Introducing younger individuals to 2D Animation with Cartoon Animator
Kristen Collier
Creating animated movies and educating a youthful viewers about 2D animation , Kristen Collier wanted to seek out software program that was straightforward to make use of, but might produce top quality animated movies.
In Cartoon Animator (CTA), Kristen discovered all the pieces she wanted and was rapidly in a position to train herself and others the best way to animate, and has even been in a position to create her personal customized actors for her initiatives.
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” I researched completely different software program throughout the lockdown, and noticed that Cartoon Animator (CTA) had the very best rankings of studying curve and for being economical. I really like Cartoon Animator, and it’s straightforward on the floor stage, for newbies, and for doing brief, easy animations. CTA is my absolute favourite software program. Once I was engaged on my function cartoon, Benny the Barnacle, for months I’d work 12 – 16 hour days on the animation, it was so engrossing. I used to be working continuous on it, and loving each minute of it. Cartoon Animator is addictive, however in , constructive approach. “
Kristen Collier | 2D Animator/ Illustrator
Q: Hello Kristen. Can you start by telling us in regards to the work you do utilizing Cartoon Animator?
I simply accomplished my first function cartoon, Benny the Barnacle, which stars Corbin Bernsen who performed the dad on Psych, and starred in LA Legislation. It options cameos by Marta Kristen, who was Judy on Misplaced in House, and the legendary Lou Gramm, from Foreigner, amongst others. And what’s completely cool is that the distribution firm, C3 Leisure, handles The Three Stooges. It was truly began by them, so you may’t ask for greater than that!
Q: You create a number of high quality 2D animation. Why did you select Cartoon Animator because the platform to create your content material?
I researched completely different software program throughout the lockdown, and noticed that Cartoon Animator (CTA) had the very best rankings of studying curve and for being economical. I realized animation throughout the lockdown by watching Reallusion’s YouTube tutorials again and again, earlier than I even had the software program. I used to be decided to be taught animation, as a result of my husband is the artist and author, and I used to be decided to get his characters seen by the world.
Q: Do you will have a particular style or theme that’s your favorite to work with?
I actually like undersea characters, and am targeted on these. My husband, Kevin, an animation historian who’s written books for Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Analysis, is the artist, creator, and author of our initiatives, and we have now a number of undersea cartoons we’re engaged on now.
Q: Do you discover the method of making characters and content material for Cartoon Animator straightforward and fulfilling?
I really like Cartoon Animator, and it’s straightforward on the floor stage, for newbies, and for doing brief, easy animations. CTA is my absolute favourite software program. Once I was engaged on my function cartoon, Benny the Barnacle, for months I’d work 12 – 16 hour days on the animation, it was so engrossing, my husband truly missed me, despite the fact that we do business from home, and I used to be there. However I used to be working continuous on it, and loving each minute of it. Cartoon Animator is addictive, however in , constructive approach. There have been days once I would suppose, my abdomen is growling. Why is my abdomen growling? After which I spotted it was as a result of I used to be hungry, however didn’t need to step away to eat!
Q: Do you will have your favorite Cartoon Animator instruments or options that you just take pleasure in working with most?
The Duplicate Device is hand’s down my favorite Cartoon Animator software. I used that to create faculties of about thirty seahorses in Whispering Wally and 40 jellyfish in Benny the Barnacle, for instance. That software is invaluable for animating giant scale scenes. My second favorite software is the Photoshop Pipeline, that may be a life saver for establishing puppetry eyes. Additionally, simply sending stuff to Photoshop through the CTA pipeline helps for a lot. For instance, once I use the identical mouths for various characters I ship it to Photoshop to alter the define of the mouth to match the completely different character colours, and so on.
So, I’ve really useful the Pipeline model to a number of individuals, and we even purchased 4 packages of it for our church’s studio that my husband and I run. We even have some worldwide college students at the moment right here from Kenya which might be engaged on their Masters in pc science, who need to be taught Cartoon Animator. I’ll be instructing the worldwide college students animation at our church’s studio and I’ve even taught the little children there. They picked up the software program fairly simply. Our youngest voice actress, who was 3 when she did her traces for our sequence Whispering Wally. She cherished the Leap Motion controller. I confirmed a 7 12 months outdated boy in our group the best way to report his traces on the zoom mic then switch it to Cartoon Animator and he picked it up immediately. Plus I did a one-day demonstration at an elementary college for all the youngsters in grades Ok – 8. I let the youngsters come up and take a look at the software program and even the kindergartners had no issues selecting it up, so I can’t advocate CTA sufficient for faculties!
One other favorite CTA software is the Render Device. I used to be in a position to create visible depth by duplicating the identical seaweed prop however altering the distinction and brightness with the render software. That was a useful factor I realized about CTA, and actually helped me add some visible, cinematic depth to the cartoon.
