Stoke Your Fires

We've just had a visit from Stoke Your Fires Animation Festival Who pitched their event at the end of Feb beginning of March next year. They also spoke about the possibilities of getting some Graphic Illustrators in to perform some workshops. Hopefully I wanted these to be based on drawing skills and possibly visualising the narrative. The poster above is a new one and shows the new hand in is 24th December now for short animated films, but there is also an option of entering the 48 hour film competition which I think would be excellent for animators to help them build up their speed while animating, it will stop them being to precious over the design and an over long and complicated storyline, Simple is smart!!

Paul Wells from Loughborourgh Animation Academy also did a talk at the event. I've already written a short bit on him at the Bristol Encounters and will probably expand on what he has said in future posts as I do believe in what he says about script writing and how, especially animation students don't actually understand the format that they are using. Anyway I'll leave that for the future

To get us back on track of cartoon and comics and a possible area that students over look as an area where they may actually break into the industry is story boarding. Above Curtis Jobling one of the lead storyboard artist for Bob the Builder scribbles a character down at last years Stoke Your Fire Event.

Last year saw an increase in Stop Motion Films being plugged as Coarline and the Fantastic Mr Fox were released. Above one of the lead model makers from Coraline. Below are 2 legends of British Animation Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, to show my age again, they brought us Chorlton and the Wheelies and Dangermouse to name a few.

Finally the Event will take place in the Hanley Museum and also the "Air space" Art gallery. Last year Stop Motion Students puppets were exhibited at the event 

 

The Spanish Invasion

I'm also happy to say that mark Webster from the Arts and Culture part of the university is introducing me to Nacho Casanova (http://nachocasanova.blogspot.com/) a Spanish illustrator  along with Nacho is Rosa Martí (http://www.edicionesglenat.es/) and Peri (published novelist and writer of children’s books) and his partner all of whom I'm hoping can help out on the content of Cartoon & Comic Arts Award and also build some international ties with!! So the new award is going from strength to strength and hopefully will soon have some international recognition as well.