CSSSA ANIMATION

Hey CSSSA 2018 attendees!

I’m IN!!

Hey, guys!!  The entirety of the visual section of my application for the CSSSA Animation program is under the cut- hope you enjoy!  Forgot to mention- I’m applying as a junior, and I’m in-state.  

Assignment A: (watercolor and pen/ink)

Assignment B: (digital art)

Assignment C: (mixed media)

Assignment D: (digital)

I’ve been working non-stop the past few days to get this done, I hope you guys enjoy. I’ll write a few descriptions too! Feedback is also very appreciated, welcomed, encouraged, etc. So yeah! 

Here goes. Maybe I’ll even be accepted!

A. Living Vicariously - Digital

A drawing about how I become extremely emotionally invested in the media I consume. (Plus, my cat is there too.)

B. Visions of Sugarplums - Marker, Colored Pencil, Magazine Clippings

The conception of this piece began with my love for the magical girl genre. Shows of this genre were my first independent exposure to animation and comics. Similar to many artists my age, I realized my passion for drawing as a young child while sitting on the computer trying to draw the best anime eyes possible, inspired by my favorite magical girls. With my base in mind, I designed the rest of my collage, as well as the design of my magical girl, around an assortment of my favorite things and aesthetics; plants, fruit, food, and everything cute! My memories of watching magical girl shows and crafting my elementary school art projects will always stay with me, and I will forever appreciate and embrace their influence on my work.

C. Personal Work (2017-2018) - Various Mediums (Digital, Colored Pencil, Conté, Charcoal)

I feel like this is my weakest. I’ve never taken any art classes and I feel like the fact that I’ve only self studied really shows… It’s definitely not the greatest compared to every other applicant but hey, I’ve got spirit.

D. Rainy Days Are My Favorite - Pencil

My first time animating! I thought it turned out pretty cute. I wanted to do something more story based, but in the end I wanted to really show an understanding of motion.

Hi everyone!! sO I applied for the animation program again, and I got accepted!!! I’m SO excited to attend this year oh my goshhh!!! Still haven’t quite gotten over it :,) I’m from out of state (New Zealand!!!) and because I looked for ages both times I applied to find out of state applicants who posted their applications, I thought I should post my own to help others! To state why I think mine got accepted this year and the other one didn’t in a few sentences: The fact all my pieces were traditional, the fact my animation was more experimental and the fact I focused on showing my style rather than how pretty I could make something look. Without further ado, here it is!

Assignment A -  One drawing or painting that shows what you feel is unique about yourself.

Assignment B -  One drawing or painting of any subject that interests you. You might consider an emotion, memory, song, place or thing. Upload an explanation of the work. Include the poem, or lyrics if appropriate.

Explanation: For this watercolor piece I was inspired by the characters from books that influenced my childhood, typically anthropomorphic animals with human-like societies. The part of this topic that interested me is the fact authors use animals to represent the ‘innocent’ parts of human society, the positive parts that are suitable for children to see. In this piece, I wanted to explore how the two worlds would meet - the harsh reality of the animal world (the dead deer) and the fabrication (the clothed animals).

Assignment C -  One drawing or painting that you feel demonstrates your technical skills.

Assignment D - Short Animation

I honestly hate my application, all these pieces came from a place of anxiety & I don’t feel they’re representative of my art. but. I know I wanted to see as many of these as possible when I was making it so if you’re applying next year, I love you everything will be ok.

Frida Kahlo is one of my biggest inspirations as an artist. Her persistence despite the hardships she faced throughout her life as a disabled woman of color is truly something to look up to, and her bright, colorful paintings are so much more than meets the eye: they hide symbolism of death, love, an inner turmoil. Through researching her,  I’ve learned a lot about what art means to me, and how it’s much more a deep form of self-expression than a superficial desire to create something beautiful. I love her many self-portraits, and how she is unafraid to show her powerful, unconventional beauty as well as her vulnerability and conflict. I am fascinated by her complex, and almost unbelievable,  life story, her unique voice as an artist, and her strength as a woman in a man’s world. 

In eighth grade, I painted a mural covering a ten-foot section of wall at my school  in the span of a few weeks. Not only was this difficult because it was such a large project,  I also was inexperienced, had little instruction, and had to compromise with a partner. I  could only work during the daily fifty-minute class periods I had for art class, so progress  was slow. Additionally, although my art teacher was very encouraging, he couldn’t coach  me through the new processes I needed to learn; he needed to stay in the classroom  teaching others. I also faced challenges in collaboration: my partner had a specific vision,  while I knew her goals were unrealistic in our limited time. Ultimately, we worked together  to create a mural that, despite our many challenges, we can be proud of because of our  hard work and determination.

Animation has always been magical for me. As a kid, I was fascinated by the  moving, swirling colors of cartoons and the new worlds that they let me experience.  Watching classics like F a n t a sia really opened my eyes to the endless worlds of possibility  that animation could bring to life. This fascination persists today, with some of my biggest  inspirations being Rebecca Sugar of S t e v e n U niv e r s e , Pendleton Ward of A d v e n t u r e  Tim e , and Patrick McHale of Over th e G a r d e n W all . Animation is so appealing to me  because as someone who has drawn all her life, animation adds another dimension;  another element that can elevate drawing to a new level of storytelling that is so  universally enjoyable and relatable. Animation has always been the end-goal for me, the  next step in my journey as an artist, and I believe that CSSSA can give me tools to start  making my own bits of magic.