Introducing.... Frankie Swan

We are delighted to announce that Frankie Swan our most recent 'Pod' signing,  has launched his first commercial campaign as Animation Director! Frankie's fresh design and 2D charm  is much loved in the industry,  so we wanted to bring you more on the man behind the art...

PP: Hi Frankie, let's start with how you got into Animation. When did you know it was for you?
FS: I initially did a BA course in Graphic Design at the London College of Communication, during my final year I decided to experiment with 2D hand drawn animation and I instantly fell in love with the process. I wanted to learn more about animation so I did a post-graduate course in Character Animation at Central Saint Martins. This course gave me the tools I needed to pursue a career as an animator. Being paid to draw was a dream I had as a child so I am glad I am now living it! 

PP: How would you describe your style? How did it evolve?
FS: Working as an animator has hugely influenced my approach to character design and my style has naturally developed over time working on many different projects.  Whenever I design characters I am always thinking about how I would animate them in 2D, so naturally I try to strip out any unnecessary details that would make the animation too painstaking. I also try to consider the form of the character and how it may move in a 3D environment whilst also balancing this between making the character graphic and appealing. 

PP: Who has been the biggest influence in your career?
FS: Honestly I think my Dad has been the biggest influence on my career. From childhood he always supported my artistic development. When I was at school my teachers (esp maths teachers) used to write to my parents complaining about my lack of attention during class due to the fact I was always drawing cartoons in the back of my exercise books. Instead of berating about this, my dad took pleasure in seeing my imaginative creations. Strangely at one time my goal was to be a fitness instructor! Luckily my dad gently steered me into the right direction, which is why I’m doing what I’m doing now.  

PP: Is there a specific project you feel best sums up your style?
FS: I think my latest project for Dove best sums up my style. I feel my style is constantly evolving with every new drawing I make or project I undertake. So it is always my goal to have the most recent thing I do, be reflective of where I am at with my development as a director.

PP: What inspires you?

FS: So many things! It may be cheesy to say but my family is my biggest inspiration. A part of me is still that attention seeking little boy who wants to impress his parents with his latest drawings as if they would still stick them on the fridge or keep it forever in the loft! 

I am still inspired by the animated TV shows that gripped my fascination as child. Shows like Dragonball Z, Dexter's Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Ren & Stimpy, Sponge Bob SquarePants and Pokemon. 

I also still find these influences popping up in my mind as I try to animate something.

Computer games are a constant inspiration though I don’t get the opportunity to play them as much as I used to. Retro games like ‘Streets of Rage’, ‘Banjo and Kazooie’, ‘The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time’ to more modern titles like ‘The Last of US’or ‘Halo’heavily influence my ideas.  

    

I am also inspired by the ever-changing evolution of art and story telling within the animation/games industry. Things seem to move on at a rapid pace and I try to reflect this in my work. I like to think of my style as something loose or pliable ready to change and evolve with the environment. 

     

PP: Tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows! Well apart from close friends and family...
FS: I absolutely love food and will eat almost anything! In fact I regularly exercise only so that I am healthy enough to eat even more food. 

Nothing makes me happier than a brilliant gut filling meal like my Mum's meatball curry, in fact if it were feasible I would probably accept food as payment for work! Ah, my producer's are shaking their heads, I won't accept food as payment :)  

View Frankie's work here

Chesh goes to Pride Amsterdam

🌈🌈A couple of weekends ago it was Pride Amsterdam, and Wieden Kennedy Amsterdam held a special event called Superproud to auction artwork from artists around the globe and donate the proceeds to local LGBTQ charities. Our very own CHESH was part of that exhibition and went along so he could report back...🌈🌈

🌈How did you get selected to be in the Superproud Exhibition?

My work was actually submitted by a friend who I used to work with, as they heard that W&K Amsterdam were looking for LGBTQ+ artists to take part in an auction. My last exhibition in London was called Hey Tranny, featuring portraits of London's top Drag Queens, so my work definitely fits the bill.

🌈Describe this new work for Superproud.

These pieces named "London's a Drag" are part of a new series I have created. They are special to me as the brief of "my personal hero's" set by W+K, was a great starting point. This series was inspired by my love of London's Drag Scene.  The colourful looks and elegant/outrageous personas of these UK queens, truly make them my heroes.

🌈What was the vibe of the exhibition?

It was a very busy exhibition as it was located on the main canal in Amsterdam, there were many colourful characters buzzing around and the vibe was exciting as it was Pride weekend so a nice start to the weekend.

🌈How does Amsterdam Pride compare with London Pride?

It was a very different experience compared to London, mainly as the parade was on boats coming down the canal, so the views were amazing.  Everybody (like London) were very friendly and everybody was enjoying the sun, sights and sounds of Amazing Amsterdam. Maybe my new favorite city.

 







🌈What was your highlight of your visit?

The highlight of my weekend was exploring a new city and meet old friends and making new ones. 

To see Chesh's animation work visit his director's page at Picasso Pictures.

Making a Monster....

Motomichi is renown for his striking black and red monsters, but how do they start? We talked about his process for creating so many individually unique characters...

Picasso Pictures: How does a character start? Is it in your mind before you draw?


Motomichi: Yes, most of the time I have an image of how it's going to look especially the eyes or the mouth (teeth) but it doesn't necessary turn out the way I originally imagined. I start with red pen to sketch it out and go from there.

PP: Where do you get your inspiration from?
M: I normally get the inspiration from mythical or cryptozoolgical monster stories.

PP: What pens do you use? Does that effect the character?
M: I use "ZIG writer" markers.

PP: Do you ever discard a character if it starts to not turn out as you want, or do you commit to it no matter what?
M: I commit to it to finish and if I feel that I made a mistake I change the direction and adapt the mistake to it. Sometimes I leave it as is and come back to it days later to continue again. 

PP: Have you ever accidentally made an identical monster years later?
M: I actually draw same characters many times but they come out differently each time such as Water Horse, Mothman, Mongolian Death Worm, Yeti, Killer Otter etc.

PP: How many monsters have you designed in your career, approximately?
M: Ah, good question. I have never thought it... If I count the monster drawings I made maybe around thousand? 

PP: Do you creatively feel like you have more to creative?
M: Definitely!