It's never too late to learn to animate
So here is a sequence of posts with my videos for “The Little Prince” Instagram challenge earlier this year. Each scene is based on a quote fron St Exupery’s book and there are seven in all.
The first is: “On the morning of his departure the little prince carefully cleaned out his active volcanoes, watered the flower for the last time and prepared to place her under the shelter of glass.”
Music: Diaphanous by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com (Excerpt)
I started with the head, based on a shape built from a cork wire (the kind that seals bubbly wine!) and built up with brown bag paper and brown paper parcel tape. Recycling is the way to go.
The body is alumium wire with brass joints at shoulder and hip to attach the legs. Then more brown bag paper was applied to build the “skin” of the body, legs and tail. Finally I painted stripes and markings onto the paper with solid watercolour.
I have to say the tiger surprised me … and the girls.
On the subject of animal puppets. Here is my paper tiger in action again.
After Putin’s invasion of Ukraine I made this short sequence based on the automaton “Tippu’s Revenge”. Serga was the name of a Siberian tiger that Putin used for one of his macho photo shoots a few years ago, I think he was supposed to have trapped and tagged her. In fact she came from a nearby zoo and had been so heavily tranquilised that she died shortly after the photo session.
A beloved character. The Fox. And I decided to try working the head directly from balsa wood this time.
People seemed to like him.
February 2023 was the planned date for another Instagram challenge; a Story Book Challenge devised by Australian illustrator/artist Monty Lee. This time I was also invited to be part of the cohosting team. The book chosen by Monty was de Saint-Exupery’s “The Little Prince” which until then I had never read. Nor had I seen the 2015 full length animated film by Mark Osborne. And I decided not to watch it prior to making my own characters.
syb & me 