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Booky Margoof's avatar

What is your organization like for your clips and source materials? What is the balance of self-recorded clips vs open access media vs something else? Do you reuse assets a lot or often make new for each project?

Do you play any instruments?

What's your favourite art material? And tool?

Thanks for doing a Q&A! Looking forward to reading the results and whatever else emerges in this wonderful newsletter. ☺️

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Ok! I try and capture footage fairly regularly with my Fujifilm X-T4, before that I used my phone. I make a new folder for each year. I dump all my personal footage into a "footage" folder and name each file as clearly as possible. I'd say the vast majority of the footage I use is my own but when it comes to vintage material I rely on the free and amazing Prelinger Archive. Occasionally I use Pexels, but so far, everything on Paper Films is my own footage and about 90% of the footage on Instagram is my own.

I have a lot of instruments: piano, guitar, clarinet, digital gadgets. I wouldn't say I'm very good at any of them but I do love recording little experimental songs with them. All the music on Paper Films is my own. I even released a little album on Bandcamp a while back: https://erikwinkowski.bandcamp.com/album/sketchbook-2022-2023-2

My favorite art material is Flashe paint. Hands down. It's vinyl-based, dries velvet smooth, and is super opaque and durable. Better than gouache. Better than acrylics. I've been using it for over a decade and I love it. I should be a Flashe spokesman.

My favorite tool is my 2000 PLUS Automatic Numbering Machine. Totally unnecessary, but it stamps numbers sequentially. Every time you stamp, it automatically advances to the next number with a satisfying ca-chunk. I use it whenever I need to number a stack of pages for animation.

Thanks for these great questions!

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Marina Tjetland's avatar

Wow! I love your work 🤩 And it became even more interesting after you shared your ways of doing it.

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Booky Margoof's avatar

Thanks so much for the details! I'm excited to dig into these references. A few more if you're keen... ☺️

Any new or big or special tools you're interested in trying?

Do you have any mindfulness practices?

What is your favourite movement to animate?

In your animations, how much of the result comes from play vs planning in advance?

Do you paint/create still works too? Or everything feeds into animation?

Do you collect any ephemera?

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

The newest tool I'm experimenting with has been DaVinci Resolve. It's free and super powerful. I do all my film editing, color grading, and audio mixing in it. I just started using it a few months ago, so I'm barely scratching the surface but I'm looking forward to digging in deeper to see what it can do.

Walking, art, and music making are my mindfulness practices. I've tried breathing meditation but I'm not sure it's for me.

Favorite movement to animate? Dancing.

I think I have to play first before I even know how to plan. My planning usually consists of 2 pages of stream of consciousness thumbnail sketches based on things I've learning while playing with a specific idea or material.

I do paint and create still works and I'm hoping to do more which I plan to share in my Zinemails. Hopefully someday soon I will collect them into a book, which is always my favorite way to experience art.

I guess the only ephemera I collect are my own paper scraps with drawings and paintings on them. I have a box full of them and I'm planning on turning them into a scrapbook of experiments. I have seriously considered collecting CB Radio Cards, though.

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Allie Sullberg's avatar

Can't wait for these tutorials and to see all of the art that comes from them!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Thanks Allie. I'm excited too!

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Kay's avatar

I studied Art in college and focused on collage and stop motion. I love it! But after graduating and getting a full time job I find it impossible to make time to create anymore (and my brain is drained). Do you have any advice on how to keep on creating while still working/having kids/the world falling apart?

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Oof. I hear you. I've struggled with this myself. I've only recently gotten back into making art regularly. For me, a few things worked:

1. Allowing curiosity to lead instead of ego. I really want to make great work, but instead of motivating me it often freezes me up. When I ask "What would happen if...?" I'm in a much freer state of mind and I can treat art as an experiment. With this approach the art might actually feel like play, meditation, and a refuge from all of life's troubles instead of yet another obligation.

2. Honestly, Substack has really helped me show up in a consistent way. I did the same thing a while back on Instagram with daily videos. I've realized that I really need accountability. Left to my own devices not much gets finished. Even if it's just a few people at first, I think it can be helpful to set a schedule for when work will be finished and sent out.

3. Start small. Like, really small. Make a 2x2" collage. Make a 2-frame animation. Set a goal that can be completed in one day, or better yet, one hour. That little confidence boost can be enough to get the ball rolling again.

But yeah, none of this is easy. If you need a little accountability, then send me the next thing you make. I'd love to check it out. Wishing you the best!

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Kay's avatar

Thank you so much!!!

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gail smith reynolds's avatar

I don't even know what to ask. I love your work.

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Thanks Gail!

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Natalia Méndez's avatar

Re the poll: I'd love to know the way you mix some analogue stuff with video and so. I don't care so much of which program. I have access to adobe suite as a student/teacher and is a little more affordable.

And a question: is it rotoscopia the technique you use, or I don't know where is it animation on some film or drawing on video? and also maybe there is no difference in that...

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Thanks for the clarification, Natalia. I sometimes rotoscope. Often I will print out frame of footage and paint directly on the paper or use a light box so that I have the painting on a separate sheet of paper. One of the reasons I named this Paper Films is because I always manage to make paper a central part of my process.

