Nov 10 update: vid on the final result is out on my channel, along with replying to comments from this vid! Oct 9 update: I’ve passed the first phase! It’s time for some interviews before the final decision Thank you all for the response on this video, I enjoy reading all the comments about ATLA, these characters, and the support as well. See ya soon! To answer some common questions: - What app do you use to draw? In this vid, I use Photoshop to draw, Clip Studio Paint to color - What is the artbook near the end? Sophie Li/mmcoconut's life drawing book, I believe you can buy a digital version on gumroad - How did you find out about the opening? I found it in Asians in Animation's Discord where members share job postings. It also got posted to Nickelodean's instagram & Linkedin
I absolutely adore the Earthbender duo. I feel like the girl is very curious of the world, but is too scared to explore it on her own, so her teacher travels with her and they try new things together
No matter what the results are or what feedback you get from the studio, you should be SO proud of the work you've done. The character designs are so gorgeous and the lineup + expressions are super compelling -- I wanna know more about each of their backgrounds! Great portfolio and great work in the video!!
Keep applying. Animation studios will hire new talent because of budget and because they need workers. On top of that, quality animators will leave or be laid off due to budget constraints. Nickelodeon wants cheap labor. And often when animators become top tier, want to be paid more for their work, studios won’t hire them back.
That's a deep cut nugget drop right there: "skills are there to ensure that anything you make is fundamentally sound, the skills themselves are not the art". Damnnnn, that's something everyone pursuing the arts needs to hear and might only realise part way through their academic career.
I applied as well and tried creating my portfolio in a week 😭 it’s pretty barebones & I definitely underestimated how hard it would be. Your designs are so cool! I wish you luck
I'm 16 and haven't scratched the surface of character design, despite wanting to do it for a job after college. This really inspired me to start out with a world I'm familiar with (like avatar, or she-ra, or kipo, or nimona) and work from there! It really takes the pressure off of needing to figure out a brand new character's world on top of everything else. So thank you ^-^
fellow 16 year old aspiring character designer here- do you have any idea what youd go to college for. i am not rlly in an environment with a lot of people who want to become artists so Id rlly love to hear what youre thinking or if youre just as lost as i am.
Most art/animation colleges will allow you to do character design, but try to apply to multiplle really good art schools like SOCAL, SCAD, UCLA, RISD. But there's also a bunch of free resources online that show you how to make character turnarounds as well as body templates, so you could try it out to see if you like it before diving in head first. @@luzdoesart
@@luzdoesart Yeeessss same here. Kinda live in the middle of nowhere with no art colleges to go after highschool. I would love to get into character design, but need to work on my anatomy (blegh).
@@luzdoesart I'm slightly lost as well... A couple colleges that are nearish to me offer illustration, design, animation, or art history, but they're difficult to find at a good quality (at least for me). I think most colleges that aren't art-oriented tend to just offer design *classes* but not offer it as a possible major, instead offering Art history, or Illustration, and sometimes animation. I recommend to all those struggling to find this kind of thing is to call art departments of the colleges you're looking at and ask about what classes they offer for different majors, and if you're on scholarship or want to be, make sure those classes are covered (especially if you end up going for illustration, as an example, but want to take a character design class. It kind of depends whether or not "extra" classes are covered, even if to *you* it makes sense as being part of your major or minor. And remember it's possible to negotiate, even if on paper it says it isn't covered!) Some colleges list the classes they offer under the majors or on a different page, but I still recommend calling and asking, as it's entirely possible they have others, or aren't doing some of the ones listed anymore, etc, and it'd be a shame to major in something thinking they'll teach you something they don't offer anymore. This is kind of long BUT ask who teaches what. Get full names and look them up on RateMyProfessor. Art classes and colleges sometimes have staff that suck the creativity and love of art out of the students, so make sure they're good teachers as well as teaching what you want to learn. If someone teaches in a very lecture-y way and you're more hands on, take note. Hope this helps somewhat? ^-^
I found out about this on September 14th and didn't know the deadline was the 21st. 😭 I was busy preparing to travel for a funeral and flat out missed it. On the bright side I started a funny animation that I can't wait to finish when I come back. Good luck to everyone who applied! Even if you don't get in it's still a learning experience and fresh designs for your portfolio!
Oh I love the Earth Kingdom teacher and student! The little shy bean she's so cute! Also, the poses you did with the both of them are great, I really loved the tender moments between the teachers and students for Earth and Fire.
Love the overworked character for fire nation and the creative use of firebending. The earthbenders personalities made me think of very different ways they'd use it, the teacher with tons of wide swings and mountain moving attacks and the student using the earth to propel herself around and becoming the earth version of twinkle toes
As a art student myself, ur experience, especially on technical skills not being the most important factor, in character design is relatable! I think especially on stuff like briefs and stuff that isnt personal work theres a sense of disinterest and we usually rely on things like skill to push bare minimum art work out - but you just showing that process of picking urself back up and willing urself to do better really show that creative work ethic, especially what avatar is looking for! You seem really keen and i really do hope you get the position you wish!
As an author, your own character drew themselves sometimes, when you already have plans for your character but the more you write and progress you realize that the character decided its future even tho you're the one who manipulate them. It's such a great feeling, really😊❤
omg, i feel like i'm watching you manifest in real time. just hearing you talk made me tear up. fingers crossed for the avatar academy. i know that it will work out for you regardless of the result!
This sounds like something you need to hear. so this is a quote from one of my favorite anime's, Assassination Classroom. "Sure, you stand on the shoulders of giants, but the hold point is to see farther than they did. You have to think for yourself make your own discoveries." Which basically means we must learn from those that come before us and inprove it. stop beating yourself up.
the water bending student is everything to me. they’re an icon omg. their student and teacher duo is so wholesome as well. the earth bending student and teacher duo is sooo cute too 🥺🫶
After seeing so much of the art people have submitted for this application I do not have high hopes for my own submission, but I'm so happy that it's allowed me to see everyone's process! I've seen so many cool entries and I'm definitely taking notes from other peoples' applications to improve my own portfolio in the future!! Thanks for sharing - these look phenomenal and I wish you all the best with your application!
