End Of Year Presentations

    This is the presentation for my review of not only the final year, but also my experience as a whole studying animation in Leeds Arts University. This reflection demonstrates changes I made along the way, growth as both an animator and person, and finally how far I have come along in my professional practice, building a foundation for myself in the future as an animator.

 

Create Your Brand

     In this task, we were tasked to create a professional visual identity which will assist in building our foundation to our individual online presence and branding.

    Starting with the business card, I began to design the shape and style of the card. At first I went with a typical landscape style with one side illustrating my name and an illustration, and the back with my details. However that seemed too typical and I started developing it from portrait.

Business Card Process

Business Card - Back Design 1 

-  Very simple illustration and text design
- Colour of the name and profession might clash too much with the illustration
- The details of the squares are a nice touch but there's no specific design choice 

Business Card - Back Design 2

- Illustration choice is nice, however it would fit better isolated from text
- The colour of the text was changed as I was testing out colour choices; the text colour of salmon works better with the chosen illustration compared to the one on design 1
- Overall, it's clean however again, it seems like it lacks a little personality and I will have to explore upon those after revisions

Business Card - Back Design 3

- Combining both elements I still think that the first design with the simple illustration worked best
- I will have to think about colour palette and intentions to detail on my revision

Colour revision:

- After thinking about my colour scheme, I decided to create 6 sets colour palettes as my own personalised colour theme
- The reasoning behind these colours are simply because I like them. My work has developed over the years so much so that there are no sets of colours that I can think of to define my work, therefore I chose colour combinations that I felt were most personalised to myself.

Below are the colour tests I did with the chosen colour schemes.

Colour Scheme 1:

- Design 1: The use of primary colours are nice, however it's a little loud and therefore will most likely not be used as my colour scheme

Colour Scheme 2:

- Design 2: The colours compliment each other well and balance each other out. Considering this colour scheme and implementing it as my website and cv colours will be highly considered.

Colour Scheme 3:

- Design 3: Similar to 'Design 2' the colours work well and balance each other out. The only downside to this colour scheme personally is that it has a retro surfer palette, which does not entirely resonate with the context of animation and my style.

Colour Scheme 4:

- Design 4: Refreshing with the lighter colours, although this scheme was not a highly considered scheme, I might consider this as the lighter colours with yellow and orange compliments one another.

Colour Scheme 5:

Implementing the 5th colour scheme on the business card was a challenge, the light and dark colours were difficult to balance out and the outcome was unsatisfactory. Therefore I designed two designs using the 6th colour scheme. 

- Design 5: Similar to the others, I used a dark colour as base, but instead of two distinct colours, I used two hues of orange. The orange and the dark navy works extremely well with each other.

Colour Scheme 6:

- Design 6: Experimenting with the arrangement of the colours, I felt like the colours are less effective as the orange blends in too much with each other.

Conclusion:
- Through process of elimination, I ultimately decided to go with design 5. The colours there are ones I feel strongly about in terms of colours that define myself as an artist. 
- As I was not able to include the lighter colour from the 5th colour scheme, I will be combining the colour schemes of 5 and 6 as my personalised colour palette. I will also be doing a minor revision on the chosen design to incorporate all the colours of the final palette.

Final Colour Palette:


Final Business Card [Back]

Business Card Front:
- Since the contact information is on the flip side of the business card, I decided the other would be an illustration with a QR code of the website attached. 

Here are three designs I came up with

Front Design 1:

- The illustration is from one of my favourite projects so far
- The layout is simple and the choice of using an illustration as one side is visually appealing for something as simple as a business card 

Front Design 2:

- I used this illustration at the beginning of the design phase as I thought it was visually striking and impactful
- However it lacks personality and it does not fully portray myself

Front Design 3:

- This illustration is from my most recent solo project, Revival
- Out of the three illustrations, this is the most personalised choice and therefore will be choosing this illustration as it represents me the most

Note:
- As the website will be completed after the business card, the QR code and website link will be updated after on the business card

Website Process [My Website] 

    As I have no experience in coding, I used Squarespace and their portfolio templates to create my website. Then applying the previous design of colour schemes, I applied it to make the site visually more personal and more on brand.
    
