Manchester Printworks - Cloud Doodles
From July 2022 to March 2024, I worked with Flipbook Studio to create content for Europe’s largest digital ceiling installed at the Manchester-based entertainment venue, Printworks. The ceiling consisted of three large unconventionally shaped screens and a 16:9 horizontal wall screen for supporting material. The extreme size and odd dimensions of the screens were an interesting problem to solve which resulted in a series of unique shows that played to the strengths of the format.
​I provided direction, animation, and character designs for a number of shows adhering to briefs provided by the client. The following is a breakdown of the work I provided for the Cloud Doodles project. You can find breakdowns of my work on other printworks shows here: Pufferfish and Astronauts, Printlings
The client briefed us with the idea of simple line drawings appearing on clouds drifting across the ceiling. I had been experimenting with the combination of hand-drawn and 3D elements at the time so I was very happy to take the lead on this project. I started by creating a short animation test showcasing how I was envisioning the interaction between clouds and lineart.
I also pitched using different times of day as backdrops which would effect the colour of the lineart, but this was scrapped in favour of keeping a consistent backdrop and lineart colour.
With some internal and client feedback, I developed two more animation tests, adding more moving elements into each doodle and also using multiple clouds to create a connected image.
After this style was approved, I created a series of cloud shapes to use as a base and experimented with the type of animals, vehicles and objects that could be constructed out of them.
After selecting which doodles to animate, I created a layout pass visualising how the final show would utilise the Printwork’s unique screens.
I then created looping animation for the doodles with a focus on accentuating personality and charm through simple and loose linework.
These were then composited onto the rendered clouds by Flipbook studio, resulting in the final animation which was displayed on Printwork’s digital ceiling. The result was an organic mix of 2D and 3D that embraced the realism provided in one medium whilst complimenitng it with the playfulness of the other.