First of all, very brave of you to make a video about this! The video is very helpful, not just for people wanting to work in the industry! Every time I watch one of your videos I feel the need to draw and become really inspired. Thanks for the amazing video and have a nice day
you really should! It's incredible in every way, the characters are very fresh and lively, but not so much so that there's no seriousness or feelings that come from the heart. My life is definitely divided into a "birth to Time Before I Watched Avatar' and 'Time After I Watched Avatar to Present Day'" that's how memorable this show is
The storyline I immediately imagined for the earth bending duo based on the drawing is CRAZY overall your drawings are gorgeous you should feel so proud 😭😭❤I hope your drawings get animated these dynamics are so inspiring 🤌🏽🤌🏽
dude you are crasy impressive. i've been in such a creative slump for a while now from a whole range of stressors but watching your videos remind me why i'm going through all this in the first place. i aspire to have your understanding of where i need to improve and knowing when i should stop to just refocus my efforts on something more productive. i can't even imagine applying to something as important as atla... i get stressed just thinking about it! major props to you and i am so so glad i stumbled upon your channel
all the students interacting is so nice ahhh. i love all of them and wanna see them in action fr. id love watching the time between the war and korra, and th,e conference sounds like it’d be an interesting setting
I've learned a lot from this video in terms of creating characters, they all are expressive and feels alive, I wish you good luck and I really hope you'll be able to get in ❤❤❤
wow at 14:02 that sketch of the 2 fire benders putting on makeup together was beautiful! It totally felt like a cut but unique scene in ATLA! Literally had to go back to it after the vid ended lol
I love love love the Teacher and his shy student SO MUCH! It's my most favorite character trope, especially between a fatherly character and a girl-coded character ♥ You are so inspirational. I kind of stopped drawing a lot, because the art I made required too much time and I couldn't deal with the stress of commissions and getting things done in time due to my anxiety disorder and my C-PTSD paired with my newly discovered-(but always there) ADHD for which I had to learn how to adapt to if I want to be a functioning member of society. And yeah I grew up wishing to be an animator. However, I learned the hard way that I can't be one due to my bad stress response, my forgetfulness of my ADHD, and my autistic behaviors being in the way of doing group-oriented projects. The only thing I have left is character design but from what I've seen this kind of job is HIGHLY contested and anyone would and will apply for it I still struggle to draw bodies THAT quickly to just rotate them and show every angle. Ty for kindling my fire to at least try again ♥ It's hard to do when you drop out of university for design because of bullying from both peers and teachers. Teachers are supposed to help you and be available for questions and idk. My neurodivergence makes me look very unfavorable and even disruptive.
I only discovered the Avatar Universe pretty late as a teen but ever since then I've been hooked on the lore, characters, stories and everything else related. Seeing Avatar Studios being reignited for many future projects makes me and I'm sure a lot of other people smile as well so I'm happy to see many more talented artists, like yourself, are putting their bids in the hat. Good luck for the applications! Keep us updated with videos on the process!
its so hard in creative industries. I work in theatre, I know so many talented people who were given opportunities I wanted. Its hard after a while to keep up the positive energy for others. However, its work I want to put in because I want people to be happy for me when I experience success. Putting youtself out there may bring a lot of failure but eventually it may bring massive success. I wish you all the best.
Im obsessed with the fire nation pair. I think its so adorable, plus the teacher seems quite young which makes you think shes particularly good at what she does.
The constant struggle of over-referencing other artists' work while trying to improve your own and then being unsure what your artistic voice is 😭 you're so real for talking about this.. also so happy you brought up the fact you had to change your plans to avoid working yourself into the ground, more people should be encouraging this kind of work ethic!! Best of luck with your application, I think whoever is looking at it will be able to see the long-standing love and enthusiasm behind it :)
NAH CUZ YOU LITERALLY INSPIRE ME TO FOLLOW WHAT I LOVE, CHARACTER DESIGN AND ALL SORTS OF ART. i have to pick my major really soon and im just scared and overwhelmed like, what if i cant even find a job in that field? But this video is so inspiring, actuals W girl, thanks
Congratulations on passing the first phase, and I hope you're feeling accomplished and proud because everything you did was so impressive. I learned so much about what goes into character designing because of you , thank you so much for that. Your character designs are full of so much personality and life and I am just in love with them honestly !
18:03 just hit me in the face out of no where. I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE?! WHAT!? I literally just commented on that video- I had both videos saved in the "watch later" list because I was interested in both... wow, this is amazing (and also a testament to my blindness to names and profile pictures, lmao) While I'm not on the animation path, the creation of a portfolio is a topic very dear to me, and I'm so happy I've been able to listen to two of your videos with so much insight and useful informations
This inspired me to make my oc’s more in-depth and not just characters I whipped up out of my imagination it made me want to actually try to make a character I could really imagine in a series together thank you :)
girl idk why but this got me super emotional, like its so obvious that you love what you do so so so much and thats so inspirational for me, cuz im planning on getting into design too and most of the people i interact with treat it like its some kinda cop out, but oh my god please keep slaying as hard as u are and all the bestttt!!! lots of love from india
I LOVE THESE SO MUCH!!! You put so much effort and thought into it, the Earth Nation dynamic is so cute, water one is so serious and cool, air one is so so funny and the fire one is comforting as hell hehehe))) Will be rooting for this studio to take you in! Good luuuck😭💕💕
I’m really glad you kept the Fire Nation girl fat and sweet-looking, like you said the FN is full of intense, rigid people and I am obsessed with the idea of someone who challenges that portrayal and is also a firebender! Good luck with your application, you came up with characters I’d love to watch/read stories about!
That last image with all four students preparing snacks was so cute, omg. I love this. Best of Luck to you and everyone else applying, keep up the good work
I hope you get the job!! :D Man, I'm so glad things for Avatar are still being made, because that show is actually my favorite show (not my favorite animated show, my favorite show), tied with The Owl House. I love the waterbending student and the earthbending student! They have so much personality! I feel like the firebending and airbending students would have the best interactions with other characters, and it would be REALLY entertaining to watch the teachers get together and chat about their students XD
Honestly how I usually format my charecter design sheets is as follows 2-4 expressions Atleast 1 interaction Full body Closeup of face/hair Detail closeups for accessories/hair styles And that’s basically it
The thing about looking at other artists character explorations and copying them isnt bad at all imo! I got the chance to meet pendelton ward and I was asking him about creating unique worlds and other stuff and He gave me two pieces of advice; Kill your babies, and stealing is badass. He explained that in animation ur gonna be making hundreds upon hundred of pitches, designs, and animations but ultimatly only like 10% of that is gonna be used so get used to killing ur artwork, and to get high volumes of work like that, take ideas from others and tweak it to the way you like it. It was really fun meeting him and he gave me some decent advice too !
Your channel is so inspiring to me as a teenager who does art, it gives me hope in times where art and animation seem to be waring out as an industry and showcases the talent and joy that art brings out to the individual. Continue inspiring 💙
AAAA THIS IS SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!!!😭💙 I can't believe how u made a portfolio like that especially in 10 days!? You've got so much skill it's insane. If by any chance they don't accept u, it's probably because they were asleep when looking at your portfolio 😆 I wish u the best of luck. This is honestly so inspiring. Thank u so much.
i love this so much :") the only thing i despise is not seeing your characters come to life (or at least not right now) i am already so attached to these teacher / student duos and want to see so much more
Thank you for the video. I found this very useful since I'm also into character design these days. I love how you plan out your portfolio, the designing process, and of course your characters. Look forward to your other video
Okay, I was enjoying this SO thoroughly already, but the second I saw the lineart of Fire Student holding the mirror as she and Fire Teacher do their makeup I paused it and started giggling. Like, there's happy tears in my eyes. You know you've made great characters with soul when you can elicit such a visceral response from someone without any story or dialogue or further detail. ONE still shot of them interacting was enough for me to be completely over the moon for them, when I too was less interested in them than the other duos in the beginning. Incredible. This is what its all about, man.