    Choosing my best array of works, I separated my work showcase into 4 sections, Background Illustrations, Animation Shorts, Showreel, and Other Projects. 

    As I am more interested in background illustrations starting this year, I decided to showcase my best work and development from the beginning of the year to present. Most of which are from the group project I worked on in LAUAN603. 

    In the Animation shorts section, I included a series of animations I made during the second year and this year as I feel like some shorts produced in the second year demonstrate works that I am still proud of. I also included a section for background illustration from The Last Riders...And Hell Followed With Him. As I am now more interested in background illustrations as well as animation; showcasing both in my showreel would demonstrate my best works and interests.

    As I plan to develop this website post graduation, I created a section for showreels; which I hope will accumulate annually as I keep this website updated with all my best works. 

    Finally, I have a section for 'other projects' which includes works such as illustrations, designs or even work in progress animatics/animations, which I will hope to show more of  in the future.

    Other than work showcasing, I also have an About Me page which will allow people to understand who I am and what my interests and ambitions are for animation. I also have a contact page which will allow people to contact me for commissions or work opportunities in the future. Last but not least, I also have quick navigation links which will lead them to my other socials such as Instagram, Twitch, and Email.

[note that screenshots do not showcase the website fully, visit the link to view fully!]

Homepage 

About Me

Background Illustrations [Original]

Background Illustrations [Zoomed Out]
 

Animated Shorts [Top]

Animated Shorts [Bottom]

Animation Showreel 

Other Projects [Original]

Other Projects [Zoomed Out]

Contact Page

    Further developing my website, I created a logo for it with the designated colours and a simple illustration.  

Website Logo 


    In the end, I bought the website and the domain 'tuffkinsart' as I am committed to further expand the develop my website to showcase my work post graduation. 

Website QR Code

Updated Business Card [Front and Back]

Other Social Media Platforms
    
Linkedin Profile 

- I aim to use Linkedin to network with professional animators and artists in hopes to find opportunities for professional work in the animation industry

Instagram Profile

- Instagram will be best suited for commission work as compared to Linkedin, Instagram caters more towards the general public
- I aim to use my platform for commissions on the side 

Twitch Profile

- As I continue to work towards streaming, my goal is not only to showcase my work and progress to an audience who are interested. I also aim to network with those who have similar interests and eventually in hopes of collaborating or taking up creative jobs from larger streamers in the streaming industry.

CV

- I took a more of a creative approach towards it, making it visually similar a info-graph, simple visuals making it simple to understand and digest

Exit Strategy

Building upon the future, here is my plan from present till 12-18 months post graduation.

Before Graduation: [Present till Early May 2021]

- Build up my experience as both an animator and background illustrator

- Complete or fully flesh out at least 3 solo projects I can develop post-graduation

- Complete my own animated short and finish it to the best of my abilities

- Finishing designing my foundation as a professional animator, Cv, business card, and a good portfolio which showcases my development and best work

- Learn and practice industry standard softwares, Photoshop, After Effects, TVPaint, Toon Boom Harmony, and Premier.

- Continue to build up and get in habit of streaming on Twitch.

- Revive online presence, start posting my work on Instagram to get the fear of 'bad' art out my mental

After Graduation: [12-18 months post-graduation]

- Settle down as soon as possible and adjust to new environment 

- Spread my wings, put myself out there more and try to find free-lance opportunities through social media or online events

- Obtain the equipment necessary to maintain a less problematic stream on Twitch and develop a stream schedule

- Continue to develop my skills as both an illustrator and animator through working on my solo projects and practicing heavily on industry standard softwares

- Keep posting my latest work and developments on my social media platforms consistently to maintain online presence 

- Be able to earn a living and support myself through my passion of streaming and animating.

