In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection... more In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection mapping techniques, two students discovered a way of creating apparent motion without using a camera, film stock or a screen. Originally christened the Diasynchronoscope, in acknowledgement of the rich ancestry of pre-cinematic devices of wonder, the D-Scope technique involves positioning real objects in a blacked-out acoustic space and illuminating them precisely and sequentially; in effect animating through attention. After some years of refinement, the D-Scope immersive system now carries a registered trademark in the UK. It is an innovative medium, still in its infancy that draws on tropes from animation, film and Gestalt grouping principles to create animation freed from the screen. This paper argues that the technique reveals some new ideas about Apparent Motion when it is experienced and perceived on an environmental scale and not framed by a screen.
A user-friendly, highly illustrated book that teaches from a practical, technique-orientated stan... more A user-friendly, highly illustrated book that teaches from a practical, technique-orientated stance, with only a minimal amount of code typing needed. Gives pre-written code modules to help users create interactive animated characters and commercial websites and offers the techniques needed to make your own 3D games.
PREFACE
“These three fields require a high degree of collaboration with
artists, producers, sto... more PREFACE
“These three fields require a high degree of collaboration with
artists, producers, story editors, directors, programmers, and
any number of other people in both the executive and creative
ends of the business.This is most emphatically true for animation
and games. Depending on the project, you will receive
notes and feedback from any variety of people. In animation,
from story editor, producers, more producers, the producer’s
pet sitter, maybe a toy executive—whoever is allowed to have a
say. In comics, primarily the editor, but your artist must feel
that he or she is an integral part of a team, not a hired hand.
In games, you might get feedback from anyone on the design
team—publisher, producer, designers, programmers, animators,
and so on.”
Christy Marx, in the preface of her book Writing for Animation,
Comics and Games, pg. xix.
We open our book of proceedings with the words of Christy Marx,
mainly because CONFIA 2013 - International Conference on
Illustration and Animation aims to be synonymous with plurality,
multiplicity and interdisciplinarity. Our teamwork and above all
our passion are ever present in CONFIA’s areas of focus: illustration
and animation.
We started with the need to build critical mass around the subjects
we research and teach in our educational institution - graphic
design, illustration and animation in graduate and postgraduate
programs - and today, we are proud to present another edition of
CONFIA. It is very important that this opportunity serve as a moment
for reflection and questioning, as it is not possible to understand
illustration and animation in a contemporary world without
thinking of the strong growth experienced by both fields in recent
years. Their ability to adapt everyday to new visual languages,
mainly due to the constant pressure exerted by constant technological
developments, is also a key factor. Both illustration and
animation have been showing strong signs of being autonomous,
inside the broader areas of art and technology. We therefore believe that these two collaborative subjects have shown that
there is a wide space for discussion and a vast field for research
practice. Indeed, this international conference represents a meeting
point for researchers from around the world, with speakers
from all continents joining us this year. As we write these words,
we are already certain that the second edition of CONFIA will be
successful for two reasons: first, the high quality of the papers we
received, and second, the multiplicity of activities carried out by
the authors in the present edition.
The conference features a wide range of specialists, lecturers,
researchers and illustration and animation artists, who are often
active in both theory and practice, which makes the debate and
the quality of proposals richer. We go from theory to practice and
then return to theory. This translates into the 45 selected papers
in this publication, covering a variety of broad subjects such as
drawing/illustration, animation and art theory. The content discusses
specific areas of knowledge including traditional drawing,
contemporary drawing, graphic illustration, information graphics,
editorial illustration, illustration for children, character design,
comics & graphic novels, scientific Illustration, 2D and 3D animation,
animation for video games, character animation, animation
for virtual and augmented reality, animation in interactive media,
motion graphics, sound and animation, linear storytelling, creative
writing, visual culture, interactive storytelling, narrative and
non-narrative animation illustration and animation pedagogy and
authorship in animation and illustration.
In such a diverse context, we are pleased to have as guest
keynote speakers Professor Paul Wells of Loughborough University,
director of the Animation Academy, and Professor Martin
Salisbury of Anglia Ruskin University, with extensive research
experience in animation and illustration, respectively - which
strengthens the link between research and practice in the resulting
academic debate.
