My name is Belle Eyres and I am a London-based Illustrator/Animation Filmmaker. During my studies at Kingston University I have been most interested in the development of experimenting with a variety of methods and techniques within these inter-linked disciplines. With Illustration my focus is generating ideas and stories through drawing, character design, storyboarding and the use of concept art, aiding the visualisation of my final outcomes. My exploration of animation was a natural step forward towards story-telling; bringing personality and movement to my character drawings.

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At present, one of my main influences comes from photographer Martin Parr. Parr captures effortless images of communities within British culture in satirical circumstances - I feel my work takes this approach similarly. I aim to focus on people’s ideosyncrasies and mundane situations found in everyday life which others may not be drawn to or acknowledge. I record these observations onto paper, digital form, or through stop motion. Having more than one method to record my ideas is what I admire about animation as the creative journey towards my final outcome can vary.

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I’m currently producing comical short films based on my own personal character research, using quick mark-making to study people’s mannerisms and expressions. The aim of my work is for people to feel amused and see the beauty in the everyday, viewing certain behavioural patterns in a new light, or simply being able to relate to a particular situation I have highlighted within my work.

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Hand drawing is an important aspect to my practice. Visually, my style conjures up notions of naivety and playfulness, which I feel assists the type of storytelling I like to showcase. In one of my short films, “Lido Daze” this is most effective. I like the unrefined, roughness of the pencil lines I used in my frames. Each one is slightly different because of the marks that I had made exaggerating the flow and movement of the film. I feel that the aesthetic of my drawing style interlinks with the playful storylines I am trying to communicate.

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In another short film I created called ‘ORCAS’ I chose to work with claymation. I felt a 3D form gave a better representation of the whale and was also a more successful medium in communicating the feeling of the whales being in captivity. I enjoyed the playfulness of the puppets and getting the message across using everyday objects. This process influenced my interest in model-making and puppetry. The naivety of my aesthetic within this piece worked differently to that of, “Lido Daze” in that it evoked a sense of innocence and even sadness in relation to the message being put across.

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During my degree I have explored a number of disciplines and techniques and I am excited to work on many more animated projects in a directorial role, look into more model-making, background art and 2D/stop motion animation in the future.