Creaturemag - art and literature magazine

How do you go about creating the animations... programmes etc, how long does it take?

Having started as a graphic designer and illustrator all my animation work is based on my illustrations that I scan and digitally manipulate. From the animation point of view I use various software depending on the aesthetic I am going for. So far I have used form 3D and 2D animation software to video and traditional frame to frame animation. Very recently on my animation into pieces I used stencil animation as you probably have seen. My two previous animations took me around three months form conceptualisation to completion and that was because of deadlines. My last animation took me only a month of very hard work because of a deadline for an exhibition. I was asked to present it in a video installation format.

Are you just working freelance at the moment or are you working for a company?

I have worked in the past for design and advertising agencies but at the moment I am a freelancer working both on my personal projects and other artist's projects.

Who would you consider a main influence on your work?

I guess my influences in my artistic practice come from alldifferent artistic disciplines. I am a big fan of the early work of Tim Burton both in stop frame animation and illustration. Also animators like Jan Svankmajer and Phil Mulloy. In Illustration I really like the work of Maren Esdar and Edith Kollath for its experimental nature and many many others.

Where do you look for inspiration/ what inspires you?

I don't particularly look for inspiration I tend to travel a lot because of my work and I get to see a lot of different places. Which is always a great bonus. Through my Illustrations and animations there is always a sense of stry telling just because I really like to tell stories. I guess travelling experiencing new places and meeting people is a great source of inspiration.

What is currently in your music player?

Recently I was working on an animation based on a burlesque theme. Therefore all the music I have been listening goes back to that era. But the album that is now on my CD player is the soundtrack of Belleville Rendez-Vous.

Where does your creativity come from, where can you trace it back to?

I guess I grew up in a very creative environment in Greece. I never questioned it to tell you the truth. I guess it was always there. Creativity in my everyday life is everything. Picasso said that everything you can imagine is real. Creativity is everywhere I guess it is just a matter of working on it and making it one of your skills.

View work here: babis-alexiadis.com