Scan the Horizon

    After graduation, it would be most preferable for me to work freelance as I plan to pursue my interest in streaming alongside too. As my plan for streaming will take place throughout the year after post-graduation, the period will be considered as a trial year for my side hobby as streaming. I aim to integrate my knowledge and passion for my animation projects into streaming and create a platform to record my progress and growth as an animator and streamer. Therefore my consideration in fully indulging within the animation industry as a part of a full-time studio is not that great. 

    Currently my dream role would be able to work free-lance on some projects that would allow me to show the work being worked on stream and also get a form of royalty and credibility. I am currently intrigued in background illustration and would not mind taking part in building up that skill. However, I would also like to build up my skill as an animator therefore both regarding those aspects would be my main focus. Job opportunities or offers will mostly be gained through either Instagram or FaceBook as there are many groups and communities that are catered towards specific aspects. My main goal would be to self sustain and gain salary through working free-lance on projects as well as streaming those on Twitch, having a two way income. 

    Linkedin will be a great helping hand for me to connect with professionals directly. Social media in general will be helpful too in terms of self promotion and getting my work out there to gain recognition. Moreover, animation events such as MAF will also be a good opportunity to network and engage with professionals.

    As COVID is something that needs to be heavily considered, I would want to stay within the UK and find opportunities online for now. Ideally, moving to Canada would be my first option as it's also a place where animation is more prominent compared to Hong Kong. And that would take away a lot of issues regarding requiring and signing up for VISA in the UK. However, if the latter was not possible, I would mostly move to London and settle down there as the central of UK would most likely have more opportunities for me as an Animator. 

Network

    Attempting to widen my horizon I tried to connect with people who are artists, animators, or creative directors who have worked with or are working in companies that I want to be a part of in the future as an animator. 

My Linkdln Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-lam-529826182/

List of Attempted Contacts:

1) Chengwei Pan [2D Animator, Concept Artist] 

    Pan is an animator/concept artists who worked at Riot Games. He would be a great connection to have and would be insightful for me to learn about both 2D animation and concept art as I am interested in both fields.

2) Blair Armitage [Character Artist at Riot Games] 

    Armitage is a freelance artist who worked with Riot Games as a concept artist. She would be a great connection opportunity for me to learn more about character artist.

3) Lorenzo Colaiori [Animator - Riot Games] 

Colaiori is an animator who specialises in CG Character animations. His connection with Riot games and having worked on a cinematic short Ryze: Call of Power for Riot Games was what 

4) Ross Tran [President of RossDraws / YouTuber] 

    Tran is a public figure and creative director. He is known for his wide range of illustration and digital art tutorials on YouTube. Moreover he recently started his own animated series featuring characters created by him, building a universe upon it. If possible, this would be a project I will want to be a part of.

5) Gregory Sharp [Creative Director at Truba Animation]

    Sharp is one of the co-founders of Truba Animation. He has directed and worked on the infamous show 'Rick and Morty' and they also worked on the animated music video 'Childish Gambino - Feels Like Summer'.

6) Adam Deats [Associate Director at Powerhouse Animation, Brady Games]

    Deats is the associate director of the Netflix series Castlevania and Blood of Zeus. Both of which has been an eye opening experience as they were able to encapsulate immersive storytelling and characters which got me hooked onto the show.

7) Bagus Y. [2D Fx Animator at Axis Studios]

    He is an animator which specialises in 2D animation, specifically high octane action sequences. He has animated a scene from the series 'Animator vs. Animation V' which was directed by Alan Baker.  

8) Rory Alderton [Animation Director on League of Legends Wild Rift]

    Alderton is an animation director on the mobile game 'League of Legends - Wild Rfit' derived from the infamous MOBA [Multiplayer Online Battle Arena] League of Legends. The renewal of in-game models and animations was a refreshing experience compared to the character models and animations from the MOBA. 