So with the mission of discussing these issues, challenges, opportunities
and trends related to everything from tradition to the
constant new developments and applications, the overall objectives
for the conference were achieved and now lie in the readers’
hands: to present new ideas, new technological developments that
fulfill the requirements of the market and practical,
state-of-the-art solutions; to provide guidance for further research
and development; and to strengthen the bridge between research
and practice.
Welcome to CONFIA 2013
Paula Tavares and Pedro Mota Teixeira
Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Portugal
The D-Scope® is an audio-visual apparatus which creates a system of apparent motion using concret... more The D-Scope® is an audio-visual apparatus which creates a system of apparent motion using concrete physical objects lit sequentially. It is, in short, a new medium for creating screen-less animation. According to dictionary definitions, cinematic ontology requires an 'image system' which we take to mean a recording lens for creating an image and a screen for reshowing that image. The D-Scope does not deal in images. It deals with real and concrete objects and their position in space/time. The way we see these objects, and perceive them in apparent motion is fundamental to the D-Scope, because animation occurs without an intervening lens or a framing screen. As a new medium, the D-Scope offers a unique visualization of human perception of the 'seen' real object and for the 'unseen' liminal time and space in which that object is perceived.
Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network, 2016
In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection... more In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection mapping techniques, two students discovered a way of creating apparent motion without using a camera, film stock or a screen. Originally christened the Diasynchronoscope, in acknowledgement of the rich ancestry of pre-cinematic devices of wonder, the D-Scope technique involves positioning real objects in a blacked-out acoustic space and illuminating them precisely and sequentially; in effect animating through attention. After some years of refinement, the D-Scope immersive system now carries a registered trademark in the UK. It is an innovative medium, still in its infancy that draws on tropes from animation, film and Gestalt grouping principles to create animation freed from the screen. This paper argues that the technique reveals some new ideas about Apparent Motion when it is experienced and perceived on an environmental scale and not framed by a screen.
In his book: "The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin", the Sufi Mystic Idries ... more In his book: "The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin", the Sufi Mystic Idries Shah tells this tale of the varlet Nasrudin: Time and time again Nasrudin passed from Persia to Greece on a donkey. Each time he had two panniers of straw and trudged back without them. Every time the guards turned out his panniers looking for contraband, but they never found any: "What are you carrying, Nasrudin?" They asked. "I am a smuggler", he replied. Years later, when prosperous, Nasrudin moved to Egypt and one of the customs officers met him there: "Tell me, now that you are out of the jurisdiction of Greece and Persia, living here in such luxury, what was it the you were smuggling when we could never catch you?" "Donkeys", Nasrudin replied. (Shah, 1968) The screen is a paradox in that it is can be defined both as a device on which narratives are displayed and also as a screen for something, a concealer. Like the donkey in the story, its fu...
The Diasynchronoscope system choreographs time in space by taking time-based techniques from anim... more The Diasynchronoscope system choreographs time in space by taking time-based techniques from animation and converting them to the spatial. This novel technique has been called the ‘diasynchronic’ technique and the system; the ‘Diasynchronoscope’. The system draws on tropes from audiovisiology, animation and Gestalt grouping to create replicable, embodied perception of concrete objects moving precisely synchronized with sound, but unmediated by lens or screen. Through discussion of a recent artwork ‘Stylus’ (exhibited at Music Tech and Goldsmiths, University of London), we interrogate the Diasynchronoscope as an emergent new medium. We examine some key formalisms and boundaries of the medium and suggest that certain tropes inherent to creating a replicable embodied experience offer a unique insight to ideas of synthesizing sound and vision in the round. The focus of this paper is on how ideas in audiovisiology have informed the genesis of the Diasynchronoscope and, in turn, how forma...
