animation – Sophie Kaars Sijpesteijn

Project update

It’s been exactly a year since I made my last post, and since then a lot has happened. I’ve now updated my website to include 3 new projects. Click the links for more information about each project!

In the beginning of 2020, in April, I made a film called ‘A Birthday in Times of Corona’ ( watch and read about it here: https://sophieks.com/portfolio/birthday/). It was tongue-in-cheek stop-motion project where I showed how I make facemasks to the music of the Tielmann Brothers. It was also part of a larger project where I made, together with my mother, over 100 facemasks for friends, family, and acquaintances. The selfies where people proudly displayed their masks were all collected and a selection of them were published in a little booklet.

Bon Voyage was the next project. A collaboration between me and my mother, based on a giant leporello designed by my mother. This one I had started in 2019, and I finally completed it shortly after Containment Now, in September. It had already been shown at an exhibition in Gouda, but in November 2020 it was shown in its completed form at the Haagse Kunstkring in ‘We zien wel waar het schip strandt’. You can read more about it here: https://sophieks.com/portfolio/bon-voyage/

And finally, the last update: the Zero-Covid posters. I made a series of six posters together with Thijs Vissia, again related to the subject of COVID-19 and the Dutch government’s strategy. These posters were shared by different organisations, all with the unified of goal of spreading awareness for a zero-covid strategy – keeping infections down to as low as possible (zero or almost zero), a strategy that is better for public health as well as for the economy. (successful examples are New Zealand and Korea) Read more about it here as well as the links where you can find free downloads of the posters: https://sophieks.com/portfolio/zero-covid-posters/

16/04/202124/06/2021 by sophiekaars Categories: animation, graphic design, motion graphicsTags: activism, animation, covid-19, graphic design, motion graphics, stop motion, traditional animation, zero covid Leave a comment

Making facemasks

So Corona hit. It’s taken me a month to adjust to this new, terrifying reality. Not only was I scared, I was also furious. So I’ve been making face masks, partly as a form of therapy, partly as a form of rebellion. I’ve been sending these to my friends, and to whoever asks me for one, usually on the condition of that they send me a photograph of them wearing it (the photo is kept private of course). They’re made out of fabrics my mother collected all throughout my childhood. A lot of them are Nigerian, some are English, and most of them come from the famous Vlisco factory in Helmond.

It was my grandmother’s birthday today. So I made her one as well, and I made an animation out of the entire process. The animation turned out so well, that I’m making it a portfolio piece!

And here we are. Stay safe and wear your mask.

(PS: I added Oma to my projects. You can see it here.)

One more edit: in my tiredness writing up this post I forgot to mention that I used a pattern made by Tiana from www.tianascloset.com! You can find it here, and make your own: http://tianascloset.com/index.php/2020/03/20/a-super-easy-face-mask-pattern/

11/04/202012/04/2020 by sophiekaars Categories: animation, sewingTags: animation, coronacrisis, coronavirus, facemasks, sewing, stop motion, Vlisco Leave a comment

Working on Breccies

Work has been very busy, which has caused me to move the Rube Goldberg back. I always realise when I’m working on it how intensive it is, and because I have to learn so much along the way, it always makes me second-guess when it will finally be finished!

But, I still very much feel the need to work on projects in my free time, so I’ve chosen to work on a more classic 2d film that I expect will be finished much faster. I also very much need a fresh look at the Rube Goldbery, so taking this break will only be helpful (I hope).

In any case, the 2D film is called Breccies, and is a return to form for me – as it relies on classic animation techniques, together with all the new knowledge and experience I have gained in working in motion graphics. The film is based on a giant leporello (over 8 meters long now!) that is currently being made by Marianne Kaars, my mother who is also a fine artist, and with whom I have wanted to collaborate with for a very long time, on account of our style and themes being very similar. (I included a link to her website in her name, so you can take a look for yourself)

Here is a sample from her work: