Hello! It’s nearly time for another helping of Animation Pie! We’ll meet live on Wednesday 24th June 7pm UK time. Everything is recorded, so don’t panic if you can’t make it live. Zoom link at the bottom of page.

This month we’re going WAAAYYYY back to the beginning of animation and optical toys, looking at things like Thaumatropes, Praxinoscopes and all the other ‘tropes the Victorians invented… they were a clever bunch! BUT - I think the ‘Turning Wonder’ thaumatrope was made a lot earlier. I will tell all next Wednesday!

What will we do?

• We’ll make a Thaumatrope and get inspired by early animation/moving image inventions, and how ‘persistence of vision’ is key to it all.

• We’ll use some of Eadweard Muybridge’s pioneering photography sequences to make new animation.

• Along the way we’ll discuss fps (frames per second) and some other timing fundamentals which were borne in the early days of film.

What will you need?

For the Thaumatrope you will need:

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I’ve got work in An Talla Solais (gaelic for Hall of Light, pronounced ‘Un Talla Solaish’), a lovely gallery in Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. I’m showing flipbooks and some new animation work inspired by an old family table through time.

It’s been a real challenge, as life is pretty full and I wasn’t sure how much, if any, work I’d be able to make! Luckily ‘7 Takes on Time’ is a group show, so that helped keep things manageable. Plus I realised that calling it ‘work in progress’ gets me off the hook of finishing anything - I thoroughly recommend this approach!

Although stressful, this show has helped focus the mind and made me work up ideas I’ve been sitting on for, ahem, years! I’ve never shared WIP like this before, so publicly, and the ideas are quite personal so that’s also been a challenge at times. But it feels such a privilege to animate my late Mum and Dad, sort of like getting to hang out with them for a while! It’s good to try and remember their little movements or head tilts.

I’ve been collecting possible table scenes in a sketchbook for a while now, and some images are like the photos you’d take at a big birthday or a posed gathering. I realised these weren’t the ones I wanted to animate. Somehow too obvious and superficial, they didn’t interest me as much as the little daily acts such as wiping crumbs, shelling peas, sitting tired and quiet, or stroking the dog with my toes. So I worked on bringing those seemingly mundane and quiet, inconsequential scenes to life.

I also included the riso flipbooks I made last summer, as they fitted perfectly with the theme of time - watch them here.

I also made an infinity book - the theme of the exhibition is TIME so this book form seemed perfect. Four table scenes turn - infinitely - in a risograph printed book, which I’m going to be putting up on my Etsy shop this week!

What else happened in May? (I know it’s well into June, sorry I’m running VERY late with this roundup…)

I ‘drew’ with tissue at Drawing is Free, and I drew on buses/at bus-stops, a lot - thanks to the Scottish government’s new subsidy scheme I (and many others!) have been catching the bus more, and I have been drawing as I go. This also fitted perfectly with May ‘Walk to See’ prompt #walktoseepeople!

Animation Pie at the end of May was awesome - we worked with sand on glass inspired by Caroline Leaf, and I loved it! It’s a technique I’ve always wanted to try, and I will definitely be doing it again. More info about the session here.

What creative things have you been up to lately? Do you have any interesting table stories you could tell? Any techniques you’ve finally got round to trying after decades of wanting to? Let me know!

Bye for now!

Rachel x

7 Takes on Time is on till 19th July - hope you can make it!

Sand on glass involves moving particles around on a backlit lightbox, to create shapes against the light. Depending on how dense the sand is, you can create different tones, and you can also imprint into the sand to get textures and marks. It’s great fun, very challenging, and honestly like no other material I’ve animated with before.

Here is Caroline Leaf’s beautiful film ‘The Owl Who Married a Goose” 1974, based on a Canadian folk tale. Watch how she uses sweeping shapes of sand to ‘wipe’ from one scene to another, and how she creates the illusion of water with negative space in the sand… she makes it look easy! And all made pre digital/video assist. No way to track your movement or check how the animation is looking… the focus required is incredible. I tried to work like this tonight, to not check my onion skin setting, or play back what I’d done. Tricky! Also very absorbing and mindful.

