Handmade 3D animation peaks into a world where a woman, chicken, and robot call home.
The Bartholomew Project is a new, upcoming 3D-animated mini-series created by the independent animation studio Wema Animation. So new in fact that — at the time of writing this — their website (studiowema.com) is still under construction. Wema is a two-person creative team based out of Australia. Ewan McDonald and Emma Su are young, talented animation students who proudly proclaim, “We at Wema do not use generative AI.”
Although we are just being fed bits and pieces of their work at this point, it is very impressive. Stunning character development and the realistic camera movement and lighting effects make for very engaging content. Producing their 3D animation entirely by hand, these young creators clearly put in the time and effort. You can see their long, detailed process from conceptualizing to finalizing their characters and environments in the video below .
The Bartholomew Project mini series follows the life of Bartholomew, a charming old household robot who aims to prove his worth to his family. Sharing his home is Borb, a carefree and somewhat mischievous pet chicken and their loving owner simply known as Mom trying to hold it all together. The viewer is taken on a trip thru their world that is at times funny, frustrating and touching.
I’m really getting a kick out of following this project as it grows. It does my heart good to see young artists taking a stance against the use of shortcuts, especially AI. And the community of like-minded supporters has connected with that. There is a yearning for truly human-made art in all forms. A meme I’ve seen lately that really resonates says (and I’m paraphrasing), “New artists shouldn’t use AI to create their art. They should use their childhood trauma like the rest of us.”
It’s the pure, natural use of human imagination that brings real life to the characters of The Bartholomew Project. The sacrifice of time and expenditure of skill. The need to dig deep into one’s own mind to mine for inspiration. That’s what makes — and has always made — art real. And to see it coming from young, independent creators just beginning their journey is exciting. Check out the latest trailer for The Bartholomew Project below.
Show your support for these and other small, independent creators. Follow the links below. They also have an announcement board set up on Discord for updates and discussion. Keep the arts alive!
Cheers!
Stephen
Instagram -> instagram.com/wema.animation
TikTok -> tiktok.com/@studiowema
YouTube -> youtube.com/@wemaaaaa
Discord -> discord.gg/J8NfmXWrc
