Motion Design & Animation

The Girl and the Butterfly is a 2D animation project created using Adobe After Effects. Inspired by Miley Cyrus's Grammy speech about the little boy and the butterfly, the animation explores themes of patience, personal growth, and the idea that meaningful outcomes arrive naturally rather than through force.

The project progressed through several creative stages, including concept development, character design, vector illustration, and animation. I began by sketching the characters and environment, refining the visuals in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate before animating them in After Effects.

Key Features and Techniques
The characters and environment were hand drawn and converted into clean vector illustrations. The animation was produced using keyframe animation, wave warp effects, opacity animation, and motion loops to create smooth and fluid movement. Color was used symbolically throughout the piece, with green representing new beginnings through the girl's dress, and purple conveying ambition and a sense of magic within the background. The ending features a loop mask transition inspired by classic Looney Tunes animations.

Challenges and Outcomes
This project challenged me to overcome several technical hurdles, including animating realistic running motion and creating dynamic movement for hair and the butterfly. Through experimentation with looping expressions and varied keyframe techniques, I was able to achieve a natural and cohesive flow.

The final animation tells the story of a girl who longs for a butterfly and ultimately learns that some things come to us when we least expect them. As my first complete 2D motion graphics project, it represents an important milestone in my development as a digital designer.

Stellar Veil is a 3D title sequence, blending elements of adventure fiction, drama, action, and space western genres. Inspired by productions such as Star Trek, Doctor Who, Foundation, His Dark Materials, and Space Sweepers, the project aimed to deliver a cinematic introduction that immerses viewers in a mysterious and futuristic space narrative.

The project progressed through multiple creative and technical stages, including concept development, 3D modeling, texturing, animation, and post production. A combination of After Effects, Illustrator, Maya, 3ds Max, and Photoshop was used to design and animate the sequence.

Creative and Technical Process
The concept phase focused on exploring science fiction themes and cinematic storytelling techniques. The 3D environments were modeled in 3ds Max, incorporating space inspired imagery, geometric forms, and particle effects to build depth and atmosphere. Camera movements were animated through keyframing in 3ds Max to enhance the cinematic feel.

Texturing and visual refinement were achieved using the Material Editor, bitmap mapping, and Photoshop enhancements. Post production was completed in After Effects, where color balance, motion blur, and blending modes were adjusted to create seamless transitions. The title and production house logo were designed and modeled in Maya, inspired by Lionsgate, and integrated using opacity based animation.

Challenges and Outcome
One of the main challenges was managing rendering limitations, which required optimizing resolution and render settings to maintain efficiency without compromising visual quality. Despite these constraints, the final sequence successfully conveys a sense of mystery and adventure associated with space exploration.

This project strengthened my skills in 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and cinematic storytelling, and represents an important milestone in my development as a digital designer.