Design I // Stop Motion Animation Final

For Design I’s final project, we focused on time and motion. With technology speeding ahead these days, it is beneficial to challenge students to try this as a school project.

Students had to produce a one-minute stop motion animation consisting of photography and sound. Creativity wise, the sky was the limit! The best video-editing software available to them were Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker. The more frames per second that were compiled, the smoother the video appeared. To put this into perspective, the Wallace & Gromit 30-minute shorts were shot close to 20 frames per second, adding up to be around 35,000 shots per video. That’s a bit extreme for my students, so they were encouraged to place at least two frames per second. We also watched short films by Disney and Tim Burton, and the hilarious YouTube classic “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On“.

It was a challenge for students to work on an art project of this scale, especially if they were new to Apple iMovie & Windows Movie Maker video-editing software. However, they were very proud of themselves for figuring out such a feat. We had a lot of fun in both sections eating snacks and watching everyone’s videos, and celebrating the end of another school year!

Below are some examples of what was submitted. So turn up your audio and be entertained by these one-minute shorts!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

2 sections:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design I // Stop Motion Animation Final

For my Spring 2016 Design I class, I decided to do something different for their final project to focus on time and motion. When I was a graduate student and instructor of record at Louisiana Tech University, my Basic Design class produced stop motion animation films for their final project. With technology speeding ahead these days, I thought it was time to bring this project to Mississippi State University.

Students had to produce a one-minute stop motion animation consisting of photography and sound. Creativity wise, the sky was the limit! The best video-editing software available to them were Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker. The more frames per second that were compiled, the smoother the video appeared. To put this into perspective, the Wallace & Gromit 30-minute shorts were shot close to 20 frames per second, adding up to be around 35,000 shots per video. That’s a bit extreme for my students, so they were encouraged to place at least two frames per second. We also watched short films by Disney and Tim Burton, and the hilarious YouTube classic “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On“.

It was a challenge for students to work on an art project of this scale, especially if they were new to video-editing software. However, they were very proud of themselves for figuring out such a feat. We had a lot of fun in both sections eating snacks and watching everyone’s videos, and celebrating the end of another school year!

Below are some examples of what was submitted. So turn up your audio and be entertained by these one-minute shorts!

* I have permission from my students to promote their work on my website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer 2016 Papermaking Workshops for Kids & Teens

Hi everyone,

I haven’t posted any updates in too long. I intend to change that this summer.

I have great news! I am teaching papermaking workshops for kids and teens ages 7–14 in Starkville, MS this summer. Class size is limited, so pre-register soon to be sure to snag a seat! Each workshop is a 3-day event from 9:00 am–noon, costing each student $100. All materials will be supplied.

Students are encouraged to wear “paint clothes” as these activities can be a little messy! Parents and guardians are also welcome to attend, but are not required.

To give you an idea of what to expect, here’s a video featuring my little buddy Shivank making his first sheet of hand-recycled paper under my instruction.

And now for the dates and workshop projects:

The next workshop is an event for kids and teens that love Christmas so much, that they  would enjoy creating tree ornaments in July! I taught this workshop over 2 years ago while in graduate school and it was a big hit. Visit the old blog post to see those kids at work: https://brittanyspencer.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/kids-paper-pulp-ornaments-workshop-photos/.

I will also have copies of my self-published children’s book A Girl Finds a Flower featuring my hand-recycled paper illustrations for sale at the workshops for $20. They are also for sale online at Lulu.com and Amazon.com.

I hope you can join me to create fun, exciting art! Please contact me to pre-register at brittany.liz.spencer@gmail.com.

Gearing Up for Back to School

Sometimes in conversation with new people, when I tell them I am a graphic designer they ask me to clarify what that entails.  I have even had graphic design students enter my intro course fumbling to define “What is graphic design?” on the first day of class.  I was one of those students years ago, because I felt graphic design was such a vast field that couldn’t be defined in one sentence.  I have shown this video to each of my intro classes, because it really sums up what graphic designers are capable of in terms of design and output in 6.5 minutes:

 

With school gearing back up, I would like to share some local projects I have done.  My younger twin brothers just finished high school, so my skills have been of use to them the past few years.

For example, I added a contemporary spin to their sports ads for the annual football program with my original photography:

As a horizontal ad, it was interesting to watch the crowd to see who turned their books sideways.

BOOM.  Double trouble!

I can design an ad that makes your child stand out from the other pages!

I also can design senior graduation invitations, with my original photography:

(front)

(back)

Senior yearbook pages:

The plan is for their pages to end up on the same spread, as if they are sitting back-to-back.

I can even design classroom posters for school teachers with their favorite quotes: 

Now is a great time to contact me for your back-to-school design needs!  If you are unsure if I can try something, give me a shout out.  I just may surprise you!

Are You Intelligent? Are You Creative?

I have just discovered the brilliance of Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources in education and in business.  In 2011 he was listed as “one of the world’s elite thinkers on creativity and innovation” by Fast Company magazine, and was ranked among the Thinkers50 list of the world’s top business thought leaders.  He also has a few TED Talks available to watch online.  This is how I found him.  I was searching for TED Talks that were about the imagination, and found this gem in which he promotes and defends the need of the arts in schools, and so much more.

I also found this encouraging talk in which he challenges his audience to consider the meaning of intelligence and creativity.  I love it.

Happy New Year

I hope all my subscribers have a blessed year!  May you find joy in the simple things in life that make life beautiful.  Be happier than an elk calf playing in a puddle!

I’ll post new art work soon.  I have a busy week of papermaking ahead of me!

Tim Brown: Tales of creativity and play

I want this blog to not only feature and document the work I’m making in grad school, but also keep a record of what inspires me.  I stumbled upon some TED Talks that I look forward to watching that will inform me in the topics that interest me such as creativity, the childlike spirit, and happiness.

The one I watched tonight and thoroughly enjoyed was Tim Brown: Tales of creativity and play.

At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play — with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn’t).

Take a Seat & Make a Friend

The YouTube channel Soul Pancake makes uplifting videos for the world.  (I highly recommend their Kid President videos.)  The latest video I found was shared on Facebook, and I absolutely LOVE it!  I think it embodies the concept of what I’m doing with my work.  Who didn’t have a blast in ball pits as a kid?

These Strangers Become Friends in Just Minutes.  You Won’t Believe What Made Them Do It.
When they first get in, they’re not sure what to think. But there’s just something about a ball pit that breaks down barriers and encourages new friends. This is awesome. Pass it on.

New Studio Video

My friend Matt Ramsaur (www.ramsaurfilms.com) is a talented videographer and photographer, so I hired him to do a short film of me in my studio.  I demonstrate a bit of my hand-recycled papermaking process, discuss why I enjoy papermaking, and what inspires my work.  Even Bailee makes her appearance throughout the film!  I will have this embedded into my portfolio website’s home page soon.  Enjoy!