Welcome to Active Art Animations

Your youngest daughter just graduated and wants to start a 3D animation studio business. However, she doesn’t have the capital required to start, and your older kids can’t help her out with the staggering economic recession. You’ve also checked your pension1savings and investments, and nothing seems to add up to the total amount she needs. You’ve seen her work and can attest to her prowess in the field, so this will be a fantastic investment. After failed attempts at getting the amount required, you suddenly get a light bulb moment – equity release. Equity release mortgage is a financial plan that offers you tax-free cash and allows you to continue living in your home till you pass on or move into residential care. To qualify for this incredible scheme, you only have to be 55 years and above, a UK resident, and own a home worth at least €70,000. Since you’re 60 and own a home in Edinburg, you only have to find out your estate’s worth since the estate market value keeps fluctuating. After some equity release advice from your financial advisor, and a visit from an independent surveyor, you discover that your home is worth €560,000. What’s the Equity Release Process? Well, now, you can start the equity release2 process and be closer to getting the cash to actualize your favourite daughter’s dream. The home equity release process is rigorous and offers you the opportunity to think through carefully about the plan. It involves several steps which vary from one equity release company to another. Nonetheless, the standard process involves: Selecting a financial advisor – Choosing a financial advisor is one of the most critical steps to take. Since you already have an advisor, you can go on to the second step. In case you don’t, you have

You have a small art display show in your gallery and are now looking forward to hosting the annual art show. However, you’ve received complaints of stuffiness and pet hair issues from some of your loyal clients. Since you don’t want to face the embarrassment during the major art event, you’re looking for ways to combat these issues. After reading through some articles, you discover the best vacuum cleaner for pets. However, since you don’t know anything about the types of vacuum cleaners, here’s a comprehensive guide to choosing pet vacuums. How to Choose the Best Pet Vacuum Cleaner When selecting the best vacuum cleaner to get rid of the pet hair issues in your studio, you need to consider these factors: The Type of Vacuum Cleaner You Need You need to be sure if you want an upright, canister, cordless or bagged vacuum cleaner. Upright vacuum cleaners, for instance, are perfect for large spaces, like your studio. What makes them the right fit is that you only have to push the vacuum in front and don’t have to bend down to clean. They also have the best turbo brushes. Bagged vacuum cleaners, on the other hand, capture all the dust in a disposable bag. The hoovers also feature larger capacities, so there’s less maintenance and contact with dust. However, you’ll have to purchase replacements frequently. Your Budgetary Options You might also want to consider your financial situation. How much can you afford to buy a vacuum cleaner? According to most experts, buying a pet hair vacuum cleaner would cost anywhere between $50 and $1000. Cordless vacuum cleaners tend to be more costly, particularly if you want one with exemplary battery life. Extra-Mini Tools You also need to consider the extra tools or accessories that come with vacuum cleaners. These

What are collector fairs/shows and what do I need to know? Collector shows are basically antique fairs which showcase collectable items. Collectables are deemed to be items made within the last 100 years (as opposed to antiques). Most of the shows I know of seem to have a mix between vintage and newer pieces. You may find some really special old and rare items, or have an opportunity to pick up that recent comic book or limited edition figure you may have missed the first time round. The shows consist of numerous stands of 50-500+ dealers selling everything from comic books, Disney Classics, X-Files, Star Wars, Simpsons, Felix, Bonzo, vintage character china, animation art (of course!), etc. It’s like visiting hundreds of terrific stores all located within the same place. I think that these shows are really terrific and offer collectors a great way to see what’s out there, meet other collectors, and find great stuff! There can also be special apperances by X-Files stars, or film and TV celebrities. There are a few wonderful fairs in England, and you may contact me in New York if you would like details of the ones I attend and think are relevant to animation. Rules of Thumb 1) There is usually a nominal charge of a few quid, which isn’t bad for a whole day of entertainment! There are sometimes gift bags of items worth the price of admission which are handed out upon entrance. 2) Get there early! These shows get crowded, so show up early for the best selection. Also, some shows have early admission for an extra charge. If you’re a serious collector, I recommend getting there early. 3) Bring cash. Some dealers may accept credit cards or cheques, but cash is king. It also increases your odds for