ABSTRACT The Diasynchronoscope is a prototypical, experimental medium that draws on tropes from a... more ABSTRACT The Diasynchronoscope is a prototypical, experimental medium that draws on tropes from animation and Gestalt grouping principles to create the perception of apparent motion using concrete objects. In short, it is a way of animating without a screen. Through documentation and discussion of selected artistic case studies we interrogate the Diasynchronoscope as an emergent new animation medium. Each realized artwork reveals more formalisms and boundaries inherent to creating affective screenless animation. The focus of this paper is how traditional animation informs the Diasynchronoscope and, in turn, how formalisms developed in the Diasynchronoscope may inform current animation practice. The Diasynchronoscope system choreographs time in space by taking time-based techniques from animation and converting them to the spatial. This novel technique has been called the ‘diasynchronic’ technique and the system; the ‘Diasynchronoscope’.
Make sure you benefit from the explosion of new and exciting applications designed to let you cre... more Make sure you benefit from the explosion of new and exciting applications designed to let you create 3D animation for the web. See how you can use the power of 3ds max, Flash and Director to make your 3D fame or project a reality for the internet as well as learning generic skills allowing you to use many applications.< br>< br> Ideal if you are a web designer with little or no 3D experience and need an overview of how 3D could transform your work and how best to put it online, or if you are a 3D animator wanting to produce work for the web ...
Examination of perception tends to look at senses in isolation, but Neuroaesthetics and Gestalt d... more Examination of perception tends to look at senses in isolation, but Neuroaesthetics and Gestalt design principles treat perception as an embodied synaesthetic experience. The Diasynchronoscope project takes time-based techniques from animation and converts them to spatiality, animating static objects through projected light and creating transient visual cues that, when combined with sound, demand selective attention. The work challenges the use of passive nouns to describe participants such as ‘user’ or ‘audience’ or ‘viewer’ and instead asks participants to recognise their true position to be that of ‘exegete’, reading and interpreting the gaps in space and time. Their interaction with the work provides narrative meaning transcending the static and hidden, to create a Gestalt systemic whole, making each participant a truly immersed co-creator. Using audience analysis, the paper evaluates the work against more traditional media such as screen-based visuals and makes the case for fur...
Bolt plays with the interchangeability between the human and the mechanical and explores our perc... more Bolt plays with the interchangeability between the human and the mechanical and explores our perception of movement. When dropped from above, the hanging athlete’s legs leap into unpredictable life and defy Euclidean theory. Bolt is a surprising object, an outlier and object of wonder. In this way it mimics its eponymous inspiration, Usain Bolt. When Bolt is in motion, it recalls the sequential photography of Etienne-Jules Marey and Eadweard Muybridge, photography that changed our understanding of how we perceive motion. Another strong influence on the artwork was Marcel Duchamp’s 1913-14 work; Three Standard Stoppages. Duchamp regarded this piece of ‘canned chance’ where a 3 metre-long threads fall one metre to create a new distorted shape for 3 rulers as his most important work:
In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection... more In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection mapping techniques, two students discovered a way of creating apparent motion without using a camera, film stock or a screen. Originally christened the Diasynchronoscope, in acknowledgement of the rich ancestry of pre-cinematic devices of wonder, the D-Scope technique involves positioning real objects in a blacked-out acoustic space and illuminating them precisely and sequentially; in effect animating through attention. After some years of refinement, the D-Scope immersive system now carries a registered trademark in the UK. It is an innovative medium, still in its infancy that draws on tropes from animation, film and Gestalt grouping principles to create animation freed from the screen. This paper argues that the technique reveals some new ideas about Apparent Motion when it is experienced and perceived on an environmental scale and not framed by a screen.
A user-friendly, highly illustrated book that teaches from a practical, technique-orientated stan... more A user-friendly, highly illustrated book that teaches from a practical, technique-orientated stance, with only a minimal amount of code typing needed. Gives pre-written code modules to help users create interactive animated characters and commercial websites and offers the techniques needed to make your own 3D games.
PREFACE
“These three fields require a high degree of collaboration with
artists, producers, sto... more PREFACE
“These three fields require a high degree of collaboration with
artists, producers, story editors, directors, programmers, and
any number of other people in both the executive and creative
ends of the business.This is most emphatically true for animation
and games. Depending on the project, you will receive
notes and feedback from any variety of people. In animation,
from story editor, producers, more producers, the producer’s
pet sitter, maybe a toy executive—whoever is allowed to have a
say. In comics, primarily the editor, but your artist must feel
that he or she is an integral part of a team, not a hired hand.
