Cloisonné Technique Animation

making a technical animation

Work in progress

Since my first semester, I’m fascinated by the finds from the migration period and from the early Middle Ages. Especially the cloisonné worked objects are interesting from an esthetical point as well as a technical. This is why I would like to make an animation of such an object, and it’s building process. For this, I will use Blender. Objects in cloisonné technique or cellular technique consist of a baseplate and several sheets of metal which form the different cells. In these cells, a special glue is used to hold a metallic, structured foil that will later shine through the gems or glass pieces.

First tests

For the first try, I chose a basic plated brooche in cloisonne technique and tried to simulate a workshop situation. In this picture, the brooch is shown in an uncompleted stage, so the several building stages could be better explained. After this, I fooled around with different views, materials and stage setups.

Following steps

After all, I’m relatively satisfied with the last gallery picture. So i made a list of things that have to be completed to get to the final animation:

• a more complex object (an eagle fibula like the one from apahida)
• more naturalistic background
  • used tools
  • waste from metal works
• more details on the objects (scratches, gaps, irregularities…)
• moving animated film (est. 3 min)

As always, comments, critique and new impulses are highly appreciated.