Hey everyone. I have been very busy for the last year or two that I didn't have the time to post.
Life has been really tough lately. I am currently stuck up north at my parent's house in the SF Bay Area due to the COVID pandemic and online classes.
So far, before COVID struck us all, CSULB has been a fantastic experience. I finally got to meet my first actual friends and be part of several actual friends groups where we all met outside of our classes. Working in the art and animation studios on campus, I got to experience what studio life was like in terms of the equipment we used. I am blessed to have had several fantastic professors and mentors, especially Marian, Alex, and Tom. All of my professors have helped me a lot by giving me very helpful tips to create better drawings, characters, and animation.
Marian was very special. She is very strict and upfront about every drawing she critiques. I didn't really like her after the first 2 or 3 classes. But as I continued moving forward on my drawings and always going to get help during her office hours, I realized that she was a professor who really cared about her students and did everything she could to make sure they succeed. From her, I picked up a lot of new techniques and tips to becoming a better draftsman that I didn't know before I came into CSULB, especially tips to make clear, crisp, clean lines. Without her, I probably wouldn't have been able to succeed in my animation and painting classes today.
Alex, one of my current mentors I met through the SoSIA, the animation club on campus, worked in the industry for over 30 years, including 25+ years at the Walt Disney Studios as an animator and as a clean-up lead. He further helped me to strengthen my timing and drawings through showing me new approaches, like straights against curves and cleanup tips, and telling me more about the artistic lifestyle in the industry. Like Marian, he is very upfront about every critique he gives and really cares about everyone he works with. His animation workshop so far has helped me to strengthen my timing, my animation skills, and to keep my drawings more consistent with one another when animating. One tip from him I will always cherish is this: "Remember to FLIP and FLIP OFTEN."
Tom, my Animation 1 professor, also has many years of industry experience at Warner Bros. He really encouraged me to have fun with animation and to cherish every moment of it. He also inspired me to appreciate traditional hand-drawn animation more and the natural organic movements that come with the form. With his class, I developed my sense of timing, began to separate my timings, and really push my squash-and-stretch. I can't wait to have him again for Animation 2 once we return to campus! Here's my final animation for his class I did last May:
I am also very grateful to have joined SoSIA (Society of Student Illustrators and Animators), the illustration/animation club on campus. Being a part of SoSIA, I made new friends with many other animators and those who shared similar interests. Together, we worked together on the 24 Hour Animation Contest and went to the CTN Expo in Burbank. I met many professionals who are currently working in the industry and some who have worked in traditional animation studios in the past, including my current mentor and the animation workshop I'm a part of back in Burbank.
Ever since COVID kicked in and ever since classes switched online, school and life have not been the same. My animation and perspective classes were especially different, with basically fewer critiques, fewer connections with other students, and loss of access to studio equipment. It was also much more difficult to get in contact with all my professors since we weren't seeing each other in-person. I also really discovered that learning for me is much more effective in person than online and that communication with my professors is key, especially growing up as a special needs kid. Being stuck at my parents' house, it feels much more like community college 2.0 than an actual university.
COVID has changed my life a lot.
On the dark side, it has made me very homesick. Being away from home in Hollywood/Burbank for around almost 5 months now, I am really missing the diversity that L.A. has to offer, life in the artistic communities of Los Feliz and Silverlake, walking in Griffith Park, going shopping at the Americana, and every trip up to the animation workshop and the studios in Burbank.
I also really miss seeing people every day, especially those I am really close to. Miss going to CTN and other animation festivals together. Just remembering all those good memories I made with my friends.
On the bright side, with COVID putting me stuck indoors at my parents' house most of the day, I have been able to focus a lot more on my art and animation, getting more acquainted with ToonBoom Harmony, the industry-standard 2D animation software, as well as the hand-drawn animation process. I have also been able to connect with others virtually during the Riseup Disney Animation week. I have also become more self-aware and am praying more often.
Now that Fall is online, I am taking only 2 GE classes this Fall, waiting for CSULB to resume in-person classes or at least open the art studios on campus, before taking any more studio classes. With animation usually being a 5-year program, graduation has been postponed to 2024 at the earliest. During my free time, I will continue to do more sketching and work more on my personal animated clips, as well as with the animation workshop.
While I am praying for COVID to end soon, the best I feel I can do is to not give up, continue to work hard in animation, have faith in myself and my dreams, and to continue to pray and build my relationship with God.
Anyway, that is it for now. Thank you to everyone who have been kind and supportive the last few years. Stay tuned for future posts. Feel free to comment or contact me with any shout outs or questions. Stay tuned for my art pieces on my Instagram @yipanimation_55.
