2019 Showreel

This is my updated showreel for 2019. I didnt end up using any of my old work in it, as i have only recently picked up motion design and wanted it to focus on this. I think it exhibits my work well and looks professional. I intend to keep updating it and adding to it as i do more motion design work.

Plans for after uni

One of my biggest fears about graduating was deciding whether i should live here or move back home. I decided it would be best to try remain in leeds after uni, because there is more oppourtunities for work here. I intend to get a part time job here in the mean time to support myself, while also applying for internships and entry level motion design jobs. I am particularly interested in BlueZoos 2d background artist internship, which i am going to work on my portfolio in order to apply for. I would be willing to move around the country if i get any job or internship offers. If i dont get any offers, i will ask the studio for feedback on how i could improve my application, CV or showreel. I intend to alter my showreel depending on the studio i am applying to, to showcase the skills they are looking for in an applicant. Once i get more well known i wouldnt mind becoming a freelance motion designer or background artist/illustrator.

Study Task 3, Contacting professionals - Francis.j.m

I came across francis.j.m's work through the motion design school instagram i follow, who occasionally post professional work. I really liked his style and decided to ask him how he got into motion design. He told me he had worked under some freelancers to begin with to gain some experience of what its like to be a professional, and advised me to work with someone, even in some cases for free to gain experience. I had never considered doing this before and it has inspired me to ask around any freelance motion designers to see if they would be happy to mentor me after uni. 

Leeds based motion design studios

I have been researching and identifying possible studios local to Leeds which i might be able to visit to talk with the people who work there and see what it is like to work in a studio. Hungry Sandwich Club and Little Motel are both motion design centred studios in Leeds. I really like the style of both  studios work and intend to contact them to see if i could have a studio visit, and ask if they have any internship programs which i could apply to.


Hungry Sandwich Club

Study Task 3 - Reaching out to professionals

In the past few weeks i have been reaching out to motion designers to see if i could ask them some questions. I contacted Rosy Turner, who used to attend our university and now works in the industry. I asked her things like how she got into the industry, what she thinks a studio looks for in a showreel/interview, what advice she has for someone trying to get into the industry etc. She gave me really good answers to my questions which have been very helpful in planning my exit strategy.  Some of the points i took away were;

• Tailor your showreel to the studio youre applying for
• Be enthusiastic at interviews
• "they are not just interviewing you for the job, you are also interviewing to see if the job is right for you."
•  put the hours into learning the software - dont limit yourself
• Keep updating your social media platforms. Post work in progresses, illustrations, updates. The more frequently you post the more relevant you are in people’s eyes.
• listen to Motion Hatch and School of Motion podcasts
• motion design is in high demand at the minute

Software

This year i have made an effort to try and learn new software, in order to expand my skillset and to make myself more employable. Here are the softwares ive learnt;

- Illustrator- i started using illustrator last summer as i was curious about what i could create with it. I am so glad i started using it, because it lead me down the path of motion design, animating my vector illustrations in after effects. I find it really fun and use it for personal and uni work. It is really intuitive and i always like the results i get when i use it.

-After Effects - i used to be really intimidated by after effects and found it very difficult. This year i started focusing on stuff i am interested in creating on it, like bringing my own illustrations to life, and ive been following tutorials which have made it so much easier to grasp and less scary. It is now my preferred program to animate in.

-Storyboard Pro - i have only used this in the workshop we had with David Bunting. I am not a storyboard artist at all, but i found it a well structured program and a good thing to add to my CV when applying for internships or entry level jobs.

Updating Linkedin

I have recently been working on updating my online presence on LinkedIn and reaching out to people in the industry through it. I have updated my skills and also began uploading my recent work there and making more connections with people. I still have more to upload and aim to post on it as often as i do on my art instagram. Here is a link to my updated profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-meehan-84557a153/

Visiting Professional - Kate Lander- Brown Bag

We recently had a talk from Kate Lander from Brown bag studios. She gave us some tips on becoming employable. Although i am not that interested in pursuing a career with brown bag, as they don't focus on motion design, I found this talk really useful and informative. Some of the things she told us included;
-To look for internships and entry level jobs - She said it was probably a bad idea to go freelance as soon as we graduate, because no one will know who we are or our work, so working for a studio is better in the meantime until you become more well known.
-Start being professional in other aspects of your life - i found this a good tip and it is something i have been trying to adopt myself.
-She explained that the speed at which you work is very important to the company, because setbacks can cost the company a lot of money.
-She advised us that we should make connections with professionals whos work we admire on linkedin, and see whether they would give us feedback on our work.

Looking at job requirements

I have been looking into possible jobs id be interested in for once ive graduated from uni. Most of these are jobs as a motion designer. I have noticed many motion designer jobs require knowledge in Cinema 4D, so this is something i would like to get into and learn more about to make myself more employable.