I watch this a month later and the way you BLEW UP IS INSANE.. AND I CAN SEE WHY.. YOUR ART IS SO COOL AND THE WAY YOU DISECT EVERYTHING IS SO INTRIGUING
Just to preface: This is NOT a critique! Your work here is absolutely stellar! Just a couple genuine questions about your thought process. :) When walking through your reasoning for each teacher/student pair from each nation, I noticed that you were aiming to subvert what you understood to be the typical cultural vibes of that respective nation. I really like that idea! However, why, when making a portfolio for a studio with established writing and worldbuilding/lore, would you opt to subvert those established viewer expectations rather than demonstrate that you know exactly how to fit seamlessly into what worldbuilding they have established (i.e. demonstrating "I can do this job exactly as needed")? Again, I really like the idea, and I'm not criticizing it at all. I'm more just curious as to the reasoning from a "what can I learn from this" stance since I was finding myself thinking stuff like "If I was applying for this, I would be aiming to make it as clear as possible that I know what makes Avatar specifically/uniquely Avatar, and I feel like subverting the expectations of the universe could potentially confuse the issue as to whether or not I understand everything as clearly as possible if the person reviewing portfolios didn't manage to catch on that I was trying to do the opposite of what's culturally expected" while I was watching. Again, genuinely curious. I don't think you did anything wrong. :) Just wanting to see how someone else who thinks and approaches things differently than me operates!
Great question! I think it's because subverting expectation creates appeal, and it's kind of what makes ATLA characters amazing For example, Iroh is an ex Fire Nation general + crown prince. You would expect him to be an intense, scary, nationalist guy, but he's one of the most relaxed and peaceful characters in the show. Sokka had misogynistic tendencies from growing up in such a traditional environment and watching his worldview get challenged, prompting him to grow and change was a major part of his story. These contrasts make them interesting and likable characters I think what makes Avatar special is that the characters are able to grow and change despite their own prejudices/the system they grew up in, so that's why I like making characters that have the potential of doing that!
I really like this comment but i would also think its better to add those subversions to what the characters are thought to be, since if you are entering a studio where people already can do those typical characters you also want to show that you can bring something new to the table! Also im not sure i would say that what makes ATLA unique, i think thats just a part of the world but not Necessary to the plot as a whole
@@qrbitsart Good answer! Expectations are their environment, and they are *characters* because they are subverting it. When I started watching this video and you set your goals, I was horrified how hard it would be to keep balance with it. But it seems like you nailed it! Keep up the hard work, we believe in you! I have another question. Have you ever worked in a team? I never considered soft skills that you need for designing profession. Your video shows good articulation and clear conveying of your thought process (scripted or not) and I hope you get what you desire.
@@qrbitsart Thanks for your answer! :) So what I'm understanding from that response is that you don't think that subverting each nation's cultural expectations is actually contrary to Avatar Studios' established worldbuilding/writing, but rather goes right along with it since, as in your examples, some of the primary characters are already subversions of their environment/culture in the show (another example could even be the contrast created by Aang and his teacher being so goofy amidst a culture of very spiritually serious monks). So you ended up doing the same thing in your own portfolio designs. That makes good sense! :) Thanks again!
Im currently a design student and Ive become pretty confident in my technical skills and am learning more design side of things. This is a very relatable video as I've ran into a lot of similar issues when working on my designs in school. This video has been REALLY helpful by you just talking about your experience on this project and the ways you've struggled/overcame some of these issues. Thanks for sharing your experience and best of luck in the application!
I adore this video! The fire nation character sheet especially stood out to me and feel this video provides the context for your design process that your portfolio itself may not have been able to express non-verbally.
Man I wished I had known this existed before, I can’t draw to save my life but now it’s probably to late to be a part of something that was a big part of my childhood 😢
As a professional artist (theatre) but not in physical art, it was amazing to get a chance to see through your eyes and into your job and what the expectations and such are like. I love Avatar as well so this was insane to see you hit all their points for characters so perfectly without breaking a sweat. You almost operate like Einstein the way you ask a question and then rise to answer it. But I definitely wanna caution you against more negative or self fulfilling doubt type thoughts, some of which I couldn’t help but notice you tend to jump to. Just something from one artist to another that we always bring up in our business: recreating Avatar in the style of a different artist to be presented for them ALREADY means it is NEW. Namely: you are not that original artist, so your recreation of their material will never be exactly the same- just because it’s literally your instrument (your hand) versus theirs. Just like how everyone singing the same song sounds different. And that’s good! You get very hard on yourself about lack of originality when, the way I see it, the entire video is 25 minutes of your STARK ORIGINALITY (and incredible work ethic?). Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are truly amazing!! Subbed P.S. the heating of the hair for beauty made me go “WOW” out loud because I’m sure that’s something they’ve never even thought of but feels SO OBVIOUS for the world - genius move
This is absolutely inspiring. As an aspiring animator, storyboarder and character designer myself, it's really fulfilling to see a fellow creative strive for what they desire and work towards their goal. You admitting that you got tired during the process or scrapped ideas or redrew things really aided as a form of comfort me. Because, at the end of the day we're all human and we as artists often feel like we need to constantly be pumping out work or new material. As fun and productive as that can be, it also okay to acknowledge that we're still learning as we create. Thank you for this video and I hope you get the position!
I think having flaws from being bold and expressing your unique ideas/style is good for a portfolio that targets a student position. As you already said, they aren’t looking for something they already have, they are looking for someone to teach. So I believe showing that you have the foundation is important, but it’s more important to show your unique potential. Much love you did fantastic, I could never ❤
Absolutely knocked the design and personality out of the park for the earth and water nations. They ooze personality at a glance and would be distraught to not see more of their interactions. Wishing you all the luck!
HEAR ME OUT: A blonde beach-based waterbender with weather forecasting ability 👱🏻♀️👩🏼💦 A cornrow brunette with flowers as shepherd/herbal medic earthbender 👩🏽🦱🧔🏾♂️🌱 (additionally with vitiligo) A ginger and black afro firebender 👨🏻🦰🧑🏿🦱🔥 An albino airbender specializing in natural disasters 🧑🏿🦳👩🏻🦳💨 & benders with 2 abilities/non-benders with heterochromic eyes 👁️ (Sokka & Toph’s genetics) Bonus points for earthbender with physical disability (Teo’s genetics)
love these ideas. I think the art here is soo good but really thought the ideas were somewhat lacking except the earth benders. The pit I feel like western american media falls into over and over is thinking people's race or identity is their character. like here the androgynous water bender. Androgynous isn't really a character. it's just a tiny part of who they are. Korra fell into this pit too with her an Asami "kind of sort of being together but couldn't show it on screen". A characters identity shouldn't be the main plot point or characteristic unless the show is centring around their identity but with fantasy genre thats a pretty weak plot trope. Take Canadian media like David Rose on Schitts creek. He is bi but the show never makes his character about being bi. it's just his sexuality not the major plot or characteristics of him.
