Animation Hot House Q&A: Katharina Koall

I am also an illustrator and it seemed natural to combine that with animation - just to see what happens when your drawings come alive! I always liked drawing, so it felt like animation was the next step in how I could make my drawing more interesting. How long have you been animating?   I started in college in 2002. Who have you worked with and where has your work featured?  I have been working on a range of projects for exhibitions, installations and artists publications. My clients include Chorus and Echo, Womens' Resource Centre, The Woodland Trust and RSA Film. Exhibitions and publications include The Loop, Freistil in Zuerich and Berlin / A View of London at the London Transport Museum / Lost to View at The Museum Of London and Late at Tate Britain. What influences your animations?  In general, I am influenced by the music of Deux, the films of Jan Svankmajer and Len Lye and Don Siegel, the books of Julie Doucet and Philip K Dick...! We love Julie Doucet's work, too! What do you like best about making animations?  I love the freedom - the fact that you can play god for a while and create anything out of nothing. What advice would you give to people starting animation for the first time?  Just be experimental. Don't worry or be intimidated by animation rules. How did you go about creating the Tatty Devine Hot House animations? What processes did you use? Two are made with stop animation. With this process, patience is key! You can't control the object, which is both daunting and beautiful. You just have to see what happens. One was done using CGA. Digital animation allows for a lot more control. It was interesting to such different methods with the same objects and see quite different outcomes. Thank you, Katharina! We can't wait to get started on our own masterpieces! Want to get animated? Watch Katharina's Hot House animations here and get involved in our Animation Hot House competition now.