Here are two book I have illustrated in 2011/2012 for Arena. I like the sidekicks especially- the small mammoth and the dinosaur. The cooperation with Volker präkelt and Bärbel Müller was very pleasant. I am working at another volume of this series about pirates at the moment. 
http://www.arena-verlag.de/helden/derek-roczen
Author: derekroczen
SwR Planet Wissen_II
Animation, film, fun, illustration, science, television, UncategorizedI made 5 new films for Planet Wissen
Sozialversicherung (Social Insurance ), Vegetarismus (Vegetarianism, Risiko (risk taking), 2 for Existiert die Welt (Does the worl exist)
Risiko is probably the most funny one. I am gonna post a link as soon as it is online, although I am afraid you need to know some German to get some of the jokes. I will post a link as soon as it is online.
Vegetarianism:
Risk:
Social Insurance
SWR Planet Wissen
UncategorizedSWR Planet Wissen
One more chapter in the works I did recently. This is for a German TV-show about science. I did several episodes during the past year (wind, primitive times, urban gardening, social insurance, vegetarians). I developed this style for limited budget animation, and it works quite well.
They can be found on the Planet Wissen homepage:
http://www.planet-wissen.de/index.jsp
This is my scribble about life in primitive times:
http://www.planet-wissen.de/sendungen/2013/09/24_oetzi.jsp
Unfortunately the quality of the video isn´t particularly good.
Here are some stills
Landtag 2011
Animation, comic, film, fun, illustration, Uncategorized
This is a project from 2011 I did for the Landtag Baden Württemberg for Taks Film and director Dorothea Künzel. The process was a little protracted, because I had participated in pitch the year before. In retrospect the design I did back then was a little to lame, so I lost to Angela Steffen, but got the job when she decided to work on Andreas Hykades Tom. I was first supposed to use her design, which I didn´t like. I am a great fan of Angela but this case was different. So I did a complete redesign, which I like a lot.
The film explains the mechanics of the regional parliament and is often used in schools. It is a pity, that I haven´t found another use for this style so far. By the way thanks to Annette Schneider of Taks Film and Dorothea Künzig for her advice….
I uploaded an edit of the animated scenes. I don´t have the sound files so they are without sound, but I hope you will get the idea.
These are some drawings from the first pitch and a link to the animation test I did back then.
Entwurf für Film Landtag Baden Württemberg 2010. Derek Roczen
N/ portraits
illustration, nude drawing, portrait
N_2 (c)derekroczen
N_1 (c)derekroczen
N_5 (c)derekroczen
N_6 (c)derekroczen
N_7 (c)derekroczen
N_4 (c)derekroczen
N_3 (c)derekroczen
These drawings are a byproduct of my unfortunately extensive summer slump. I hope I won´t have time for this kind of drawing very soon. Also when I draw there always phases when I work a lot on one thing, and I guess it will take some time anyway until I start on this kind of motif again. I didn´t scan the pictures but just photographed my sketchbook.
They are a little time travel because they remind me of the stuff I did in art school. They are based on my photographs of a Russian student and part time model I took some time ago. She is probably one of the most beautiful women I have met so far, so thanks to her. I would prefer to do actual live drawings, but that is a question about money and finding someone patient enough. I am kind of not finished with this, because it always seems like looking for one picture and I haven´t made this one yet. I would love to do some etchings based on these drawings….
Melanchoholics Solar Café
illustration, record sleeve
Next part in updating my blog. This is a record cover I did for Melanchoholics. The making of this took very long because it was overshadowed by the death of their mastermind Benedikt Kristofer Bjarnason who died of cancer in 2010. I hardly knew Benedikt, but he was great. The cover is based on photographs he took in small Icelandic village and photographs of his ancestors that had a kind of weird and spooky atmosphere to them. If you look at the cover very closely you can see these photographs. I would love to show them by myself because they are very beautiful , but I don´t have the rights.
Karambolage Glücksschwein
Animation, filmKarambolage/ Glücksschwein
This was a work for Arte done in 2011. Karambolage is a TV show that is shown in Germany and in France and always explains customs of the other country. In this case it is about the Glücksschwein. In Germany for example small figurines of pigs are used as lucky charms. So if you want to wish somebody good luck you might give him a small pig made of marzipan as a present. The film explains the origins of this custom.
Mörike 2010
UncategorizedThe next chapter in updating my blog. This is also an older work, which dates back to 2010. I did this for a small museum in Nagold dedicated to Eduard Mörike. Mörike is a well known German poet with strong ties to his Swabian home country, and is dearly liked there because of that. He once visited Nagold and I was commissioned to do a short film about that. That was difficult, because very little happened on that trip. But I quite like the film. These are film stills and sketches and at the far and there is link to vimeo, where you can watch the clip, but I am afraid it is in German….
If your interested in further information or visiting the place:
http://www.nagold.de/de/Unsere-Stadt/Vereine-und-Gruppen-?view=publish&item=club&id=60
Eduard Mörike, Schwaben, Swabia, Poet, Dichter, Animation, Zeller, Nagold, Mörike Zeller Garten, Derek Roczen
https://vimeo.com/23478555transcode_complete-finished-20120100&utm_source=email
The latter are sketches from a small moleskin sketchbook. I decided to vary the traditional silhouette style for the animation in the end.
Cheese
Animation, filmBasically I haven´t worked on my blog the last two years, which might be a mistake because it is the only sign of life some people might get, and a lot happened these two years. So I will start to put thinks up there irregularly. I hope someone will enjoy it.
First thing, this is also almost 2 years old is an episode of Quarks and Co., a German science TV show. I did the characters, the design as well as the animation and parts of the After Effects stuff, but credit is due to Frank Mai, with whom I collaborate from time to time. If you want to watch the episode here is the link:
http://www.wdr.de/tv/quarks/sendungsbeitraege/2013/0514/kaese_003.jsp
rain
fun, illustration, Uncategorized
The weather is still very bad in Cologne…
Derek Roczen's Weblog 