Stop Motion Animation Mixed Media Claymations 2015-2025 — Caryn Blum Art

Fine Arts Stop-Motion-Animation Vignettes as Fine Art pieces

Using the skills I learned to operate a DSLR camera, digital microscope, stop-motion animation software, and 3D illustration in my BFA, MA, teaching and MFA experiences; I am exploring lighting, small open-ended Fine Art animated vignettes, and my own personal ideas of nature, pattern, sound and visual scenes. Rather than providing a concrete narrative; these pieces exist much like moving painting and sculpture; which evoke ideas of the nature of nature itself, and impressions artists and people have in these small moments of observing and creating from the natural world.

I am primarily an art educator, and I have created miniature stop-motion animation shorts as samples for lesson plans in my intermediate to advanced Art classes. I use a combination of many off-screen painting, drawing, cut paper collage and sculpting techniques to build miniature sets and puppets in 2D and 3D artistic media. My philosophy of art making as an artist includes incorporating hand-made traditions in real artmaking. The stop-motion animations are shot with 24-36 FPS using a portable animation studio that I designed as a graduate student. I needed a portable box to be able to control the lighting, and depth of field in my animation. After designing and shooting my own animations; I worked with middle school students at a teaching job to use cardboard boxes and small sets to teach kids how to make their own moving stop-motion characters in paper, paint, craft felt, yarn and clay. My animation has a dedicated table that stays in an area. In order to make the student work next time, I plan to design a space with small cabinets for students to make miniature, shelf-sized 3D moving artworks. It is a huge part of my practice to stay true to my artist-self, and incorporate positive and family-friendly themes in my work. Rather than being shown as movies, these pieces would be in the context of a gallery showing alongside paintings, and other artworks in a family friendly fine art and education setting.

Each piece is shot with 2 side lights and a key light. I rigged a canon DSLR camera, and a digital microscope to my laptop with stop-motion animation software. The digital microscopes pick up more texture and detail in close range shots than even my DSLR can do with my standard manual lens.I I enjoy playing around with editing painted elements, clay sculpture and wire puppets, as I develop miniature animated shorts. I would never make live-action film, or film with people, and would not want to make these pieces into full-length feature animations. These are more for galleries, or virtual showings as samples for simple animation projects with my students. It is enough to explore movement in nature, multiple puppets moving at various speeds, and interesting sound components matched with movement. Each vignette is open-ended, and relates well to my nature-based and education based artworks. Each of these is simply a celebration or meditation on nature, and the acts of making or appreciating small elements in the natural world.

Kids Imagining natural habitat: Fine Artist Stop Motion Claymation Video

Kids Imagining natural habitat: Fine Artist Stop Motion Claymation Video

Claymation Natural Landscapes

Claymation Natural Landscapes

My Magnetic Papier Mache Rabbit Puppet in Process 2024

My Magnetic Papier Mache Rabbit Puppet in Process 2024

My Magnetic Rabbit Papier Mache Puppet in Process 2023

My Magnetic Rabbit Papier Mache Puppet in Process 2023

Nature Painting Animated

Nature Painting Animated

Kids Imagining natural habitat: Fine Artist Stop Motion Claymation VideoThis is a personal artist short stop-motion animation published in 2015 by myself. This is not intended for public, or shared use. I am archiving these works as Fine Art digital animations. These are not meant for kids, and are not shared publicly unless selected by a gallery or other family oriented cultural institution. My artist websites are not for sales. The work is just a digital archive of professional works.

Claymation Natural LandscapesThis is a personal artist short stop-motion animation published in 2015 by myself. This is not intended for public, or shared use. I am archiving these works as Fine Art digital animations. These are not meant for kids, and are not shared publicly unless selected by a gallery or other family oriented cultural institution. My artist websites are not for sales. The work is just a digital archive of professional works.

My Magnetic Papier Mache Rabbit Puppet in Process 2024

My Magnetic Papier Mache Rabbit Puppet in Process 2024

My Magnetic Rabbit Papier Mache Puppet in Process 2023

My Magnetic Rabbit Papier Mache Puppet in Process 2023

Nature Painting AnimatedThis is a hand-painted, hand-made stop-motion animation created in 2025-2026. I hand-made and designed each element, composed the music and sound myself with hand-made instruments such as a box guitar, clay ocarina, clay whistles, and pipes. I used my midi piano and Garage band to compose original scores in grand piano settings. Each part of this piece is my original Fine Art animated content, made over many months by hand using my portable animation studio box.

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