Whether you are developing an app or working on a business presentation — you might want to spice things up with some animations. Animations can help you create a flow, they can create progress, emphasize or soften changes, catch the eye, and cause delight.Animations are great, but you need to know how to use them, otherwise they are just annoying. In this guide I will try to explain how to create a simple animations that never fails. Rule #1: Do not throw in childish animations I’ve seen too many dumb animations being used by good speakers.Dumb animations are easy to recognise: they do not have a consistent direction, they do not contribute to the flow of the presentation (or app) and usually we (the audience or the users) just want them to end. The fact that there are so many animation types is a trap because most of these types are not recommended. Rule #2: Select a simple movement direction and stick with it Select a direction to your software animation (or slides transitions) and stick with it for the entire show. Here’s an example of 3 elements flying in from the bottom of the screen. This is a classic animation that can be used in presentations or in your app (i.e. a toast flying in from the bottom of the screen with a short status update). Rule #3: Create a tiny delay between each animation You can spice things up by adding a very short delay between the animation of each element. I’m talking about a really short delay, something like 0.15 seconds delay. IMPORTANT: Do not wait to begin the second animation AFTER the first element finished, start animating the second element few milliseconds after the first element already started to move. Example: Element 1: enters in 0

If you’re thinking about a career in animation, you’ve probably done some animating. Maybe you’ve always doodled on a flipbook. Or you might have grown up with a computer animation program. In any case, you have a pretty good idea of what is animation, or you wouldn’t be thinking about making it your career! But, no matter what animating you’ve done, you’ve probably only used one of the 5 basic types of animation. For example, your flipbook animations are an example of 2D animation, or traditional animation. The work you’ve done on a computer is probably and example of 3D or computer animation. 5 BASIC TYPES OF ANIMATION Here’s a quick look at 5 types of animation to help you have a better idea of the possibilities for a career in animation. Traditional 2D Animation – One of the older forms of animation, every frame of a traditional animation sequence is created by hand, similar to what you did with with flipbooks. Back in the day, animators used a process called onion skinning. Working on a light table, animators could see previous drawings through the paper so they could draw the next frame in the sequence. Today, even traditional animation is created using a computer. Disney’s classic animated films and the old Bugs Bunny cartoons are examples of traditional animation. 2D Vector-Based Animation – In addition to aiding in the process of traditional animation, computer technology makes it possible to create 2D vector-based animations. In addition to frame-by-frame animation, 2D vector-based animation technology gives animators the option to create ‘rigs’ for a character. This allows the animator to move individual body parts, instead of redrawing the entire character for each frame. Computer Animation – While 2D vector-based animations are created with computer, computer animation refers to 3D animations. Today, 3D animation is the most common

Hey, Which Witch is Which? (what the heck should I collect and how should I get started)?! 1) Think about what you like and what your collecting goals are. Who do I want to collect? I don’t think that one should limit oneself, but it’s not a bad idea to have a think about where your collection is going. You can pick studio (Disney), character types (Villains), or movies (Snow White). Or, you can just have fun, and collect any character or pose that takes your fancy! What type of art do I want to collect? Original- cels, drawings, reproduction- limited editions, sericels, etc. Understand what you are collecting first, and it will save disappointments later. 2) Educate yourself to the differences about different kinds of art. As I’ve said before, it’s very confusing in the beginning. Know the difference between original and reproduction art. Know the differences between key master, master, production, hand painted, and colour reproduction backgrounds. Know the differences between vintage, feature, short, television, and commercial animation. Be wary of adjectives such as “mint” and “rare”, they mean different things to different people. Mint has a different meaning for a Snow White cel (1937) than a Little Mermaid cel (1989). Also, “rare” is a Snow White cel from 1937, “rare” is not a sold-out limited edition that was made within the last 10 years. 3) Shop around a little bit for prices. Don’t think so much in terms of “will this be a good investment?”, as much as “is this good value for money?”. Prices vary, and you should expect them to. Galleries get their art from different sources, and the prices are usually never the same for vintage pieces, even for similar pieces. Prices should be similar for newer art – Simpsons, limited editions, sericels, Batman,

Short and compelling animated videos can easily explain concepts, products, and services by breaking them down into simple and attractive motion visuals. Animated explainers are also particularly useful for sharing ideas in a world with short attention spans and a craving for flashy images and content. 1. Brief & Research Every marketing video starts with a conversation about an idea. Our team of researchers talks with you to learn as much about your product, service, or issue as possible. The process of research also evaluates the market to figure out the best method for putting out the right message in the best way for your brand. 2. Script & Concept The script is a crucial element in creating a killer explainer video. Before a single image is even put into motion for the explainer video, we talk to you to plan the concept. Our video production creative team puts their heads together for nailing the right concept which is then fleshed out into a full script. The key is to present the message in the simplest, most comprehensive manner to your target audience. 3. Mood Board & Storyboard We will send you several mood boards (a type of collage consisting of images intended to project a particular style or concept) and sketch out a storyboard that shows how the script will play out – scene by scene. 4. Style & Illustrations Next we will send you 2-3 custom, full-color visuals that will give you an accurate idea of what the finished video will look like. Depending on your video, this may include text, characters, backgrounds, icons and more. After you sign off, we will create the full story with the final visuals. This process includes the design of all the characters and the environments in the animated explainer video. 5. Voice Over