James Willan, an animator and motion designer, has developed a distinctive artistic approach blending analog techniques with contemporary digital tools. Starting from childhood, he produced stop-motion animations using clay and evolved to incorporate both 3D illustrations and 2D elements. His work embodies a playful yet dark aesthetic, influenced by his early exposure to Aardman Classics. The character-driven pieces are shaped by his emotions and personal interests, effectively merging themes of fun and melancholy while exploring varied mediums such as illustration, painting, and sculpture.
"My journey started from a young age making stop-motion clay animations using my phone... I would work with clay and then mix that with 2D elements."
"I've always admired the stop-motion and claymation style and the charm that comes with it, so when I'm creating digital work I try to emulate these themes from my stop-motion creations."
"Whatever I'm feeling at the time, I will try to put that feeling or memory into a piece, utilising the characters, scenes, and symbolism as a creative and emotive outlet."
"I feel as if watching this at a young age helped create this tone for me."
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