After considering each mini brief I selected two to build on through mindmap. I was more keen on minibreif 4 “Observing a Sequence” as I have been interested in sequence drawing at the moment and have been keen to include some form of animation or sequence drawing within my work for thuis project. I was thinking about the theme of circus arts as I feel that this is a sort of sequence which could visually fit with the key words of sequence observation. Its also a topic I find interesting with lots to discover during my research. 

During a tutorial with Sue we discussed how I could dig deeper with this broad theme of circus and look into not only the history but stories and experiences of fellow circus artists. We spoke about using text and audio over a moving image to take it to the next level and add a journalistic touch to my visual art.  

After thinking about my project themes and plans moving forward, I settled on the broader theme of circus whilst bringing a focus onto femininity within this. I looked into both contempary circus and traditional, exploring the different avenues my project could lean towards. I found myself interested by the controversey around the use of trained animals within the circus. I liked how modern circusses use puppets and holograms to pay tribute to the wild animals that performed in the circus, this creatuve cruekty free aproach is super captivating. I liked the idea of reflecting this theme of femininity through the fierceness of the tiger. 

Something I’ve learnt from this preseantation is that it simply does not need this many words and I struggled to make my points whilst presenting, I should’ve given the presentation less text and make notes of all the stuff I wanted to talk about. But it works on this blog as you can read through my research and explained ideas and plans. At this point I was very set on taking this mini brief forward and making it my main brief.

As mentioned in my presentation, during this project some of my friends put on an event celebrating our hoopgirl collective and displaying the variety of talents, this was a good oppertunity to find inspiration for my drawing and I even made riso prints and collected some old comics to sell as the event.

Original Drawings in preperation for riso workshop

Riso prints that I sold at the Hoopgirl event

Refined artwork that I edited in photoshop, recreating the riso process of layering different colours using a cmyk colour palette. I like these the most and I’d like to get prints made of these. Or use the risograph printer again recreating this colour way. 

Pic of me selling my comics and prints

Sensory corner at the event displaying my animation from a previous project 

This event was a really good point of inspiration for my project, seeing the display of creativity and playfulness become something actualised where everyone can contribute and enjoy was really special. 

Here’s some more footage of us performing at a different event, all tied in star shibari harnesses with these little orange sunglasses, which has become somewhat of a hoopgirl uniform which I am hoping to draw inspiration from. 

As you can probably tell I ran out of time to create lots of roughs and it was more a matter of getting the ideas I had down even if they look pretty bad. Gotta make it exist first then make it good later. Yeah not very happy with these roughs but they helped inform my work, although they are fairly limited and if I had more time to explore my ideas through drawing I would have more ideas to bounce off.

As for the animation, I am taking inspiration from Evan Mcohen’s ethereal sequence drawings and Gia Alari’s beautifully textures animations. These artists have really informed my work in the past few months and I would suggest that you check them out to see where my visual inspo has come from.

Gia Alari’s animation ( @gaiaesthermaria on insta)

This animation was a long process as every frame is hand drawn and its around 160 frames total. I used a mixx of tracing paper and layout paper with a thin transparent feel to overlay each frame to get better consistency and fluidity throughout the animation. I am very pleased with the outcome as it took a lot of effort and I think it flows really nicely. 

My project explored femininity within circus arts, culminating in an animation that visually journeys through themes of identity, transformation, and strength. The animation begins with a girl being tied in shibari, symbolising constraint and vulnerability, which then morphs into a tiger, representing wildness, power, and feminine ferocity. Finally, the tiger transforms into an acrobatic figure performing handstands while spinning a hoop on her leg, illustrating mastery, balance, and performance. I’m happy with the conceptual outcome and the surreal transitions that tie these symbols together to reflect aspects of womanhood in the circus.

However, I didn’t manage my time effectively towards the end, which meant I couldn’t fully refine the animation to the standard I envisioned. With more time, I would have included an interview segment inspired by responses from my survey, to bring in authentic voices and deeper insight into what it means to be a woman in the circus. This could have emphasized how weirdness is celebrated in circus culture, offering space for radical self-expression. Additionally, incorporating audio, such as voiceovers or ambient circus sounds, would have enriched the animation, turning it from an emotive piece into a layered, journalistic documentation of femininity in performance art.