About This Project
My name is Sura Karnawi, my Journey into Painting Animation My exploration of painting animation began during the creation of Unleaving, a video game ( supported by Telefilm Canada since 2021). Over the course of that project, I created thousands of paintings and conducted more than 22,000 scans to animate landscapes and background scenes. Yet 90% of those paintings never made it into the final production, they were part of an extensive research process that led me to discover something profound. When I started experimenting with glass and capturing a floating leaf trail against a blank background, extracting frames and seamlessly integrating them into the game to create breathing shapes and sequences, I realized I had stumbled upon a medium that felt like magic!! I fell in love with it.
When I worked on Unleaving, I noticed that there was a lacl of documentation on the process of creating hand painted animation.
I'm also a software engineer, so I decided to create a website to share my knowledge and help others learn about painting animation. I'm not an expert in painting animation, I'm willing to share my knowledge with others.
This site exists to:
- Consolidate research on painting animation techniques and materials
- Share hands-on discoveries from my own experiments and learning
- Feature interviews with practicing painting animators
- Provide accessible resources for anyone interested in the medium
- Document the emotional and technical aspects of this art form
I've learned so much from the painting animation community—from generous artists who shared their knowledge, from mentors who guided my process, and from the few resources that do exist. This website is my way of giving back and ensuring that others don't face the same barriers I encountered.
Whether you're a beginner curious about the medium or an experienced artist looking for technical insights, I hope you find something valuable here. This is an evolving resource, growing as I continue to learn and experiment.