amjamin

"The characters that we draw do not have any nationality. They are a work of unlimited imagination," professed Masami Suda, one of Japan's most prolific and famous animators and character designers. This, according to Suda, is a conscientious move away from the stereotype that everything from the east has to have an Oriental tinge to it. Suda is revered as sensei (teacher, master) of those colourful creations of the virtual world which have spread worldwide. In Japan, he said, these illustrated characters live beyond television screens and book leaves. "Anime and manga (loosely defined as animations and comic books) are an important part of Japanese life," the sensei said. "They live in the bloodstream of the people." Almost 40 per cent of magazines and books sold in Japan are manga, which have a market worth of over 448 billion yen (US$4.3 billion approximately). On a recent visit to Jamaica, Suda said he was impressed by the creative thoug...

An anima tion student going through the motions of bringing an animated character to life. “We have the potential to become the next India,” says Dianne Wan, replete with animated gestures and packed with conviction. Wan, instructor of animation at Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) is not referring to Jamaica becoming the next ‘curry capital’ of the world, but the hub for animation. For Wan, the love affair with animation began early, and like every youngster and their fantasy world, she was glued to cartoons. “I used to watch Disney movie tapes over and over, till they jammed and could no longer be played,” she said. Growing up, Wan said, that love affair blossomed into a career path. “Animations are motion graphics,” said Wan, and like a creative thought process, they start with an ideation. A Stylus and animation pad - the new pencil and sketch pad for animators “First, the concept is drawn as thumb...