On April 9, 2012, DANMite animator, digital artist, musician, and educator, Jolie Ruelle came on to Artist on Art to talk about her work and the upcoming exhibition, I’ve Got Something On Your Mind. The name of her piece that will be playing is “the  Loop“, a stop-motion animation exploring fear and anxiety. Jolie has been creating this film for the past two years.

The Loop is a stop-motion animation short exploring the human relationship with anxiety. In this animation the viewer watches the main character and its response to an abstract feared element through the use of a metaphors.  The Loop uses a combination of puppet stop motion, object animation, and compositing techniques. The main character is made from a ball and socket armature with a magnetic tie-down system. The body is built out of foam and fabric, while the hands and head are molded out of polymer clay. The hands are animated using the replacement technique, a collection of gestures which can be swapped from one frame to the next.  The set consist of both fabricated props, and found objects, completing the character’s world. Digital compositing plays a key role in the development of both the character and the environment. Photographs of the artist’s eyes are superimposed directly onto the character’s face to create a dynamic range of emotion. Objects of impossible scale, are collaged together to create a seamless yet surreal environment. Internal and external spaces are defined through composited windows and doors. Each frame is color corrected, cropped and digitally enhanced. The combination of digital and object animation allows for a tactile aesthetic while maintaining the flexible process that digital animation enables.

This year’s UCSC DANM MFA Exhibition, I’ve Got Something On Your Mind happening April 28-29 and May 3-6 with the reception, Friday, May 4, 5:30 – 8:30PM. The Gallery is open from 10AM – 4PM and located at The Digital Arts Research Center (DARC), off Meyer Drive near the Music Recital Hall and Theater Arts on West Campus.