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katrina tan's avatar

i subscribe to apple music. last year, i noticed that some of the album covers actually move. the animations aren’t jarring or obnoxious…they’re subtle and smooth (i.e. seeing a woman’s eye sparkle or trees sway in the background, sparkling water, that sort of thing). this inspired me to look into after effects and i’m taking a free after effects basics course on youtube. the examples are really general and more focused on full-scale videos—above and beyond what i’d like to do with after effects.

your animations are aligned with those i’ve seen on apple music if not better. i want to learn how you do your thing, erik, and if that means the adobe suite to get things done, yes, please show us how you do things in after effects and photoshop. an erik winkowski after effects course would be totally worth paying for.

questions:

1. where are you from?

2. where did you go to school?

3. how did you get into doing what you do?

4. who are your favorite designers?

5. favorite artists?

6. do you read? which books?

7. any fave coffee table/picture books?

8. where do you hang out online besides substack (and besides zuck sucks’ instagram)?

your posts light me up and give me so much joy. thanks for all you do!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Thanks so much for the kind words, Katrina. I didn't know about the animated Apple Music album covers, I'll have to check that out.

I'm originally from NYC and I went to art school at Cooper Union. I took an animation class in college and it changed my life. Not only could I bring my drawings to life but I could share them with my friends and it was such a fun and gratifying experience. Animation felt like magic to me. It still does. After art school, my animation professor, John Vondracek, hired me at his studio. I learned so much from him.

Favorite designers: Tadanori Yokoo, and the anonymous designers of vintage matchbook covers and CB Radio cards

I have too many favorite artists to count. But the top ones are Matisse, Jockum Nordström, Maira Kalman, Matthew Wong, Tal R... And about 500 more.

I do read but I haven't been good at finishing these days. Favorites include Italo Calvino, Nabokov, Borges, Haruki Murakami, Steven Millhauser... Weird stuff.

Mostly hang out at home these days. lol.

Thanks for the great questions!

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katrina tan's avatar

hey erik, not all the album covers are animated on apple music/itunes, but i'm seeing them more and more. i love seeing them and you said it perfectly: it's like magic (esp when it comes to animating your own drawings)! ✨✨✨

i'm such a noob. i've never heard of cb radio cards and had to look it up. omg, they're weird and so EFFING AWESOME.

yaaas... matisse and kalman. i had to look up nordström. my heart skipped a beat. his work is beautiful.

i know what you mean about reading and not finishing. i tend to do the same, which is why i love the library. i borrowed a book recently, written by mieko kawakami called ms. ice sandwich. it's short and trippy and if you like weird, you might enjoy it.

thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and thanks for mentioning cb radio cards and jockum nordström. so fun!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

So glad to hear it, Katrina! Most people haven't heard of CB Radio Cards, they were semi-popular in the 70s but my heart skipped a beat the first time I saw them and Nordström's work too.

I can't get enough of Maira Kalman—her "Principles of Uncertainty" is a constant source of inspiration. I love her joyfully tangential way of thinking, I'm trying to bring that spirit into more of my films.

Ms. Ice Sandwich sounds right up my alley. I'll check it out. Thanks!

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katrina tan's avatar

the way you feel about “principles of uncertainty” is how i feel about her other book, “and the pursuit of happiness.” her playful paintings are so charming, right?!! she inspired me to experiment with gouache immediately. i hope you have the awesomest weekend, erik!

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Rashunda Tramble's avatar

Do you know La Linea?

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

No! But I just watched it and loved it. Thanks for the great recommendation.

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Rashunda Tramble's avatar

You’re welcome!

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Jody Benedict's avatar

Re the poll: I have access to both. I just try to use open source instead for my personal work.

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Jody Benedict's avatar

A couple reasons.

1. My employer pays for my Adobe subscriptions and I like the idea that if my job evaporates (which it might due to crazy government funding cuts) and money is tight, that I will still be able to make cool stuff.

2. I just really like the idea of open source software. I know it has its challenges but especially with creative tools it gives more people access to learn and create

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Those are good reasons. I have a lot of respect for the creators of Davinci Resolve and Blender for making these incredibly powerful applications free to the public. I like the idea of open source software too.

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Jody Benedict's avatar

That said, I feel like a tutorial in any tool would be useful. Understanding the process is more valuable than knowing what menu to click because you can look up how to do something in another program if you have the right keywords and know what you want to do.

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Totally. So many ideas in animation translate from program to program.

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Thanks for the clarification, Jody. Why do you choose open source for your personal work?

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Surya Mor's avatar

You’re at a dinner table.

Someone asks you,

“I want to know your brain but you can’t say anything except the name of another filmmaker.”

Which filmmaker do you pick?

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

That's a great question. And really tricky. If I'm being honest, it's probably Michel Gondry. I was obsessed with all his music videos. He has a love of DIY experimentation that is close to my heart.

