The Raw Energy of Black and White Animation

The Weird Joy of Black and White

(4 seconds) Minimalist black and white animation of a surfer girl riding a wave, with dynamic lines showing movement and energy

You ever notice how sometimes less is actually way more? That's me with my black and white animations. I started doing these surfer animations because I got tired of color palettes giving me existential crises. Like, is this blue-green or green-blue? Who knows? Not me! So I just went all in on black and white. Here is a link on this website to see a few more animations

(By the way, I do come about drawing surfers honestly. I surfed for years and have lived and do live close to three great surf breaks, the first being only blocks away. It’s where I take my morning walk. Back to my drawings and animation story)

My pen just goes wherever it wants half the time. I'm just along for the ride. Those lines you see in my surfer girl animation? Yeah, that wasn't planned. My hand was just like "we're doing this now" and I was like "okay boss, whatever you say." Here is the link where you can see a lot of my animations on tiktok

Dancing with Chaos

So what's the deal with animation anyway? Why do I spend hours hunched over like some art gremlin making these little drawings move? Because it is fun, that's why.

When that surfer girl catches a wave in my animation? That moment when her body shifts and you can feel the momentum? I live for that stuff. I recall my days of surfing and imagine it again. It's like I've bottled pure movement and emotion with just some black ink.

There's this raw energy in simple lines that fancy colors and textures just can't touch. It's honest. I know this is just some ink on paper but look, it moved.

The Social Media Reality Check

Let me tell you about posting my animations online. It's like throwing your heart into a room full of people scrolling on their phones while they're on the toilet. Real glamorous.

But somewatch the surfer girl ride that wave. They feel something. And suddenly that little black and white drawing that I made at 2 AM while eating cold pizza becomes this shared experience.

I never went to art school or memorized color theory books. I just know that when I make these black and white animations, something clicks. Something feels right. And if people connect with that? Well, that's great.

So I'll keep making my weird little moving drawings. The surfer girl will keep riding waves. And maybe, just maybe, we'll all feel something real in this digital world for a few seconds.