Tbh this video helps me, i want to work the same job as you and want to devolop characters, now i definitely will follow you (Thanks) I really like characters dynamics, i can feel their personality by their standing and clothes. Thats true master
I think you did a great job with those character sheets and I really hope they hire you for the position! Even if they don't, this seems like a really great experience to have under your belt, and I learned so much from watching this video. Thank you so much for sharing this experience !
Well overall the character design is beautiful and I think your art style is so amazing honestly this looks like it was made by a whole professional design team whoever I did see one mistake one of your characters (fire bender) was overweight this makes the character extremely ugly I don’t think many people would enjoy seeing that on their screen especially as a main character perhaps just as a side comedic gag? Besides that I see no faults hope my suggestion helps love the vid ❤️❤️❤️
As someone who is also making a portfolio for university applications, i TOTALLY relate with your first mistake!! I was still able to show some form of iteration in designing my 2nd lead but i feel that i should have explored my main lead's design more! I probably will end up redsigning him after sending in the portfolio but either way, your portfolio is really cool! Keep up the good work :3
I have never been so excited for a stranger In my life. Idk something about you just pursing your dream job and seeing you design just made me so happy for some reason. Hope you get the job ❤
Oh wow... im a concept artist student myself and this entire video was a pleasure to watch. I think your portfolio pieces look really good, I could totally see these character pairings existing in the world of avatar. I wish you the best of luck, and i really hope you land the job!
The earth and water duos are so up my alley but every single pair is so fun and I can genuinely imagine a very slice of life series of them all interacting, especially picturing the first meeting of them all turning their noses up at each other, idk I love character design and this is such a great display of good design I'm obsessed
This is so interesting to watch. I love your optimism and your commentary is very informative. It’s like you’re the teacher and we’re the student! Best of luck, I’m really rooting for you!
Hi! Im an artist for DTVA and I was listening to this when I worked. Pretty solid designs but just a tip: turnarounds ARE VERY important and VERY necessary! It was like 60 percent of my job each time ive done character work for US TV anim. Keep in mind the animation is most likely being done overseas and there is a language barrier, so designers need to make sure the anim team have no room for eff ups by creating consistent and on model designs for every character. Incidentals (minor/bg characters) usually just have a front 3/4th and a back 3/4th. Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!!! Edit: I'd throw just one or two turns into your folio, no need to create a bunch! And some mouth charts. It'll show the recruiters you understand the pipeline.
I loved watching the characters come to life so much. They’re all amazing. And the banner of the students interacting at the end was sooooo awesome!!!!
love your character relationship discoveries! of course, everything in this is absolutely brilliant, but that exploration and discovery and storytelling between characters was just beautiful. Congrats on passing the first phase!!
You are so creative and your linework is amazing! One of the most important things in sketching is making sense of a sketch with the fewer lines and you are AMAZING in that! I really wish you a good luck! You so deserve the spot!
I've gotten into character design recently, and I love seeing how people go about making designs, expression sheets, etc. So this was really fun to watch :)
this was my first time coming across you and your channel, prompting me to look up you instagram and stuff. and i have already fallen in love with your art, your style and your personality. as a new/ amateur digital artist, ive found style and many other things to be a very challenging, feeling like a fraud, copying, not having my own style, all of that. and in a weird way, it feels nice to know that it isnt just newer artists who can stuggle with these things
I literally have zero experience with drawing or digital design (Blender has me stumped fr), but I LOVE ATLA. and I happen to be writing a story for my first video game. Its really interesting to see your mind process in creating these characters! I love the dynamic duo take especially in the Avatar-verse. I hope you get the job, because i really like the ideas you brought in your portfolio! And thank you for posting this. for someone with no formal training or literally any idea what shes doing when it comes to drawing, its really cool to see how you start from the ground up to make a whole freaking portfolio in just a couple of weeks.
Dang you're so awsome I wanna be just like you, I need to focus and draw more :') study about poses, dymanics, expressions, designs fr I'm so lost in this ocean. Thank you for sharing your process!
i need to download your mentality and the way you look at things into my brain rn this turned out incredible, great job!! Id love to see a video of you talking about what you did to get your technical skill to where it is. I feel like ive been stuck on that part for so many years, and even though i know this is not how this works - my brain feels the need to finish one section until im good enough to start developing other things (creativity, character design, things that arent the fundamentals etc)
Omgosh I absolutely LOVE your artstyle and it blends into the Avatar universe so seamlessly. At least, it does for my untrained, consumerist eyes :D I really hope you get it!!! ROOTING FOR YOU!!
you hit all the marks so well, Lexin!! I love how much personality and story you can gather from just a glance at these characters. Always hyped to see your work
I love these teachers and their students! I can immediately imagine their interactions and developments, very creative and each one is unique
All I'm imagining for the Earth Benders is the little girl getting her shit kicked in and then the teacher going ABSOLUTELY BERSERK. I love it.
I ageee so much that I am becoming you
Nov 10 update: vid on the final result is out on my channel, along with replying to comments from this vid!
Oct 9 update: I’ve passed the first phase! It’s time for some interviews before the final decision
Thank you all for the response on this video, I enjoy reading all the comments about ATLA, these characters, and the support as well. See ya soon!
To answer some common questions:
- What app do you use to draw? In this vid, I use Photoshop to draw, Clip Studio Paint to color
- What is the artbook near the end? Sophie Li/mmcoconut's life drawing book, I believe you can buy a digital version on gumroad
- How did you find out about the opening? I found it in Asians in Animation's Discord where members share job postings. It also got posted to Nickelodean's instagram & Linkedin
Congrats! I hope for a bright outcome for you! 😊
Congratulations! You'll do great!
YAYY
Best of luck! Looking forward to hearing more about your journey!
LETS GOOOOOOOO
I absolutely adore the Earthbender duo. I feel like the girl is very curious of the world, but is too scared to explore it on her own, so her teacher travels with her and they try new things together
this made me cry lol i feel the same way!
so sweet! 🥺
Yeah! Maybe he's more of a teacher of life than an earth bender teacher
He’s almost like a father figure. 🥺
@@alejandrapedroza14 love that!
No matter what the results are or what feedback you get from the studio, you should be SO proud of the work you've done. The character designs are so gorgeous and the lineup + expressions are super compelling -- I wanna know more about each of their backgrounds! Great portfolio and great work in the video!!
Keep applying. Animation studios will hire new talent because of budget and because they need workers. On top of that, quality animators will leave or be laid off due to budget constraints. Nickelodeon wants cheap labor. And often when animators become top tier, want to be paid more for their work, studios won’t hire them back.
