Introduction

I had been given so much information from first year to second year about jobs and placements with the amount of knowledge I gathered for myself to make it to final year in Ulster University including animation industries for our future success after graduation. I had a lot to think about future careers and the roles and skills I had gained these last three years to hopefully meet their requirements by presenting my best work whether it is sketches, digital art or any of the work I have done for our team project from the Major Project.

Poster Process

Starting our second semester with the introduction of the module creative futures, each team and individual had to make a poster to advertise our short film and to showcase for the industries themselves. In a team of 3 with Sarah Elliot, Dylan Short and I whom had our hands full with the major project, but we gave ourselves the goal of sketching concept designs for our short film ‘Is somebody out there?’. We first researched examples from films and tv shows that fit the narrative and theme of our project and used Miroboard for examples before sketching our concept design.

Taking the inspirations and references we collected for our major project with each of their official and alternative posters to help aid us in the way we see our short film in our own eyes. Especially the story been influenced by fairy tales like red riding hood and the three little pigs and warnings such as stranger danger to tell to the children of young age. We each did 3 sketches in our sketchbooks to show each other our concept designs so far in the in the early weeks.

We then narrowed it down to two sketches and made a few amendments with more concept art and the merging of what we had while having similar appearances with each other. Then in later weeks we narrowed them down from two to one to then take each of our owns sketches to start onto the digital art stage. I took the movie Monster House as the main inspiration for one poster and for the other Mimic and Coraline where the danger is right behind them.

It was a long process but my group and I narrowed it down to the one where the cabin is in view inside of the boy underneath the window. We chose this design for it featured the beast and it’s antlers as a shadow, the mist in view, the trees surrounding the cabin and the boy opening the door slightly as a shadow as well. I picked out the colour scheme as well with the title being green to merge with the woods being dark brown and the curtains looking like eyes. 

Final Version of Poster

Fundraiser  

When our lecturers had told us about us showcasing our posters in June for everyone to see and promote our short film, but in order to do we as a class must raise funds together in order to print and deliver our poster banners in our final year room. So our class created a Discord channel to get everyone on board for the ideas and plans for the posters themselves and how to raise money for this event. We later decided to hold off two events which includes a pup quiz and a craft fair which then our team leaders hosting these events created a name chart for us to put down our names for that event and the role we would be taking that day. I put my name down for the Craft Fair with the role of being a helper which includes guiding people, minding stalls when the buyer has left for a moment and making sure nobody steals anything from the stalls.

Sarah, Dayna and I worked on creating small posters for the front and back entrance that day to show people where the Craft Fair by making arrows from highlighters. Here is the pictures I took to show the three we made and stick to the entrances. During the whole day of minding stalls, taking breaks and keeping a eye out we had bought a collection from each being stickers, keychains, pins, zines, earrings and postcards. Afterword’s when the everyone was starting to pack up, we were instructed to take them off and give them to others who ran the craft fair and left. 

3 small posters for the day of the Craft Fair

CV

For my CV form, I had updated mine for any progress I had this year before the end of our final year classes using Microsoft Word and Photoshop to create it. I had gotten feedback from my lecturers about my CV as I had researched ways to make it better and only for someone in animation industry to approve it. I did not add a logo since only my name or initials are significant for the CV and had added software I have used or a professional at from my three years in Ulster University. By rearranging subtitles and textboxes, then got advice of the colour of the CV since white did not go well with the orange and blue text. So I decided to have the page in a orange and blue colour scheme to brighten it up in display and be equal to the text but still in contrast. Which then I printed out and went to deliver it to our module class. 

Portfolio

I had sorted my entire portfolio from clips of my major project, sketches from my book and previous year works from other assignments I did in the 3D and 2D area with the skills I’m showing for my future roles. I did not have much time to do a showreel since I did not have enough animation to fill in the gaps or have most recent other than the 2D animation from the major project. As I would be using a social media platform to showcase my work since I signed up to Artstation as companies can view my work and art skills put into each one with finding the role for storyboard artist, concept art, character design and animator of 2D/3D. Therefore I have even more chance of getting a specific job role for a company in need of my skills and qualities. Here is the link and my profile page with my best work showcased. laurenmaxwell7.artstation.com

Portfolio on Artstation

Set-up

Before the showcase, we had set up our table in the final year room with everybody else where the banners and our work will be put on display. We arranged the tables with props, cloths and fake leaves to give it the dark forest haunted theme with monster displays and a flashlight. Here is our display before the Friday. 

While this is the final version we put together with monitors, our Cv’s and artbook. However, one of our lecturers was supposed to put our banner up before 5pm what will continue with us and other teams on the Monday. It was a fun experience with the team on collecting the last of the stuff to see how it would look like for the latest display.

Promoting Work Online 

Although I used Artstation for my portfolio, I had signed up to LinkedIn to promote myself with the skills and experience I had received from Ulster University, Volunteering at Cancer Focus and Work Experience from Jam Media. Here is the link to the page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-maxwell-340714309/ 

Artbook

For our artbook collection, Dylan had volunteered to collect all our pieces of work for what we had done for the major project which includes character creation, environment, storyboards and etc. Then he would give them to Sarah after printing where she would trim the pictures and buy the artbook by drawing the cover. She and I would then stick the images into the artbook taking turns and place onto our setup once finished with the pictures I had taken. Here is some off the pictures I taken from the artbook between images. 

