My senior exhibition project at North Central College which is based on my original series, Crux of Thorns. The timeline of creation was from January - March 2023 (with concept art produced in December 2022) and it was featured in the senior exhibition show REMIX hosted in Schoenherr Gallery on North Central's campus.
The show ran from March 28th - April 29th. I was tasked to be on the show's promotional committee with two other students. We distributed flyers across campus and created artist spotlights for the Art & Design department's social media. The exhibition was open to all mediums of art so I chose to showcase my skills in 2D animation and After Effects. Created with FireAlpaca, Photoshop, After Effects & Premiere.
Work in Gallery Space
My Artist Spotlight for Department Social Media
Exhibition Poster
Storyboard
Background Concept Art
Eye Animation WIP
Concept Art
Deleted End Scene Animation
Color Overlay Concepts
Walk Cycle Animation WIP
Artist Statement
(Featured in show)
Our protagonist, a she-wolf by the name of Flower, wakes up in a magical,
mysterious dreamscape filled with the memories of her life so far. Exploring this
whimsical place, she looks back on cherished memories and less than pleasant ones; and
learns how to confront them and move forward with her life. At this point in the story,
Flower has achieved much deserved time of peace after years of conflict, but something
is still holding her back - her past.
mysterious dreamscape filled with the memories of her life so far. Exploring this
whimsical place, she looks back on cherished memories and less than pleasant ones; and
learns how to confront them and move forward with her life. At this point in the story,
Flower has achieved much deserved time of peace after years of conflict, but something
is still holding her back - her past.
As a graduating senior, being okay with change and the fact of growing up is one I
have often found myself struggling with. I aim for my work to reflect my inner conflicts
and feelings in a representative manner as I feel that’s how an artist can truly connect
with their works. Others can view my piece and realize how change and growth is good
for the development of one’s self. Flower realizes by the end of her journey that the only
way she can go is forward. She is no longer the young, lanky pup that spent her days
innocently playing alongside her siblings - she’s been through many hardships under the
main villain, Krenik’s, conquest. Things won’t be the same for her and her remaining
family but that’s okay.
have often found myself struggling with. I aim for my work to reflect my inner conflicts
and feelings in a representative manner as I feel that’s how an artist can truly connect
with their works. Others can view my piece and realize how change and growth is good
for the development of one’s self. Flower realizes by the end of her journey that the only
way she can go is forward. She is no longer the young, lanky pup that spent her days
innocently playing alongside her siblings - she’s been through many hardships under the
main villain, Krenik’s, conquest. Things won’t be the same for her and her remaining
family but that’s okay.
Storytelling within the slowly reviving realm of 2D animation has been one of my
main focuses throughout my artist journey. Parallels of Petals is the newest installment
to my original series Crux of Thorns. The story centers around two sisters and their
quest to find each other and defeat a spreading evil together. I have produced several
works for this series throughout my college career and plan to continue so after
graduation. I create all of my works for this series digitally, utilizing the wide range of
Adobe products as well as freeware like FireAlpaca. Crux of Thorns has come a long way
from the creation of two characters for a WolfQuest role-play forum in 2015 to now its
own animated story nearly a decade later. WolfQuest is a 3D simulation game where you
play as wolves in Yellowstone National Park. There is a multiplayer element to the game
where many role-play in the game chat and on the online forums.
main focuses throughout my artist journey. Parallels of Petals is the newest installment
to my original series Crux of Thorns. The story centers around two sisters and their
quest to find each other and defeat a spreading evil together. I have produced several
works for this series throughout my college career and plan to continue so after
graduation. I create all of my works for this series digitally, utilizing the wide range of
Adobe products as well as freeware like FireAlpaca. Crux of Thorns has come a long way
from the creation of two characters for a WolfQuest role-play forum in 2015 to now its
own animated story nearly a decade later. WolfQuest is a 3D simulation game where you
play as wolves in Yellowstone National Park. There is a multiplayer element to the game
where many role-play in the game chat and on the online forums.
My inspirations for my work in 2D animation continue to be my fellow peers in
the online animation communities as well as more well known animators like Aaron
Blaise. Seeing others my age create fantastic works in spaces like YouTube inspired me
to begin to animate seriously and take on my own stylistic choices. I often animate on
lower FPS (frames per second) as an aesthetic choice after admiring the works of Amelia
B. This allows for extra emphasis on movements. Additionally, Aaron Blaise brings a lot
of influence as an old school Disney animator. His work for Disney animated films were
a big part of my childhood and sparked my interest in art overall. I continue to
appreciate the work and animation lessons he puts out on the internet for other artists
to consume. I hope one day for my work to inspire the next generation of animators and
encourage more people to invest in the genre of 2D animation.
the online animation communities as well as more well known animators like Aaron
Blaise. Seeing others my age create fantastic works in spaces like YouTube inspired me
to begin to animate seriously and take on my own stylistic choices. I often animate on
lower FPS (frames per second) as an aesthetic choice after admiring the works of Amelia
B. This allows for extra emphasis on movements. Additionally, Aaron Blaise brings a lot
of influence as an old school Disney animator. His work for Disney animated films were
a big part of my childhood and sparked my interest in art overall. I continue to
appreciate the work and animation lessons he puts out on the internet for other artists
to consume. I hope one day for my work to inspire the next generation of animators and
encourage more people to invest in the genre of 2D animation.