Creating a Twitter

I have finally created a twitter. I will use this to post my personal work and also to follow artists i like and retweet their stuff, in the hopes of maybe getting noticed by them.  I have linked my vimeo as well and uploaded my showreel to allow people to view my work.

Creating a Vimeo

I have created a vimeo to put all my animations on. I think it is more professional than youtube and i prefer the interface. I hope to upload on this regularly, maybe every time ive finished an animation. I have a link to this on my twitter.

Internships

Below are some of the internships i intend to apply for soon. I would love to get the background artist one at bluezoo, but i know i will need to update and put together a portfolio for this. I also have been researching motion design interships, such as the ones below at framestore and Melodoo. All of these internships are in London, which makes me want to apply even more as i find the idea of living there for a while very exciting. 

Creating an Art instagram

I have finally got around to making a separate instagram for my art work. I found the idea of doing this intimidating for a long time, but now i feel i have got to a level of confidence in my work in which i am more comfortable doing it. I think it is nice to be organised and have a separate account for this because before i would just upload my work to my personal instagram which isnt very professional. I aim to upload about once a week and so far i have stuck to this.

Business card design

This is a design i have created as a business card for myself. I created the logo, an illustration of myself, on illustrator. I have used this logo on multiple social network sites and thinks it works well to illustrate who i am and what i do. I intened to get these business cards printed soon. 

Motion design course

Over the past few months, i have been following a motion design course by motion design school.  I followed their trial course and found it extremely helpful, so i decided to invest in their motion beast course. It was quite expensive, but i really enjoy the course and think it will be very beneficial for me and a possible career in motion design. I created this in the initial trial course;

I was really happy with the outcome of this and have continued to pursue motion design after this, since i no longer feel intimidated by after effects like i did before.

Professional contacts

I would like to reach out to a few different professionals and find out how they have made it in the industry and how they developed their skills to begin with in order to support my practice after uni. I would like to contact both motion designers and also background artists as these are both areas i am interested in pursuing. I have identified alot of these motion designers from dribbble. There are also some studios here which i am interested in contacting, perhaps to pursue an internship.
-Tony Babel- I have followed a few tutorials by Tony Babel on youtube, and find his work really nice to look at and dynamic. I would like to create work similar to his.

-Miguel E

-Hungry Sandwich Club
This is a leeds based team specialising in motion design and illustration. I really like the aesthetic of their work and would be interested in emailing them to ask if they have any internships.

Logo design

I have created a logo which can be seen below. I may use this as my avatar on my different social media accounts, and as a logo on business cards. I wanted my logo to depict me, and appear as friendly and approachable, which i think i have achieved.

Study Task 2 - Networking

These are some networking oppourtunities i am interested in pursuing that i think would be beneficial to my practice.

- Manchester Animation Festival

-Leedsillo
-Gamayo

-Thoughtbubble
-Aesthetica

I also intend to network online, contacting professionals whos work i admire on Linked In, instagram, twitter and through email. I will ask them questions about their work and how they got into the industry.

Study Task 1 - Who am I now?

In second year i learned alot about myself and what direction i would like to take my practice in next. I have definitely become more interested in post production, particularly background design and concept art for backgrounds, rather than animation itself, although this is still something i want to improve at. Over the summer i definitely have improved at drawing, in particular becoming more comfortable with digital drawing and painting, whereas before i was more into traditional.
This year i would like to become more skilled in drawing and animating, i would also like to improve my motion design skills and develop a specialism on this type of animation in after effects.
I deally, at the end of the course i would like to work in a studio or as a freelancer. A position as a background designer or motion designer would be ideal.
As for my social media presence, i have struggled with confidence issues about putting my work online, and because of this i havent made an instagram dedicated to just my work yet, and have instead been posting some of it on my personal instagram. This year id like to develop the confidence to make an art instagram account and upload high quality work regularly.

Showreel

I was quite worried about putting together a showreel at first, mostly because i have a lot of doubts about my work and because i didnt think i would have enough work to actually make one. Because my main area of focus is inbackgroundd design i wasnt sure how i would show them in a showreel, to get around this i brought my digital backgrounds into after effects and slowly revealed each layer so they werent just static backgrounds. I used some animation from first year but the majority of it is from second year. I think this showcases some of my best work but i would have liked to have more actual animation in it.

Study Task 3 - Creative Report

Initially, I intended to interview Tomm Moore for my creative report contact, creative director of Cartoon Saloon, but as I received no reply I found another contact who I think suits my interests within animation better. I chose Steve McCarthy, who I found while researching the background design on Cartoon Saloons 'Song of the Sea.' I am very interested in background design myself and loved the backgrounds in the film, so I thought this may be a good way to find out more about how they were created. I also explored more of Steves work, and I love the illustrative animation style he has developed, which I am keen to learn more about.
The following are the questions I intend to ask:

How did you get into animation/illustration and when did you decide on it as a career?

Do you prefer to work as part of a studio (like Cartoon Saloon) or freelance?

Which technologies do you use?