Reflection

The Creative Futures this year, was an enlightening experience with me thinking about my future careers and promoting my work online and in physical form. I Volunteered at the Craft Fair which was a great event to attend for as I expressed good communication with other helpers and the sellers at the stalls as it was a great experience helping out. I loved making our poster design through the entire semester as I got better with the digital illustration on Krita and gathering all my research of references with my teammates. However, if I was too change anything at the start of the semester it would be balancing more time for the creative futures and the major project since the major project took up way too much of my time to get both done. Another note is doing more 3D animation with the 2D animation from our main project to create a better and improved showreel this final year and maybe create business cards. On the other hand I enjoyed the experience and can not wait for our showcase to have companies and families to see our best works with hopes of getting offers from companies who have interest in my work. 

Final Poster

I had submitted our Final Poster to Discord on the fundraiser group on a Google Drive link for everyone’s posters to be submitted with the right requirements met for us to start getting the banners sorted before the 5th of may. After that we wanted to focus on our Artbooks before the showcase but have main attention to our major project before the 12th May. 

CV Design Update

I showed off some my CV work to Aodhan and Sarah with the difference being on removing my old logo and only putting my full name and adding my recent work experience with Jam media for 3 days. My tutors liked how it turns but the style should be edited on Photoshop with a proper colour scheme e.g. orange and blue and some arranging of the words with hobbies and software’s. 

Fundraising and Poster

This week I participated in the Craft Fair Fundraiser as one of the helpers there with Sarah Elliot and Dayna Keaney there that day on setting up posters, minding stalls and purchased some items there to contribute for the funding. It was a fun experience helping out with the others as we would sit at one of the stalls and observe the buyers, making sure no one would steal anything and if the sellers would need to go to the toilet so we would mind their stalls. I had bought the following stickers, vines, keychains, pins, jewellery and accessories that day. 

Posters by Dayna and I made for both entrances for the art lobby.

This week I finished the poster design as Dylan and I had narrowed it down to my poster appearance to a vote. I had used Krita and followed the requirements for poster design before submission with a couple of tweaks and shading before next Tuesday to show to my tutors. 

Final version of the poster for the Project “Is Somebody Out There?”

Showreels and Portfolios 

For our last lesson this semester in Henry’s Creative Futures was the talk of showreels and portfolios. Since we know about showreels and portfolios since second year is was a good recap of the overall with the Quality over Quantity with the Halo vs Horn effect and who’s our Target Audience. For it all depends on what we make and who is it for e.g. character design, character animation/rigging, modelling, prop design and environments/background etc. 

For I have only updated my CV for the week and poster designs for this module with the feedback from my team to add and feature for next Friday.  I simply continued the Major project in the meantime with the three weeks remaining of classes left to get everything wrapped up. 

Tutorials

Since our lecturer’s weren’t in for a trip, I took the time to work on our posters as Dylan and I having been working on them and will decide on the final design this Tuesday coming. Here is some of the progress I’ve done for both by adding some effects with the gradients. I really like the both of them in my opinion since they give off the creepy horror feel from other horror monster posters. 

“EOYS Discussion and Postgraduate/Freelance/Clients”

Before the Easter Break, our lecturer Henry introduced us to Postgraduate/Freelance and Clients. He had shown is the understanding of Masters in Animation if we would wish to return to enhance our skills whether it is 2D or 3D to push our skills in this year or the next. It has been giving me thought after graduation if I should return late 2024 or next year 2025 as long as I secure a part or full time job for the future.

When it comes to our year’s fundraiser involving the pup quiz and craft fair nothing has changed as I’m still helping the craft fair for the 22nd April by guiding people within the shop and as well as buying some materials from my classmates on what they have in store, so I can contribute for our class. 

As well for our posters, I have updated and improved both versions of the poster which is still a WIP at the moment. As the colours are still flat and basic I hope to show these improvements to my team and hear their feedback and give mine to theirs before moving on and deciding who’s design were going for. 

Coming back into week 7 after having the last 3 Fridays off, we were introduced to fundraising, future careers and coming event of the showcase for our groups. As the whole is partaking in either of the two fundraising events which are a pub quiz on animation and a craft fair within the art shop. As I listed my name for the EOYS 2024 role for the craft fair as a event volunteer to help with the public and probably buy stuff there if I see anything and contribute some money for the craft fair.  

As a class we were discussing about the layout of the lab and which group would be seated using the one table for each group having their poster up as a banner. Since I’m in a group of three people we will be either be in the middle or next to the wall. For the posters we kept working on them as we were experimenting with the colours but only the flats just to test them out. We looked at each others and given feedback on each one so we will be doing that 

The next week was non-stop work as we had been focusing on our major project animations as there was some progress made to our posters but not as much. We were experimenting with colours and used the white grey black colours to help with our poster colours this week for progress. Here are the two posters I’m still in progress off. 

We had made some progress with our posters as we decided to take our own sketches between 1 and 2 at most and put them onto our software’s to start doing them digitally and meeting our criteria. Making it at 150 x 100 cm and RGB at high resolution. Using the references I have collected for the team here is my progress of the poster using Krita. Only then can we figure out which poster of ours will be for the final version for the film and how to balance between our major project schedule. 

Taking the next three Fridays off, give us time to go over our final sketches that each us of picked out and did from the previous week on doing 2 designs and narrowing it down to one. For it will be next week that we will pick one of own and go for that design for our horror/thriller short movie poster. 

Here is my final sketch before our voting next week.