Inspired by my miniature dachshund's love of banana - Utilising stop motion animation and digital illustration in Procreate.
The brief was to explore transformation through animation. Rather than a simple A-to-B change, I wanted to make a loop that moved between analogue and digital, with some personality, and use it to build my animation skills.
My miniature dachshund is fiercely obsessed with bananas. That gave me a story, a banana being consumed, and a natural way to connect the transformation to a cycle. I chose a boil technique for the dog illustration, so the line work wobbles and feels alive against the more realistic footage.
I began with a rough storyboard to map out the sequence and loop before shooting anything.
I filmed the banana under artificial light on a phone tripod to keep the lighting and framing consistent from frame to frame. I chose newspaper as a background for visual interest and texture.
Timing was the main design focus. I held the first and last frames longer so the loop eases in and out, sped up the “vacuum” section where the banana is consumed, and let the boiling mouth grow gradually to build energy.
The final piece is a looping animation that combines live-action stop motion with a hand-drawn boiling dog. It taught me a lot about frame timing, planning a loop, and shooting for consistency, and it pushed me further into animation, which I’m keen to keep developing.
Inspired by two of my main loves - Felines and pastries.
I wanted to do a fully hand-drawn animation, but again in the theme of transformation.
I wanted it to feel like the cat was flowing/flying into shot, almost like liquid or air, before twisting, turning and finally curling into the shape of a cinnamon roll.
