiration. Doodle. Paint with your hands. Get inspired by little children around you. Have a look how fascinated they could watch flowers and insects, for example. Try to see what they see. Just do things for their own purpose.

Click to see the bigger version of a typical page from my notebook. There are notes, drawings, found quotes...
And after a while, suddenly there will be new ideas and your work will develope. Don't force it, it will happen. Again, allow yourself to take that time. If you won't, your block will become larger and larger. Always keep a notebook and a pen with you so you can secure your ideas instantly. Creative blocks apparently come back from time to time and a notebook can be a great source of inspiration as well as a tool for reflection.


This is my first-aid kit when I'm creatively blocked. I'm pretty sure there are more ways to overcome a blockade. Which works best for you? Feel free to tell via comments.

---

* Reading blog posts and websites on creativity and productivity only helps if you turn off your computer and follow the tips. Really. NOW!

Pilobolus. As often, Nils recommended a youtube link to me and I was just stunned.

Discover Pilobolus for yourself:

There's also an interesting interview with them on their work which was very inspiring. Artistic Director Robby Barnett says,

"Shadows are a kind of mask that people wear and you know that it represents a […] facette of nature but not its whole. […] There's something illusive I think about shadows, you know, the real work is hidden and you see an overflection of reality."

I totally agree to this. I like the idea of a part of us which is dark and unexplorable, which cannot be defined. This is why I'm going to use shadow animation or silhouttes to show the underworld part of my film. It's a pity that I can't stick a movie to my mood board which is becoming bigger and more precisely all the time. But I wouldn't miss the movements of the dancers...

How about you? What feelings do shadows evoke? What do you associate with them?

After writing about William Kentridge yesterday, I searched for some video material on youtube to share with you. It was (and it is) very difficult to get some of his films for private use because they were treated as art, and I guess that's why the galleries or the artist himself has a great interest in keeping the copies on a small amount.
But nowadays and luckily, there were a lot of his works available on youtube.

I just had a glance at amazon.de and still they don't offer any DVD of his artworks but one: Drawing the passing is a great documentation of his work, where some parts of his films were shown and with lots of talks with the artist himself. The DVD gives us a great idea of how he's working and how his films are developed by looking over his shoulder while he's drawing and filming.

The film below is titled Automatic Writing and I suppose the title is a reference to the artist of the surrealism. Well, it's quite obviuos, I think:

One of my most favourite websites in the world wide web is gapingvoid.com. The author is writing on how to become successful your very own way. I just love it because I often forget what’s important with creativity. I stumbled upon the gapingvoid article again a few days ago and read it again carefully. It reminds me on something:

When I made "Ein anderer Traum“, I just wanted to do it. It wasn’t important to me what others may think of it. I didn’t expect it to run on any festival. I didn’t think people would love to buy a DVD. I had no reason to do it but me wanting it. Which is an astonishingly good reason. And suddenly people wanted to buy a DVD and the film made its way into a handful of European festivals. And I was – and still am – impressed how successful this "stupid“ idea was. When I started thinking about the Orpheus film project, I decided to do it the more professional way: writing a real script, drawing a real storyboard, all those things the professionals do. They do time tables as well, so I did. Well, I missed the self-set deadlines several times. I hoped that I’d be able to place the film into far more festivals if I’ll do it ways more professionally. I thought I’d sell much more DVD much more expensively if they are done much more professionally. I went to Bristol to improve my puppet making skills because I want to do it much more perfect. I don’t want to use the very cheap cut-out animation puppets again because they’re not... perfect. My very first concrete idea for the Orpheus film I had in summer 2007. Now it’s two years later and I haven’t started filming yet. I have a ready storyboard but don’t like it because it’s not what I want this film to be like. To be honest, I really like the cut-out puppets.
Great so far, hm?

I did a lot of things during those two years and I regret none of them. I learned so many possible workflows and met so many professionals. I discovered so many wonderful tools and strategies. But I also learned that I have to find my own way, my own solutions. And that my way now is not the professional one. Mainly, I don’t work on animation for money or reputation. I do it because I just love it and for a real aritistic pleasure. And the more I try to make my animation pleasing others, the less I do and the less I enjoy what I’m doing. Paying the bills is one thing but the other is to do my things the way I want.

A good example of gapingvoid’s theory is working is my friend Shelley Noble of Notes from Halfland. She creates the complete world of Halfland because she wants or needs to, but not for anyone else. I’m sure all of you would agree on how intense and wonderful these things are she’s developing. I have to remind myself for whom I’m doing my projects.

The last few weeks, I really hadn't any spare time and today is my first day off for a long, long time... I really enjoyed it so far though I'm not really good with vacation. I started the day with reading blogs and news and surfing through the webosphere and found the following which really made my day: a youtube video I unfortunately can't embed.
Pencil Face is made by the Dandy Dwarves and you could find some more information on the video at their webseite dandydwarves.com

I just love it because of its weird story, the ... well, weird music and the weird (again) style. That's exactly the type of video I really enjoy, the type of video I'd like to do. Life isn't always neat and clean, it's sometimes dark and disturbing (and weird?) and I appreciate artists who and their work referring to these things.

I sometimes wonder if my blog needs more illustrations...? And if, why?

Well, this is the first time I'm embedding a youtube video. But this one is so amazing that it's worth a post. I'm always thinking of new connections between both old and new media, and how to translate stop motion in a way which is more than just animation. Like the Muto Wall Animation, for example. But this one is absolutely extraordinary and I'm glad to see people going further with the media, reflecting the media by using it. Lovely! Have fun!

Thanks to Nils, who sent me the link to the video. But now: back to my work... Exhiition calling...

Well, in three weeks I'm going to be grown up. Somehow. More precisely, I'm going to have a certificate that I'm a fully developed artist now...

I'll pass my final exams and there will be an exhibition of my artworks running for a few days. So, here is the official part:

You and your family or friends are warmly invited to the opening of my final presentation/exhibition.
Opening: 5 May 2009 at 7 p.m.
Duration: 5 to 7 May 2009

Academy of Fine Arts Münster
Leonardo-Campus 2
D-48149 Münster

I'd love to see some of you there if it's possible somehow.
Nervousity is rising... Suspense!

Follow the link to get a digital and free copy of the invitation