Bringing a picture book to life
Honk: Childlike and colorful
Honk’s blend of humor and drama was best suited to a bright and modern storybook style. Digital illustrations were carefully hand-rendered using brushes that imitate the expressive and youthful energy of oil pastels. Subtle effects, such as added rosiness in the shadows of the Spring Pond clouds, and the careful crafting of dappled sunlight in the country garden, provided a sense of place and scale for the actors and the audience.
The Ugly Duckling’s journey takes him far from home, showcasing a variety of settings and a passing of seasons, and culminating in a dramatic blizzard. Each projection took hours or days to complete, requiring consistent coordination with directors, lighting designers, and costume designers.
The Blizzard Scene
Honk’s climax sees the main character trapped in a whirling blizzard. Perfecting the effect took days of research, experimentation, and rendering.
To overcome technical challenges with animation in Adobe Fresco, I incorporated the animation capabilities in QLab to create powerful effects without the need for more specialized programs. Not only did this succeed in serving the show’s thrilling ending, it helped my team craft a workflow to handle larger animation tasks for future productions.
Honk! - Grove City College Theater Production, Spring 2025
Directors: Mary Margaret Bargery, Calista Robbins
Stage Manager: Sarah Klein
Scenic Design: Dan Wolfe
Lighting Design: Veronica Klein, Peter Brumbach
Choreographers: Isabel Church, Sheldon Deal
Projections Designer: Greta Paulding
Sound Design: Jack Paice
Photography: Greta Paulding