SAND ALPHABET I. RESEARCH - IMAGES, FONTS & TOOLS
SAND ALPHABET II. BUILD LASER CUT STENCIL FILES
SAND ALPHABET III. IMAGE EXPLORATION, EXPOSURE STRIP & TEST ANIMATION
SAND ALPHABET IV. FIVE PANEL PITCH
SAND ALPHABET I. RESEARCH - IMAGES, FONTS & TOOLS
For the Sand Alphabet Assignment you will be working with an assigned letter from the alphabet. Your job will be to create an animation in sand, beginning with your assigned letter and then morphing that letter into an object, and/or scene that begins with that letter. Finally, you will close the scene with text on screen that describes the subject of your animation. The entire animation should be about 8 seconds.
One twist in this assignment is that you will be using laser cut templates to gradually animate onto screen an image of your assigned letter in a chosen font. At the end of the piece you will use a similar technique to display the word which describes the subject of your animation.
For instance. . . If you are assigned the letter "W", and chose to animate a wasp. You would begin with the letter "W" on the screen in a particularly waspy sort of font. You would then transition into and animated wasp. Finally, you would close the scene with the word "wasp".
Reading Note: If you haven't already, you will want to read Animating The Sandy Studio (pp.86-91 in Fluid Frames) for a brief introduction on what kinds of tools are most effective in sand animation.
Workflow:
1. Brainstorm for Possible Subjects: Make a list of all the possibilities of subjects that begin with (or are associated with) your assigned letter and choose your two strongest candidates for further exploration.
- 2 Possible Subjects.
2. Find Reference Images: Search for multiple reference images for both of your subject options. Look for strong silhouettes that are readable even without detail. Then choose three of your best images for each subject.
- 3 Reference Images for each subject.
3. Research Fonts: Research fonts and choose two that you think would best correspond with each subject. Font choices should be upper case and range between stylistically reserved and flamboyant. Go to the Adobe Fonts website for a wide selection of available fonts. Be sure to login with your @cmich.edu email to access your account. Once downloaded to your project, you can add fonts to your Adobe Library.
- 2 Font choices for each subject.
4. Unique Tools for Animating Sand: Spend some time looking for tools that will give you a unique imprint or mark in the sand that can support the subject of your animation. This could be anything from a special feather, a rigid utensil with a unique edge, or even textured fabrics. Hand-cut stencils can result in interesting silhouettes. Take a photo of each tool.
- 1 Unique Sand Tool for each subject.
5. Compose Images & Post to Discord: Compose two seperate posts to Discord #sand-animation-alphabet to get feedback from the class, one for each subject. Each post should include the following:
- Title: "W is for Wasp"
- Reference Images: x3
- Font Options: x2
- Unique Tool: 1 photo
6. Bring Images, Fonts & Tools to Class: You will need these to explore your image targets.
SAND ALPHABET II. BUILD LASER CUT STENCIL FILES
Now that you have a font for your assigned letter and a subject for your animation, we can create stencils with the laser cutter that will give you clear, readable letters to set up and finish your sand animation.
A. Customize Laser-cut Sand Template:
1. Download 327_alphabetTemplate.ai file and import your new font into the adobe font library.
2. Open the Layers panel and customize the Font in the LC Template 1 - Font group. Select the Change Letter and Font layer. Use the "Text" tool (cmd T) to type directly in the text field and select the font you loaded in the properties panel. Be sure to keep the scale and placement consistent with the original template.
3. Use the Create Outline function in Illustrator to prepare your new letter for the laser cutter. Watch this tutorial video on Preparing Fonts for the Laser before you begin.
4. Next you'll want to change the text in the text template to in the LC Template 2 - Text group. Select the Change Text layer. Use the "Text" tool (cmd T) to type your descriptive word directly in the text field.
Since you are NOT changing the font, your letters won't need the Create Ouline function.
B. Rename and Upload Template Ai Files:
Rename your customized template file with your name and a descriptor: simpsonB_alphabet_Wasp.ai and upload it to the Basecamp/327 Dropbox/Sand Alphabet/1. Alphabet Template folder.
C. Laser-cut Templates: Wait on this step unless you are a certified on the Laser cutter.
Use your customized Alphabet_Template.ai file to laser-cut both a Font Template and a Text Template out of .030mm chipboard. Be sure to follow the demo steps and safety protocol closely.
SAND ALPHABET III. IMAGE EXPLORATION, EXPOSURE STRIP & TEST ANIMATION
A. Set up a New Dragonframe Project:
If you haven't already, set up a Sand Alphabet Project on your portable hardrive.
Open a new Dragonframe Project at 12 FPS in the DF_folder on your portable hardrive.
Before jumping into animate, I suggest you spend some time with your new tools to explore how images respond to the sand and what kind of motion strategy you'll need to complete the assignment.
B. Image Exploration
Play: Spend some time in the sand experimenting with different ways to represent your target image. At some point, I suggest you put away your reference images and start taking suggestions from the sand.
Each time you discover an interesting option, capture a "Test Image" for your archives. You'll find that sand can be a powerful medium for still imagery.
You may want to upload one of your reference images as a Dragonframe Media Layer and work the sand diretly on top of the image. Watch the Dragonframe Tutorial on Media Layers here.
C. Exposure Strip: Once you have a sand image that resembles how your final target might appear on the screen (lighting, texture, value, silhuoette, etc.), take a series of test images altering your exposure from dark to light. Click on image below for a closer look.
1. Set up for Exposure Strip: Set framing, check focus, and adjust shutter speed until you have what you consider a perfect exposure.
2. Journel Notes: Record exposure settings, lighting and material notes in your journal.
Exposure Settings: ISO, Shutterspeed, & White Balance.
Lighting Notes: Write down any of the lighting variable that can ultimately effect the exposure of your image.
