astrobot: moonflight

here in the midwest, we're a bit shut in.  it snowed a foot or so the other day and it was -15 with like 40mph wind.  i can't remember it being this cold here, and i think i'll stay in today too.  but then, i've been kinda doing that since christmas.  the cold makes it hard for me to work in the garage studio or in the foam city studio.  spray paint is a nightmare to use when it's cold (plus i can't open the door for ventilation), and cold fingers don't have the dexterity to cut detailed stencils.  and well, there's other things to do.  like making cartoons.

last year around this time i took on the task of animating and editing midwest existential.  this year i've upgraded my game with real animation software.  anime studio pro, which is based off of flash, has allowed me to completely reimagine what i can do with animation.  i can now take all of the characters i've created, and animate their stories in a way that allows me to layer and build and work with the media, much like i would if i were building an assemblage.  for several years i've been trying to find ways to combine all the different things i make into something more comprehensive.  anime studio has allowed me to take my prints, stencils, and ceramics and make them work together as a complete narrative idea.  in the past i've used every rudimentary technique i could imagine to make my images move.  now i can keep the look of the rudimentary layering and cut-out style animation, while making it work more smoothly and in as many layers and my brain can manage to keep track of.  here is my initial effort, 'astrobot: moon flight':