Toon Boom Harmony
Rigged Characters
While frame-by-frame is by far my preferred form of animation, I have ventured into fully rigging designed characters for ease of animation.
Rigging a character in Toon Boom Harmony is an exciting process that has brought life and fluidity to my animated creations. Using a combination of bone and deformation tools, I can create a robust skeleton structure that allows for seamless movement of all the character's limbs.
I started with a simple turnaround and then created each body part, keeping in mind how they will look once they’re in motion. Importantly, I allowed for the character expression (e.g. being able to put his hands in his pockets) by carefully considering the layering of each component.
With Harmony's powerful rigging features, truly enables me to push the boundaries of my animations and achieve that perfect blend of artistry and technical precision in an efficient manner.
Frame-by-Frame
Since I was young, my passion for frame-by-frame animation has burned brightly, igniting within me a deep admiration for the art form. Through countless hours spent honing my skills, I have witnessed my abilities evolve and my hand become more confident on the tablet.
The beauty of frame-by-frame animation lies in its limitless potential, allowing me to breathe life into characters and worlds (that I used to only daydream about in the shower) one painstaking frame at a time. Yet, instead of relying on one focus or discipline, I have found that I am addicted to exploring new techniques, consistently allowing me to incorporate fresh ideas into my work.
With each new project, I strive to surpass my previous achievements and unlock the boundless creative possibilities of frame-by-frame animation. It has become not just a marketable skill, but a lifelong predilection to tell my stories in this exquisite medium.
“Won’t Stand Down”
I am currently immersed in an exciting personal animated project that revolves around an brief fight scene. Utilizing my skills in 3D animation and taking advantage of the accessibility in Source Filmmaker, I have meticulously crafted my own reference material, ensuring it aligns perfectly with my vision.
To bring this scene to life, I have embraced the unrivaled capabilities of Toon Boom Harmony. Carefully applying my understanding of timing charts and putting emphasis on strong arcs, I have hand animated each frame, immersing myself in the intricacies of every movement.
Although very early on in regards to the full scope of the project, it has already allowed me to showcase my skillset to the fullest extent, as I guide the characters through an enthralling battle, capturing every moment with precision and artistry.
Recently, I have discovered that my ideal animation process involves blocking actions in a 3D software, inherently accentuating realistic body proportions and environmental details. I then create every keyframe in 2D and frame-by-frame animate from there.
Blender
“Bright Heist” - Student Film
Set in a town robbed of sunlight, Bright Heist is the story of a mysterious creature known only as “The Light Thief”, who has attracted the anger of the village people for effortlessly stealing their remaining light sources for unknown reasons. It isn’t until an unprejudiced child follows their innocent curiosity that we learn the Light Thief’s true intentions.
From 2017 - 2019 I completed a Bachelor of Animation at Swinburne University, with a Co-Major in Cinema and Screen Studies.
During our final year, we were tasked with producing an animated short film from concept to completion. This was a group directed project and I was fortunate enough to work with 4 other talented artists on “Bright Heist”, a project I am still proud of years later.
The project was led by Tish Thomson, with 3D elements being headed by Mai Rose and Loise Sota, and character designs by Elizabeth Editha. My contribution was co-writer, storyboard artist and lead animator.
This film allowed me to explore all of my favourite parts of the animation production pipeline from in-depth screenwriting, to structured storyboarding, to planning keyframes and then of course, the arduous process of in-betweening.
I previously mentioned that I ideally like to pair the emerging efficiency of 3D animation with the wonderful medium of traditional 2D animation, and this short film was the birth of that value in me.
“Try to be your best person”
A recent exercise in trying to improve upon my work with Grease Pencil in Blender, I found that since 2019, Blender has greatly increased the potential of 2D animation in its software.
It did not take long to comfortably return to my skillset, as I intuitively put together this shot in a short amount of time.
Clip Studio Paint
By far my preferred software for regular sketching and artwork, Clip Studio Paint also doubles as a solid 2D animation program.
With its extensive range of brushes and customizable settings, artists can achieve stunning and diverse results. The software's robust animation features enable me to create smooth and dynamic motion with ease, from simple frame-by-frame animations to complex puppet based projects.
Its intuitive interface and meticulous attention to detail make it my go-to choice for getting ideas out quickly.
Miscellaneous
“Haunting of Beef House”
Two young party-seeking men book an Airbnb for a really good rate at an old manor, but are unaware that it is haunted by a skeleton known as “The Beef Boy”. The Groundskeeper attempts to warn the two but they fearlessly (and ignorantly) decide to party on.
Finally, I wouldn’t be true to myself as an artist if I didn’t talk about the silliest animation I have ever made. From script to voice acting to full animation in one night, I conceived this stupid short film in 3D Movie Maker for a Twitch stream by DingDongVG that you can watch here.
While it’s not technically impressive, I had such a fun time making it that I have since experimented with the animation program EbSynth with Haunting of Beef House as the inspiration.