Last year, I was invited to design a third Brabantsedag poster. The previous two, like most of my work over the past 13 years, had been co-created through collaboration. But this time, due to circumstances, I found myself flying solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those same circumstances also left me feeling completely lost. I was still working my way out of a depression that was fogging my creativity and my confidence. It left me questioning myself: \u201cWhat is my solo art style? Can I still create something on my own that feels complete?\u201d <\/em> It had become hard to see beyond a blank piece of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In search of direction, I looked back at what had always been my two big passions: animation and traditional ink painting. Having rarely combined the two in the past, I began to explore ways to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I started doodling ideas for the poster, I found myself imagining a moving version. Something that could carry the \u2018Carnaval Unmasked\u2019 story further. I pictured an animated sculpture made of ink paintings that would set a theatrical mood. I wanted to give Brabantsedag something a little extra, a living poster that would enhance the online campaign and reflect the festival\u2019s spirit, while also giving myself room to experiment with my passions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, the look this would result in was a perfect fit for this year\u2019s theme. Together with the Brabantsedag PR team, we decided to embrace the bold black-and-white aesthetic – sucking out the explosive colors usually tied to carnaval to present it in a more theatrical way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I filled a stack of blank papers with black and grey ink. I learned enough Blender to build a digital paper sculpture from the scans. Once the components were in place, I could easily animate them and frame a variety of shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I started seeing the rendered results, I gained a little more confidence. They evoked a feeling that I could create some pretty cool stuff this way. But also something new<\/em> and genuinely me<\/em>. It brought me another step closer to finding my way out of depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n