Commissions

I produce animation for clients using handmade techniques like paper cut-outs, paint or sand on glass. My work is notable for a customized, conceptual approach to storytelling which takes full advantage of the chosen technique. I've created unique animation for museum exhibits, music videos and various independent documentaries. For inquiries, drop a line at tess@tessmartinart.com

Reel

I enjoy using different techniques that have a hand-made root or sensibility. Techniques included in this reel are photo replacement (short films 1976 SEARCH FOR LIFE and STILL LIFE WITH WOMAN, TEA AND LETTER), phonotropes (short film ORBIT), paint-on glass (commission for documentary project (R)OMA and for documentary film FIDDLER), paper cut-outs (short film GINEVRA), charcoal (commission for Beeldjutters’ MET EIGEN OGEN project and short film adaptation VOICE), tissue paper cut-outs (commission for Sanne Rovers’ museum videos), and photo cut-outs (short film THE LOST MARINER). Music: 'Blur and Coalesce' by Podington Bear from FreeMusicArchive.org

The aftermath of a sexual assault is rendered through charcoal and metaphor. This film visualizes a piece of flash fiction by author Cherie Jones. Film by Tess Martin, Narration by Marta Parlatore, Sound by Jason Staczek.

Voice: short story film

At the end of 2019 I had the pleasure of making a charcoal animation for a piece of flash fiction written by author Cherie Jones. Voice is a short story that addresses the aftermath of a sexual assault in a metaphorical way. Music by Jason Staczek and narration by Marta Parlatore.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-vermeer-s-girl-with-the-pearl-earring-considered-a-masterpiece-james-earle Is she turning towards you or away from you? No one can agree. She's the subject of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring," a painting often referred to as the 'Mona Lisa of the North.' But what makes this painting so captivating?

TedED: Vermeer

I was happy to work on a video for Ted Ed, the educational branch of TED Talks. It’s about the Dutch Renaissance painter Jan Vermeer, and specifically, his painting The Girl with a Pearl Earring. It was created with frame by frame animation under the camera, some paint on glass animation, some Photoshop animation, and a lot of After Effects compositing.

‘Part of the Cycle’ is an animated short that uses ink and liquids to explain how water reaches our homes, how we change it, and how we clean it in the Seattle, USA area. Part of a commission from the Brightwater Project, King County Art Program Wastewater Treatment Division, Created in 2013.

Music video direction

In fall 2025 I directed a 2D digital cut-out music video for the reggae band VBDC (Venice Beach Dub Club) that was entirely crafted and animated by the talented Greg Radi, animator based in Chicago, USA. This was my first time directing something that I didn’t animate myself and it was a pleasure! We really wanted a collage aesthetic that brought to mind ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’, and was joyfully chaotic. I created the storyboard and directed Greg in the design of the characters, timing and quality of movement.

Met Eigen Ogen

I helped Beeldjutters create some animation for a participatory experience inside the Alkmaar City Hall called ‘Met Eigen Ogen’, on view from Aug 31 to Oct 8, 2023. I created various charcoal animation loops and clips that were projected on one of the interior walls. See my instagram page for more behind the scenes and the final results.

In de expositie 'Dit is mijn Verhaal' in het Bijbels Museum vertellen 18 jongeren over een kantelmoment in hun leven naar aanleiding van een bijbelverhaal. Ik maakte voor deze tentoonstelling zes korte video's, in samenwerking met animator Tess Martin. De expositie is te zien van 9 februari tot 27 oktober 2019, herengracht 368 te Amsterdam. Meer informatie: https://www.bijbelsmuseum.nl/ditismijnverhaal regie, geluid en montage Sanne Rovers animatie Tess Martin cameraman Diderik Evers sounddesign Tom Bijnen grading Michiel Rummens research Janneke Stegeman eindredactie Carolien Croon en Lotte van Gaalen voor twee geluidsmontages.

Museum Project

In collaboration with filmmaker Sanne Rovers, I created animation made from tissue paper cut-outs for six videos for an Amsterdam museum exhibit. I wrote, designed and created the stop-motion animation, which was then composited on top of Sanne’s beautiful live-action footage. Visit my Instagram for time lapse footage of the animation process.

Barzan is a documentary about an Iraqi immigrant to Seattle accused of terrorism. It was co-directed by Alex Stonehill and Brad Hutchinson and produced by The Last Quest. I created about seven minutes of sand animation for this film. Barzan had its Northwest Premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 23 and June 2, 2013.

Barzan (2012)

(R)OMA

Over about 3 months throughout 2020 I designed and produced about 5 minutes of paint animation for a documentary project called (R)OMA. This project was directed by Klaas Burger and Stefany Karghoti of the Academie voor Beeldvorming, in close collaboration with the Hopic family, the subjects of the film. The project consists of both a multi-screen installation which premiered at the Stedelijk Museum Breda and a single channel film, which premiered at the Chassé Theater in Breda, both in November 2021. I felt privileged to get the know the Hopic family throughout this process, and help bring to life a small part of Hajrija Salkanovic’s remarkable story.

Animation and behind-the-scenes footage from the documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles produced by Dog Green Productions. Animation created by Tess Martin in a paint-on-glass technique in her studio in Rotterdam. More info: https://www.tessmartinart.com/commissions And: https://thefiddlerfilm.com/

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles

Over 4 months I created about 6 minutes of paint-on-glass animation for a feature documentary about the musical Fiddler on the Roof, produced by Dog Green Productions in NYC and due out in 2019. The animation is mostly of songs from the musical, and involves lots of horses, birds, and other animals. It was super fun! Visit my Instagram for time lapse footage of the animation process.

THE ANIMATORS - OH MY - Official film clip For more of The Animators music go to: https://theanimators.bandcamp.com/ Video by Tess Martin, see more about the making of this clip and her other works here: http://www.tessmartinart.com/oh-my/ OH MY written and produced by David Cuthbertson 2016 Copyright The Animators 2016 ©

The Animators: OH MY

A starry night, tracks in the snow. A girl desperately pursues a creature into a desolate, surreal, white landscape.
This music video for the Australian band The Animators was created with painted plastic cut-outs and tissue paper and animated one frame at a time on a multi-plane animation stand.

Download "Lam2: Red Hands" from the full length album "Seventy Four": darkhipfalls.bandcamp.com/ Music by Dark Hip Falls Animated by Tess Martin using ink, gum arabic solution and water. tessmartinart.com Follow Dark Hip Falls: darkhipfalls.com/ facebook.com/darkhipfalls twitter.com/darkhipfalls instagram.com/darkhipfalls

Dark Hip Falls: “Lam 2: Red Hands”

In September 2014 I worked on an animated music video for Seattle band Dark Hip Falls using ink, water and gum arabic solution. It uses the theme of Rorschach tests to interpret the restless and fast-paced lyrics in their song ‘Lam2: Red Hands’.