Process

I frequently get asked about the process and the programs that we use to make Post-Nup. So I’ve summarized our process into the following eight steps: (more…)

mixing photographs and drawings

I’ve always been interested in combining animation with live action or photography. The problem that I always face is how  to prevent the contrast from being jarring, as with Sit Down, Shut Up (below) where the background photography is very distinctive from the animation. (more…)

[DIY TV] Background Check

This is a post in an ongoing series where we share the process behind our show. Check out the other DIY posts here and here.

For the majority of my life, I disliked animation and was certain I would become an architect. One of the reasons I didn’t like animation was because I found the design of so much popular animation to be ugly. Although The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park are brilliantly written. I still have a difficult time watching them because of the design—particularly the garish and flat use of color. When designing Post-Nup, I was determined to make it more visually complex and so I drew on my interest in design and architecture that predated my interest in animation.

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The DIY TV Series: Character Design

Many of you know that PostNup is written, illustrated, animated, performed, published, and marketed by two people working out of a small office in Berkeley, CA. With the exception of audio editing/processing, we do everything.

Our goal is to create a wildly successful animated show on a tiny budget.  We’re making do-it-yourself television, and we’re learning as we go.

This is the first of many posts where we share our process with you.  Our hope is that other people who are thinking of making something like Post-Nup will benefit from hearing about our experience.   We also hope that our fans find our daily trial-and-error interesting!

In today’s post, Katharine will share the evolution of our character design.

Realistic Beginnings

My illustration background is rooted in realistic drawings, not cartoons.  This is why Gaby and Omar started out looking very realistic.  I wanted to capture their personalities and expression first; I figured we’d make them cartoony later.

Both Sandeep and I had a fairly clear vision of Omar from the very beginning of this process, which is why he actually started fairly close to his final design.  Gaby was a different story entirely; we were totally lost with her!

Getting Cartoony

The next step was to make the characters more cartoony.  I had some fun with this and tried making them look like birds (don’t ask me why) or like characters out of the film Coraline (particularly the woman with the cat on the top left). ...Read More 

Disney Keeps 2D Alive

I have been looking forward to The Princess and the Frog for months, but not for any real expectation of cinematic greatness. Instead I wanted Disney to prove that 2D animation is still viable in the world of 3D animation. And prove it they did. However, only in 2004 it looked like Disney had given up on 2D animation altogether when it shut down their 2D studios in favor of 3D. Following the acquisition of Pixar, they reopened the studios to make The Princess and the Frog. Instead of pandering to what they believe modern audiences want (as they have been with film after film about cute lost dogs) they returned to what they do best—retelling fairytales.

This is not to say that they didn’t have an eye on modern sensibilities. This was not the traditional Frog Prince. It was the princess and the frog where the “Princess,” Tiana, kisses a frog, Prince Naveen, and instead of the frog prince turning into a human, she turns into a frog. It is clever and in keeping with modern sensibilities influenced by the success of Shrek where fairy tale stereotypes are turned on their head.

But the film, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker of Aladdin and Little Mermaid fame, does retain much that Disney is loved for—a magic-filled world, catchy musical numbers, love triumphing evil, and a nasty villain who will stop at nothing to separate the protagonists. Although it includes all of these things, the strength of this film relies on its lush visuals of jazz-filled New Orleans and ...Read More