Sheila Graber

Last updated

Sheila Graber
Born1940 (age 82–83)
Occupation(s) Animator
Teacher
Employer Sunderland University
Known forAnimating Paddington and Just So Stories
Website https://sganimation.co.uk

Sheila Graber (born 1940) is a British animator, artist and Visiting Professor at the University of Sunderland. She animated the children's television series Paddington , has taught in schools and universities, and has won numerous awards.

Contents

Early life

Graber was born in 1940, and raised in South Shields, County Durham, England. She gained a National Diploma in Fine Art from the Sunderland Art College (now part of the University of Sunderland) in 1959. [1] In 1960 she studied for her ATD with Mrs Burroughs and team in Birmingham School for Training Art teachers where she was shown that EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST IN THEIR OWN WAY - as Sir Herbert Read said in 1943 in his "Education through Art." Sheila has followed this philosophy all her teaching career. After twenty years of teaching, Graber first began to make animated films in 1970, initially using the medium to teach her students another form of art, following on from painting, clay modelling, woodwork and metalwork. [2]

Animation

Between 1975 and 1980, Graber created a selection of animated shorts which were shown worldwide. One animation, Mondrian, about the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian was screened at the Tate Gallery, Mondrian’s own house in the Netherlands, the Open University and British Broadcasting Corporation's children's television series Blue Peter . [2]

In 1985, Graber worked for Filmfair, and created the cut out animation for Paddington Bear Specials for the television series Paddington . [1] She also animated the 1983 Marble Arch/Interama/Strengholt Films series Just So Stories, adapted from a collection of ten children's stories of the same name, written by Rudyard Kipling. [3]

Newly divorced in 1970 Sheila began experimenting at home with Super 8 film animation. By 1975 Tate Gallery invited her to make an animation on William Blake for their Exhibition. She created it in the sculpture hall at the gallery to encourage the general public to see the use of animation in education. 1980 Sheila left her role as head of Creative Studies at a large comprehensive school as she was invited by Nicole Jouve of Interama. Agent for The films of Jean Renoir and The Magic Roundabout to create A 10x10 minute animated series of The Just So Stories for World TV. This she did at home single handed in one year using classic hand painted cels, scripting, recording mixing sound track, drawing, tracing, painting, filming on 16mm. A World Record. The series was screened in over 15 countries. She has since pursued a career as a full-time professional artist animator and educator.

Some of Sheila's animation art work is stored by the BFI Animation Archives Many of Graber's films are screened by the BFI and held in The North East Film Archive and the archive of the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers film and video institute , including a number she made as the introduction for events and conferences hosted by that organisation. [4]

In 2020 the North East Film Archive produced a DVD of her animated work. [5]

Later life

In 2001, Sheila took a position at the University of Teesside, as the Animator in Residence. Commenting on her appointment, she said, "I’m hoping to work ... on making a film and explore the potential of computer animation." After creating over 60 shorts and three series for World TV, she teamed up with fellow director Jen Miller in 1996 to form the company Sheila Graber Animation Ltd. In 2004 she moved to the Republic of Ireland to open a studio to provide guidance and inspiration to a new generation of animators, before taking up a position at the University of Sunderland later that same year. Speaking of her role as Senior Research and Teaching Fellow in Animation, Graber said, "it's great to work with older students. It's a real two-way process and I hope I inspire them as much as they inspire me." [1] As of 2008, Graber continues to work at the university. [6]

On 19 November 2007 she created a YouTube account under the name Arty Cat. She has been using it to upload her animations. [7]

In 2012 Sheila published a book entitled "My Tyneside" this was a personal journey from 1951 to 2004. [8]

In 2021 she published "Sheila from Shields her cat and the Rainbow" to complement an exhibition at South Shields Museum. [9]

In 2021 Sheila held an exhibition at the Customs House in South Shields, much of her work was sold in aid of three local charities. [10]

Awards and recognition

Graber was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Sunderland in 1998 for Outstanding services to Education and Art. [2] [11]

In 2003, Graber won an award in the "Best Digital Image Designer Category" at the North East and Border regional award ceremony of the Royal Television Society, [12] and had another production nominated for "The Wow Factor" – two minutes of video which could produce a collective "Wow" from the judges. [13] In 2004, one of her works was a finalist in the "Best Non-Broadcast Factual Production Category". [14] and was awarded the annual Lifetime Achievement Award. [15]

She was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of South Tyneside on 26 July 2023. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Tyneside</span> Metropolitan borough in England

South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England.

Mainframe Studios is a Canadian computer animation company owned by Wow Unlimited Media and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1993 as Mainframe Entertainment Inc. by Christopher Brough, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, Gavin Blair and John Grace, the company established itself as a leading contributor to the introduction of computer-generated imagery (CGI) Live Action in animation, film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Hanna</span> American animator and cartoonist (1910–2001)

William Denby "Bill" Hanna was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of Tom and Jerry as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera.

