As we all brave this heat wave our summer programming is in full swing!  This summer we are featuring a series of Media Collab workshops with a focus on animation.  We have two workshops coming up this month to introduce you to both stop-motion and hand-drawn animation techniques.

After the success of last year's print and zine fair we are opening our call for vendors for the fair which will be held later on this summer on Saturday August 8th. 

Scroll down to get more information on all the workshops. If you are interested in participating in the print and zine fair there is a direct link to the application form!

The Media Collaboratory programming is possible thanks to a London Community Foundation Community Vitality Grant. 

Learn more about the grant on their website: https://www.lcf.on.ca/community-vitality-grant

Stop motion is a form of frame-by-frame animation often associated with large, laborious studio productions, but it is also achievable on an independent scale with limited resources. This workshop will introduce participants to stop motion as an available means of creating experimental animations (and experimental film) with basic resources like a digital camera, computer, household lighting, and inexpensive materials.

The workshop will give an overview of foundational concepts for frame-by-frame animation. Participants will be shown a range of stop-motion animation examples, highlighting independent practices made with DIY setups that can be achieved at home. Following this introduction, the workshop time will be used as a hands-on work period where participants will learn technical and creative skills for realising their own stop motion animations.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a basic understanding of frame-by-frame practices, and will have created short (5-10 second) animations during the work period. Additional external resources on animation will be shared if participants would like to explore animation further outside of the workshop.

All materials will be provided but participants are invited to use their own phone cameras for capturing images if they prefer. 

Facilitated by Adrienne Scott (she/her), an artist, animator, and educator based in Toronto, Ontario. She holds a BFA from the University of Ottawa (2016) and an MVS from the University of Toronto (2024), where she was a recipient of a SSHRC Master’s scholarship during her studies. She has shown work at Karsh-Masson Gallery, Idea Exchange, Gallery 44, Art Museum at the University of Toronto, and Pleasure Dome. Most recently, her animated film "Finding another entrance, trying the same door" was screened at the Fluxus Experimental Film Festival and the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

Do you want to learn the basics of hand-drawn animation? Have you ever wondered how the visual effects technique of chroma keying (more commonly known as green screen) works? This workshop introduces participants to the core principles of hand-drawn animation, and shows how chroma key can be used as a drawing tool to create unique animated loops.

In the first half of the workshop, participants learn key principles of hand-drawn animation and apply their newfound knowledge to create a short animated loop on paper using the bright green drawing supplies provided. Once photographed, these loops will be manipulated in the second part of the workshop. Here, participants will replace the basic chroma key colours of their animated drawings with video footage. By using chroma key to seamlessly integrate video footage into their animated drawings, participants will effectively be drawing with video. At the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to take home a flip book of their short animation along with a copy of the digital work.

This workshop is designed for complete beginners or for those with moderate experience in animation and, or video editing software. All animation specific software and tools will be provided. 

Facilitated by Lianne Zannier (she/her) is an animator and visual artist whose projects range from large-scale group drawings to immersive installations and animated short films. Her practice investigates the relationship between the medium of drawing, traditional forms of animation, and digital technologies. Her films have been shown both nationally and internationally from the Great Women Animators Project at GIRAF in Calgary, AB, to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, IL, and most recently at Daydream Nation in Scotland. She lives and works in London, Ontario and holds an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Currently, she is writing a book chapter on drawing for animation, for the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Animation Studies by Bloomsbury Press.

Are you an artist and/or collective working in printmaking, illustration, zines, or independent publishing?

The Forest City Print & Zine Fair is a celebration of local and regional artists working in print and zine making. This year's fair is taking place on Saturday, August 8th from 12-5pm at the Forest City Gallery in London, Ontario.

Apply today to be a vendor! Applications are due July 24th

Elk Paauw as been braving the heat and cleaning each drum and making test prints. Each RISO drum has an imprint from the last print produced while the printer was in use at the London Public Library.

Repairs continue apace, with great success! We now have paprika, light teal, and blue up and running. Even more exciting, new ink cartridges form marine red, moss, emerald, lake, and purple are coming in all the way from Chicago to be installed and tested next week. This means our total number of colours will be at NINE, a huge boon for the press and for the community. 

We also took a trip to Guelph to visit Reasonable Ink, who were very gracious in letting us come for a studio visit to learn about their processes. Thank you, Lisa and Nick! Up next, we are sourcing parts and groovy sustainable paper stock; stay tuned...

If you are curious about the repair process, feel free to drop in on Fridays during our open hours of 12-5 to find out more!

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Queer Cinema for Palestine: Online Film Program July 9th *One Day Only*

ANIMATED FRAMES - Vol.10: CHAOTIC VISIONS

Frames Film Series: Lazer Quest, Friday July 17, 7 - 9pm

Comic Jam

TAP Centre for Creativity, Jul 13, 6 -9pm

Beading with Mikaila Stevens

Museum London, July 12, 2 - 4pm

35th Annual Pride London Art Show

Tap Center for Creativity, July 8 – 18

Opening Reception: July 10 @ 6- 9pm

In Between Lights

ArtLab Gallery, July 9 – July 23

Opening Reception: July 9 @ 5 - 7pm