Some of the first animations I ever saw were stop motion, I adored my VHS recordings of the Clangers and growing up with Wallace and Gromit. It wasn't until 2009 that I came across Laika, I remember the day I first saw Coraline posters up at my local theatre, I was instantly hooked. Ever since I've been waiting on the edge of my seat for Laika's latest releases(and any and every behind the scenes clips). After 3 years of studying animation I am so excited for the opportuntity to apply to Laika myself and get to witness first hand the magic that goes into their animations.
Behind The Scenes
This is a concept sketch of my witches' kitchen, I want it to be filled with clutter and all sorts of odd magical items. Here I was planning all the elements within the kitchen itself that I could animate. For example the fridge is a Narnia-like door that when open billows in snow (hence the cloaks on the hook). The dishwasher is a monster that catches dishes thrown in it's general direction with its tongue. All of the cuboards and draws are fully functional and natural light pours in from the arch window and trellis ceiling.
I was working to a bit of a deadline on this one alongside my studies so while there are definitely bits here and there that still need to be added, the overall look of the modern witches' kitchen is coming together. The puppet's hands got a bit battered during the animation so they'll need a little tlc before their next shoot.
I work in a small space so the set is only 80 long (the kitchen being 60cm of that) and 30cm deep. The puppet is only 21cm high and is made of twisted aluminium wires.
As a ceramicist I wanted to bring pottery into my set so I threw tiny pots, bowls, cups and pestle & mortar on the wheel. I love the chaotic nature of glazes and how each piece comes out unique, it makes for a beautiful handmade look. I think with stop motion leaning into the handmade elements is what really makes this shine.
Watching the set come to life, this was it before adding in any of the kitchen implements. This is just the shell of the kitchen before the witches move in. Materials: Stone wall (grout and charcoal), the counter (sapele), cupboards mdf, tree (tin foil), vines (thread moss), tiles (card and varnish).
As a print and laser cutter technician I was able to use these skills to create 3D and functional cuboards.
Constructing the cuboards and shelves.
Close up of the kitchen tiles showing one of my own belladonna repeat pattern designs.
Experimenting with the lighting
Character Design & Planning
I started by working out who would be my smallest character to animate and built the scale of my other characters from there. Below are some rough designs showing some of my concept sketches.
Core characters to be created:
Sarah Jane (Mum), Freya (Me) & Mia (Sister)
Final turnaround of Freya:
Perfecting the facial expressions of Freya:
Final Designs of Sarah Jane and her two states:
Final version of Mia:
Puppet Fabrication