blog
-
21. use layers to make a 3d space
2023-08-02 18:13:00 UTC
This multi-plane technique can be easily recreated in digital animation. I can make multiple pngs in photoshop and Procreate and combine them in Blender or After Effects to make a 3d environment with a moving camera.
It’s somewhat simple stuff but my most recent animation is just so flat! I…
-
20. Say yes or say no. Either way, do it for you, not for them.
2023-07-31 18:26:23 UTC
I struggle with decision making. It often comes down to a fear that I will hurt someone’s feelings or get in trouble. Thing is, it’s not kind to sacrifice my life for the comfort of others, especially if it makes me resentful and half-assed.
Commit to a path and do…
-
19. this is hard
2023-07-25 04:15:00 UTC
I just want to acknowledge that this is hard. doing art and trying to make a career. it’s hard. it’s scary
trying to be creative while facing money uncertainty. trying to build a future while making space for art.
hell, just being creative is hard. be vulnerable and focused. make…
-
18. set a goal
2023-07-24 18:31:00 UTC
When I sit down to make art I often feel drifty. I have my coffee, I have a couple hours set aside. but I don’t know what to do with myself
set a goal.
![]()
with a finish line I can focus.
Right now I’m going to spend one hour making…
-
17. don’t run away, run towards
2023-07-21 18:54:32 UTC
running away from my fears only makes them remain in my life
like making animations just so I don’t get caught in a boring job. that mindset puts a ton of pressure on me and injects fear into every decision I make. it makes it harder to take risks because…
-
16. just make something!! finish it!
2023-07-21 04:14:14 UTC
seriously it doesn’t have to be so good just finish it and move on
more small pieces is a great goal between larger projects
![]()
how can I finish pieces that feel too big? shrink it down. make it 5 seconds long. if you love it, expand it or make it…
-
15. using improv to write for animation
2023-07-20 23:47:00 UTC
Animation is much more isolated and planned than improv. sometimes it feels a bit lifeless. I’m working on this dungeon animation and I literally don’t know what to do with the story. I just had an idea to make a short in the stye of a retro 1980s video game…
-
14. expand your reading
2023-07-13 10:10:00 UTC
It’s too easy to read stuff that feels easy. It’s too comfortable to watch what an algorithm know’s I’ll like. I want to have ideas that make me feel uncomfortable, to watch movies that are from different places and times. to expand, not to dominate and gentrify these other ideas…
-
13. attention matters
2023-07-13 09:32:03 UTC
now that aritficial intelligence can generate content instantly and in infinite quantities, human attention is becoming the rare commodity
the viewer feels the art, connects with it and inhabits it.
take a look at this swamp monster concept art generated by Midjourney AI
![]()
which monster do you like best? it…
-
12. use no background
2023-07-13 09:12:42 UTC
export stuff with no background and it can all be combined and moved around easily.
add a background and things get stuck.
this includes making a character’s head not quite touch their body so the two elements can be animated separately
-
11. making art to not go in the void
2023-07-12 23:25:00 UTC
sometimes my brain is a toilet hole that goes towards swirling a black hole of death and anxiety
making and enjoying art helps. listening to music, audiobooks, podcasts while I draw, write or play piano. part of me makes art to feel seen and to make a career but the…
-
10. movies are just crafts
2023-07-08 23:28:00 UTC
movies seem sort of impossible to make, right? there’s so much to do and 10 million dollars is a tiny budget
but movies are a craft, just like literal craft. like the stuff kids do.
it doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect, no stunts or anything. just a good…
-
9. Contrast
2023-06-23 19:09:42 UTC
People view the world through contrast
![]()
To show Aladdin is poor, put him outside of an golden mansion. Have him go to bed hungry while the Sultan throws extra food away.
![]()
Spongebob is even more annoyingly naive when he’s standing next to the curmudgeonly Squidward.
Now that we have characters…
-
8. One thing leads to another (but/therefore)
2023-06-23 17:15:00 UTC
A story is made up beats. In a satisfying story, these beats are intimately connected, each leading to the next
Ratatouille we meet Remi, a rat who loves food and idolizes a chef.
His father believes he should just eat garbage and focus on survival.
One day Remi finds a…
-
7. Telling stories reveals you
2023-06-21 06:53:30 UTC
I am afraid of writing stories
as I reveal my character’s flaws, my own flaws are revealed. when my character changes, I am sharing my own desires
this vulnerability is an act of bravery, especially when there are skeletons in the closet. stuff that I am not comfortable sitting with.…
-
6. Go in the hole with your audience
2023-06-15 06:27:28 UTC
A few years ago my friends and I got together for our first ever game of Dungeons and Dragons
As the Dungeon Master, I was so excited for them to get into the epic story and fight and solve puzzles! I drew maps full of characters and settings, I wrote…
-
5. Art is a relationship with yourself
2023-06-09 10:17:30 UTC
Being dedicated to a project and seeking excellence is great but there is more
there is a deeper form of artistic creation where the piece is part of me. it mirrors my internal world, revealing my flaws and beautiful traits
in this state, creation becomes a relationship.
for example, when…
-
4. Let meaning guide the design
2023-06-05 18:39:00 UTC
when I’m animating there is so much to keep in mind. camera placement, props, character design, set design, lighting, colour etc
These can be a little overwhelming and it’s easy to just launch in and see what happens, then play with everything as I work.
I’m learning to explore the…
-
3. let go of rules
2023-05-31 04:46:00 UTC
at some point I decided that my animations should all be perfect loops. SO MUCH WORK!
I am liberated from loops!!
![]()
(looping elements like a torch or walk are great but the whole film doesn’t have to start where it finished)
also a lot of my films are 1 minute…
-
2. razzle dazzle em’
2023-05-27 17:32:00 UTC
animation takes a lot of time. i’ve learned the hard way that people don’t always notice the suuuper subtle stuff
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
see these tiny pictures? each took me around 40-150 hours to make. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that but also proud? I had to take that time to learn…
-
1. get inspiration first
2023-05-26 16:26:00 UTC
I love to just hop in and make stuff
it’s a great way to start projects quickly but i often lose steam or get distracted. a LOT of work that I do does not get finished or shared.
there’s something very wise about collecting inspiration and forming a vision before…
-
Read my animation notes
2023-05-03 22:53:00 UTC
here is my behind the scenes log where I cuss and curse and figure out how to make decent animations
Here’s my 2022/23 notes
and my 2021/22 notes
© Jeremy Nir
