School Was Never Really My Thing (Animation)

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This project was created for the "Bienal de Ilustración 2024" contest for Mexico and Latin America (Cover, Header and Footer inspired by this year's contest design). This contest is made to bring together the best of independent art, whether in the form

of illustration, video, augmented reality and more.

After some brainstorming, I decided to show a reality that I saw when surrounded by animators during my studies abroad: it is true that most of us artists suffer from concentration problems.

We let our imaginations run wild during classes that don't really hold our attention, and it isn't until we get a scolding that we force ourselves back to "serious work," although once we grow up we truly realize that this characteristic is what sets us apart and helps

us create.

I decided that the best format for this project was as a GIF, since it is how it feels: a loop of letting our mind be free and then forcing it to focus.

Process

I start planning the little story by making super rough thumbnails in my notebook, this helps me visualize the general idea and put down every little thought, which of course will change along

the way.

I then do some simple sketches of the characters on paper which I then pass to Photoshop where proportions get changed and details are added. In this same program I make the turnarounds that will be of great help when animating. I also experiment with the colors of these until getting the result

I want.

When animating, I start with rough key poses to get the desired timing, then I define those poses further so the breakdowns and in-betweens are little more precise. I need this to start making the Backgrounds correctly.

After making sure the timing, proportions and movement of the characters and camera feel just right I start cleaning everything up.

There was only a month to do all of this, so compositing was off the table, but at least I was able to add the best color I could and some impact frames to give more power to his reaction.

Thumbnail and Sketches