That's.... not so comforting in the long run? @@fun-with-purpose1436
@@solarydays make friends oh my god thats not what im getting at
@@fun-with-purpose1436 Hm, I guess this apples to every creative job then. Tough world apply to anything and everything until u get in ig
@@solarydays Does becoming depressed pay the bills? If you keep high spirits you'll be able to move on
i guess you could say that fire bender teacher was... burnt out heheheh
😂👏🏾
XD
That's a deep cut nugget drop right there: "skills are there to ensure that anything you make is fundamentally sound, the skills themselves are not the art". Damnnnn, that's something everyone pursuing the arts needs to hear and might only realise part way through their academic career.
I applied as well and tried creating my portfolio in a week 😭 it’s pretty barebones & I definitely underestimated how hard it would be. Your designs are so cool! I wish you luck
I wish you luck as well my friend
I hope you get amazing results! I'm also a bit biased because I love your mio pfp.. But seriously, good luck :)
I’m kinda interested if you dont mind I’d love to see your portfolio
omg i wish i saw this opportunity ealier-- did you pass the first stage?
@@reitiumm Sorry don't want to be rude and plug my portfolio on someone else's video also I'm not that proud of it anymore 😅 but thx for the interest
As someone who has never created a portfolio (tried but failed) this video came at a great time!
I'm 16 and haven't scratched the surface of character design, despite wanting to do it for a job after college. This really inspired me to start out with a world I'm familiar with (like avatar, or she-ra, or kipo, or nimona) and work from there! It really takes the pressure off of needing to figure out a brand new character's world on top of everything else. So thank you ^-^
fellow 16 year old aspiring character designer here- do you have any idea what youd go to college for. i am not rlly in an environment with a lot of people who want to become artists so Id rlly love to hear what youre thinking or if youre just as lost as i am.
Most art/animation colleges will allow you to do character design, but try to apply to multiplle really good art schools like SOCAL, SCAD, UCLA, RISD. But there's also a bunch of free resources online that show you how to make character turnarounds as well as body templates, so you could try it out to see if you like it before diving in head first. @@luzdoesart
Sameeeeeeee
@@luzdoesart Yeeessss same here. Kinda live in the middle of nowhere with no art colleges to go after highschool. I would love to get into character design, but need to work on my anatomy (blegh).
@@luzdoesart I'm slightly lost as well... A couple colleges that are nearish to me offer illustration, design, animation, or art history, but they're difficult to find at a good quality (at least for me). I think most colleges that aren't art-oriented tend to just offer design *classes* but not offer it as a possible major, instead offering Art history, or Illustration, and sometimes animation. I recommend to all those struggling to find this kind of thing is to call art departments of the colleges you're looking at and ask about what classes they offer for different majors, and if you're on scholarship or want to be, make sure those classes are covered (especially if you end up going for illustration, as an example, but want to take a character design class. It kind of depends whether or not "extra" classes are covered, even if to *you* it makes sense as being part of your major or minor. And remember it's possible to negotiate, even if on paper it says it isn't covered!)
Some colleges list the classes they offer under the majors or on a different page, but I still recommend calling and asking, as it's entirely possible they have others, or aren't doing some of the ones listed anymore, etc, and it'd be a shame to major in something thinking they'll teach you something they don't offer anymore.
This is kind of long BUT ask who teaches what. Get full names and look them up on RateMyProfessor. Art classes and colleges sometimes have staff that suck the creativity and love of art out of the students, so make sure they're good teachers as well as teaching what you want to learn. If someone teaches in a very lecture-y way and you're more hands on, take note.
Hope this helps somewhat? ^-^
I found out about this on September 14th and didn't know the deadline was the 21st. 😭 I was busy preparing to travel for a funeral and flat out missed it. On the bright side I started a funny animation that I can't wait to finish when I come back. Good luck to everyone who applied! Even if you don't get in it's still a learning experience and fresh designs for your portfolio!
Oh I love the Earth Kingdom teacher and student! The little shy bean she's so cute! Also, the poses you did with the both of them are great, I really loved the tender moments between the teachers and students for Earth and Fire.
I love how much personality you put into these characters. Especially how with a rocky start to the fire duo, it ended up so wholesome! Amazing job
Love the overworked character for fire nation and the creative use of firebending. The earthbenders personalities made me think of very different ways they'd use it, the teacher with tons of wide swings and mountain moving attacks and the student using the earth to propel herself around and becoming the earth version of twinkle toes
Gah what a lovely portfolio!! The charas all have such a fun vibe I'd die to see them in motion!! Wishing you the best of luck!!
As a art student myself, ur experience, especially on technical skills not being the most important factor, in character design is relatable! I think especially on stuff like briefs and stuff that isnt personal work theres a sense of disinterest and we usually rely on things like skill to push bare minimum art work out - but you just showing that process of picking urself back up and willing urself to do better really show that creative work ethic, especially what avatar is looking for! You seem really keen and i really do hope you get the position you wish!
As an author, your own character drew themselves sometimes, when you already have plans for your character but the more you write and progress you realize that the character decided its future even tho you're the one who manipulate them. It's such a great feeling, really😊❤
omg, i feel like i'm watching you manifest in real time. just hearing you talk made me tear up. fingers crossed for the avatar academy. i know that it will work out for you regardless of the result!
This sounds like something you need to hear. so this is a quote from one of my favorite anime's, Assassination Classroom. "Sure, you stand on the shoulders of giants, but the hold point is to see farther than they did. You have to think for yourself make your own discoveries." Which basically means we must learn from those that come before us and inprove it. stop beating yourself up.
the water bending student is everything to me. they’re an icon omg. their student and teacher duo is so wholesome as well.
the earth bending student and teacher duo is sooo cute too 🥺🫶
After seeing so much of the art people have submitted for this application I do not have high hopes for my own submission, but I'm so happy that it's allowed me to see everyone's process! I've seen so many cool entries and I'm definitely taking notes from other peoples' applications to improve my own portfolio in the future!! Thanks for sharing - these look phenomenal and I wish you all the best with your application!
I’m in love with the characters you’ve created! They came to life so quickly, I’m praying you get the part your work is amazing!!
First of all, very brave of you to make a video about this! The video is very helpful, not just for people wanting to work in the industry! Every time I watch one of your videos I feel the need to draw and become really inspired. Thanks for the amazing video and have a nice day
I don’t even watch that show but your characters and their personalities are making me want to start binging the last airbender
you really should! It's incredible in every way, the characters are very fresh and lively, but not so much so that there's no seriousness or feelings that come from the heart. My life is definitely divided into a "birth to Time Before I Watched Avatar' and 'Time After I Watched Avatar to Present Day'"
that's how memorable this show is
It came out amazing, good luck!