- Ambient Light: What is the ambiant light situation in the room?
- Light Box intensity: What is the position of the varible light setting on the side of the light box?
- Alternate light sources: Are you using any top lights? If so, what are their intensity and tempature settings, and physical position in proximity to the lightbox?
Sand Properties: If you are using a variation of sand color, size of grain, etc. This is a good place to record that information.
3. Shoot an Exposure Strip: Shoot a series of seven test images following the instructions below.
Roll the shutter speed to the left by one full stop (from 30 to 15 in the example below).
Expose a single test image for every increment to the right with until you exceed your orginal exposure by one full stop (Seven test exposures total, ending on 60 in the example above).
4. Preview Exposure Strip Images: You can access your test images by browsing directly to your Dragonframe project folder.
- Browse to your test images in Adobe in Bridge.
- Use the spacebar/arrows to preview your images full screen to determine your final exposure settings.
- Record your final decision in your Animation Journal.
D. Test Animation: You may want to bwgin this step by drawing simple thumbnail sketches in your journel to plot out your motion.
From there, spend some time recording motion sketches with sand in Dragonframe.
Each Motion test can be a seperate "Take" in Dragonframe. Export movies of each Take.
E. Post Test Images and Test Movies to Discord.
Before you begin your final animation, take some time to think about applying everything you've learned in Image Exploration and Test Animation. Then create five sequential thumbnail sketches that stake out a path for your animation.
A. Download Thumbnail Template and Tools:
Go to the JSL Story App Template and Tools Page to for everything you need to go from thumbnails to pitchable panels in Adobe Bridge. If you don't have the template, you can download a 6 Panel Thumbnail Page below with Save Image as. . . .
B. Workflow:
Thumbnails are not meant to be refined illustrations but they should be well-composed and easy to read. Typically I start with quick sketches until I find something I like. I take a break and return later to clean up my drawing with a fresh eye, knowing that others will need to read my drawings for a successful pit.
C. Panel Breakdown:
Panel 1. Start with a sketch of your assigned letter, decently composed in the center of the frame.
Panels 2 & 3.Take the next two panels draw how your letter transforms.
Panel 4. The forth panel should be your final target image.
Panel 5. Goes to a white screen.
Plus 1. Add a sixth image with your descriptive text.
D. Submit to 327 Basecamp:
Rename your Panels folder, compress it into a .zip file, and submit it to 327 Dropbox/Alphabet/Five Panel Pitch.
Naming: simpsonB_alphabetPitch_Wasp.zip
A. Open the same Dragonframe Project from your Image Exploration and Exposure Strip.
Reopen your Alphabet Dragonframe Project from the Sand Alphabet Project on your portable hardrive.
Watch the Dragonframe Tutorial on Guide Layers here.
From the Animation Window in Dragonframe, click and hover in the camera frame and a menu interface should appear. Go to Composition Guides and set your aspect Ratio to 4:3. Make sure your other settings are at zero.
Then set the opacity slider in the lower left of the frame to about 50%.
B. Download, Import, and Scale Framing Guide Image.
Download 327_sandAlphabet_frameGuide - 4:3 Reg.png (or 327_sandAlphabet_frameGuide - 4:3 Oversize.png) and save it in your Sand Alphabet Project under Templates on your portable hardrive.
Select the Filmstrip icon and click the plus sign to import a Media Layer. Click on Load Image.
Adjust the image scale to approx. 25%
. . . or to whatever scale lines up your 4:3 Film Frame border on the frameGuide with the 4:3 Composition Guides. You can also click on the image to position it in the center of your frame.
Adjust the opacity slider in the Media Layer to about 30%.
C. Set up Font and Text Templates.
Place the Font Stencil onto the light-box and adjust camera, exposure and focus to frame template to the 327_sandAlphabet_frameGuide.png.
Once aligned, secure the top of your template to the glass with painters tape.
Next, fit the plastic peg bar into the template slots and secure it to the glass with gaffers tape. Be careful to keep the gaffers tape out of the film frame.
D. Experiment with Sand, Templates, and a variety of Animation Tools.
Experiment with ways to animate text on and off screen using paintbrushes, drinking straws and strainers.
You are now ready to animate your for final sand animation.
Workflow:
A. Open Your Dragonframe Project and Start a New Take:
File/Open New Take. . . All your settings will transfer. Only the timeline will be cleared for a new shoot.
B. Import X-sheet Timings into Dragonframe:
Download the 327_sandAlphabet_xSheet.csv and import it into your Dragonframe scene. File/Import/x Sheet Data. . .
Notice the timing notes placed in the Notes Column. These timings are only a suggested starting point. Feel free to move them to accommodate your animation. Simply click on the text field and drag it to a new place on the X-Sheet.
C. Create a approx. 8 seconds of animation that in some way accentuates your letter:
The following steps are reflected in the X-sheet notes:
- Starting with a blank screen, slowly fade on the letter by sprinkling sand into the stencil.
- Animate something playful that accentuates your letter closing on a white or darkened screen.
- Finally, animate the Descriptive Text onto the screen
D. Clean up your work station:
- When you are finished scoop sand back into containers with small and broom and card stock.
- Put away any sand tools you've been using.
- Use a shop brush to clean up sand from entire work area including keyboard.
- Turn off Lightbox and leave Camera on Downshooter.
- If needed leave comments in the Workstation Check-sheet.
E. Add Audio and Make Adjustment in Premiere & Post File to 327 Basecamp Dropbox/Alphabet Final.
Naming: simpsonB_sandAlphabet_Wasp.mp4
Specs:
- 4:3 Aspect Ratio
- Animate in 1's @ 12 FPS
- 1920 x 1080 H264
- Approximatly 8 second
Stephan Leeper/Central Michigan University 2025
