I wanted to try an animation. It is not one of my strong suites but I figured it was worth a shot. I wanted to design a still image with some movement, a scene in specific, for a younger audience such as children and preteens. 

I had no idea where to start, all I knew is that I wanted it to be a night scene. I thought of cabins and fire pits, but eventually I settled on the Northern Lights. So, I sketched out a storyboard.

I wanted the Northern Lights to move a little bit and I wanted a polar bear to bob up and down on an iceberg. I also thought it would be col if a whale breached and the moon shined a little bit. 

I started by making an animatic where all the pieces moved just like they would in the finished product but it was made out of the sketches.

Next I created the illustrated assets.

I received some feedback on this draft, it was pointed out to me that the northern lights I had created looked more like tentacles than lights and that it might look strange if I only had the moon blinking but not the stars as well. With that information I made a rough draft of the animation.

I fixed the lights and the moon and I really liked the way they turned out. I felt like there was too much going on in this draft, and the people I asked about it agreed. I was given the advice to remove the whale and some of the waves that were happening in the water. I was also told that the head of the bear could bob around a little more. 

I removed the busyness and it looked much better, my final animation was complete.

It was the animation that I had been working towards. A scene with a few moving parts, it had a youthful feel to it and I was happy with the product and the way everything moved.