Simple Animations for a Friday Afternoon

I don't know what it is about today, but I've come across a few animations that I believe all share a wonderful quality; simplicity. Each of the following animations, though created by different artists in different styles, all kept it simple, stupid.

First we have Revel by Animade. I love the simple extra touches they put on this piece, in particular the faux lens flare at the beginning.



Next is The Wobbly Shapes of Doom by Craig & Karl. This piece just oozes simplicity, but it works! The main characters is only a head and some simple limbs, but it adds to the charm and humor of the piece.



Then there is Truth - More Than by Blackmath. The scenes are a little more robust in this piece but as you can see the main characters are nothing more than bathroom people icons. Still they manage to get a ton of personality out of these characters. I also love how they chose to tell and display this particular story.



Lastly there is Ryan Todd - No Fun Intended by Kemistry Gallery. I absolutely love this piece for the simple idea and design behind it. It doesn't take much more than some beautifully composed shots paired with simple designs and animations.

Photo of the Moment - Untitled

Untitled, a photo by RagtimeWillie on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Seymour, VIC Australia.

Now overgrown by wild Blackberries, this rocky crevice overlooking the valley is believed to be one of the many hideouts of the 'Wild Man of Tallarook'; A Swede by the name of Henricke Nelson who turned his back against the colonial attitudes of farming and cultivation after migrating to Australia in 1860 and began living a secret life in the bush for over a decade. After numerous sightings by local farmers and rumours regarding his mysterious existence, he was soon arrested and tried for vagrancy and sentenced to 6 months jail. After searching his numerous caves, local police remarked at Nelson's ingenuity and understood that he must be 'a man of great ability and knowledge', the caves containing such complex passages and even incorporating river diversions to suit his needs. Inside various items were found; a broom, clothing, eating utensils, books, a shot bag and firearm and evidence of campfires which stain the granite walls black to this day.

Flickr Avatar Animation

I recently noticed Flickr had redesigned their website, which I love. Along with this redesign came some nifty new avatar images which were created by designer Charis Tsevis. My eye was immediately drawn to these colorful, neo-futurist designs and I thought, these would be perfect for animation. So I went online and contacted Charis and he gave me the go ahead to play with his designs. He originally created about 12 designs, but for my own sanity I chose my favorite 6. I also chose the 6 designs that seemed to create the widest variety of camera, and show some progression over time. I rounded off the animation with some light and playful music from Podington Bear. Enjoy.

Photo of the Moment - Showgirls

Showgirls, a photo by Lisa Stang on Flickr.

The Collective: Episode 3 - Danny Yount - Part 1

Really interesting episode of The Collective with guest artist and designer Danny Yount.  I loved this podcast because they focus a lot more on lifestyle and a little less on how the work was made.  It really hit home for me in a lot of ways, and it's always good to hear from other artists who have already gone down the path you are on successfully. If you are an animator, designer, artist, freelancer, or anyone working hard at something everyday then you should give this a listen.

Photo of the Moment - Untitled

., a photo by brandon.ferrari on Flickr.

Fivestone ID : Viking

Lovely character animation and atmosphere from Kyle Jones for the Fivestone Studio's brand launch.

Finish What We Started - Miles Fisher

I always enjoy Miles Fisher's music videos.  Even though hes a ruggedly handsome man he tends to create some quirky and funny stuff that appeals to the 90's kid in me.

Gregory Go Boom

Love the work Michael Cera is putting out with JASH recently.

Character Design - Jeff & Shirley

A current animation I'm working on called for two banking employees.  One Team Manager and the other an trainee.  I wanted to go with a storybook type approach in an effort make the dense information easier to understand.  I really enjoyed how the characters came out so I thought I would share.

Imaginary Factory

A vibrant and colorful series from Jing Zhang about the mysterious inner workings of the many tools we use.

James Gilleard

During my recent inspiration search I came upon the work of James Gilleard. His portfolio oozes retro goodness. Everything from his vintage character design to the content he chooses (Thundercats HOOOOOOOOO!)  I'll be coming back to this work many times, I can tell.

Hoversx3000

I love the design of this piece from Peter Lee.  The colors, the isometric product layout, and the content all mix together well.

ALPHABETIC

When I was growing up all I had were the Letter People to help me learn the alphabet. It seems BlinkMyBrain has given a fresh spin on the ol' 26.



Also here is another amazing video from BlinkMyBrain. Why? Because it's Friday thats why. That and I love how their animations take on this mixed media feeling.

