My name is Rosalie Osman and I’m an animator based in Melbourne, Australia.

Illustration has always woven a spell over me.  As a child, I was enchanted by the drawings of Sir John Tenniel, while reading Alice in Wonderland, and felt an urge to try my hand at such art. From this early age, I could see the power of the image in telling a story.  Engrossing me in comic books and graphic novels stimulated this interest to an itch that just had to be scratched.  Many spare moments, during my early teen years, were spent furiously illustrating stories of my friends.  Eventually these stories became comic books. This venting of my imagination onto paper was the spur to my seeking education and a career in the creative arts.

Another childhood fascination was the recounting of fairy tales, particularly those in the European tradition such as the Brothers Grimm and Russian folklore.  Although these tales have a moral sting, highlighting evils and childhood dangers, they are written in such prose as to bring the imagination to life.  This then becomes an imprint in the mind, a kind of mental illustration, and intensifies the memory of the story – a powerful tool in conveying and retaining a message.

Combining my training and early career in 2D and 3D animation with my love of illustration, I produce my films using a generous amount of hand drawn work with a judicious application of computer aided animation.  I apply my highly illustrative style to stories inspired by my childhood memories of fairy tales and my own observations of the human condition in its everyday manifestation. 

Attempting to create contemporary fairy tales, that comment on society or act as cautionary tales in the manner of the ‘Struwwelpeter’ nursery rhymes, my characters essentially portray exaggerated performances of modern day foibles such as materialism, superficiality and megalomaniacal episodes.  In common with many fairy tales, there is often a dark and dangerous element lurking in my films.  However, this is always tempered with a dose of humour or whimsy.

Through my films, I hope to encourage a revival in the tradition of storytelling via fairy tales but using a modern vernacular.  Although my films are aimed at an adult audience, there is also a level which appeals to the younger person’s sense of the ridiculous.

I am currently working as a freelance animator as well as directing a new film of my own.