Illustrating for Animation- A Heritage Project in Collaboration

Since the start of 2022 we have been working on a commission with Roundhouse Birmingham on a National Lottery Funded animated night projection project. ANIMATION? Yes. Not what we’re used to either, but let’s go back and introduce you to the missing link in this opportunity.

Meeting an Animator

Back in 2021 we were contacted by newly practising animator and all round top person Rosa Kennedy. She offered to animate a typographic piece we had done a few months back and who were we to say no! This then resulted in us commissioning her further to animate the values on our website which you can see in full here.

From this point we had our eyes and ears open for any animation opportunities as we knew we could then offer this with the help of magic Rosa.

The Glorious Animation

One of our values. See more here

Roundhouse Birmingham Commission

We applied for the commission for Roundhouse Birmingham with the following concept:

We sent this sketch to accompany the application.

‘A focus on the people that worked from Roundhouse Birmingham and who were responsible for contributing to Birmingham’s title of ‘The City of 1000 Trades’. These professions helped to form a bustling, industrial and progressive city which Birmingham residents can feel the benefit of to this day.

We will animate characterful illustrations within sliding boxes that will create a dynamic and engaging display for people passing-by. Focusing on 4 professions (lamplighters, stone breakers, blacksmiths and night soil workers) we will create a looping animation for each highlighting snapshots into their roles.’

Learning how to work with an Animator…

So with that insight into the concept here are a few observations we have had when working with animation/ animator.

• Moving can do the talking- Sometimes when we were illustrating the frames we were trying to do too much of the communicating with illustration. The subtlety of animation brought some of the really simple frames to life and we could lean on this more to tell a narrative. 

• Think of the start and the end- When illustrating for animation we need to have an image in our head of what happens to the content to make sure we can give all the visual information to the animator. This was a new way of thinking and also made us try to be more creative with different angles and perspectives.

• COMMUNICATION- Key for everything in life right? But super key when you’re working with another freelancer. We have regular calls to a shared google slides and drive folder to keep up to date on decisions and where those pesky files are hiding.
  
  Here’s a sneak peak into the animation below and we are very much looking forward to seeing the final piece in its final projected colourful space at Roundhouse Birmingham in Spring!