Here is the link for tonight’s recording, and all the clips I shared tonight:

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I promised this a month ago, sorry!!! Life has been full.

At last, here is a little editing tutorial on Clipchamp, the free editing app I use. I find it really easy to use and has almost everything I need. Clipchamp is for PC. It’s similar to IMovie, so if you’re on a Mac you should be able to find equivalent tools. There are many other editing packages out there, so please do try others too. This is the one I use for most of my short home-made animations.

So here is the link!

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Who would like a slice of Animation Pie?? Next Wed 27th May we'll be learning how to animate with sand on glass and getting inspired by one of my favourite animators, Caroline Leaf. 🌟ZOOM LINK AT END OF POST!🌟

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What will you need?

• Light box = optional. Caroline Leaf works on a light box, so there is a gorgeous range of tone in the sand, from rich black to glowing light. But you don’t have to back light, a contrasting paper/surface would be fine.

• Sand, or some other small stuff! I’ve tried lentils and breadcrumbs, both worked well. You could use small beads. Basically anything you can manipulate into a shape and move around easily. Flour or plaster would be too fine though, and become airborne!

• Tools - optional. You can just animate the sand with fingers, but you might want a paintbrush, cotton bud, comb, palette knife, glue spreader, fork… a few things to explore making interesting edges/marks in the sand.

• Phone/tablet with Stop Motion Studio

• something to hold your phone - gooseneck, tripod, or look at this beautifully simple setup from an animation workshop in a camp in Gaza:

Here is the zoom link:

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In the meantime, here’s a couple of animated sketches I’m working on for a forthcoming exhibition - VERY work in progress, I’ll share more once the exhibition is up. It’s at An Talla Solais gallery in Ullapool with the lovely group Black Isle Collective, of which I’m a founding member.

There will be a series of episodic ‘sketches’, each revolving around my mum and dad’s kitchen table, exploring the theme of time passing. With only two sketches done there’s not a lot of time passed yet, but there’s more coming soon… look out for birthday cakes, fitting 17 people round the table, me wiping it after tea (my job), Tavy dog under it with everyone’s feet stroking him, kids painting, mum and dad (and two kids) buying the table and chairs… and as many more scenes/memories as I can manage over the next two weeks.

In April I had such a wonderful trip to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It was, as everyone had warned, huge and overwhelming but oh SO inspiring.

• 1 portfolio review

• 1 Animation Pie pal met irl

• 2 pictures on the illustrators’ wall (didn’t fall off!)

• 3 Good Ship Illustration captains irl (ahoy!)

• 3 workshops (2 amazing, one baffling)

• 4 talks (one in Italian?!)

• 2 gelati (not enough)

• 1000s of children’s books

• countless publisher stands

• 1 Morandi exhibition

• coffee, coffee, coffee…

Also in April, another fantastic Animation Pie session, all about Collections! More info in this earlier post.

Hope you’re all doing well! See you next month,

Rachel x

Here is the recording link: ZOOM RECORDING

Here’s what I showed tonight:

First up is Osbert Parker’s ‘Scala Programmes’ film. Definitely check out his full website for more amazing films! (Kateryna there’s one wi…

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(ZOOM LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST. I will share it again on a reminder post and Note next week)

I love animating sets of things… whether it’s a set of shells gathered, or similar shapes seen, or a set of drawings tied together in a sequence. It’s an incredibly satisfying way of studying things, noticing their similarities and their subtle differences. Sometimes these things are transient, so it’s a great way to capture a moment or place before it’s gone. Here are some terrazzo photos I took in Bologna’s porticos (more about that in another post!)

Here is one of my favourite ‘collectionimations’ - my seed potatoes before they hit earth last spring, followed by my limpet ‘bungalow’ (who knew a group of limpets was called a bungalow?!)

