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His clientele ranges from the Grammys and iHeart to Swizz Beats, Alicia Keyes and more.
For the launch of a series of animated artworks we’re calling Hypnogifs, we commissioned artist, Chris McDaniel (@theglitch.og), to animate several pieces by some popular Society6 Artists–Sofia Bonati, Kerby Rosanes, and Nicebleed. Based in Tampa Bay, FL, he’s collaborated with some incredible visual artists and has animated more than 1,500 pieces of artwork.
Use hashtag #hypnogif when sharing your hypnotic animations!
Check out all the Hypnogifs here:
Kerby Rosanes, "Strings"
Kerby Rosanes, "Coronation"
S6: What do you do for a living?
Chris: I’m the overnight plumber at a popular hotel chain in Tampa Bay, Florida.
S6: How’d you get into animation?
Chris: I’ve always loved the world of psychedelic art and how people would turn the original art into flashy gifs. I wanted to add to the world of it because I always saw the same things. I ran across some work that George Redhawk did and was fascinated by the motion art. It took me about a year to find out what it was called and how to did it. Once I found out the method, well, you can say the rest is history.
I have a lot of people asking to show them how I do it. But I can’t. If you’re truly passionate about motion art, then you’ll take the time that is required to learn your own style.
S6: You pump out a lot of work, where do you find the time?
Chris: It’s like having another job. I get about 4 to 5 hours of sleep a day. My wife is very understanding and patient. She understands where this could lead us and is very supportive. But overall I just try to find time to do them.
S6: What software do you use?
Chris: I started using Phantamorph, but then Troy Plota from Plotagraphpro contacted me when they were just launching their new program. So now I just use Plotagraphpro for all my motion art. I’ve currently just got After Effects, so I’ve been adding different elements to the motion.
S6: What’s your highlight reel look like as an artist?
Chris: The highlight was when James R. Eads responded to a message I sent him on Tumblr. I wanted to start to ask artist for their permission to animate their artwork. At that time, he was the only one that responded. We started the “Illusion Series” and things went crazy from there. Some of the best things that have come out of all this is that I get to meet so many great artist.
Sofia Bonati, "Ora and Olinda"
Sofia Bonati, "Mauna"
S6: Any cool projects, collabs or shows you want to mention?
CM: James R. Eads and I did a music video for Universal Music. It was the 50th anniversary for the Velvet Underground ” Sunday Morning”. It recently has been playing at the Hardrock Casino on all the monitor’s. I’m currently working on some music videos with other producers. Been featured on Vice’s The Creators Project, NowThis, NowThisWeed, and Reuters.
S6: Sounds like good things! Final words?
CM: I have a lot of people asking to show them how I do it. But I can’t. The reason is because everyone’s vision is different. We all see the world in different ways. Another reason is because if you’re truly passionate about motion art, then you’ll take the time that is required to learn your own style. It’s like anything else in life, you have to practice your craft to get the full experience from it.
Nicebleed, "Space Surfing"
Nicebleed, "Elephant Splash"
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