BLOG 10 - Inspired by dogs again

Or:

How my ideas came full circle

At the end of 2016 I had been working on lots of different projects, including animating an origami reindeer model I designed years ago. I love origami, and have a few models I often make and leave around when I’m bored on trains or planes or in pubs. As I love my dogs I’d tried to find a nice sighthound model online, but didn’t like any I found… So In November 2016 I tried to design a whippet origami model (with the hope of animating it).

Designing origami is incredibly hard. I’m not trained in any way, I just like to have a go. I was surrounded by a graveyard of paper all month as I tried to find a design that I thought suggested a whippet’s form, while also being simple and animatable. Some origami is beautiful in its complexity, becoming sculptural and barely resembling paper, and some origami is a simple elegant caricature, using as few folds as possible. I think there’s a balance of both in successful origami. Art, engineering, maths, poetry… this video about Robert J. Lang (an origami genius) shows what the experts can do.

My simple whippet design did the job I wanted it to and I’m proud of it. I took the design into animation and learnt from my previous reindeer origami animation - you don’t animate every fold as it’s not an instructional video. It’s more important to create a rhythmic back and forth, with several folds happening at the same time. I did some quick experiments to decide how I wanted the model to appear from the paper and what I wanted it to do when it was there. I made 12 versions of the model, each from a different stage of the building process. These were used as replacements for key frames. I also adapted the finished model into a ‘puppet’ so it could move its head and legs in a way not possible in its standard origami form. I liked the end result, it was a simple and fun film clip called ‘Foldz the Whippet’.

Alongside this animation, I auctioned the model used in the animation for a retired greyhound charity, raising £90 (I think). I also offered the instructions for £1, with the proceeds going to the same charity. A few people got involved in this, and I loved seeing the results. I had never written instructions for origami before, and I found making these clear and easy to follow was very challenging and a skill in it’s own right. The model was also quite difficult to fold, especially for novice origamists. The feedback was ‘these are very hard to make’ (two years later in 2018 I shared the ‘Foldz’ animation again, and made and sold ten framed origami models). If you want to have a go at folding your own then check out the video (just pause it at each stage) or download this PDF… Good luck!

So (back in December 2016) after finishing the animation I was planning what to do with the next year. I was a bit exhausted from 2016 having made 5min short film, and loads of little individual projects throughout the year. I spent a lot of time animating, building and designing, all in my own time, and at my own cost. It was emotionally tiring with some ups and downs and I needed a break from animation. However, I didn’t take a proper break (because I’m a workaholic) and instead decided to design a whippet themed card game… (but this is a story for another blog!). However, this game was my first attempt at crowdfunding, and I got a bit of support to try to develop my idea. While I designed the card game idea I thought about whether I could crowdfund an animated short film in the future .

What film would I like to make (if money wasn’t an option)?
What idea would capture the imagination of my followers?
What idea could be merchandised to raise money?
Is there an old idea I could use as a ‘proof of concept’ and develop further?

One character answered all these questions… Bitz the Whippet! Join me next time when I talk about planning this film, my approach to crowdfunding and all the mistakes I made along the way. It will basically be a love letter to you, my amazing supporters.

Thanks for reading

James

Current Project

*MORY FILM PRODUCTION* 30 seconds (out of 45) in the can! I managed to do a few full on animation sessions over the last and am well on the way with Mory’s film. I’m not gonna share much about the film as it is so close to the end. Not sure how successful it is, but I’m learning a lot!

*MODEL MAKING* I’ve made loads of progress on the 2 sold models recently. I decided to build them alongside the animation, rather that wait till Mory’s film was done. They are nearly complete now and will be sent out to their forever homes on friday.

*MERCHANDISE/FUNDRAISING* There are still 5 Connie badges available on my shop if you would like one.