What sequences could you animate? Here are some ideas:

• your antique collection of thimbles

• every sock you own

• sets of flowers/leaves/seeds - I’ve got lots of honesty seed-heads which I might try animating this weekend

• drawings of the same thing, or with a constant element

• all the light-switches in your house

• tools/art materials/cutlery… something that you have many multiples of (I dread to think how many pencils I own!!)

• reels of thread… they could unravel as you film them, introducing an element of movement to your sequence

• You might have enough hand-prints from your children to create a lovely sequence (I have a set somewhere in a box upstairs which I think will feature in a film some day)

• anything else you collect, e.g. feathers, stamps, elephants, perfume bottles… Here are some really unusual collections!

  OR…

• you could gather a set of images themed by COLOUR or SHAPE. Here is a quick animation I made on a walk yesterday, looking only for yellow things. I never realised there were so many warnings of death on my daily walk!

• You might have something nearby which has a repeated pattern within it. I made a quilt for my daughter last Christmas, and I couldn’t resist animating the star motif… the fabrics change but the shape is a constant. It’s a lovely way of exploring the quilt and remembering the origins of the fabrics.

When does a collection become full-on animation? I’m not sure, but I think I’m close with this one! This was a collection of monoprints I made for an illustration competition which I didn’t use. I thought they might string quite nicely together and I shot them, roughly lining up similar shapes/poses of cats. I think it just sneaks in to collectionimations! In a similar vein, I’m going to try filming lots of my Drawing is Free portraits, centering them on an eye, or the mouth… something that I can anchor all the different faces on.

SO WHAT WILL YOU NEED FOR THE LIVE ZOOM ON WED?

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Here is what participants said about last year:

A week jam-packed with inspiration and creativity.

Such a busy and fun week.

It felt like just the right mix of playful and purposeful.

I fell in love with the animation app.

I thought that the way the course progressed was really clever - we were led into animation without really noticing the join, which was great for the ones who were a bit afraid of that aspect at the start of the week. And even the most tech-averse ones were loving it by the end.

I very much enjoyed the quick reaction elements.

I really loved the week.

Having space over the last two days to develop our own ideas was very good and essential. It gave time for discovery and creation.

The (charcoal drawn animation) exercise was a great way of introducing the app - it flowed very naturally from what we’d already been doing.

I felt the structure of the course was very good.

Inspiring, knowledgeable and such a lovely manner.

Here is some of the artwork/animation produced last year, to give you an idea of what work we’ll produce this summer:

The course runs from Mon 27th to Fri 31st July 2026.

Course structure: the first 2 days involved exploring narrative through images, pop-up worlds and small books, then day 3 introduces simple, fun animation (no animation experience required!), then for the final 2 days individuals can take time to further develop their favourite ideas/techniques from the week, to create a range of really exciting work.

The coffee and cakes and lunches provided are delicious at Bridge House Art and the staff are so welcoming. All materials are provided. Ullapool is a vibrant historic fishing town on the West coast of Scotland, with fabulous walks, eateries, hotels, galleries, and the harbour is always bustling with travellers coming and going to the islands. More info here on the Bridge House Art website. Summer School courses listed here.

Hope to see some of you in Ullapool this summer! Rachel x

My latest March sketching trip was to Munlochy Animal Aid, the dog home where we got a rescue collie yonks ago. Corrie was a hugely important creature in my life, I loved him as much as it’s possible to love a dog. He was found running around beside the A9, and was terrified of sticks, ropes, hoovers, flexes, even leads! Basically anything that could potentially hurt him. What trauma had he been through, we wondered?

Here are some drawings I did of him back in my teens - he was such a beautiful dog to draw! His love for us was a slow burn. To get him used to leads, I patiently stroked him and wrapped soft ribbons round his neck till he was happy for me to do the same with a collar and lead. With a ton of love, and teaching him that leads (aka ropes, therefore bad) were actually GOOD things that meant adventures, he came round and loved us back. He never played, hated the hoover and always liked his own space, but I think that’s totally understandable.

