Digital Cutouts

Yesterday I had a quick go at doing some cutouts in After Effects.

Again as ever, a rushed job, but potential is there.

Jayum presents: Tom Allen

Last week I blogged about Thomas Allen's cutout work, and claimed that the following day i would have a go at it myself.

Well.... I did









So I routed around and found some magazines lying around and had a play with them. Then adapted the idea and started sketching and applying the same process to that.

Still a bit of a rushed job, but I like how these have come out. This is strongly becoming an area of interest that i would like to use in some form in my final piece. (whatever that is now)

Week 11

It's the time of year where everything happens at the same time. Deadlines at work, the whole festive thing, birthday, new year, 5000 word essay.

Besides all these things plaguing my day to day working, my head has been mainly thinking about this project right here. (realised today that it isn't due till may 2010) but still, been too busy to blog, but not too busy to be inspired in a number of new ways.

Brighton pt 1

So yeah, I went down to Brighton last Friday. Laden down like a pack horse with so-called portable lighting, green screen, reflector, tripod, oh and camera.

Met up with one of my bestest friends and set up a mini studio in her house.

Played around with a few setups, took a collection of images along that we could draw inspiration from.

Haven't had a chance to download any of the images as of yet, feel the shoot went well, but whether the end results are useable, or in fact what i was after or needing I'm not too sure. Regardless, the experience of the whole setup and such was incredibly valuable. Great to have my first subject as such an understanding friend who is willing to mess around with everything as much as I was needing to.

With the first shoot out of the way, I feel far more confident about the equipment, and my ability to get what i want with these tools.

What a relief eh?

Just can't get enough

I remembered this video by 'The Saturdays' the other day (think it was last tuesday)


(This is the comic relief version. There is one without the noses, but I like them in there)

An example of bringing the 'pinup' images of the 50's to life. And really it just comes down to wardrobe, the array of suitable poses, and the pastel plain backdrops. Simple but rather effective.

Lotte Reiniger

Another inspirational practitioner Lotte Reiniger born in Berlin 1899, lover of chinese shadow puppet theatre and film.

Creator of Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed), completed in 1926, the oldest surviving animated feature film.

Check out this clip of her at work:



and a clip from 'jack and the beanstalk

Thomas Allen

Oh my!

This my friends is beautiful.

The work of Thomas Allen is so simple yet (to me) so powerful. Sometimes it's quite distressful when you come across some work that is 'your' idea, that's evidently already been conceived and executed by someone else. In this case though (and with most others actually), because I like it so much, I find myself incredibly inspired by the thought that 'my' idea is worth pursuing.

I'm gonna have a go at this tomorrow afternoon i think.