The Art of the Pure Play: Finding Visual Breakthroughs in Collage Animation
There is a particular kind of magic that happens when you stop looking at a storyboard and start looking at the screen with no destination in mind. Recently, the studio has been vibrating with a bit of a different energy. After the rewarding intensity of several structured projects, I found myself diving into a series of experiments in collage animation. The result? A punchy, incredibly bright, and slightly chaotic exploration that reminded me why I started doing this in the first place.
These sessions of pure play are where the most interesting visual breakthroughs happen. They are the laboratory for the handmade techniques that eventually find their way into everything we do. By letting the colours and movement lead the way, you discover textures and rhythms that a rigid brief might never allow.
From Little Nemo to Rupert the Bear: An Ode to Vintage Print
While messing around with these new techniques and software upgrades, my mind wandered back to the masters of the line. If you have ever laid eyes on a copy of Windsor McKay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, you’ll know exactly what I mean. It is a masterpiece of illustration that feels as fresh today as it did over a century ago.
I actually own a faintly ridiculous, oversized compendium of McKay’s work. When my son was very young, we made a ritual of reading a couple of pages every night until we had traversed the entire dreamscape. There is something magnificent about the print quality of that era—the lo-fi charm, the thin etch lines, and the way the ink seems to sit into the paper rather than on top of it.
The Beauty of the Etched Line
In these recent collage experiments, I started to feel the ghost of that vintage aesthetic creeping in. There is a definite essence of Rupert the Bear in the mix too. It’s an ode to vintage print:
Thin, etched black lines: Providing a sharp, graphic structure to the chaos.
Minimalist palettes: Limiting the noise to amplify the impact.
Tactile textures: Making digital frames feel like they were cut from a physical book.
By embracing these simple constraints, the work becomes more punchy and, honestly, just a lot of fun to put together. You can see how we blend this love for traditional craft with modern technology by exploring our portfolio.
Pulling Back the Curtain: The Process Behind the Layers
I’ve been playing around with a new way of sharing what goes on behind the scenes here. Usually, the world only sees the polished final product, but there is so much narrative in the "how." I’ve started using screen recordings to show how these collage animations actually come together.
It is a bit like pulling back the curtain on the layers and cutouts that build into the final piece. Watching the individual layers click into place is incredibly rewarding. It reveals the architectural nature of animation—how a dozen flat, disparate elements can suddenly gain depth and life through movement.
The Joy of the Simple Click
For me, seeing the "bones" of a project is often more illuminating than the final frame. It demonstrates the precision that goes into every second. Whether it's a hybrid film or a handmade animation, the process is always a dialogue between the technology and the hand of the person using it.
I find the process of seeing those individual layers click into place incredibly rewarding. It is a nice reminder that sometimes the simplest constraints, like a limited colour set and a sharp line, can lead to the most visual pleasure.
The Value of "Just for the Sake of It"
It might seem counterintuitive to spend time on experimental film when there are deadlines looming. However, I believe this is exactly what keeps the work fresh.
When people come to us, they aren't just looking for a video; they are looking for a specific taste and a bit of curiosity. This experimental work ensures that what we produce is always bespoke. If you fancy a chat about a project or just want to talk about vintage print, drop us a line, we'd love to chat.
