Altering states are an ode to monochrome and minimalism
Although the current lockout has countless disadvantages, this self-induced phase of isolation has proven to be the perfect time for many creatives to start a new side job or revisit a long-lost personal project.
In the case of illustrator Tim Boelaars, he used Lockdown as an opportunity to work remotely on a new self-initiated animation project, Altered States. "I've been interested in animating my illustrations for some time. In the past, my work has been animated a few times, but I've never really had a role in the process," says Boelaars.
“I asked my friend Joe [Le Huquet], who is an animator, if he would be interested in working on a few pieces. I have already taken a few still pictures that I showed Joe. He loved the idea and we talked about how to set a direction for the series. "
The series of short animations features a minimalist illustration style and a distinctive monochrome color palette and is inspired by the titles and quotations of some of the two friends' favorite films, TV shows, songs and books.
One of the animations showing an open street scene from the rearview mirror of a car is a nod to Cormac McCarthy's classic novel The Road, while in another scene a burning car in the middle of an enlarged pupil points to Godspeed You, Black Emperor Lyric: "That The car is on fire and there is no driver behind the wheel. "
The process of bringing the animations to life was pretty smooth, Boelaars explains, with a lot of back and forth between him and Le Huquet. “Since Joe has a lot more experience with animation, he first came up with the idea that I would then work as an illustration. In other cases, I would send an idea of mine to clarify whether it might be interesting to animate it, ”he says.
"I thought about adding color later, but after we sat down with Joe, we decided to keep it monochrome. We believe it gives them a sense of nostalgia while keeping them simple, ”adds Boelaars.
timboelaars.com; joelehuquet.com