What inspired your art style?

How do you deal with criticism on your work?

What advice would you give to someone trying to get into the industry and what skills do you think are essential to succeed?

Steve replied to my interview request email, but took a while with the answers, so i sent a prompt email and eventually got my reply. I found the answers he gave really helpful and insightful, and i also saw a lot of what i recognise in myself in the answers. In one of his answers he told me how he didnt even realise being an illustrator was a job until after he had already left college, and thats something that resonated with me because i always feel as though I have to have figured out exactly what i want to do before im even sure what area that might be in. I also found it interesting that he said he prefered freelance work over working in a studio, because i always assumed most artists would prefer a somewhat 'safe' job like a studio provides. The fact that he articulated that his main skill set evolved solely around drawing was encouraging to me, as drawing skill is something i am always trying to improve. I have had to summarise most of his answer in order to make a succint creative report.

Issuu link: https://issuu.com/nicolemeehan/docs/creative_report.pptx

Reflection Presentation

I really struggle with presentations so i always knew this was going to be difficult for me. I made sure to prepare alot for it though and in the end it wasnt that bad, however i definitely still need to improve my presentation skills. I used my presentation to identify how ive changed throughout the year in relation to my work, and it helped me to actually identify how me and my work has progressed, as well as looking into what im interested in for the future.

Study Task 8 - Commissions and freelance

Commissions are something im really interested in giving a go. Because of my lack of confidence in my work, ive never thought of charging people for it when i would draw some things for them, but the seminar we had on this made me realise you have to be ready to charge people for what your work is worth. Before the seminar, i probably would have settled on about £30 for a drawing, regardless of how much time it had taken me or what materials i had to use. Now that im thinking of it in these terms, i think £10 an hour is a much fairer price while im still a student. If i work freelance after i graduate, i imagine this number will go up as i wont have student finance to support me anymore and also i imagine the quality of my work will have improved by then...hopefully.

I found trying to make my own agreement to work and invoice alot more difficult than i was expecting. I dont really have a mind for things like that, and although looking up different examples of artist agreement to work templates i know ive probably missed out alot of things on mine. 

Study task 7- Copy Shop

At this moment in time. i dont actually post much of my work online, except for on my personal instagram account. I havent really ever thought about protecting my work, because i cant see anyone really wanting to pass it off as their own, although i know this is a bad attitude to have. I intend to make myself a watermark when i make different accounts solely dedicated to my artwork, but currently i dont really think it is necessary. My instagram is public and can be messaged by anyone if they are interested in my work, but i should probably advertise more that i would be willing to do commissions. I also realise not having a social media account purely for my work means that it is harder for me to be discovered, but at the minute i really dont feel confident enough in my ability to make one just yet, however this is something i definitely intend to do soon.

Lifes A Pitch

To create a hypothetical animation collective, I teamed up with Ally and Liam Shevill. We each have different skill sets and strengths, mine being primarily background design. We decided on the name 'Wildflower Animation' because we felt this emphasised the brand idea we decided on. We wanted to have a name that shows we are a small, handmade and personal collective. I designed the logo for our collective, deciding on a simple bluebell design. I originally drew a design with quite alot of detail and in the end after talking to my team we decided to simplify the design by only having a few flowers on the logo, which is shown below. I also worked on choosing a colour scheme for our brand.  Forming this group made me realise i actually would possibly like to work in a small collective like this in the future. I know my strength doesnt lie in communicating with others or promoting a brand, which is why i think our collective worked nicely together, because we all bring something different skillwise.

Study Task 6- Cost of Living

Completing the cost of living calculator was really eye opening for me and made me realise how much i actually spend, and that little things you spend money on doesnt seem like much at the time, but over a year it actually adds up to quite a lot. As such, this has made me a bit anxious, but also been interesting to find out how much i actually spend.

Study Task 5

My current social media include:
-Facebook
-Reddit
-Instagram
-DeviantArt
-Tumblr

I mostly use these social media for personal things, however I do often post my work on my personal instagram account. My DeviantArt has been abandoned for a few years and consists of bad anime drawings from when I was younger, but I would be interested in reviving it with more current work. I also intend to branch out by using LinkedIn to make more connections, and I intend to make an instagram account purely for my work, however at the minute i dont feel that my work is up to the standard i want it to be for me to make one. I think i will also make a vimeo account to post actual animation on, and eventually a facebook page dedicated to my art as well. I dont think making a twitter account would be that beneficial for me, because its less about image and more about what you have to say, but im sure it is useful for other purposes.

Study Task 4- Networking

10 Networking Oppourtunities
Face to Face-
-Manchester Animation Festival
-Dublin Animation Festival
-Internships
-Collaborations with students from other courses/unis
-Leeds illo
-University visitor talks

Online
-LinkenIn
-Messaging professionals on instagram
-DeviantArt
-Emailing stuidos about possible internships
-Online Forums/ Responding to live briefs