SMCC

It’s finally done! “New Direction” lyric video

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My good friend, Kurt Baker, makes some of my favorite rock music. So, when I started my final semester, I asked him if I could create a music video for one of his songs. I had learned some things about kinetic text, and focused on lyrics using a really great font called “Blastatic” by Remedy667 as my inspiration for the style.

The Beatles cartoon from the 60s came to mind, and The Pink Panther title sequences, with the characters interacting with the text, so I created cartoon versions of each member of the band. It was really hard not to share the progress, but I really wanted Kurt to be surprised with the final version.

Creating the puppets in Procreate, to give them a hand drawn look, rather than a clean vector, then sending them to Photoshop for layer surgery was easier than I thought it would be, and not much is sweeter than seeing a well-synced character animation come to life! I edited the visemes – mouth shapes – as carefully as I could, and as painstaking as that can be, I’m happy with the results!

Then came After Effects. It’s like one of those really gorgeous people who acts like a douchebag, promising you trips to foreign lands, but leaves you stranded at the airport. Even now, I’m afraid to say too much, for fear it will hear me and never work again. That said, I’m really grateful to the IT staff at SMCC, my friend and advisor Kate, and a small army of healers and witches that banded together to make sure it came through for me.

After all the delays and tears shed (not too many! 😉), it’s done, and Kurt loves it, and here it is!

Check out all of Kurt’s videos while you’re there. He’s not only a great musician, but his sense of humor and humility is apparent in everything he creates. I’m really so thankful for the opportunity to do this! ❤️

Moving forward

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Well, I’ve finished my AAS degree at SMCC. I went out with a bang, feeling very confident, and now – two weeks later – I’m feeling all of that energy of anticipation and “get it done”ness crash hard. So, what else to do but rest and recoup?

Of course, this is one of those situations where the writer glosses over the intense feelings of insecurity, the panic-inducing thoughts of not being qualified enough, the doubt of whether or not anyone else even likes what is being created enough to pay for it…whoops. No, it isn’t. I can’t be alone in this. There must certainly be some kind of “syndrome” for graduates that rains on the parade for a bit after the report cards are received, and the accolades are doled out. Please feel free to share if you have felt even a little of this after you completed a big project, graduated from school – even after a big wedding. I could use some validation for this.

All shadow work aside, I am able to maintain a level of pride at the work that I did during my studies, and I am still very excited to find a way to create animation for the rest of my life. I have some pretty interesting ideas for music videos, and I am now free to set sail on the good ship “The Golden Pinecone”, and make my dream of Poppet coming to life a reality. Creating and being productive is what makes me feel fulfilled. My best professor encouraged me to stop calling it “anxiety”, and instead recognize that I have DRIVE. Feels much better to say it that way, so that’s exactly what I’m doing. I AM DRIVEN!

Self-portrait I did in Adobe Fresco in honor of Pantone’s Color of the Year 2022 “Very Peri”

First thing on the “To Complete” list is a music video for my dear friend, Kurt Baker. I’ve been working on a lyric video for his song “New Direction”, and I’m pretty proud of how it’s coming out! I’ll share it here as soon as its released. Thanks for being here, see you next time!

Cut out animation

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In my 2D animation class, we are exploring all kinds of techniques, and the master studies are great. Thanks to Lottie Reiniger and Terry Gilliam, last week’s unit was for cut out animation, but we cheated a little, using After Effects to edit them together. I wonder if Lottie would have even wanted technology that took that much of the process out of her hands -literally?

The theme was “Ridiculous Mishap”, so my goal was to use my short story about The Imp from Lodila Valley, but since the project called for only 20-30 seconds, I pared it down. I’ll tell the whole tale someday. For now, here is “The Imp”:

If you are not familiar with Lottie Reiniger or *gasp* Terry Gilliam, check out the clips below:

Lottie actually created the very first animated feature length film – before Disney. The most fascinating part is that she hand cut every piece and took every photo herself. Astounding genius! I think she will be the focus of my first podcast for my Podcasting class this semester, about women in animation.

Final Semester!

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My senior semester at SMCC has begun, and it’s a doozy! I am taking 2D animation with AfterEffects, Podcasting, Advanced Digital Illustration, Senior Portfolio, AND a Capstone internship at Assuaged, Inc. as a character animator. I’d say I have my work cut out for me, but I also decided to make myself available as a tutor for the Communications and New Media department, so I’m really asking for it!

The great news is that, with all of these resources, I will graduate in January with an Associate’s degree, along with a full professional portfolio, resume, skills, and even some experience under my belt.

I’ll be posting my projects and WIP here throughout the semester, as well as on my Youtube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeregrineStarr. My first project for 2D Animation is a cut-out style, like Terry Gilliam’s work with Monty Python, and I’m really excited to do this one! I have often created cut-out animations with kids I nannied for, as winter projects, so it will be fun to make one all on my own.

Stay tuned…

Legends of Lodila

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So I have been working on streamlining Pallo’s origin story this semester, making sure to incorporate my personal goals into every project, and my Writing for Visual Media course final was a script treatment for a movie. That one project really helped me figure out how to choose which elements to include in Pallo’s part of the Lodila Valley/Land of Lo series.

I have definitely increased my focus and intention on manifesting my animated films, and learning how to animate – even just as a beginner – has brought so much more to the surface! As of now, my plan is to create “Legends of Lodila – Claviger of Flowers” as an introductory film for a series. Here is my final slideshow…I found a perfect name for the character-formerly-known-as Frances Greenbaum, Pallo’s best friend – Putri! I’ll share the story of her name in another post.

Practice animations and character designs abound during this two week break before summer semester starts!

Welcome, and thank you!

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Having never been very consistent with online creative outlets, such as blogs and social media, I sincerely appreciate every “like” and “follow” that You gift me.

I recently committed to a digital upgrade by investing in an iPad Pro and Procreate. So far, I’m enjoying exploration in Brushes – there are far too many! I have been working on my first official creation in this format, and I’m so happy with it so far, I can’t wait to show you here.

For those of you who have just jumped on this random bandwagon, I will be posting my visual art, along with the origin or a story that goes with it. I am currently compiling material for a full length animated feature film for the Land of Lo, as well as writing a script and re-creating character design for a short holiday special, “The Golden Pinecone”, an adaptation of a children’s book I wrote many years ago. My main focus is animation, and converting my artistic style to digital in a way that I feel still represents my aesthetic – which, to this point, has been watercolor and ink, with bright colors, sharp contrast, and psychedelic slant.

I am writing the script in tandem with a script-writing class – very convenient! – and want to apply for an Adobe Creative Residency next spring, in order to fully realize a 25-30 minute animation on my own. So, please join me for the journey. I am very excited about what the next couple of years will bring for me, and would love to share the experience with You!

My face.

~P