Two years ago he featured in my risograph zines ‘Today is Tuesday’, an illustrated haiku telling a day in the life of the village where I live. (You can buy these on my Esty shop).

Now in my 50s I am developing a book idea and Corrie stars again! The girl is younger than I was, and the story a bit different, but Dog is most definitely Corrie.

It was really moving to go back to the same Munlochy dog home with sketchbook, to draw dogs and get some fresh reference. I saw nervous Corrie-types, some old tired doggos, and huge aggressive types (they feature in the book too) so it was a very useful trip. I also walked two lovely old dears, Moss and Tiger who are fairly old in dog-home terms, so as yet don’t have new owners (people prefer younger dogs). How I wish I had space and money for more dogs in my life…

Here are two development images from the book - I’m hoping to have a dummy book and some final artwork ready to share when I go to Bologna in a couple of weeks… wish me luck!

I wonder what the next monthly post will hold, after my first trip to Bologna Book Fair!? I can’t wait! Ciao a tutti!!

Here is the fast and furious chicken loop I animated tonight - I plan to go back in and refine feathers and egg shells plus add some sound, but here is the raw first pass:

And here is the zoom recording link - enjoy!

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We’re going to be making loops this Wed at Animation Pie’s live session, so I’m getting in the mood! This weekend, as I made a few loops in preparation, I realised why I love loops so much - as well as being an efficient way of animating (16 drawings instead of 116? Yes please!) they are a super-creative challenge. You have to do something simple enough that you can draw it in, say, 16 frames. And make it loop back to your starting point (no feature films please! One simple action/event is ideal). BUT you also have to come up with an event that will hold people’s attention, something that the audience will want to watch over and over and over and over…

If you want to have a go, come along on Wed evening! No fancy kit and no previous animation experience required. Lots of info in my previous post about the Loops session.

All sessions are recorded if you can’t make the live.

Have a great day! Rachel x

WHY LOOPS??

• They are the original animation! Zoetropes were created mid 1800s and they work with 12 or 16 looped drawings to create the first ever moving images. These Victorian toys paved the way for film and all other moving images that followed.

  

• Loops are super-efficient, as you can recycle your drawings over and over again, saving you time!

• Your last drawing needs to meet up with your first to make a smooth loop, which is a really fun challenge.

• There are loops all around us, e.g. cycles in nature, repeated human actions, objects that rotate, behaviour loops… all of these are great inspiration for animation!

• Loops are also to found in other artforms, such as music and dance. Why not put your animation to some repeating music/sounds?

• Sometimes loops can be entrancing and hypnotic, but they can also become uncomfortable to watch over and over, which I find really interesting! I’ll show some films which explore this.

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

• Pencil and paper

• Your paper needs to be registered in some way - use a home made peg bar or an L-shaped card block to line up pages

• A lightbox

• OR…

• If no lightbox you’ll need thin paper that you can see through, e.g layout, tracing, greaseproof

• Any other materials you want to add into the mix

• An idea for a loopy animation! Here are some ideas off the top of my head: a person gets a brolly out of their bag, struggles with it, it blows away, so they go into their bag again… OR… a winter tree leafs, blossoms, turns orange, leaves fall, back to winter tree… OR… a box sits on the ground, an intrigued person enters shot, they open box and are gobbled up by it! Box closes shut, until another intrigued person comes along… OR… a dog circles and circles their bed, lies down, then up again to circle some more… etc! You could also go abstract and play with shapes looping and shifting.

• Everything learned at last month’s session where we worked with key drawings and learned about in-betweening will be so useful here!

• I think this Monty Python sketch may have inspired my ‘gobbling box’ loop idea!

You might want to storyboard an idea first - here is a blank storyboard page to print out or copy, if you want to plan out your sequence ahead of time. But remember to keep it simple!

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I got very into metal embossing, making coppery garlands:

I knew I wanted to make my daughter a garland after she mentioned them at Christmas, and I thought a spring version would be the perfect end-of-Feb birthday gift! So I cut all the shapes at home (VERY carefully… the little shards of metal are lethal) then I did the embossing bit on the train to Edinburgh. Luckily it was quiet and I had a table to myself… no-one disturbed the odd woman with sharp metal shapes and oatcakes.