Q: Given all of your expertise working with Cartoon Animator, what recommendation would you will have for uplifting builders seeking to break into the Reallusion Market and promote their content material?
My recommendation could be to hone your hand-drawn abilities. I heard that on the newest Disney D23 occasion, the most important buzz was from an announcement that they’d be releasing a hand-drawn (or no less than replicating the look of being hand-drawn) function size movie subsequent 12 months. So, it appears followers desire a return to conventional cartoons. They usually’re saying they’re bored with the generic look they’re seeing.
So, heartily I like to recommend that animators hone their drawing abilities. Or, if, like me, they’re not artists – my husband is the artist and first author, I assist with writing – I like to recommend animators associate with an up-and-coming illustrator in the event that they don’t have the artwork abilities.
As a result of, to me, the best praise I might ever get could be that Collier Animation Studio cartoons are on the extent of Hanna-Barbera, the best animation firm, in my and my husband’s estimation, of all time. I’m impressed by the background artwork of The Flintstones and The Jetsons. I even did an homage in that in Benny the Barnacle, and I really like the glitches within the artwork, that has that selfmade enchantment, so much less antiseptic of right this moment’s visually perfected, however story-wise missing cartoons being panned right this moment by audiences.
Q: You might be clearly an animator who thinks massive. So what are your plans for future content material?
I’ll be beginning “The Treasure,” which is the primary episode within the Benny the Barnacle brief animated sequence, which might be 3 – 5 minute cartoons other than the function cartoon at the moment awaiting distribution. My husband has written the script and I’ve one of many voices, so will begin that when the opposite voices are in.
I’ll even be doing extra dancing bunny music movies for a shopper, that are hilarious, this bunny is a few steep competitors for us, ha ha, however all for an ideal trigger! Cherry the Resurrection Rabbit is a Southern Gospel dancing bunny, with illustrations by Jack Foster. And for the Christmas cartoon I simply accomplished for a similar shopper, I used to be in a position to incorporate among the Cartoon Animator template artwork, which got here in tremendous helpful!
What’s fascinating is that I discovered the music movies to be actually laborious contemplating they’re just a few minutes lengthy, as a result of you need to time the artwork and actions to the music. And I additionally do my finest to match the lyrics to the visuals. In order that they’re a fairly large problem for me, however this bunny is so cute that my husband and I feel they’ll be a giant hit as soon as they get distribution, I might see Cherry being the following Child Shark.
Q: What are the key benefits that Cartoon Animator provides you to your work?
Cartoon Animator is completely my all-time favourite software program. I’m most likely one among CTA’s finest model ambassadors, and I’m not even paid to try this, ha ha! As a result of with all the scholars I’ve proven it to across the nation, from all ages, they’ve picked it up rapidly, and with the world being so sudden, it’s the good means for individuals to earn a dwelling from wherever they’re. One among our voice actors in Benny the Barnacle is in Mexico Metropolis, the narrator is in Scotland. So, having the ability to work with individuals world wide in a simple approach, is so useful in these final days.
” Cartoon Animator is completely my all-time favourite software program. I’m most likely one among CTA’s finest model ambassadors, and I’m not even paid to try this, ha ha! As a result of with all the scholars I’ve proven it to across the nation, from all ages, they’ve picked it up rapidly, and with the world being so sudden, it’s the good means for individuals to earn a dwelling from wherever they’re. “
Kristen Collier | 2D Animator/ Illustrator
The CTA – Adobe Premier workflow makes all the pieces straightforward and practical too. I put collectively my CTA clips in Adobe Premiere Parts, and do my sound results and bubbles for my undersea cartoons there. Additionally my titles and music. I’m grateful for this software program, which permits actually anybody to make a cartoon, and step into the vacuum made by the large boys.
Q: You sound like a really busy individual. What different initiatives have you ever most lately been engaged on?
Together with the Benny the Barnacle and Cherry the Resurrection Rabbit, I’ve additionally executed my husband’s Whispering Wally. He’s a blue whale who whispers, and the trailer for Debut CAS Cartoon: “BLINK”. She’s a pink cyclops octopus.
I’m excited to be beginning the Blink sequel, “Discovering Elsie,” which options Elsie Algae and sooner or later my husband is writing extra for the Blink sequence.
I’m most enthusiastic about Benny the Barnacle as he has all the time stayed in my coronary heart. And now he’ll be coming to streaming stations.
And at last, I additionally created and hosted the 2022 Christian Ani Awards to assist in giving publicity to the sphere of Christian animation in January.
Comply with Kristien Collier:
Instagram:
Collier Animation Studio (@collieranimationstudio) • Instagram photos and videos
Twitter:
Collier Animation Studio (@CollierCartoons) / Twitter
YouTube:
Collier Animation Studio – YouTube
Fb:
Collier Animation Studio | Grand Haven MI | Facebook
LinkedIn:
(2) Collier Animation Studio: Company Page Admin | LinkedIn
