Commissions

I produce animation for clients using handmade techniques like paper cut-outs, paint or sand on glass. My work is notable for a customized, conceptual approach to storytelling which takes full advantage of the chosen technique. I've created unique animation for museum exhibits, music videos and various independent documentaries. For inquiries, drop a line at tess@tessmartinart.com

Reel

I enjoy using different techniques that have a hand-made root or sensibility. Techniques included in this reel are photo replacement (short films 1976 SEARCH FOR LIFE and STILL LIFE WITH WOMAN, TEA AND LETTER), phonotropes (short film ORBIT), paint-on glass (commission for documentary project (R)OMA and for documentary film FIDDLER), paper cut-outs (short film GINEVRA), charcoal (commission for Beeldjutters’ MET EIGEN OGEN project and short film adaptation VOICE), tissue paper cut-outs (commission for Sanne Rovers’ museum videos), and photo cut-outs (short film THE LOST MARINER). Music: 'Blur and Coalesce' by Podington Bear from FreeMusicArchive.org

Voice: short story film

At the end of 2019 I had the pleasure of making a charcoal animation for a piece of flash fiction written by author Cherie Jones. Voice is a short story that addresses the aftermath of a sexual assault in a metaphorical way. Music by Jason Staczek and narration by Marta Parlatore.

TedED: Vermeer

I was happy to work on a video for Ted Ed, the educational branch of TED Talks. It’s about the Dutch Renaissance painter Jan Vermeer, and specifically, his painting The Girl with a Pearl Earring. It was created with frame by frame animation under the camera, some paint on glass animation, some Photoshop animation, and a lot of After Effects compositing. 

Met Eigen Ogen

I helped Beeldjutters create some animation for a participatory experience inside the Alkmaar City Hall called ‘Met Eigen Ogen’, on view from Aug 31 to Oct 8, 2023. I created various charcoal animation loops and clips that were projected on one of the interior walls. See my instagram page for more behind the scenes and the final results.

Museum Project

In collaboration with filmmaker Sanne Rovers, I created animation made from tissue paper cut-outs for six videos for an Amsterdam museum exhibit. I wrote, designed and created the stop-motion animation, which was then composited on top of Sanne’s beautiful live-action footage. Visit my Instagram for time lapse footage of the animation process.

Barzan (2012)

Barzan is a documentary about an Iraqi immigrant to Seattle accused of terrorism. It was co-directed by Alex Stonehill and Brad Hutchinson and produced by The Last Quest. I created about seven minutes of sand animation for this film. Barzan had its Northwest Premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 23 and June 2, 2013.

Dark Hip Falls: “Lam 2: Red Hands”

In September 2014 I worked on an animated music video for Seattle band Dark Hip Falls using ink, water and gum arabic solution. It uses the theme of Rorschach tests to interpret the restless and fast-paced lyrics in their song ‘Lam2: Red Hands’.

(R)OMA

Over about 3 months throughout 2020 I designed and produced about 5 minutes of paint animation for a documentary project called (R)OMA. This project was directed by Klaas Burger and Stefany Karghoti of the Academie voor Beeldvorming, in close collaboration with the Hopic family, the subjects of the film. The project consists of both a multi-screen installation which premiered at the Stedelijk Museum Breda and a single channel film, which premiered at the Chassé Theater in Breda, both in November 2021. I felt privileged to get the know the Hopic family throughout this process, and help bring to life a small part of Hajrija Salkanovic’s remarkable story.

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles

Over 4 months I created about 6 minutes of paint-on-glass animation for a feature documentary about the musical Fiddler on the Roof, produced by Dog Green Productions in NYC and due out in 2019. The animation is mostly of songs from the musical, and involves lots of horses, birds, and other animals. It was super fun! Visit my Instagram for time lapse footage of the animation process.

The Animators: OH MY

A starry night, tracks in the snow. A girl desperately pursues a creature into a desolate, surreal, white landscape.
This music video for the Australian band The Animators was created with painted plastic cut-outs and tissue paper and animated one frame at a time on a multi-plane animation stand.