We launched Spruce Harper last summer, excited to share our comedy ideas while exploring a medium that was completely new to us; animation. While we knew animation is a lot of work, we let that work get away from us a little bit. Vacations, other artistic projects (that involved extensive travel and postproduction), and the general responsibilities of life slowed us down after our first batch of shorts, but we came into 2024 resolved to make more animated comedy, just as we have been planning to since early last year. In addition to documenting our artistic process and learning experiences, I am starting this blog to hold us accountable, and to keep us on tracking for making more animated shorts in 2024. Starting this month, we intend to release one short per month for the rest of the year, even if said short is only 15 seconds long. As for the blog, I plan to post weekly on our progress.
So what's on the docket for March of 2024? The second episode of our surreal slice-of-life micro sitcom, Trout Woman. As I write this, all voiceover and sound design has been recorded, edited, and processed. Patrick has finished the storyboard and background art. The remaining process will be to scan this art, and bring in into photoshop to be digitally traced and colored. A nice thing about our workflow is that the model for the character of Trout Woman, having already been draw and rigged in Adobe Character Animator, is infinitely reusable. A second character still needs designed, drawn, and rigged for the scene, which I hope to have done this weekend.
Staying creative and finding ways to keep the dream alive in the ten years following my graduation from acting school has been tough. But Spruce Harper is letting my explore even my most bizarre ideas, and I will chase that rabbit as far as it runs.