9) Yixing Qin [Animator, Character Design - Lilith Games] 

    Based in Shanghai, China, Yinxing Qin is a Masters  Surprisingly, I was able to connect to her through Linkdln recently. She works at Lilith Games which is known for their infamous mobile game 'AFK Arena'. 

10) David Stodolny [Character Animator at Walt Disney Studios]

    Stodolny is a character animator at Walt Disney Studios. With his wide asset of skills ranging from traditional animation, to film and directing, it would be a great learning experience  and opportunity to form a network.

List of Networking Events / Opportunities 

1) MAF [Manchester Animation Festival]

    Having attended this festival annually, it allows us to view early screenings of projects with other animation students and even directors. As directors and professional animators gather for this event, it is a great opportunity for exchanging and networking.

2) Asian Creative Network [FaceBook]

    This group on FaceBook is an Asian based community which allows individuals to share and promote their work and passion. The community is filled with diversity and doesn't only limit to Animation or even Art students. This would be a great opportunity to network with people in general to self promote and gain a following. 

2) Animation Jobs [FaceBook]

    This group on FaceBook is aimed towards animators, posting and promoting various job opportunities for anyone that are interested. As they post daily, there will be a wide range of jobs that will be open and available for me to take part in if possible to build up my experience.

3) Instagram

    As I am aiming towards free-lancing post graduation, posting more frequently and being more active will allow me to build my online presence more. Moreover as I use instagram actively I will also be able to connect and look for opportunities directly.  

4) Fiverr

    Fiverr is a website catered towards online hiring. People post their work and their services such as creating a 10 second animation short for a set amount of price, and depending on length and quality, the price varies. This allows me to work on short and small projects and complete requests under self set guidelines. 

5) Twitch 

    As I am more active on Twitch as a side hobby, ultimately I aim to create a platform not only catered towards my own hobbies, but also animation. Although this platform is not known to cater towards artists but more so personalities, I aim to one day build a community which cater towards both. I aim to stream my own work progress and develop solo projects and showcase them to a community that I've built, hopefully inspiring others who are interested in animation too.      

    Moreover, as this site is known for gamers, some gamers do develop their own game. Specifically, a streamer named Boxbox is developing a turn based card game and is looking to hire some part-time artists who will help create his game. I aim to take upon that opportunity and hopefully land a role to build up my experience and portfolio. 

Review your presence

    My current practice is that of an 2D Animator. I am interested and passionate about this field as I want to create short films that demonstrates and illustrates my creativity in storytelling. As I specialise in 2D I am familiar with Photoshop, and in the process of learning animating through TVPaint. I also am interested in illustrative animations [animating a digital painting] so I will be learning that through a mix of Photoshop and After Effects. Moreover, I recently found interest in background painting and have been learning digitally painting landscapes for scenes. Subsequently, this has lead me to be more indulgent in background creating than character concepts, therefore I believe I am currently more specialised in background creation and illustrative storytelling. 

    By the end of my university studies, I aim to continue with my own work of passion which is working on my solo films. I do not plan to set up my own studio as of now as I aim to become a social media presence which revolves around myself engaging in activities other than animation such as gaming or drawing digital art. However I do consider working freelance on some other animation related projects from studios. 

    I aim to become a full-time streamer who engages with their audience and hopefully entertain a community of people who are interested in animation or have passion for it. I aim to demonstrate my process post graduate on Twitch through streaming and be able to create several passion projects from start to finish full time. As of now, I have a Twitch channel which I stream regularly at, although there is no set schedule for my streams, I try to stream at least 3 times a week. I am also opening a Discord server for my stream community to engage in so there will be more interaction between me and the viewers. Finally, I aim to reactivate my Instagram account and further promote my art and Twitch channel to further build upon the community that I strive for in the future.