Adam Beris

We Need to Talk, 2024

In hand-drawn animation, smear frames are stylistic visualizations of motion that distort the subject as it jumps from one place to another or duplicates parts of the subject’s body to imply rapid motion. Though smears were invented to saved time and money, animators continue to employ them for their nostalgic, comedic, and aesthetic appeal. In Adam Beris’ We Need to Talk (2024), a smear of two cartoon characters smashing into each other face to face is anointed by extruded paint blobs—a stray glyph from Beris’ grid painting series.