The storyline I immediately imagined for the earth bending duo based on the drawing is CRAZY overall your drawings are gorgeous you should feel so proud 😭😭❤I hope your drawings get animated these dynamics are so inspiring 🤌🏽🤌🏽
dude you are crasy impressive. i've been in such a creative slump for a while now from a whole range of stressors but watching your videos remind me why i'm going through all this in the first place. i aspire to have your understanding of where i need to improve and knowing when i should stop to just refocus my efforts on something more productive. i can't even imagine applying to something as important as atla... i get stressed just thinking about it! major props to you and i am so so glad i stumbled upon your channel
Honestly, I adore the water tribe student. Love their design so much.
all the students interacting is so nice ahhh. i love all of them and wanna see them in action fr. id love watching the time between the war and korra, and th,e conference sounds like it’d be an interesting setting
I've learned a lot from this video in terms of creating characters, they all are expressive and feels alive, I wish you good luck and I really hope you'll be able to get in ❤❤❤
I really love the Orochimaru vibes for the water tribe student
wow at 14:02 that sketch of the 2 fire benders putting on makeup together was beautiful! It totally felt like a cut but unique scene in ATLA! Literally had to go back to it after the vid ended lol
I love love love the Teacher and his shy student SO MUCH! It's my most favorite character trope, especially between a fatherly character and a girl-coded character ♥ You are so inspirational. I kind of stopped drawing a lot, because the art I made required too much time and I couldn't deal with the stress of commissions and getting things done in time due to my anxiety disorder and my C-PTSD paired with my newly discovered-(but always there) ADHD for which I had to learn how to adapt to if I want to be a functioning member of society. And yeah I grew up wishing to be an animator. However, I learned the hard way that I can't be one due to my bad stress response, my forgetfulness of my ADHD, and my autistic behaviors being in the way of doing group-oriented projects. The only thing I have left is character design but from what I've seen this kind of job is HIGHLY contested and anyone would and will apply for it I still struggle to draw bodies THAT quickly to just rotate them and show every angle. Ty for kindling my fire to at least try again ♥ It's hard to do when you drop out of university for design because of bullying from both peers and teachers. Teachers are supposed to help you and be available for questions and idk. My neurodivergence makes me look very unfavorable and even disruptive.
I only discovered the Avatar Universe pretty late as a teen but ever since then I've been hooked on the lore, characters, stories and everything else related. Seeing Avatar Studios being reignited for many future projects makes me and I'm sure a lot of other people smile as well so I'm happy to see many more talented artists, like yourself, are putting their bids in the hat. Good luck for the applications! Keep us updated with videos on the process!
its so hard in creative industries. I work in theatre, I know so many talented people who were given opportunities I wanted. Its hard after a while to keep up the positive energy for others. However, its work I want to put in because I want people to be happy for me when I experience success. Putting youtself out there may bring a lot of failure but eventually it may bring massive success. I wish you all the best.
IM SO PROUD OF YOU I HOPE YOU GET ACCEPTED. YOU ARE AMAZING. MY INSPIRATION
Im obsessed with the fire nation pair. I think its so adorable, plus the teacher seems quite young which makes you think shes particularly good at what she does.
The constant struggle of over-referencing other artists' work while trying to improve your own and then being unsure what your artistic voice is 😭 you're so real for talking about this.. also so happy you brought up the fact you had to change your plans to avoid working yourself into the ground, more people should be encouraging this kind of work ethic!! Best of luck with your application, I think whoever is looking at it will be able to see the long-standing love and enthusiasm behind it :)
NAH CUZ YOU LITERALLY INSPIRE ME TO FOLLOW WHAT I LOVE, CHARACTER DESIGN AND ALL SORTS OF ART. i have to pick my major really soon and im just scared and overwhelmed like, what if i cant even find a job in that field? But this video is so inspiring, actuals W girl, thanks
Congratulations on passing the first phase, and I hope you're feeling accomplished and proud because everything you did was so impressive. I learned so much about what goes into character designing because of you , thank you so much for that. Your character designs are full of so much personality and life and I am just in love with them honestly !
18:03 just hit me in the face out of no where. I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE?! WHAT!?
I literally just commented on that video- I had both videos saved in the "watch later" list because I was interested in both... wow, this is amazing (and also a testament to my blindness to names and profile pictures, lmao)
While I'm not on the animation path, the creation of a portfolio is a topic very dear to me, and I'm so happy I've been able to listen to two of your videos with so much insight and useful informations
I love character design, I go crazy when I start drawing their different shapes, races, fashion, time, and all that stuff. It's just awesome.
This inspired me to make my oc’s more in-depth and not just characters I whipped up out of my imagination it made me want to actually try to make a character I could really imagine in a series together thank you :)
This is such a helpful example for making character portfolios 😭 omg thank you Lexin!! I hope you get the role!! Best of luck ✨
girl idk why but this got me super emotional, like its so obvious that you love what you do so so so much and thats so inspirational for me, cuz im planning on getting into design too and most of the people i interact with treat it like its some kinda cop out, but oh my god please keep slaying as hard as u are and all the bestttt!!! lots of love from india
I LOVE THESE SO MUCH!!! You put so much effort and thought into it, the Earth Nation dynamic is so cute, water one is so serious and cool, air one is so so funny and the fire one is comforting as hell hehehe)))
Will be rooting for this studio to take you in! Good luuuck😭💕💕
I’m really glad you kept the Fire Nation girl fat and sweet-looking, like you said the FN is full of intense, rigid people and I am obsessed with the idea of someone who challenges that portrayal and is also a firebender! Good luck with your application, you came up with characters I’d love to watch/read stories about!
That last image with all four students preparing snacks was so cute, omg. I love this.
Best of Luck to you and everyone else applying, keep up the good work
I hope you get the job!! :D
Man, I'm so glad things for Avatar are still being made, because that show is actually my favorite show (not my favorite animated show, my favorite show), tied with The Owl House.
I love the waterbending student and the earthbending student! They have so much personality! I feel like the firebending and airbending students would have the best interactions with other characters, and it would be REALLY entertaining to watch the teachers get together and chat about their students XD
Honestly how I usually format my charecter design sheets is as follows
2-4 expressions
Atleast 1 interaction
Full body
Closeup of face/hair
Detail closeups for accessories/hair styles
And that’s basically it
The thing about looking at other artists character explorations and copying them isnt bad at all imo! I got the chance to meet pendelton ward and I was asking him about creating unique worlds and other stuff and He gave me two pieces of advice; Kill your babies, and stealing is badass. He explained that in animation ur gonna be making hundreds upon hundred of pitches, designs, and animations but ultimatly only like 10% of that is gonna be used so get used to killing ur artwork, and to get high volumes of work like that, take ideas from others and tweak it to the way you like it. It was really fun meeting him and he gave me some decent advice too !
Your channel is so inspiring to me as a teenager who does art, it gives me hope in times where art and animation seem to be waring out as an industry and showcases the talent and joy that art brings out to the individual. Continue inspiring 💙
Thank you for making this video, there's not many resources online that show how to apply to animation jobs. This is golden.