I also made some horses for my sis for her birthday, perfect for the new lunar year of the horse. I have loved drawing horses since I was tiny and always will, such beautiful animals. Tomato polka dot horses was a new one for me!

If you cut into a puree tube, the metal looks like copper, but it is actually aluminium. I had thought the reddish colour came from the tomato juice, but on doing a bit of googling I’ve discovered it’s actually a coating/varnish to protect the food, and that’s what gives it the golden coppery look.

I had a spare tomato puree tube in my bag (as you do!) so I decided to make a quick birdie garland while visiting another sis before dashing for the train home. I am slightly addicted, and now on the lookout for recipes with tom puree - i need more tubes!

The main reason for this busy Edinburgh trip was the Move Summit, an annual animation gathering jam-packed with screenings, workshops, talks and schmoozing. Living in the Highlands 4 hrs north of Edinburgh/Glasgow, it’s really important for me to connect with fellow creatives in person - there are not many animators or illustrators up this way!! Somehow I managed to take no photos of inspirational people on stages, or banners outside venues, or amazing lunches, or hot queues… so here is a photo of my pass, to prove I was there:

The highlight for me (apart from connecting with friends old and new!) was the finale screening of Arco directed by Ugo Bienvenu and Gilles Cazaux, a beautiful 2D feature film about a rebelling child, time travel, love and family bonds. Go see it on the big screen if you can, when it releases this month - the compositions, camera angles and flying scenes are phenomenal. Synopsis from IMDb: “In 2075, a girl witnesses a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. He comes from an idyllic far future where time travel is possible. She shelters him and will do whatever it takes to help him return to his time.” Here is a the trailer.

What else happened this month?

I’ve started doing Lives on Substack, to show some more bts and share how I prep for the Animation Pie sessions. One was about setting up for drawn animation, another was about animating rubber stamps. Should I make this a regular thing, poss weekly? Let me know what you’d like to see in Lives, or in Animation Pie in general!

It’s now the Lunar Year of the Horse, so of course I animated a rubber stamp horse:

I started working on a lovely illustration commission - early days, but here are a few sketchbook snippets:

Animation Pie’s live zoom happened last week - we learned about morphing, transitions, key drawings and in-betweening… quite complex stuff, but I kept it simple and fun.

Here is the quick sequence I started near the end of the zoom, transitioning from triangle to fish. Now in-betweened with loose graphite and flipped to negative in Stop Motion Studio:

Thank you for joining me to read my February ramblings! Thanks to all my subscribers, it means such a lot to share my creative work with you, and I’m especially grateful to my paid subscribers for your support - you’re all fab!!

See you soon, Rachel x

Here is the recording, to watch on catch up:

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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88083892855

All the info for what you’ll need is in previous post. Basically, it’s just thin paper, a pencil and rubber, and some way of registering/lining up your drawings. A light box if you have one.

See you soon! Rachel x

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We’ll be drawing on paper, looking at TRANSiTIONS and learning how to use KEY FRAMES.

When we’ve drawn on paper before (e.g. for the flickbooks, or ‘taking a line for a walk’) we worked methodically from drawing 1 to drawing 2, then 3, 4, 5 etc. This way of animating is called ‘straight ahead’ animation, and is a perfect approach for work where you want the movement to flow and evolve as you go.

BUT there is another approach: using KEY DRAWINGS and working ‘pose to pose’. Don’t worry, it’s not too complicated, and this week I’ll show you how, using simple shapes!

It’s a great technique for a more planned sequence, or for animating characters.

Here is a great explanation from AlanBeckerTutorials if you want to know more now:

WHAT WILL YOU NEED?

• thin white paper (cut to the same size, A5 is perfect)

• a pencil and rubber

• a light box if you’ve got one

• some way of registering your drawings… here’s some info on that (from the live I posted on Monday)

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