In games, you might get feedback from anyone on the design
team—publisher, producer, designers, programmers, animators,
and so on.”
Christy Marx, in the preface of her book Writing for Animation,
Comics and Games, pg. xix.
We open our book of proceedings with the words of Christy Marx,
mainly because CONFIA 2013 - International Conference on
Illustration and Animation aims to be synonymous with plurality,
multiplicity and interdisciplinarity. Our teamwork and above all
our passion are ever present in CONFIA’s areas of focus: illustration
and animation.
We started with the need to build critical mass around the subjects
we research and teach in our educational institution - graphic
design, illustration and animation in graduate and postgraduate
programs - and today, we are proud to present another edition of
CONFIA. It is very important that this opportunity serve as a moment
for reflection and questioning, as it is not possible to understand
illustration and animation in a contemporary world without
thinking of the strong growth experienced by both fields in recent
years. Their ability to adapt everyday to new visual languages,
mainly due to the constant pressure exerted by constant technological
developments, is also a key factor. Both illustration and
animation have been showing strong signs of being autonomous,
inside the broader areas of art and technology. We therefore believe that these two collaborative subjects have shown that
there is a wide space for discussion and a vast field for research
practice. Indeed, this international conference represents a meeting
point for researchers from around the world, with speakers
from all continents joining us this year. As we write these words,
we are already certain that the second edition of CONFIA will be
successful for two reasons: first, the high quality of the papers we
received, and second, the multiplicity of activities carried out by
the authors in the present edition.
The conference features a wide range of specialists, lecturers,
researchers and illustration and animation artists, who are often
active in both theory and practice, which makes the debate and
the quality of proposals richer. We go from theory to practice and
then return to theory. This translates into the 45 selected papers
in this publication, covering a variety of broad subjects such as
drawing/illustration, animation and art theory. The content discusses
specific areas of knowledge including traditional drawing,
contemporary drawing, graphic illustration, information graphics,
editorial illustration, illustration for children, character design,
comics & graphic novels, scientific Illustration, 2D and 3D animation,
animation for video games, character animation, animation
for virtual and augmented reality, animation in interactive media,
motion graphics, sound and animation, linear storytelling, creative
writing, visual culture, interactive storytelling, narrative and
non-narrative animation illustration and animation pedagogy and
authorship in animation and illustration.
In such a diverse context, we are pleased to have as guest
keynote speakers Professor Paul Wells of Loughborough University,
director of the Animation Academy, and Professor Martin
Salisbury of Anglia Ruskin University, with extensive research
experience in animation and illustration, respectively - which
strengthens the link between research and practice in the resulting
academic debate.
So with the mission of discussing these issues, challenges, opportunities
and trends related to everything from tradition to the
constant new developments and applications, the overall objectives
for the conference were achieved and now lie in the readers’
hands: to present new ideas, new technological developments that
fulfill the requirements of the market and practical,
state-of-the-art solutions; to provide guidance for further research
and development; and to strengthen the bridge between research
and practice.
Welcome to CONFIA 2013
Paula Tavares and Pedro Mota Teixeira
Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Portugal
The D-Scope® is an audio-visual apparatus which creates a system of apparent motion using concret... more The D-Scope® is an audio-visual apparatus which creates a system of apparent motion using concrete physical objects lit sequentially. It is, in short, a new medium for creating screen-less animation. According to dictionary definitions, cinematic ontology requires an 'image system' which we take to mean a recording lens for creating an image and a screen for reshowing that image. The D-Scope does not deal in images. It deals with real and concrete objects and their position in space/time. The way we see these objects, and perceive them in apparent motion is fundamental to the D-Scope, because animation occurs without an intervening lens or a framing screen. As a new medium, the D-Scope offers a unique visualization of human perception of the 'seen' real object and for the 'unseen' liminal time and space in which that object is perceived.
Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network, 2016
In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection... more In 2011, through combining practical research into animation and kinetics with digital projection mapping techniques, two students discovered a way of creating apparent motion without using a camera, film stock or a screen. Originally christened the Diasynchronoscope, in acknowledgement of the rich ancestry of pre-cinematic devices of wonder, the D-Scope technique involves positioning real objects in a blacked-out acoustic space and illuminating them precisely and sequentially; in effect animating through attention. After some years of refinement, the D-Scope immersive system now carries a registered trademark in the UK. It is an innovative medium, still in its infancy that draws on tropes from animation, film and Gestalt grouping principles to create animation freed from the screen. This paper argues that the technique reveals some new ideas about Apparent Motion when it is experienced and perceived on an environmental scale and not framed by a screen.
In his book: "The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin", the Sufi Mystic Idries ... more In his book: "The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin", the Sufi Mystic Idries Shah tells this tale of the varlet Nasrudin: Time and time again Nasrudin passed from Persia to Greece on a donkey. Each time he had two panniers of straw and trudged back without them. Every time the guards turned out his panniers looking for contraband, but they never found any: "What are you carrying, Nasrudin?" They asked. "I am a smuggler", he replied. Years later, when prosperous, Nasrudin moved to Egypt and one of the customs officers met him there: "Tell me, now that you are out of the jurisdiction of Greece and Persia, living here in such luxury, what was it the you were smuggling when we could never catch you?" "Donkeys", Nasrudin replied. (Shah, 1968) The screen is a paradox in that it is can be defined both as a device on which narratives are displayed and also as a screen for something, a concealer. Like the donkey in the story, its fu...
The Diasynchronoscope system choreographs time in space by taking time-based techniques from anim... more The Diasynchronoscope system choreographs time in space by taking time-based techniques from animation and converting them to the spatial. This novel technique has been called the ‘diasynchronic’ technique and the system; the ‘Diasynchronoscope’. The system draws on tropes from audiovisiology, animation and Gestalt grouping to create replicable, embodied perception of concrete objects moving precisely synchronized with sound, but unmediated by lens or screen. Through discussion of a recent artwork ‘Stylus’ (exhibited at Music Tech and Goldsmiths, University of London), we interrogate the Diasynchronoscope as an emergent new medium. We examine some key formalisms and boundaries of the medium and suggest that certain tropes inherent to creating a replicable embodied experience offer a unique insight to ideas of synthesizing sound and vision in the round. The focus of this paper is on how ideas in audiovisiology have informed the genesis of the Diasynchronoscope and, in turn, how forma...
ABSTRACT The Diasynchronoscope is a prototypical, experimental medium that draws on tropes from a... more ABSTRACT The Diasynchronoscope is a prototypical, experimental medium that draws on tropes from animation and Gestalt grouping principles to create the perception of apparent motion using concrete objects. In short, it is a way of animating without a screen. Through documentation and discussion of selected artistic case studies we interrogate the Diasynchronoscope as an emergent new animation medium. Each realized artwork reveals more formalisms and boundaries inherent to creating affective screenless animation. The focus of this paper is how traditional animation informs the Diasynchronoscope and, in turn, how formalisms developed in the Diasynchronoscope may inform current animation practice. The Diasynchronoscope system choreographs time in space by taking time-based techniques from animation and converting them to the spatial. This novel technique has been called the ‘diasynchronic’ technique and the system; the ‘Diasynchronoscope’.
Make sure you benefit from the explosion of new and exciting applications designed to let you cre... more Make sure you benefit from the explosion of new and exciting applications designed to let you create 3D animation for the web. See how you can use the power of 3ds max, Flash and Director to make your 3D fame or project a reality for the internet as well as learning generic skills allowing you to use many applications.< br>< br> Ideal if you are a web designer with little or no 3D experience and need an overview of how 3D could transform your work and how best to put it online, or if you are a 3D animator wanting to produce work for the web ...
Examination of perception tends to look at senses in isolation, but Neuroaesthetics and Gestalt d... more Examination of perception tends to look at senses in isolation, but Neuroaesthetics and Gestalt design principles treat perception as an embodied synaesthetic experience. The Diasynchronoscope project takes time-based techniques from animation and converts them to spatiality, animating static objects through projected light and creating transient visual cues that, when combined with sound, demand selective attention. The work challenges the use of passive nouns to describe participants such as ‘user’ or ‘audience’ or ‘viewer’ and instead asks participants to recognise their true position to be that of ‘exegete’, reading and interpreting the gaps in space and time. Their interaction with the work provides narrative meaning transcending the static and hidden, to create a Gestalt systemic whole, making each participant a truly immersed co-creator. Using audience analysis, the paper evaluates the work against more traditional media such as screen-based visuals and makes the case for fur...
