Fuzzy finds an amplifier

animation frame by frame motion graphics Character design cartoon rubber hose Retro blender

Fuzzy finds an amplifier and trouble begins...

Fuzzy Finds an Amplifier
(PILOT)

Animation project of a character called Fuzzy. I've been drawing Fuzzy for a couple of years now and already made a quick storyboard for this animation quite a while ago. The problem for getting my hands dirty with the animation has been the lack of time and knowledge. I got the ideas but don't seem to find time to put them in action.

Prior to this work I had only limited experience in animation. Really basic stuff in AfterEffects and an introduction course to Cinema4D years ago. So I wasn't sure what the end result would be.

My goal was to gain confidence in working with 3D and Blender. However, I felt the character was more suited for 2D animation. The result is a mix of both worlds. The 2D animation of the character is also done in Blender using the traditional frame-by-frame technique. Although animating by drawing each frame is really time consuming I found it overall fun to do. This was also a great way to learn some of the fundamentals in animation. The Richard Williams' Animator's Survival Kit was a helpful tool I kept on the table during the process.

I also managed to grasp little bit of the 3D of Blender as the backdrops were all done 3D using Blender. Final animation is composed in AfterEffects with couple of stylistic tricks to emulate the old school rubber hose style of animation and hand drawn and colored cels.

I am happy how the end result turned out and I'm feeling confident to continue to experiment with Blender and this animation style. I have already got couple of ideas for follow up episodes and for those I am planning to incorporate more 3D elements.

Credits

Animation and art direction by Samu Salovaara
Music and sounds recorded and produced by Samu Salovaara and Jaakko Hietakangas

Technical guidance by Teemu Jäppinen
End credits typeface ZNVT23 by FOZNT

Stills