Ivor Sydney Wood was a prolific Anglo-French animator, director, producer and writer. He was known for his work on children's television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Barbera</span> American animator and cartoonist (1911–2006)

Joseph Roland Barbera was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Okonedo</span> English actress (born 1968)

Sophie Okonedo is a Nigerian English actress and narrator. Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019, both for services to drama. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Award, Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flash animation</span> Animation technique

Adobe Flash animation is an animation that is created with the Adobe Animate platform or similar animation software and often distributed in the SWF file format. The term Adobe Flash animation refers to both the file format and the medium in which the animation is produced. Adobe Flash animation has enjoyed mainstream popularity since the mid-2000s, with many Adobe Flash-animated television series, television commercials, and award-winning online shorts being produced since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand animation</span> Manipulation of sand to create animation

Sand animation is the manipulation of sand to create animation. In performance art an artist creates a series of images using sand, a process which is achieved by applying sand to a surface and then rendering images by drawing lines and figures in the sand with one's hands. A sand animation performer will often use the aid of an overhead projector or lightbox. To make an animated film, sand is moved on a backlit or frontlit piece of glass to create each frame.

<i>Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!</i> American Flash-animated television series

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is an American children's educational Flash animated television series created by Bob Boyle. The series was produced by Bolder Media and Starz Media in association with Film Roman, and it was animated by Bardel Entertainment using both Toon Boom and Adobe Flash software. Boyle submitted his original concept as a book to Frederator Studios, the lead creative partner in Bolder Media. After more than 6000 children's book concepts were reviewed, his submission was selected for development into an animated series for preschoolers. Bob Boyle, Susan Miller, Mark Warner, and Fred Seibert served as executive producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Hawkins</span> British actress

Sally Cecilia Hawkins is an English actress who began her career on stage and then moved into film. She has received several awards including a Golden Globe Award in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and two British Academy Film Awards.

The Adventures of Paddington Bear is an animated children's television series based on the book Paddington Bear by Michael Bond and developed by Bruce Robb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Equihua</span> Mexican animator and illustrator

Sandra Equihua Peláez is a Mexican animator, painter, sculptor, character designer, voice actress, and illustrator.

Lauren Eve Montgomery is an American storyboard artist, director, character designer, producer and writer.

FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated cartoons, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, clay animation, and cutout animation.

Suzanah Clare Templeton is a British animator. Her film Peter and the Wolf has won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddington Bear</span> Fictional bear in books by Michael Bond

Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book A Bear Called Paddington and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum and other artists.

Lindsey Pollard is an animator from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Her work as an animation director on the children's Cartoon Network series Camp Lazlo garnered three Pulcinella awards, two Emmy nominations, and a 2007 Emmy win. In 1994, she received The Grand Prize Norman McLaren Award and won "Best Animation" in the Montreal World Film Festival for her student film The Chain Letter. As a member of The Emily Carr Institute Alumni, she received The Emily Award in Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in 2008. Lindsey was an assistant director on The Simpsons Movie and a timer on My Gym Partner's a Monkey, The Simpsons, Drawn Together, The Fairly OddParents, The Oblongs, Baby Blues, The Cramp Twins, and Mission Hill. She is currently a retake director on the Emmy award-winning hit series Family Guy.

Many adaptations of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories have been made in various countries, as cartoons, musicals and a children's opera.

Vera Neubauer is a Czech born British experimental filmmaker, animator, feminist activist and educator. She is known for her jarring, provocative and anti establishment approach. Her life's work spans genres, from cinematic short film to television series for children. Neubauer has received two BAFTA Cymru awards.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Paddington animator returns home". BBC News . BBC Online. 18 October 2004. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 "CV". graber-miller.com. Sheila Graber and Jen Miller. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  3. ↑ "Teesside has world-wide animation appeal" (Press release). University of Teesside. 10 August 2001. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  4. ↑ Watterson, Dave. "Sheila's back!". Institute of Amateur Cinematographers. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  5. ↑ "Shop".
  6. ↑ "Sheila Graber". University of Sunderland. Archived from the original on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  7. ↑ "Sheila Graber". YouTube. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  8. ↑ "My Tyneside", publisher Quizicat Productions, (2102), ISBN   978-1480111097
  9. ↑ Sheila from Shields, QuiziCat Productions, 2021, ISBN   9798536326138
  10. ↑ "Sheilashow".
  11. ↑ "Honorary Fellowships". University of Sunderland . Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  12. ↑ "Best Digital Image Designer". Royal Television Society . 2003. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  13. ↑ "The Wow Factor". Royal Television Society . 2003. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  14. ↑ "Best Non-Broadcast Factual Production". Royal Television Society . 2003. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  15. ↑ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Royal Television Society . 2004. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  16. ↑ "Animator Sheila Graber given Freedom of South Tyneside". BBC News Tyne and Wear. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.