Nerd speak to follow: In serious effort to do the thing I’ve really been longing to do, which is more and better animation (what originally got me into paper cutting), I’ve taken a slight plunge and am outfitting myself with some new equipment.. I’m putting aside my Nikon d40 for a Canon 60d which comes with live view (and will also be a step up in my photography endeavors — getting an extra lens that zooms to 300mm for some serious wildlife closeups). I was using an old digital camcorder from the 1990’s to shoot my animation, and the image quality just wasn’t near what I want it to be. With live view, I can integrate this DSLR camera into my animation setup for image capture on the spot, and I’ll be using Dragonframe, the same software used to create Paranorman, Frankenweenie, and hundreds of other amateur and professional stop-motion animations. Dragonframe is actually able to control the camera, giving me better results as far as the image capture alone goes. I’ve also decided to invest in a desktop iMac and use the Adobe Production Suite for my editing needs. This gives me access to After Effects, an amazing motion effects software, and easily works between Photoshop and Premiere for editing and sound addition. I’m also looking to set up a very basic, but good, sound recording gitup so I can make my own music (I’ve been working hard at the ukulele for a reason!). Of course, more paper cuttings to come as my art fairs come to an end for the year (and won’t start again til next April..), but also, new paper cut animations as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked with any software that’s not completely basic, but I’m looking forward to figuring it all out, because as I think I’ve said before, there’s no better feeling for me than what results from seeing my artwork come alive on a screen.