Bolt plays with the interchangeability between the human and the mechanical and explores our perc... more Bolt plays with the interchangeability between the human and the mechanical and explores our perception of movement. When dropped from above, the hanging athlete’s legs leap into unpredictable life and defy Euclidean theory. Bolt is a surprising object, an outlier and object of wonder. In this way it mimics its eponymous inspiration, Usain Bolt. When Bolt is in motion, it recalls the sequential photography of Etienne-Jules Marey and Eadweard Muybridge, photography that changed our understanding of how we perceive motion. Another strong influence on the artwork was Marcel Duchamp’s 1913-14 work; Three Standard Stoppages. Duchamp regarded this piece of ‘canned chance’ where a 3 metre-long threads fall one metre to create a new distorted shape for 3 rulers as his most important work:
Uploads
“These three fields require a high degree of collaboration with
artists, producers, story editors, directors, programmers, and
any number of other people in both the executive and creative
ends of the business.This is most emphatically true for animation
and games. Depending on the project, you will receive
notes and feedback from any variety of people. In animation,
from story editor, producers, more producers, the producer’s
pet sitter, maybe a toy executive—whoever is allowed to have a
say. In comics, primarily the editor, but your artist must feel
that he or she is an integral part of a team, not a hired hand.
In games, you might get feedback from anyone on the design
team—publisher, producer, designers, programmers, animators,
and so on.”
Christy Marx, in the preface of her book Writing for Animation,
Comics and Games, pg. xix.
We open our book of proceedings with the words of Christy Marx,
mainly because CONFIA 2013 - International Conference on
Illustration and Animation aims to be synonymous with plurality,
multiplicity and interdisciplinarity. Our teamwork and above all
our passion are ever present in CONFIA’s areas of focus: illustration
and animation.
We started with the need to build critical mass around the subjects
we research and teach in our educational institution - graphic
design, illustration and animation in graduate and postgraduate
programs - and today, we are proud to present another edition of
CONFIA. It is very important that this opportunity serve as a moment
for reflection and questioning, as it is not possible to understand
illustration and animation in a contemporary world without
thinking of the strong growth experienced by both fields in recent
years. Their ability to adapt everyday to new visual languages,
mainly due to the constant pressure exerted by constant technological
developments, is also a key factor. Both illustration and
animation have been showing strong signs of being autonomous,
inside the broader areas of art and technology. We therefore believe that these two collaborative subjects have shown that
there is a wide space for discussion and a vast field for research
practice. Indeed, this international conference represents a meeting
point for researchers from around the world, with speakers
from all continents joining us this year. As we write these words,
we are already certain that the second edition of CONFIA will be
successful for two reasons: first, the high quality of the papers we
received, and second, the multiplicity of activities carried out by
the authors in the present edition.
The conference features a wide range of specialists, lecturers,
researchers and illustration and animation artists, who are often
active in both theory and practice, which makes the debate and
the quality of proposals richer. We go from theory to practice and
then return to theory. This translates into the 45 selected papers
in this publication, covering a variety of broad subjects such as
drawing/illustration, animation and art theory. The content discusses
specific areas of knowledge including traditional drawing,
contemporary drawing, graphic illustration, information graphics,
editorial illustration, illustration for children, character design,
comics & graphic novels, scientific Illustration, 2D and 3D animation,
animation for video games, character animation, animation
for virtual and augmented reality, animation in interactive media,
motion graphics, sound and animation, linear storytelling, creative
writing, visual culture, interactive storytelling, narrative and
non-narrative animation illustration and animation pedagogy and
authorship in animation and illustration.
In such a diverse context, we are pleased to have as guest
keynote speakers Professor Paul Wells of Loughborough University,
director of the Animation Academy, and Professor Martin
Salisbury of Anglia Ruskin University, with extensive research
experience in animation and illustration, respectively - which
strengthens the link between research and practice in the resulting
academic debate.
