I feel as though my skills in all areas throughout this module have improved and I have learned new things along the way that have helped make me more confident in the animating process. Character design was my favourite part of the module as I learned so many new things about how to use basic shapes to create a character. I also tried different exercises that I have never done before, which improved my skills and confidence immensely. I also enjoyed animating with forms. This is something new to me as I had never animated with such detail before, and before this module I had never used Krita. I now love using the software and used it to complete most of my final animation.
I found creating storyboards more difficult than I thought I would. It took me a while to create to my final storyboard as I had to make many changes such as taking out unnecessary panels and changing other ones to make the scene flow better. Through the feedback I received on each draft, I feel as though I have learned a great deal about storyboards and will find it much easier to create one in the future.
Working in a team with people I have never met was something I was scared about before starting the module. However, I found it extremely enjoyable throughout the semester. I was able to meet lots of different people with different styles and ideas and found it very useful when creating my animation as there was always someone who could help me solve any problem I was having. It was also great to hear constructive criticism from so many different minds as it made me a better artist.
If I were to start the module again, I would spread my work out more and do some every day rather than spending a whole day doing nothing then the next cramming in all of my work. I was ill during November; therefore, I fell behind and always felt I was a bit behind everyone else in my group and found myself cramming frequently. At the start of the semester, I was much better at time management, and I would like to have continued that throughout the module.
I think I need to do more background designs in the future to improve my animation practice. I focused more on other designs than background designs as I have drawn many landscapes in the past. When it came to drawing backgrounds in my final animation, I felt a little out of practice, so I would want to practice different scenery more. I would also spend less time on storyboards as I often made each panel a little too detailed, therefore, it took me longer than it should have to change it when receiving feedback.
I feel as though when doing topics I was already familiar with, I would focus on them less and practice other aspects of the module more. Looking back, I would have liked to have the same attitude about everything that was covered and try out everything as if I have never done it before. When I had that attitude, such as when learning about colour or designing characters for the first time, it made the work much more fun.
Word Count: 549