2006 Adobe Design Achievement Awards

Animation: Winner

Keng-Ming Liu

School of Visual Arts

Travel Diary

Biography: Keng-Ming Liu studied Entomology at National Taiwan University, frequently visiting Mount Lala to collect specimens and enjoy the beauty of nature. The memory of discovering various kinds of beetles and fascinating butterflies became the source for Liu's inspiration in producing his animation, “Travel Diary.” This piece represents the completion of his MFA degree in Computer Art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. By employing his naive but sophisticated handmade art and fast-cutting motion graphics, Liu not only surprises his audience with colors and layers, but also presents an exploration of creativity and self-expression.

Objective: "Travel Diary" is a 2D animation using collage, video, photography, stop motion, compositing, and traditional illustration skills. Being alone in New York pushed me into a dark corner, and I released my anxiety by communicating with my friends throughout the world. I condensed my thoughts and feelings into travel diaries, attempting to illustrate the stark differences between countries and cultures in various ways and awaken everyone's desire to travel. The beauty of art is revealed with the words we write down, the sketches we draw, the stickers people put on our luggage, and every piece of life we experience.

Tools used: First, I drew every image by hand and scanned them into Adobe® Photoshop® CS2, where I adjusted the levels and removed the backgrounds in order to create the alpha channel as a matte for the animation. I also separated the components of my characters' bodies into different layers to have more detailed control over their movement. Next, I used Adobe After Effects® as the animation and compositing software to invent the world that my drawings inhabit. Specifically, I used the Vector Paint effect for animating stroke and the 3D camera to create depth of field in the animation.

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