The subtle highlights of movement that Stephen Vuillemin’s GIFs add to his illustrations range from snippets of humour to an increased intensity as found in some of his more serious editorial work.
Wafts of steam from a mug of coffee and the flutterings of a cape are good examples of how Stephens short animated clips can add a bit of fun to an image. But like in his New York Times piece for an article about media violence, you can really start to see just how effective of a tool it can be.
As well as his use of animation in this way, it’s also the intentionally lo-fi and slightly retro aesthetic that Stephen uses that gives his work such a unique character.
While having a lot of beautifully drawn details, the pixelated edges and kinds of effects he uses give everything a nice, spontaneous feel to it.
This is something that probably comes from drawing directly onto the computer, as he describes below.
I do illustration and animation and animated illustration. I mostly work digitally, but I keep everything hand-drawn (by using a tablet).
My animated comics ‘Lyceennes’ kickstarted my career in 2011. I think it was the first time gifs were used this way.
Since then, I worked for the New-York Times, GQ, Stone Island, etc. I also keep doing personal work when I have time.
© Stephen Vuillemin, 2016