AAAA THIS IS SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!!!😭💙 I can't believe how u made a portfolio like that especially in 10 days!? You've got so much skill it's insane. If by any chance they don't accept u, it's probably because they were asleep when looking at your portfolio 😆 I wish u the best of luck. This is honestly so inspiring. Thank u so much.
i love this so much :") the only thing i despise is not seeing your characters come to life (or at least not right now) i am already so attached to these teacher / student duos and want to see so much more
Thank you for the video. I found this very useful since I'm also into character design these days. I love how you plan out your portfolio, the designing process, and of course your characters. Look forward to your other video
OBSESSED with the earth duo, i love their dynamic. And the teacher seems liked he'd be really fun to watch and the student is just so darn cute.
keep us updated, i'd like to see where this brings you to
Okay, I was enjoying this SO thoroughly already, but the second I saw the lineart of Fire Student holding the mirror as she and Fire Teacher do their makeup I paused it and started giggling. Like, there's happy tears in my eyes.
You know you've made great characters with soul when you can elicit such a visceral response from someone without any story or dialogue or further detail. ONE still shot of them interacting was enough for me to be completely over the moon for them, when I too was less interested in them than the other duos in the beginning. Incredible.
This is what its all about, man.
This was SO COOL TO WATCH! And really inspiring, whether you get accepted or not this was awesome, and I hope youre proud of what you've done!!
The portfolio looks fantastic!, I hope I can make some of these in the near future
I watch this a month later and the way you BLEW UP IS INSANE.. AND I CAN SEE WHY.. YOUR ART IS SO COOL AND THE WAY YOU DISECT EVERYTHING IS SO INTRIGUING
Just to preface: This is NOT a critique! Your work here is absolutely stellar! Just a couple genuine questions about your thought process. :)
When walking through your reasoning for each teacher/student pair from each nation, I noticed that you were aiming to subvert what you understood to be the typical cultural vibes of that respective nation. I really like that idea!
However, why, when making a portfolio for a studio with established writing and worldbuilding/lore, would you opt to subvert those established viewer expectations rather than demonstrate that you know exactly how to fit seamlessly into what worldbuilding they have established (i.e. demonstrating "I can do this job exactly as needed")? Again, I really like the idea, and I'm not criticizing it at all. I'm more just curious as to the reasoning from a "what can I learn from this" stance since I was finding myself thinking stuff like "If I was applying for this, I would be aiming to make it as clear as possible that I know what makes Avatar specifically/uniquely Avatar, and I feel like subverting the expectations of the universe could potentially confuse the issue as to whether or not I understand everything as clearly as possible if the person reviewing portfolios didn't manage to catch on that I was trying to do the opposite of what's culturally expected" while I was watching.
Again, genuinely curious. I don't think you did anything wrong. :) Just wanting to see how someone else who thinks and approaches things differently than me operates!
Great question! I think it's because subverting expectation creates appeal, and it's kind of what makes ATLA characters amazing
For example, Iroh is an ex Fire Nation general + crown prince. You would expect him to be an intense, scary, nationalist guy, but he's one of the most relaxed and peaceful characters in the show. Sokka had misogynistic tendencies from growing up in such a traditional environment and watching his worldview get challenged, prompting him to grow and change was a major part of his story. These contrasts make them interesting and likable characters
I think what makes Avatar special is that the characters are able to grow and change despite their own prejudices/the system they grew up in, so that's why I like making characters that have the potential of doing that!
I really like this comment but i would also think its better to add those subversions to what the characters are thought to be, since if you are entering a studio where people already can do those typical characters you also want to show that you can bring something new to the table!
Also im not sure i would say that what makes ATLA unique, i think thats just a part of the world but not Necessary to the plot as a whole
subtle contrasts create interest and appeal
@@qrbitsart Good answer! Expectations are their environment, and they are *characters* because they are subverting it. When I started watching this video and you set your goals, I was horrified how hard it would be to keep balance with it. But it seems like you nailed it!
Keep up the hard work, we believe in you!
I have another question. Have you ever worked in a team? I never considered soft skills that you need for designing profession. Your video shows good articulation and clear conveying of your thought process (scripted or not) and I hope you get what you desire.
@@qrbitsart Thanks for your answer! :) So what I'm understanding from that response is that you don't think that subverting each nation's cultural expectations is actually contrary to Avatar Studios' established worldbuilding/writing, but rather goes right along with it since, as in your examples, some of the primary characters are already subversions of their environment/culture in the show (another example could even be the contrast created by Aang and his teacher being so goofy amidst a culture of very spiritually serious monks). So you ended up doing the same thing in your own portfolio designs.
That makes good sense! :) Thanks again!
Im currently a design student and Ive become pretty confident in my technical skills and am learning more design side of things. This is a very relatable video as I've ran into a lot of similar issues when working on my designs in school. This video has been REALLY helpful by you just talking about your experience on this project and the ways you've struggled/overcame some of these issues. Thanks for sharing your experience and best of luck in the application!
Beautiful video, thank you for sharing your progress!
I adore this video! The fire nation character sheet especially stood out to me and feel this video provides the context for your design process that your portfolio itself may not have been able to express non-verbally.
Man I wished I had known this existed before, I can’t draw to save my life but now it’s probably to late to be a part of something that was a big part of my childhood 😢
Send in a late portfolio then. Chase your dream, it's only been a few days. Not like it's " years ago "
As a professional artist (theatre) but not in physical art, it was amazing to get a chance to see through your eyes and into your job and what the expectations and such are like. I love Avatar as well so this was insane to see you hit all their points for characters so perfectly without breaking a sweat. You almost operate like Einstein the way you ask a question and then rise to answer it.
But I definitely wanna caution you against more negative or self fulfilling doubt type thoughts, some of which I couldn’t help but notice you tend to jump to. Just something from one artist to another that we always bring up in our business: recreating Avatar in the style of a different artist to be presented for them ALREADY means it is NEW. Namely: you are not that original artist, so your recreation of their material will never be exactly the same- just because it’s literally your instrument (your hand) versus theirs. Just like how everyone singing the same song sounds different. And that’s good! You get very hard on yourself about lack of originality when, the way I see it, the entire video is 25 minutes of your STARK ORIGINALITY (and incredible work ethic?). Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are truly amazing!! Subbed
P.S. the heating of the hair for beauty made me go “WOW” out loud because I’m sure that’s something they’ve never even thought of but feels SO OBVIOUS for the world - genius move
We need a update on if you go in or not
This is absolutely inspiring. As an aspiring animator, storyboarder and character designer myself, it's really fulfilling to see a fellow creative strive for what they desire and work towards their goal. You admitting that you got tired during the process or scrapped ideas or redrew things really aided as a form of comfort me. Because, at the end of the day we're all human and we as artists often feel like we need to constantly be pumping out work or new material. As fun and productive as that can be, it also okay to acknowledge that we're still learning as we create. Thank you for this video and I hope you get the position!
