Today I wanted to share a method of animating that I’ve been experimenting on and off with over the past year. The following animations were created digitally, printed using a process called risograph, and then scanned and digitally reassembled into a video file.
What is Risograph?
Before I get into the nitty gritty, I wanted to talk a little bit about what risograph (or, “riso”) is. A risograph is a digital duplicator (copier) produced in Japan and widely used in the 1980s. They’ve since had somewhat of an artistic resurgence, due to their unique combination of convenience and high-quality output.
Because risographs print in layers of ink, they can print in much more vivid colors than methods of digital printing. They also exhibit a nice level of handmade and analog charm, as the registration (alignment between layers of ink) is rarely perfect.
The final animation turned out like this:
A Few More Animations + Contact Sheets
Here’s a contact sheet of a previous animation last fall, which was animated digitally and then printed out via risograph. The first image has only two layers of ink—Mint and Violet. The second image was scanned after the addition of two more layers of ink, Yellow and Bubblegum Pink.
And here’s a video of the completed animation:
Here’s a contact sheet in various stages of the process.
I made this animation a couple months ago, printed in Federal Blue, Bubblegum Pink, and Yellow. It took a lot of trial and error for me to arrive at a style that I was happy with. Risograph involves some technical limitations that I don’t have to deal with when working digitally, but as with everything, it’s those very limitations that give the final animations their singularity and charm. A lot of people have asked me why I would go through this process in the first place, noting that it seems excessively convoluted, to which I’ve responded that that’s the nature of animation (particularly when physical media are involved).
Substack isn’t always ideal for sharing video, so if you’re interested in viewing some of the other risograph animations I’ve made, you can check them out on my website here.
Other Animators and Studios
There’s some really beautiful and interesting work being done in risograph animation lately—here are a few of the artists and studios that have been inspiring me.
DTAN studio, based in Berlin, is doing a lot of trippy, geometric work in vivid colors.
Rapapawn is a creative duo and studio based in Spain who make muted, abstract, procedural animations.
Hiromu Oka is a Japanese motion designer who uses a unique technique to combine 3D digital animation with risograph.
Suejee Lee is a New York-based animator and illustrator who just completed an animated short film during her time as Artist-in-Residence at the Risolab.
Other Updates
A few weeks ago was cherry-blossom season at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and we spent a lovely morning sitting under the cherry trees. It’s been a strange spring, weather-wise, but I’m always hopeful that beautiful weather is just around the corner. I just got a roll of film back, so it was nice to look back and remember those earlier spring days.
Miscellanea (Music recs)
This has been a big music month for me, as I’ve been fairly busy with freelance work and listening to a lot of music while I illustrate and move keyframes around. Some of the albums I listened to the most this month:
Lifetime – new from Erika de Casier, this album is gorgeous, atmospheric, and fully self-produced. Title track is probably the standout for me, but the entire thing is an incredibly lovely listen.
Forever Howlong – new album from Black Country, New Road. Took me a little bit of time to warm up to this album, as I’m skeptical of their overall theatre and “olde twee” vibes, but once I got on board I was a full convert. If you check out any track from this album, make it “For the Cold Country.”
Fancy That – new PinkPantheress, so listenable it should be illegal (haha). Since this album is only 20 minutes long, you can listen to it about 48 times over your approximate sixteen waking hours per day.
Bloodless – new album from Samia. What can I say, I love Samia. Probably her most interesting and cohesive work yet. Favorites for me might be “Fair Game” and “North Poles.”
Honorable mentions: Pirouette by Model/Actriz, Live at Revolution Hall by Adrianne Lenker
That’s all for today, everyone, and thanks again for reading! Until next time :)
so cool to learn more about your process w/ riso!!
what kind of camera / film do you use? Absolutely love this shot of the cherry blossoms