Animation brings stories to life, magically blending creativity and technical skill. In this series of interviews, we celebrate the artists who make the impossible seem real. One such artist is Rachael Olga Lloyd, an award-winning animation director specialising in stop-motion and puppetry. With a love for folklore, handcrafts, and storytelling, Rachael has a unique approach to her work that merges intricate detail with a heartfelt narrative.
We sat down with Rachael to chat about her journey into animation, which began with a spark of inspiration from the music video “Ready, Able” by Grizzly Bear. Her work, including her short films “Iktsuarpok” and “How to Count Sheep,” has garnered international recognition. Beyond her award-winning films, she’s collaborated with organisations like The Scouts and Fair Trials, creating meaningful and memorable animation projects. Through her creative process and personal experiences, Rachael offers insight into the world of stop-motion and the importance of self-exploration in artistic growth.
How did you fall in love with animation?
I have always been obsessed with art from as young as I can remember but never thought of animation till very late. Things like Wallace and Gromit never inspired me, it wasn’t until I first saw the Grizzly Bear music video “Ready Able” animated and directed by Allison Schulnik that I was suddenly like “Omg what is this? I want to do this! “
Tell us about the animation project that kickstarted your career?
My personal film Iktsuarpok, it was my first stop-motion film done to a higher standard and showcased a lot of things I wanted to explore more as an artist.
How would you describe your art style and what are your biggest inspirations that developed it?
I guess I would describe my art style as very tactile, handcrafted, stylised, and sensitive. Most of the characters portrayed in my work have a sensitivity about them or sadness.
From your perspective, what’s the key to animation that really lives?
For Stop Motion specifically, I think it’s embracing the materials you use in the film. What makes stop-motion different is that it’s physical so you should embrace that and celebrate the handmade nature of it and not use so much CGI that it’s no longer recognisable as stop-motion.
Show us your favourite or most impactful project that you’ve worked on – tell us, what is it that makes it special and what were the memorable moments or challenges?
I recently did a little video for the NHS, this stood out as it was the first time I made an informative video. It was a new and exciting approach to animation. The video is about chronic pain, it was a real challenge to communicate this complicated topic in a video but it’s probably the part I enjoyed most. It made me realise that I love communicating ideas, whether through images in my films, through teaching or any other way.
How does one figure out what kind of animation style or styles fits a particular story or project?
You need to understand the audience for the film and the feel or style that suits it. If it’s for an informative video for example then it needs to be broadly relatable and representative and overall very clear to easily communicate the information. If it’s a story or music video I tend to go through the story or song a lot in my head to feel and immerse myself in the emotions and then I set art to visualse a style that would suit those emotions.
What is your favourite piece of technology or software that you use and how does it help your creative process?
It’s a bit silly but my Pinterest. It’s just a simple online pinboard to store images but I have thousands of images, it’s like my online sketchbook. Whenever I see anything ever I save it to my Pinterest for future reference. For example, I have a character pin board with hundreds of images of character ideas so when I start a new project I go on that and search through to find inspiration. It saves me so much time as well.
Outside of the field of animation, what really inspires you?
Music, a lot of my personal work is massively inspired by music. When I listen to a song it helps to come up with ideas for films and characters.
I also find handcrafts inspiring, I have been to many places in South America and Scandinavia and brought back loads of handcrafts, weaving, sculptures etc, and decorated my flat liberally with them. I just love being surrounded by this kind of art it really inspires me.
What do you think are the misconceptions about animation throughout the industry?
That it’s mostly for children. Animation is an art form just like any other and is not restricted to only very young people.
What are the biggest changes to animation and challenges facing animators at the moment and what are your thoughts on them?
With the emergence of AI, I worry about the threat of work for artists due to issues with companies choosing AI over people due to cost-saving.
Any advice you would like to give to aspiring artists?
Take time for self-exploration and what inspires you, as self-exploration and an artist’s style are connected. As we age, we should evolve and so should our art.
See more from Rachael here.