Pups Log

The sizes of characters, props, etc. need to be appropriate for each scene. So I decided to make a "Distant view kayak." The silhouette has been deformed to match the character design. First, draw appropriate lines on the timber and cut it according to the plan. Secure the cut scraps in their original positions with tape. Then cut it on the side view. This will complete the rough shape. Use a plane, cutter, and sandpaper to shape the piece.

 Keep drilling every night, making something for the armature’s Jiggs.  Finally, I found a mass-produced ball joint jig. That was very simple.  Drilled 2.5mm holes in the 2-layer 2mm thick brass plates with a jig for correct drilling.   After drilling with a jig, one plate was tapped for a 3mm screw, and another plate drilling with a 3mm bit. Screwed both plates and drilled 3.5mm holes for the 6mn ball joint, and 5mm holes for the 8mm ball joint.  Cut them apart off with the band-saw and grind 4 corners.  Majored and cut a long thread bolt for armature size.  I forgot to make the neck part. That's why he doesn't have an upper shoulder body.  Look like he is Rodin’s “Thinker”  He might think something sitting on the band saw that had made him.  Now we can make an armature original size.  One bad thing happened a while ago when I tapped a brass block, my only 4mm tap was broken.  Need to get a new one sometime…

The factory manager, Shingo, is finally trying to make his own armature. And he has almost succeeded.   He has a huge head of ideas. He can look at ready-made products and modify them to make them more usable. Actually, he was one of the first students in my Qajaq building workshop. He probably didn't have much experience in kayaking before. But his curiosity quickly filled the gap, and he became a master of Qajaq building. I sometimes let him lead the workshops. That's why I got him involved in this stop-motion animation project. Yes, he is very dependable. His partner Sayaka is also involved in this project. She graduated from an art school and previously worked at a famous animation studio. You must be familiar with that studio's work. Yes, it's the one with the giant deer god in it. I left the design of the main character to her. She also completed Qajaq several years ago. And now She can do some rolls too. This project focuses on child kayaker. So, I'm excited ...

Due to the division of labor, the material for the characters gradually came together. When the things I imagine begin to materialize, they become real. The fact that the character I had drawn on paper now had volume and weight meant that the vessel was finally ready to breathe life into it. The very meaning of "Animate" is to give life.   We also did some "stop motion" testing with the armatures. In stop-motion animation, we can't use a technique called "in-between." We have to create one motion consistently from start to finish. This is called "straight ahead" as opposed to "in-between." This means that there are no frames that correspond to milestones, so animators are required to have very high levels of skill. For now, we tried shooting 24 frames, which is equivalent to 1 second.  After that, we removed the prop that supports the character, called the "tank." This was done using an automatic digital deletion funct...

 You got balls?  My friend asked me when we went to Caribou hunting, there were dangerous snow trails by the beach, and somebody needed to pass through there. I said  “Yeah, I got but small…” Anyway, I got small balls from China.  Will use 6mm balls for joints for the regular armature and 8mm balls for the bigger armature.  But they only sell joint plates for 6mm balls, that is why will make a joint plate for 8mm balls somehow. I cut a 2mm thick brass plate and drilled halls without jig. Every plate needs holes same place, but I can't make holes same place. Can't fit balls, joint not working.  Then I plan a design jig for the joint.  I draw on paper, it looks easy to make, but it is small and hard to make with metals.  Drilling holes, cutting, and filing brass plates all evening. A few evenings later, finally, I finished a jig. Jig for ball joint I can make 6mm and 8mm, one ball two ball joints.  6mm, 8mm ball joint, and jig. 

  Hi there, I am still working on the scale model Qajaq. Even though it is a scale model, the process is nearly identical to the full-scale Qajaq. Ribs and cockpit hoops are also formed by bending the materials. I boiled the rib material and bent it using a jig to scale. Of course, I made this jig as well. The fact that we have to make the props for the props ourselves is perhaps a big difference from CG animation. Yes, this is truly one of the best parts of making a Stop-motion animation for us. It's not hard to bend these thin pieces of wood, but the problem is that once bent it's difficult to install them onto the gunwales. My fingers seem too thick to move freely between the gunwales. Oh, just to be safe, it is better to chamfer the rib material. The cockpit hoop material is first boiled lightly, then wrapped around the "form". It is fixed with a stapler. Then boiled again and is drying now.  You may be thinking, "This cockpit hoop is too big, isn't it?...

  顔の原型を作っています。 これがなかなか難しいんですの。 何度も失敗を重ねて、漸く少しだけわいは君のキャラを掴めてきたような気がします。