Stop Motion with Legos

Legos are a fun idea for stop motion. Many of your students will have them at home. This video is a little long, but there are some really great parts you can use for reference. I also think the theme of classic video games for this animation is fun.

Fist Full of Fur - Stop Motion

I find this movie inspiring. In fact, I had students create a production company intro for an animated short they put together, and they were only okay with little to no guidance on my part. I would use the intro on this video as an example to students. Completely doable for them, and of a much higher quality than what they might do otherwise.

Overall this project demonstrates strong storytelling through stop motion animation, including a very clever use of dialogue.

Digital Graffiti

Students might find this sort of light play really interesting, and more importantly inspiring. How could artists use this medium to create a conceptual artwork, beyond just exploration?

Visual Performance - Lichtfaktor vs Optix from Jens Heinen on Vimeo.

Face-amations

The face-amation project is a fun way to have students create a sort of stop motion animation using photography and video editing. Credit goes to teacher Ian Sanders of Apex High School for this project. Check out a student example here.

Animata - Real-Time Animation

Animata is an open source tool that allows you to create real-time animation. Could be an interesting tool for performance art or for live visuals at a concert. It also gives students a sense of how character rigging works.

Animata Jazz Pub from gabor papp on Vimeo.

Conceptual Music Video

Digital artist Andrew Huang created a music video titled "Doll Face". It is a beautiful conceptual piece that is also visually stunning. This video can be shown to students to discuss the role of concept in an artwork.

Iconongraphy Development

From Felix Sockwell's website:


Felix Sockwell is a high end identity designer and illustrator. His icons are simple, clean, and brilliant! When I teach students about designing logos, I like to show them the process of evolution an icon design can go through, and the truly endless possibilities.

Felix Sockwell on Drawger - Mr. Sockwell designed the New York Times GUI for a new iPhone application. This page shows his process - a fantastic resource to share with your students!

Felix Sockwell's Professional Website - He shares so many great examples of his work here. Just be cautious, not all of the work is appropriate for students.

'Desconstructing Dumbo' - A fun exploration of the Republican party icon, the elephant.

The Art of Pixar's UP

In my opinion, Pixar Animation Studios is the gold standard for computer animated films. Every film is better than the previous one, and the movie 'UP' was no exception. Amazingly talented artists work to conceptualize the design of the characters, backdrops, and sets. One such artist, Lou Romano, posted concept art for 'UP' on his blog. Use this resource to show students what goes on behind the scenes artistically to create a movie as visually stunning as 'UP'.

From Lou Romano's blog:

Siggraph 2009 - Emerging Technologies

For those who aren't familiar, ACM Siggraph is a member-based organization who's mission is "...to promote the generation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques." Every year they hold a large scale conference. It is happening this week in New Orleans. I've attended quite a few of these conferences, and while it can be overwhelming, there are some really fascinating things to see. I recommend attending at least once if you're interested in Digital Arts.

One of the best experiences at the conference is the Emerging Technologies exhibit. People from all over the world share innovative technology they've developed. As a digital arts educator, I am inspired by new technologies for creating art. Check out some of the projects here.

If you're interested in knowing more about the ACM Siggraph organization, and how you can get involved, they have a special committee for educators. You can learn more here.

Amazing Stop Motion Animation

Produced by an art student at Savanah College of Art and Design, this is a truly inspiring example of stop motion animation. Watch the behind the scenes video to see how it was created using computer drawings and projections.

DEADLINE - post-it stop motion



DEADLINE - the making of

Educational Video Sharing Sites

Two great YouTube alternative sites for student and teacher video sharing:

SchoolTube

TeacherTube