For this week's Mashable Vine Challenge, craft a six-second video using tools and mechanical joints. Stop-motion and live-action Vineographer Andrew Smith, owner of the Derp Vine account, will be our guest host.
Smith grew up in the mountains of northern Utah, a place he still happily calls home. He creates kinetic and mechanical sculptures for a living. "I consider myself lucky to be able to do what I love," he said. "Creating art is just fun, pure and simple. I love the joy of raw creativity; of being able to make something from nothing."
Smith first heard about Vine from a friend. At that time, he had just finished constructing a small character, Derp, for another project. "My friend suggested I use Vine to create some animations with Derp," he said. "I had never animated before, but it came pretty naturally."
Initially, Derp was the subject of all of Smith's videos -- hence the profile name -- but he quickly realized it was a great platform to share the rest of his artwork, as well as experiment and play with other creative concepts. "Vining really started off as just a fun little hobby," he said. "But as time went by, I discovered it is a great way to share my work with a larger audience."
Upload your Vine videos by Thursday, May 1 at 10 a.m. ET, using the hashtag #MechanicalMash. Smith will choose his favorite submissions to feature on Mashable.