Animating Fall

I love fall. Cooler weather is invigorating.  The changing colors of the leaves can be spectacular but it is the way the leaves fall that most intrigues me. I am fascinated by their apparent surrender as they travel to the ground with so much variation and grace.

My mother loved these lines from Cyrano de Bergerac: 

CYRANO: The autumn leaves! Ay, see how brave they fall, In their last journey downward from the bough, To rot within the clay; yet, lovely still, Hiding the horror of the last decay, With all the wayward grace of careless flight!

Mission Accomplished: The Big Draw 2017 Living LInes

Saturday afternoon, October 14, the Academy Center of the Arts in Lynchburg, VA hosted a Big Draw17 Living Lines event. I knew I was going to have a good time and was thrilled when we had a full house with kids and adults making art and animation and loving it. I am most indebted to the Academy Center of the Arts for sponsoring this program.


As a family event, it was very exciting to have so many adults actively participating. I had not realized we were one of only three Big Draw happenings in the US this year. Time is running out, but it's not too late for you to register for a Big Draw event at your school, museum, art space, park during the month of October.

Why was this such a memorable event for me? 
I learned a lot and have a whole new set of art and animation activities to add my workshop tool box. I feel much less dependent on iPads (still love them of course) as a vehicle into the world of animation.  iMotion (see below) will play a prominent role I suspect. Using it allows kids to draw with familiar tools but still make animated video files while learning the basics.
Read on to see the flow of our Big Draw afternoon at the Academy.

Learning to be an Animator

I am very excited to be in the final prep for The Big Draw: Living Lines tomorrow afternoon at the Academy Center of the Arts here in Lynchburg, VA. I have wanted to participate in this wonderful event for years, but when the focus was animation and Living Lines this year, I had to jump. I am most indebted to Kelly Posenaur and the Academy for the green light. Delightfully this is a free family event, everyone gets in on the fun.