The first TAB animation contest, whose deadline was December 31, has its winner: Mister Feathers and the Wooden Shoes, by Brad Dunham.
Mr. Dunham will be awarded a copy of the TAB.

The short is part of a series from the same author, about a bird who, when confronted with the opportunity to go on a wondrous adventure, invariably decides he’d rather be at home having tea and biscuits.

The author is a fulltime software developer with no prior animation experience. While he has always been interested in animation, it is only recently that he's taken it up as a hobby. If you want to contact the winner, send a mail to bdunham@bellsouth.net: he will be happy to answer any questions about his experience with The Tab.

Enjoy the short, and keep tuned for the next TAB animation contest.

Click on the image to play Mister Feathers and the Wooden Shoes (1.0 MB).

Interview with the Winner

How was working with The Tab?

Brilliant. The best animation software I’ve used. The interface is extremely intuitive, very easy to navigate using a Wacom tablet, so I can work quickly. Any tool that allows me to go from idea to finished product in the shortest possible time is going to be a hit with me and The Tab makes it possible to produce high quality animation in record time.

Which Tab feature was particularly useful?

Being able to transform strokes using the modifier tools, especially the Pinch tool. The shape of a drawing is elastic and easily transformed; it’s almost like pushing a length of string around on paper. Being able to sculpt lines and interpolate drawings using the inbetweener gives the animation a soft, fluid quality.

Did the Tab influence the artistic result of your work?

Absolutely. I have been working with Flash, and while it is a very good program, I have always been dissatisfied with the drawing tools. The line quality and the modifier and selection tools are what sold me on The Tab; if a drawing is not quite right, I can simply pinch the problem lines into the desired shape. So I find myself drawing less and sculpting more.

What did you like most about The Tab?

The workflow, having a room optimized for each task: drawing, animating, compositing and browsing. The uncluttered interface means I am never forced to navigate around functions I don’t need for the task at hand. The tool needed for a particular task is always within reach, so the power of the program is always where it’s needed.

What do you like least about The Tab?

That the import does not allow PNG images with an alpha channel. I am very influenced by the animation of Jiri Trnka, especially “The Merry Circus”, a film made using paper cut outs. Since it’s so easy to build marionettes by linking columns in The Tab, being able to use scanned artwork would be a real plus.