Tim Tom

This short from 2002 has been circulating the web for some time, but I love it.



I am a sucker for expressions…whether little kids, pets, or Garbo. I feel like there is something powerful in an unpainted stare or the explosive transformation of the cheeks and eyes when you laugh. For some equally captivating reason, having a notepad for a face makes it possible to convey the same meaning with just a few squiggles.

Tim and Tom are two little men (whose faces are in fact notepads!) trying to keep in touch each other. But the Creator (intended as the one who created them) tries very hard to interfere.

The animation overall is very polished and seemless yet the faces of these two men are simple but expressionistic. As a viewer you almost trust that each expression is planned to be meaningful, rather than preconcieved or unconscious.

I love when he uses the back side of his face to show the lightbulb. And the part where all of the scraps of paper are on the floor. Its almost like he was writing a novel (on the pad that is his face) and couldn't quite get the right word. I am personally a huge fan of post it, my favorite being the really small one's that can only fit about 15 words in pale muted colors.

After watching this short, I almost want to make a roll of simple Felicia faces sketched on post-its and display them on the back of the computer to show how I am feeling. Like today would be a focused with a dash of eager. We'll see how this turns out....