First a Little Background
Back in March I started a little project. I was going to make 100 looping GIFS. My goal was to try and make one each working day and post it to Twitter (@gerik).
There were several reasons why I wanted to do this project. One was that to learn something new I knew that I would need to create a challange for myself. Usually I respond better to challenges and solving problems and that is where I tend to learn most of what I do. Over the years I’ve done this before. Most recently I did a video a day for a whole month on Instagram.
Why 100?
Well I was listening to a podcast a couple months ago. I can only guess which one and with whom (I listen to a lot). If I remember right it was about finding your creative voice. The person being interviewed said the best way to find your creative voice was to create a lot of work. She mentioned doing projects, and that she once made 100 art pieces.
Another key I picked up on was that finding your creative voice is more about quantity than quality. In other words worry more about making a lot of stuff and less about how good it is, or what others will think of it. It’s in that space one will find emerging styles and tendencies that will give a unique voice to your art.
So if you’d like to see some of these GIFS I’ve been making take a look at my Twitter page and follow me for a chance to see more along the way. As I write this I’m on #48.
Helping Others
Along this journey I’ve received some feedback from people on twitter. I’ve also received some questions and notes from those who are curious about what I am doing. So I thought I would lift my skirt a little and give you a look at my messy, chaotic process. Remember I’m no expert in this. I’m just trying to figure things out and learn like everyone else.
I’m not sure what to really write about this so if you have questions leave a comment below or ask me on Twitter.
Here’s a screen capture time-lapse of a recent session of me making a GIF. I was trying to better learn using the graph editor in After Effects and some standard animation principles.
Here’s the project file from the GIF I made (seen above) in After Effects 2017 (V14.2) – Download Project File
Bonus
To wrap up here’s a little bonus. I recorded a short tutorial on 2 ways I export a GIF from After Effects Let me know if any of this is helpful. Leave a comment here, or on Youtube (Maybe subscribe?) Or hit me up on Twitter.