For the second year in a row, we asked Creators in the Tongal community to render their most imaginative versions of yule log burnings. Emalie Tison, Chad Sugg, and Natalia Solis each took rather untraditional approaches to their iterations of this winter time tradition, and each Creator has set their animation to gorgeous original music, courtesy of Tongal Creator The China Blue (Seth Marques). We’ve gathered them all in one place for you to enjoy. Even better, we’ve captured some great commentary from the awesome Creators behind each video.
Chad Sugg (@expo86co)
Describe your artistic style. Detail-driven visuals that are pretty much always inspired by nostalgia.
Why did you decide to pitch on this project? I'm a big fan of yule log videos in general, so it was pretty much a no-brainer to want to try and put my own spin on it.
Can you speak to the inspiration behind your yule log video? My inspiration is grounded in nostalgia. I wanted to create scenery that felt cozy, and fit the holiday mood without them necessarily screaming, “HEY IT'S CHRISTMAS” at you.
Tell us what’s the most fun part of the process. Honestly, the production is fun all-around. The nature of this project allows me to fit in endless details and even add them on the fly if added inspiration pops up.
What’s the most challenging part? Using past works as inspiration (without just totally stealing the visual props), while also giving each scene its own unique/original vibe.
Natalia Solis (@NataliaSolis_Art)
Describe your artistic style. I'm not actually very good at describing my own style but other people have referred to it as whimsical and fun.
Why did you decide to pitch on this project? My favorite type of pitches are always the ones that give a lot of artistic freedom because it gives [me] the chance to explore and bring [my] own ideas and interest to the table.
Can you speak to the inspiration behind your yule log video? I thought about a wizard's lair, protected by a dragon who's also in charge of keeping it cozy.
Tell us what’s the most fun part of the process. I always love animating characters and finding little ways of portraying their personalities through movement, so I loved animating the little elf guy skipping into the shot to steal a coin.
What’s the most challenging part? Backgrounds are always the most challenging thing to do. Since this one was in 3d, I wasn't particularly focused on matching it with the 2d animation in terms of render, but I did want the proportions and shape language to feel as quirky and cartoony as the characters, if that makes sense. I also wanted to focus on the atmosphere of the piece to really make it feel cozy and warm.
Emalie Tison (@EmalieTison)
Describe your artistic style. My style is a mix between old-school 2D traditional animation and popular anime styles of animation. I like the expression the old-school character design provides, but I also find that the timing of anime can be conducive to faster productions, as it often relies on eight frames-per-second, as opposed to twelve or twenty-four.
Why did you decide to pitch on this project? I pitched on this project because it has been a few years since I've participated on a project through Tongal, and I liked the creative freedom this brief had to offer!
Can you speak to the inspiration behind your yule log video? The inspiration behind this yule log video comes from a few different areas of thought. I like wimmelbilder, those "Where's Waldo" images that bustle with life, and the many jobs the elves perform on screen help build the sense that the scene is alive. I also like the "slice of life" genre of TV shows and literature, and having non-Christmas related moments reflects that.
Tell us what’s the most fun part of the process. The fun part of this project was adding a little dark humor into the mix. Happy elves and holiday happiness can be a little exhausting after weeks of exposure, so a little sass, a little snark, helps counter the cheer with the unexpected.
What’s the most challenging part? The hardest part of the project was the amount of character animation. I wanted each of the elves to have their own personality and expression. But, that can be hard in a darkly lit scene with such small characters. I used the eyes and body language to convey emotion in an exaggerated way as my attempt to solve these challenges.