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Booky Margoof's avatar

Did you watch the show Kidding where Jim Carrey plays a depressed Mr Rogers-esque character? Michel Gondry was the exec producer and occasional director, and it immediately became one of my favourite things I've ever watched!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

I heard about it but I never saw it! It's probably worth subscribing to Apple TV for a month just to watch it. Thanks for the tip!

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Booky Margoof's avatar

I really would recommend! Every episode has different handmade stop-motion opening titles – that alone sold me 🤩

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Sold! 😄

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Giulia Sagramola's avatar

Just here reading all the Q&A and looking forward to see your tutorials. Thank you for sharing so much!

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Rachel Bevan Baker's avatar

I love your work Erik! In a way I love not knowing how it was made, it's a bit of pure magic! But I would also really like to know more about your process, so will def be watching out for news on tutorials! I'm curious if you ever work on longer format work? If so, what longer films have you made, and do you prefer working on shorter more experimental work? Do you ever collaborate, if so with who? (whom??) Do you have an agent/how do you get commissions? All the other Qs have been so interesting too!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Hi Rachel, thanks for the questions. Your animation work is wonderful.

I rarely work on any films that are longer than a minute—I almost consider them haikus. I'm interested in doing some longer pieces but I think the only way I can pull that off is by combining separate short pieces into one film. Luckily, I really love tangential storytelling, so I think this could work for me.

I've collaborated with some folks in the past, usually musicians. I take on client work to make money and I consider those to be collaborations too.

I'm represented by the agency Big Active—they handle all negotiations, billing, and other issues that arise. I love working with them. It allows me to focus on the art instead of the paperwork. So I get some of my commissions from Big Active, but for a long time I got commissions because of the work I posted on Instagram. A few people have even reached out recently because they discovered my work on Substack.

Thanks again Rachel, looking forward to seeing more of your work!

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Rachel Bevan Baker's avatar

Thanks Erik! I love that idea of your short films feeling like haikus. Pared down and seemingly simple...

Great to read all your responses to everyone brilliant questions!

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Jacqueline C's avatar

I'm a visual artist interested in animating my own paintings. What software would you recommend I look at first?

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Victoria Gastón's avatar

Hey Erik! :) just this : thanks to your enthusiasm and beautiful animations, I gave a try to creating short clips with Procreate this week! I had NO idea of how it works, I found the 'page' and 'animation' assist buttons and from there, I messed around. SO much fun! I made a video recipe for lasagne for a friend instead of sending bullet poins of how to lasagne on a messaging app. I wasn't even considering making animations in my life, it's all thanks to your inspiring work! ❤️ Next challenge : Adding sound

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Woohoo! 👏👏👏 Nice work, Victoria! I love the idea of making a video recipe for a friend. If you're on an iPad you might try using iMovie for the sound.

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Victoria Gastón's avatar

I will give that a try! And enjoy the weekend!

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Margherita Fiannacca's avatar

Hi Erik,

I absolutely love your work; to me, it feels like a mix of pop, delicacy, psychedelia, and a touch of nostalgia. I'm truly fascinated by the world you create, so any tutorial or piece of advice you share is incredibly valuable to me.

Right now, I just know the basics of animating my illustrations using Procreate and Photoshop, nothing too fancy.

What I’m really curious about, beyond the technical stuff, is how you plan your videos.

Do you start with a storyboard, or do you make lots of little clips spontaneously and then stitch them together later?

How much of your process is carefully planned, and how much is intuitive or spontaneous?

Thank you so much for your time and for the work you put out into the world!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Hi Margherita, this is an excellent question—and one I'm still figuring out.

When it comes to planning, I’m finding that the kernel of an idea and a few images is usually enough for me to get started. If I meticulously plan out a film, I tend to lose interest. I want the process of making the film to be surprising and fun. If I figure everything out ahead of time, the rest of the process starts to feel like a slog.

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Nick's avatar

Late to this, but an easy one: which artists and creatives do you love to see a new post from?

For me it’s Stan Chow - digital portrait artist with a really unique style; Jason Sturgill - a guy who only started making art after a breakdown (this resonates massively); and Molly Lemon - a young printmaker who makes really beautiful tiny reduction prints (all on Instagram). No connection to me or each other, I just love what they do

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Yes! I'm a fan of Jason Sturgill too. I was talking about CB Radio cards earlier—Jason collects them and put out a cool book about them, which I love.

I'm always excited to see new posts by painter Geoffroy Pithon and comic artist Teddy Goldenberg. Pretty much an instant-like every time.

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Drew Panckeri's avatar

Hey Erik, what’s the book about CB / QSL cards? I only occasionally splurge and get some on ebay, otherwise I collect them digitally.

As always, I love what you do - thanks for your generosity in all these replies!

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Erik Winkowski's avatar

Hey Drew! The book is "QSL Cards from U.S.A: From the Collection of J. Sturgill" printed by Masala Noir. It's great. I also recently got "Eyeball Cards: The Art of British CB Radio Culture" which is also fun. Thanks for the note!

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Cassandre Montoriol's avatar

Thanks for your work, precious and inspiring. I can’t wait for your animation tuto ! Merci.

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