Henrietta Bukowski
Project: Henrietta Bukowski
Director: Rachel Johnson
Studio: Lift Animation
Fabrication: Miguel Argueta, Adele Han Li, Joseph Nivens
Year: 2013-15
Materials: Silicone, Expandable Foam Latex, Plaster & Epoxy Molds, Wire, Flocking, Fabric, 3D Prints, Paper, Bass Wood, Paint, Super Glue, Epoxy
At Lift Animation, I was part of a small, collaborative team of artists and animators working on the stop-motion short film Henrietta Bukowski. My role focused on puppet and set fabrication, where I was responsible for creating many of the film’s key visual elements. I fabricated the majority of props seen on screen, and handled detailed finishing work such as sanding, painting, and aging all set surfaces and puppet face plates. I also designed and built practical miniature items including curtains, doors, mirrors, dressers, animatable puppet hair, shoes, glasses, hats, and more. For the main character, I designed and constructed poseable (animate-able) dresses by casting foam latex with embedded wire mesh armatures. Additionally, I fabricated custom wire armatures for the background characters, painted and weathered the airplane set, and painted/detailed the exterior building facades.
Lift Animation Logo
Project: Lift Animation Logo
Director: Rachel Johnson
Studio: Lift Animation
Fabrication: Miguel Argueta, Adele Han Li, Joseph Nivens
Year: 2014
Materials: Silicone, Expandable Foam Latex, Plaster & Epoxy Molds, Wire, Flocking, Fabric, 3D Prints, Paper, Bass Wood, Paint, Super Glue, Epoxy
For this animated logo, I completed all the finishing work on the puppet. I sanded and painted the silicone face, arms, and legs, adding blush tones and subtle shading. I also crafted the hat, hair, poseable scarf, shoes, armbands, and wooden wings.
Verizon Fios: Nonstop Action
Client: Verizon fios
Production: Stupid Buddy Studios/Big Picture Co.
Director: Karim Charlebois-Zariffa
Cinematographer: Andy Knapp
Production Design/Art Direction: Lizzy Klein
Puppet Fabrication: Joseph Nivens, Quique Rivera
Set Fabrication: Joseph Nivens, Quique Rivera
Animators: Melissa Goodwin-Shepherd, Harry Chaskin, Brandon Lake, Sean Willets, Yizhou Li
Year: 2015
Materials: Wood, Wood Filler, Super Glue, Epoxy, Paper, Paint, Wire, Plexiglass
This short stop-motion commercial was crafted entirely from paper and wood, with the director aiming to achieve a highly polished, hyper-clean aesthetic that mimics the look of CGI. I was responsible for constructing several of the paper objects featured in the film, as well as multiple large-scale wooden elements. The wooden pieces required an intensive finishing process—meticulously sanded, painted, and re-sanded in multiple layers—to create a flawless, near-perfect surface. Additionally, I collaborated with a small team of set fabricators to build the custom animation stands used throughout the production.
Pacific Sun by Thomas Demand
Still from Pacific Sun
Year: 2012
Media: Video Art
Materials: Paper, Wood, Glue, Wire
Director: Thomas Demand
2012, video, 120 seconds, stereo (production still), Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery.
Lighting: Helder Sun
Lighting Intern for Helder Sun: Joseph Nivens
Assistant Animator for Pacific Sun: Joseph Nivens
This still is from a stop-motion video piece directed by the renowned visual artist Thomas Demand. For this project, I contributed in two key roles: as an assistant to the lighting designer, Helder Sun, and as an animator, meticulously animating hand crafted paper objects frame by frame. Everything in the video is made of paper. The work required close attention to visual detail, consistency, and coordination with the broader creative team to achieve the director’s precise aesthetic vision.
Pacific Sun - YouTube Link
It's a SpongeBob Christmas!
Project: It's a SpongeBob Christmas!
Year: 2011
Directors: Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh
Production: Nickelodeon Animation Studios/
Screen Novelties
Job Title: Puppet & Set Fabrication Intern
Materials: Cushion Foam, 3D Prints, Wire, Epoxy, Glue, Paint, Plexiglass, Fabric
My responsibilities included sanding and painting detailed facial components such as 3D printed mouths, eyes, and teeth, as well as sanding and painting background elements. I also assisted in the construction of intricate character parts, including hands and eyelids, bandages, and props - supporting the overall visual and functional quality of the puppets used in production.
It's a SpongeBob Christmas! - Vimeo Link
Eddie P.I.G.
Project: Eddie P.I.G.
Year: 2023
Director: Joe Nivens
Animator: Joe Nivens
Production: Bad Mule Inc.
Produced by Mark Roberts & Lisa Cisneros
Materials: Watercolor Paper, Marker, Ink, Colored Pencil
Bad Mule Inc. is a sweet and salty dispensary of kid-friendly content from Mark Roberts, creator of TV's Mike & Molly. www.badmuleinc.com
This paper cut-out film was commissioned by Bad Mule Inc. for their YouTube channel. I was asked to quickly develop a short film using hand-drawn materials. Eddie P.I.G. combines traditional paper cut-outs animated through stop motion and enhanced with keyframe animation in After Effects.
The Pickles
Project: The Pickles
Year: 2015
Director: Joe Nivens & Adele Han Li
Animator: Joe Nivens & Adele Han Li
Writer: Zach Reino
Production: Pickle Pony Pictures
Produced by Joe Nivens & Adele Han Li
Materials: Latex, Epoxy, Wire, Flocking, Fabric, Paper, Bass Wood, Paint, Super Glue, Sculpey, Jute
Pickle Pony was a collaboration between Joseph Nivens and Adele Han Li, two food-loving animation artists living in Los Angeles at the time. Their shared love of pickles, 90s Nickelodeon, and all things ridiculous fueled their creative projects.
[Blank] My Life
Project: Where'd You Go
Year: 2017
Director: Dylanger Mychael Bates
Writer: Alex Spieth
Production: [Blank] My Life
Production Designer: Joe Nivens
Property Manager: Joe Nivens
I served as Production Designer and Property Master for the [Blank] My Life episode titled “Where’d You Go.” I also designed and built the owl puppet, which later became a recurring character in the web series.
[Blank] My Life
Title: Mr. Owl
Year: 2017
Director: Trevor McQueen
Writer: Alex Spieth
Production: [Blank] My Life
Puppet Fabricator: Joe Nivens
I designed and built the Mr. Owl puppet for the [Blank] My Life episode titled “Mr. Owl.” The character was performed (puppeteered) as a live-action puppet.
