I took a vector illustration of a candle and turned it into and animation using Adobe After Effects. I made the candle flicker and smoke appear when the candle is blown out. This was my first time using after effects and it is an incredible program! I learned a lot of different ways to animate. 

I sketched out how I wanted the elements to initially look at first! I sketched out the simple storyboard that I wanted to portray. 

I created separate high level layers - meaning that each illustration was on its on layer so I could animate then separately. I created two different flames so I could add more movement to each one. I also wanted to include the sound of a candle being blown out. So I recorded my self actually blowing out a candle and then animated the movements to the sound. 

For my draft I animated the flames using the scale and position options. This took a lot of time because I had to manually adjust each movement. I used the opacity tool to be hid the smoke until the candle went out. I received good feedback that the candle was still missing the movement and flicker. And that the smoke should have more of a floating feel. 

I was able to use the Wave Warp effect on the flames to give it more natural feel and movement. The effects that are already built into the program really help to make it easier and more professional. I was able to change the speed and direction of each flame to make it more natural. I used a Mask Path tool to allow the smoke to reveal itself from the bottom up. I also added the sound of the someone blowing the candle out to really add to the effects.