Painting animation explorations

Welcome to painting animation explorations!

What You'll Find Here

• Exploration of painting animation techniques and artists
• Documentation in painting animation, particularly for glass animation techniques
• A learning resource for beginners and advanced practitioners seeking hands-on, practical guidance
• Technical solutions to common challenges in lighting, capturing, and material selection
• Discoveries and resources gathered through extensive research, experimentation, and collaboration with master animators, including interviews
• Examples of interactive painting animation samples I created

Painting animation is a technique where an artist creates animation by manipulating paint on a surface—typically glass—photographing each incremental change to create sequential frames. Unlike cel animation or digital animation, painting animation captures the actual transformation of paint, preserving brushstrokes, texture, and the organic quality of the medium.

The magic lies in the transformation: one painting literally becomes another through the artist's hand. This creates a dreamlike, fluid quality impossible to achieve through other animation methods.

Types of Painting Animation

1. Frame-by-Frame Transformation

• Definition: Paint is continuously transformed from one image to another, photographed at each stage
• Characteristics: Fluid, dreamlike transitions; preserves all intermediate states
• Application: Emotional storytelling, abstract narratives, morphing sequences
• Example: My Inception project's fetus-to-heart transformation sequence

2. Stop Motion (Replacement Method)

• Definition: Paint is partially or completely replaced between frames
• Characteristics: More control over specific imagery; can maintain consistent forms
• Application: Narrative animation, character-based stories
• Example: Segments in Loving Vincent where paintings were recreated for each frame

3. Multi-Layer Glass Sandwich

• Definition: Multiple glass panes stacked with different elements painted on each layer
• Characteristics: Creates depth, parallax effects, and dimensional complexity
• Application: Complex scenes requiring foreground/background separation
• Example: Aleksandr Petrov's work in The Old Man and the Sea; my experiments with 3D ear and heart objects

4. Time Lapse

• Definition: Continuous painting process captured at intervals
• Characteristics: Shows artistic process; meta-narrative about creation
• Application: Behind-the-scenes content, process documentation
• Example: Setup and painting demonstrations

5. Hybrid/Mixed Media

• Definition: Combines painting animation with digital elements like cutouts or other techniques, including interactive gaming software
• Characteristics: Expands creative possibilities while maintaining painted aesthetic
• Application: Interactive experiences, games, installation art
• Example: Unleaving and Inception projects combining painted frames with Unity engine