So with the mission of discussing these issues, challenges, opportunities
and trends related to everything from tradition to the
constant new developments and applications, the overall objectives
for the conference were achieved and now lie in the readers’
hands: to present new ideas, new technological developments that
fulfill the requirements of the market and practical,
state-of-the-art solutions; to provide guidance for further research
and development; and to strengthen the bridge between research
and practice.
Welcome to CONFIA 2013
Paula Tavares and Pedro Mota Teixeira
Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Portugal
“These three fields require a high degree of collaboration with
artists, producers, story editors, directors, programmers, and
any number of other people in both the executive and creative
ends of the business.This is most emphatically true for animation
and games. Depending on the project, you will receive
notes and feedback from any variety of people. In animation,
from story editor, producers, more producers, the producer’s
pet sitter, maybe a toy executive—whoever is allowed to have a
say. In comics, primarily the editor, but your artist must feel
that he or she is an integral part of a team, not a hired hand.
In games, you might get feedback from anyone on the design
team—publisher, producer, designers, programmers, animators,
and so on.”
Christy Marx, in the preface of her book Writing for Animation,
Comics and Games, pg. xix.
We open our book of proceedings with the words of Christy Marx,
mainly because CONFIA 2013 - International Conference on
Illustration and Animation aims to be synonymous with plurality,
multiplicity and interdisciplinarity. Our teamwork and above all
our passion are ever present in CONFIA’s areas of focus: illustration
and animation.
We started with the need to build critical mass around the subjects
we research and teach in our educational institution - graphic
design, illustration and animation in graduate and postgraduate
programs - and today, we are proud to present another edition of
CONFIA. It is very important that this opportunity serve as a moment
for reflection and questioning, as it is not possible to understand
illustration and animation in a contemporary world without
thinking of the strong growth experienced by both fields in recent
years. Their ability to adapt everyday to new visual languages,
mainly due to the constant pressure exerted by constant technological
developments, is also a key factor. Both illustration and
animation have been showing strong signs of being autonomous,
inside the broader areas of art and technology. We therefore believe that these two collaborative subjects have shown that
there is a wide space for discussion and a vast field for research
practice. Indeed, this international conference represents a meeting
point for researchers from around the world, with speakers
from all continents joining us this year. As we write these words,
we are already certain that the second edition of CONFIA will be
successful for two reasons: first, the high quality of the papers we
received, and second, the multiplicity of activities carried out by
the authors in the present edition.
The conference features a wide range of specialists, lecturers,
researchers and illustration and animation artists, who are often
active in both theory and practice, which makes the debate and
the quality of proposals richer. We go from theory to practice and
then return to theory. This translates into the 45 selected papers
in this publication, covering a variety of broad subjects such as
drawing/illustration, animation and art theory. The content discusses
specific areas of knowledge including traditional drawing,
contemporary drawing, graphic illustration, information graphics,
editorial illustration, illustration for children, character design,
comics & graphic novels, scientific Illustration, 2D and 3D animation,
animation for video games, character animation, animation
for virtual and augmented reality, animation in interactive media,
motion graphics, sound and animation, linear storytelling, creative
writing, visual culture, interactive storytelling, narrative and
non-narrative animation illustration and animation pedagogy and
authorship in animation and illustration.
In such a diverse context, we are pleased to have as guest
keynote speakers Professor Paul Wells of Loughborough University,
director of the Animation Academy, and Professor Martin
Salisbury of Anglia Ruskin University, with extensive research
experience in animation and illustration, respectively - which
strengthens the link between research and practice in the resulting
academic debate.
So with the mission of discussing these issues, challenges, opportunities
and trends related to everything from tradition to the
constant new developments and applications, the overall objectives
for the conference were achieved and now lie in the readers’
hands: to present new ideas, new technological developments that
fulfill the requirements of the market and practical,
state-of-the-art solutions; to provide guidance for further research
and development; and to strengthen the bridge between research
and practice.
Welcome to CONFIA 2013
Paula Tavares and Pedro Mota Teixeira
Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Portugal