Base14

Earlier this year I was in a motion media theory class where, for a final project, I decided to examine the way that digital tools are designed to emulate old-fashioned physical tools. For example, Microsoft Word is a typewriter emulator. iTunes is a jukebox emulator. Skype is a telephone emulator, etc.

So I set my sights on Adobe Photoshop, which is an emulator of a darkroom and an art table, and ended up with the above video art piece. You can view the YouTube page for the full description and theory discussion, but just to summarize, I used a combination live-action video and stop motion animation to simulate Photoshop occurring in the physical world. Whereas the digital usually imitates the physical, by inverting the process I call attention to its strengths and weakness as a user interface design methodology.

Heavy stuff, huh? Well, if you don’t like all the theory you can just watch it and laugh at how funny looking Windows 95 is by today’s standards. Haha! Look at that copy of Norton.

Sorry everyone, but it turns out that I am very bad at maintaining a life/blog balance. I have been so busy working on cool things that I forgot to share them with you!

Since Tyler has started to release character designs, I can finally post pictures of my favorite new ring.  Based on a character from The Girl and the Fox, this clay figurine is a loveable little scamp that is sure to charm his way into your heart and attract attention. Seriously, what’s better than having a little snow fox friend with you all day?

What do you think? Want to see him for sale on Base14 merch?

Now that we’re finally wrapping up our eight-month-long production of The Girl and the Fox I can start leaking some more tantalizing details of just what the new film is all about. First off, I’d like you all to meet our main protagonist: Ilona [ee-loh-nah]. She is a nine-year-old girl who lives with her parents and siblings in a cold, lush forested region. Ilona takes after her mother in appearance, but after her father in fervor and tenacity. Having been brought up as the daughter of fur trappers, she is unafraid to brave the dangers of the wilderness alone. But as we’ll see, it can sometimes lead to trouble.

Here are the two main model sheets our animators and painters used during production:

Ilona’s character design was inspired by a number of sources, most notably Alysha’s concept designs for her fashion line this year, but also by the work of the Australian artist Ghost Patrol. The original idea and story was driven by this theme of children and woodland creatures in cold weather, with a flair of mystical qualities interwoven throughout. Her clothing and features had to be a perfect balance of an old-fashioned hunter/trader society while still making it apparent she was a girl, especially with that hood on for most the time. The tiny skirt helps a lot.

The design style also is an evolution of some of the elements used in Duck Heart Teslacoil, specifically the simplistic facial features, such as black dot eyes and single-line mouth. Much of this was adapted to keep the character design simple, since we needed to make it easier for a larger pool of animators to draw her. Still, Ilona can show a wide range of emotions and poses. She was certainly the most difficult character I’ve ever had to design for a film, but I’ve been happy with the results and hopefully our audiences will be, too.

Every year Purdue University has a juried exhibition Westwood, the President’s home. Out of the 34 pieces on display this year, three were mine. Last Tuesday I got to attend a reception where I took pictures. Pictured here is “Overlooked.” Also on display were the “I Like Bike” shirt and a weaving. I am incredibly appreciative that Purdue has such fantastic opportunities for young artists to display and sell their works. This is the first long-term exhibition that I’ve gotten to be a part of and hopefully there are many more to come.

Here at Base14 we like to celebrate the holidays just as much as everybody else, and what film better commemorates the spirit of of Valentine’s Day than our own Duck Heart Teslacoil? I mean, it’s got the heart right there in the title! So in honor of Valentine’s and to officially launch our newest merchandising subsidiary, Base14 Greetings, I am proud to present the official Duck Heart Teslacoil Valentine’s Day Greeting Card! Absolutely free! Just follow these six simple steps:

1. Download the .pdf file.
2. Print page no. 1 on a letter-sized sheet of paper.
3. Print page no. 2 on the reverse side of the same sheet.
4. Cut out the greeting card along the indicated crop lines.
5. Fold the card along its spine.
6. Give it to someone special!

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!

I can’t help it, I have to give in to my feminine instincts every once in a while. So in honor of the holiday that celebrates everything girly and eeewy gewy cutesy in this world, I give you the ‘kissy kiss’ necklace. That’s right! What is more absolutely precious than these two little cherubicly plump figures smooching on a necklace? (Except for maybe this.) Either way, there’s no debate about it. This one’s a keeper.

All the charms were handmade and hand-painted by yours truly, as per usual. You might be asking, “Where can I buy it?” And your answer is: You can buy it in a beautiful dream world where I have enough time to mass produce these gorgeous pieces instead of memorizing the differences between various types of togas.

There is something so absolutely charming about textiles. They seem the have endless possibilities and yet their tactile qualities make them so easy to relate to and enjoy. Yet as much as I admire the art form, I still have a lot to learn.

My most recent piece is an attempt to further familiarize myself with applique and embroidery. I have recently been fascinated with topography so I based this piece off of aerial views of Indiana. I hand dyed all of the fabrics to achieve color consistency and pattern diversity. I attempted to build up multiple layers through the combination of applique and reverse applique techniques. I accented the piece with charming emroidery stitches that reminisce of a sweet and simple rural life. (See closeup)