The Art of the Metaphor - Jane Hirshfield

I watched this and immediately afterwards all I could think was, "Dear God...."  And probably not for the reasons you think.  It was more from a feeling of being joyfully overwhelmed.  This piece had so much going for it that my brain couldn't seem to handle it.  First off it's about metaphors;  something I deal with on a daily basis in my personal and professional work.  The way Jane talks about them is almost poetic.  In their very nature metaphors conjure emotion, but when Jane explains it that feeling is magnified.  That plus perfectly subtle animation makes for a metaphor overload.  I also love the art style they chose for this piece because it's vague enough to take on almost any shape and soft enough that it marries perfectly with Jane's voice.  Even though the design is simple, the animators at POCKO did a number of clever and fun things throughout the piece.  But I'll let you discover those on your own.

Our Fleetwood Mac cover

I've had an idea to make an animation based off audio from karaoke singers for a long time, but I never really knew how I wanted to approach it. Kristof Luyckx had a similar idea and created the following. I really love his art direction. The over the top style of the characters contrasts well with how serious and soft the music is. Overall it makes for an awkward and absurd moment that I love.

Everpix

The amazing Fraser Davidson has made yet another animation. This time it's for the phone app, Everpix, which basically categorizes and groups your phone's photos as you take them. The art, motion, and animation are all very polished as always.

H Teaser #1

Apparently the folks over at Animade have some BIG news they want to share. This teaser doesn't explain much, but I absolutely love how this simple idea came to be. Lively animation from Animade as always.

3D environment test

The OZO team just came out with this 3D environment test they created using 3D Max. I love the style and I'm curious how close you could get to creating this using only AE cameras and Illustrator....Maybe a test is in order.

The Watermelon Seed Trailer

The more and more I go through life the more I start to see myself flowing toward the direction of children's entertainment. Whether that be cartoons or books I think it's my calling to create something that our younger generations can enjoy as much as I did with things like Looney Tunes. The only reason I'm thinking this way is because I just watched a this great trailer from Jimmy Simpson for Greg Pizzoli's upcoming book "The Watermelon Seed." Just seems like such a fun project to be apart of.

Rootster Email

A short animation I made for an event at work. The premise behind this was to take a coworker's email out of context and animate it. Basically trying to show what someone outside of our company might envision if they read said email. Animation was done by yours truly in AE. The art and audio was supplied by my coworker Chad-Michael Simon.

Photo of the Day - Chumi

Chumi, a photo by santisss on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Hasselblad Fuji Provia 400 F caducado tubo extension 8

Muffin Jack & Jeremy - Acting test

Some amazing character design and animation from Salesman Pete for their series Muffin jack & Jeremy.  It literally feels like Muffin Jack is a living, breathing person.

Low Poly Environment Sample

This low poly environment sample comes from Paeu. I always find myself attracted to this sort of style. Although I don't dabble too much in 3D, this piece is still a great reference for any low poly 2D background as well.  Awesome depth and atmosphere are oozing from this sample.

Omelette

A heart warming animation and story from Madeline Sharafian about cooking for the ones you love. This is her second Calarts film and the warmth and personality of the characters is right on par with any Disney or Pixar short that I've seen. Wonderful work.

Death Tooth

A lovely little animation from Greg Gunn about an odd reoccurring dream he had. I really love the style and simple idea of animating a dream....or nightmare.

Michael Dolejš's - Free Colorful Icons (Animated)

Michael Dolejš recently released some free icons that any computer user should be familiar with.  Animator, Seth Eckert, then animated them along with some subtle sound effects to create the following.

The United States Of Financial & Economic Literacy

Simple and elegant design, this infographic animation from Plusign is a stunning example of powerful animation without voice over.

Micro Mayhem!

Probably one of the best stop motion pieces I have seen and this one comes from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.  I love how inventive they were in the process.  The dust kick ups, the sparks flying, the cop car that hangs in the air for just a few extra moments.  Kept me entertained the whole way through, and I'm sure you'll love the process shots at the end.

BGSU Fine Arts Center 2012 ArtsX Carnivale

Last winter I was tasked with getting some footage of Bowling Green State University's ArtsX event. This is an event the Fine Arts Center puts on every year where students can display and sell their art, various artists perform music, dance and theatre, and the community can see what the students have been up to. It wasn't until this past week that I was tasked with putting something together. Although it was sort of last minute and slapped together I'm pretty happy with how the footage came out, and it's always fun to work with your alma mater. Music by YACHT.

Almost King

Another submission for Animade's Full Secs project from Unter freiem Himmel. I really enjoy his character design and painterly style. It reminds me a lot of the old Monty Python animations.