Blog

St Ambrose High - New film ideas

Great first ideas from St Ambrose High pupils. The story goes that some scientist is making a mad machine to produce lots of food. It goes wrong and spurts out magical food which hits different people and gives them the power of that food!! 

Crazy spaghetti limbs......sprouty fart powers.....power to grow plants from seeds! Cant wait to see it develop, well done group .

Coltness High Models

So excited now.....models are getting great clothes. We also started setting up camera and lighting equipment and tested the totally pro stop-frame software, Dragonframe. 

Coltness High - More models

The group now have 5 animation models on the go. Plasticine legs and face skin has appeared and some wire fingers glued on. Can't wait for the hair to appear! 

 

Coltness High - Fire film

I've started working with a small group of pupils at Coltness High School in North Lanarkshire. They're going to make a model stop motion film about the dangers of setting fires, to be shown to primary school children. 

So far we have an outline of a great story and some models started. Last session before summer soon and then continue after summer. Cant wait!

Auchtertool Primary - Characters almost finished!

Ready to animate soon. The 2D puppets are great. Cant wait to see the 3D king animated in his throne!

Auchtertool Primary - New designs

The P4,5,6 class at Auchtertool have had a great day designing al the main characters and backgrounds. Next week we make finished 2D puppets and full size scenery. 

New Stevenstons Anime Group

Helping out this group of talented cartoonists as they try to put their ideas into an animated film. Ideas so far are great. Lots of funny jokes around the Ninja rabbit characters and a Star Wars pun in there too. Cant wait to see it develop! 

Auhtertool Primary, Fife - A new story

We've had one session with the P5,6,7 class at Auchtertool and an amazing story has already developed. It's all about a bunch of children who find part of the lost treasure from King Charles' sunken ship the 'Blessing of Burntisland'. 

Of course, its going to be a pirate story and with amazing characters like Captain Cakebeard and Victoria Sponge, it's going to be funny too! Next week we get the story finished and get some 2D and 3D puppets made. Can't wait!

JIM

Kinross High - Models finished?

It looks like these models are done.....maybe a few final touches next week. Hmm....must be a few I missed photographing....will get good snaps next session. 

So what's been done this week? 

  • Lots of real wool hair glued on with our trusty hot glue gun ( I still have the scars!)
  • A paper tattoo added to Abe
  • The red headed lady now has great clothes complete
  • The gold mechanical dragon has metal details and a face (done with black and red permanent pen)
  • An amazing kilt is fixed onto our jolly scotsman
  • The dwarf looks brilliant with his fabric belt and buckles.

Kinross High - Very technical!

Really impressed with the group at Kinross High today. They really worked hard to get the models nearly finished. lots of hair glued in place and more of those golden scales on the dragon! Well done dudes!

National Science Learning Centre - Teacher training

Had a great day at the National Science Learning Centre in York, teaching primary school teachers how they might help their classes learn about science by making animated films! All a bit radical! Here are some photos of the class working hard solving science problems. 

Kinross High - Models gaining flesh!

The skeletons are complete and now for clothes of fabric and plasticine. Messy business, especially when trying to blend plasticine to make specific colours! Here are some of the works in progress. 

St Ambrose - Actually animating!

The class have animated their first scene and been practising for other scenes. Going great so far. So many characters in this film....lots of cutting out!


Kinross High - Making skeletons (armatures)

I'm really pleased how the group are getting on with the trickiest stage of making their animation models. The armatures (wire skeletons) are really handy for being able to bend characters into positions easier when animating. You can see the process in the photos. Aluminium wire is twisted together, padding is added (foam tape), a polystyrene skull is shaped and glued on. 

Next week......adding some flesh! Usually plasticine and fabric. maybe sculpt heads a bit. Cant wait....well done class!

St Ambrose High - Artwork and story

St Ambrose have the record for 'most places visited in one short cartoon' ! Big question is "Where's the main character!!!??"  Haven't seen him yet.