Dance of The Happy Shades - A Micro Short

Dance Of The Happy Shades from Graeme Daly on Vimeo.

For the Metropolis kick About Prompt over at Red's Kingdom I was drawing and animating the creative responses using a particular set of brushes that is always my go to,  I was in my bathroom and opened up my medicine cabinet and just as I did the light from outside was shining into the window and through a crack of the medicine cabinet door, it was creating this brilliant concentrated brush stroke of dancing illuminating light that mimics one of the brushes I love to use in Photoshop. I took out my phone and filmed myself opening and closing the medicine cabinet door over and over again... as I knew this would not last long because of how pinprick precise the light was in that moment.

I went back to animating and drawing the Metropolis prompt and assumed I could incorporate the light somehow but nothing came of it, so I decided to keep it in the vault. Flash forward to now and not having any idea what to incorporate into the newest prompt over at Red's Kingdom “Dance of the Happy Shades” I realised that I could work with the video’s to produce something... So I started to play.  A lot of what is going on fell into place through experimenting by mixing all the videos together, playing with blend modes, light, shadow and shapes. The stunning song is Grey Drops by Sergey Cheremisinov, I based the imagery around the song as when listening to Sergey’s unique pieces I imagine something odd and intriguing coming to life, something with a lot of texture. That fuzzy crackle and that wooden creak that spontaneously hits - I envisioned things moving in the shadows that shouldn’t move.

The best thing about creating like this is something magical happens by itself, As I was swinging the medicine cabinet door I noticed that it looked like the light was giving way to these phantom spectres, which were projecting part of themselves away and then consuming themselves again with every swing of the door, Everything started to intensify and became apparent when I edited the film together and then I ended up with story thanks to a peculiar bit of light in my medicine cabinet. 

Dance of The Happy Shades - Original Footage from Graeme Daly on Vimeo.

The Kick About #2 - Metropolis

The second creative dosage of the fortnightly kick about over at Reds Kingdom was created using the prompt "Metropolis" It couldn't have came at a better time as I am currently manifesting a 3D Metropolis, inspired by the Concept Art for my current animated short - The Green Glider 

With this prompt I wanted to capture the energy and constant movement that encompasses a Metropolis - Like a long exposure shot caught in an instant with lots of energy in the line-work and brightness in the blinding city lights,  I had a go of animating it too as I want to incorporate such elements into The Green Glider so it felt good to get some practice.

I also couldn’t help but pay homage to Metropolis by Fritz Lang - it’s one of my favourites!  Those harrowing tunnels with the workers heads hung low as they approach the underbelly of the city always stuck with me.”

The Kick About #1 - Moon In A Bottle

The kick about at Red's Kingdom is underway, the first prompt being Moon In A Bottle by Max Ernst,
I enjoy creating using a process like this, trusting there's method to your madness to end up with something in the end is what I am attempting to put into practice nowadays - it's basically a form of automatism.

I think it's important to know that you can peel it back - If something works you can turn your thinking cap back on and try and make sense of it to understand why. That golden moment when something clicks and the piece starts to make sense is a feeling I crave every time.

Max Ernst -Moon In A Bottle 

At first I tried to think of how Moon In A Bottle made me feel, the way that the painting bends around towards you makes it feel encapsulating, it brings an uneasy feeling like something is trapped... or maybe thats just lockdown?? also what the hell is that red and purple thing in the middle? so many questions too difficult to answer... so I started to paint.

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〰️I envision a beach with textured hard shells and unfamiliar effigies hiding in the sand and waiting to pounce at the twinge of life

Manifestation 1

 Manifestation 2

〰️But the moon illuminates, it casts a glow on everything, a bottle on the other hand is man made - it could be plastic - it could be glass, it could be melted or it could be hard like a shell? But it too reflects and can glow.

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 Manifestation 3

     Manifestation 4

Manifestation 5

 Manifestation 6

 Manifestation 7

Manifestation 8