If they don't immediately hand you this position I'd be very very shocked.
I think having flaws from being bold and expressing your unique ideas/style is good for a portfolio that targets a student position.
As you already said, they aren’t looking for something they already have, they are looking for someone to teach.
So I believe showing that you have the foundation is important, but it’s more important to show your unique potential.
Much love you did fantastic, I could never ❤
Great video
Omg challa
ahh this is a great video! Thank you for sharing your process
"The skills themself is not the art" goes crazy. Im stealing that one
Did no one realize that the day she found out the applications were open it was the day of 9/11 September 11
HUH
Absolutely knocked the design and personality out of the park for the earth and water nations. They ooze personality at a glance and would be distraught to not see more of their interactions. Wishing you all the luck!
HEAR ME OUT:
A blonde beach-based waterbender with weather forecasting ability 👱🏻♀️👩🏼💦
A cornrow brunette with flowers as shepherd/herbal medic earthbender 👩🏽🦱🧔🏾♂️🌱 (additionally with vitiligo)
A ginger and black afro firebender 👨🏻🦰🧑🏿🦱🔥
An albino airbender specializing in natural disasters 🧑🏿🦳👩🏻🦳💨
& benders with 2 abilities/non-benders with heterochromic eyes 👁️
(Sokka & Toph’s genetics)
Bonus points for earthbender with physical disability (Teo’s genetics)
love these ideas. I think the art here is soo good but really thought the ideas were somewhat lacking except the earth benders. The pit I feel like western american media falls into over and over is thinking people's race or identity is their character. like here the androgynous water bender. Androgynous isn't really a character. it's just a tiny part of who they are. Korra fell into this pit too with her an Asami "kind of sort of being together but couldn't show it on screen". A characters identity shouldn't be the main plot point or characteristic unless the show is centring around their identity but with fantasy genre thats a pretty weak plot trope. Take Canadian media like David Rose on Schitts creek. He is bi but the show never makes his character about being bi. it's just his sexuality not the major plot or characteristics of him.
Tbh this video helps me, i want to work the same job as you and want to devolop characters, now i definitely will follow you (Thanks)
I really like characters dynamics, i can feel their personality by their standing and clothes. Thats true master
Good luck 👍
I think you did a great job with those character sheets and I really hope they hire you for the position! Even if they don't, this seems like a really great experience to have under your belt, and I learned so much from watching this video. Thank you so much for sharing this experience !
Well overall the character design is beautiful and I think your art style is so amazing honestly this looks like it was made by a whole professional design team whoever I did see one mistake one of your characters (fire bender) was overweight this makes the character extremely ugly I don’t think many people would enjoy seeing that on their screen especially as a main character perhaps just as a side comedic gag? Besides that I see no faults hope my suggestion helps love the vid ❤️❤️❤️
As someone who is also making a portfolio for university applications, i TOTALLY relate with your first mistake!! I was still able to show some form of iteration in designing my 2nd lead but i feel that i should have explored my main lead's design more! I probably will end up redsigning him after sending in the portfolio but either way, your portfolio is really cool! Keep up the good work :3
I have never been so excited for a stranger In my life. Idk something about you just pursing your dream job and seeing you design just made me so happy for some reason. Hope you get the job ❤
Oh wow... im a concept artist student myself and this entire video was a pleasure to watch. I think your portfolio pieces look really good, I could totally see these character pairings existing in the world of avatar. I wish you the best of luck, and i really hope you land the job!
The earth and water duos are so up my alley but every single pair is so fun and I can genuinely imagine a very slice of life series of them all interacting, especially picturing the first meeting of them all turning their noses up at each other, idk I love character design and this is such a great display of good design I'm obsessed
i hope you get it, theyre making a new part for the ATL animated show that was just announced so it makes sense that theyre hiring
This is so interesting to watch. I love your optimism and your commentary is very informative. It’s like you’re the teacher and we’re the student! Best of luck, I’m really rooting for you!
Hi! Im an artist for DTVA and I was listening to this when I worked. Pretty solid designs but just a tip: turnarounds ARE VERY important and VERY necessary! It was like 60 percent of my job each time ive done character work for US TV anim. Keep in mind the animation is most likely being done overseas and there is a language barrier, so designers need to make sure the anim team have no room for eff ups by creating consistent and on model designs for every character. Incidentals (minor/bg characters) usually just have a front 3/4th and a back 3/4th. Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!!!
Edit: I'd throw just one or two turns into your folio, no need to create a bunch! And some mouth charts. It'll show the recruiters you understand the pipeline.
I loved watching the characters come to life so much. They’re all amazing. And the banner of the students interacting at the end was sooooo awesome!!!!
love your character relationship discoveries!
of course, everything in this is absolutely brilliant, but that exploration and discovery and storytelling between characters was just beautiful.
Congrats on passing the first phase!!
You are so creative and your linework is amazing! One of the most important things in sketching is making sense of a sketch with the fewer lines and you are AMAZING in that! I really wish you a good luck! You so deserve the spot!
I've gotten into character design recently, and I love seeing how people go about making designs, expression sheets, etc. So this was really fun to watch :)
this was my first time coming across you and your channel, prompting me to look up you instagram and stuff. and i have already fallen in love with your art, your style and your personality. as a new/ amateur digital artist, ive found style and many other things to be a very challenging, feeling like a fraud, copying, not having my own style, all of that. and in a weird way, it feels nice to know that it isnt just newer artists who can stuggle with these things
I literally have zero experience with drawing or digital design (Blender has me stumped fr), but I LOVE ATLA. and I happen to be writing a story for my first video game. Its really interesting to see your mind process in creating these characters! I love the dynamic duo take especially in the Avatar-verse. I hope you get the job, because i really like the ideas you brought in your portfolio! And thank you for posting this. for someone with no formal training or literally any idea what shes doing when it comes to drawing, its really cool to see how you start from the ground up to make a whole freaking portfolio in just a couple of weeks.
I Just fell in love with these two firebanders. This is so adoreable and special. You did such a good job ! I kinds got emotional ! :) Love it
i just want to say that no matter the result of the application, your characters look so alive and I just love them
Dang you're so awsome I wanna be just like you, I need to focus and draw more :') study about poses, dymanics, expressions, designs fr I'm so lost in this ocean. Thank you for sharing your process!
i need to download your mentality and the way you look at things into my brain rn
this turned out incredible, great job!! Id love to see a video of you talking about what you did to get your technical skill to where it is. I feel like ive been stuck on that part for so many years, and even though i know this is not how this works - my brain feels the need to finish one section until im good enough to start developing other things (creativity, character design, things that arent the fundamentals etc)
Omgosh I absolutely LOVE your artstyle and it blends into the Avatar universe so seamlessly. At least, it does for my untrained, consumerist eyes :D I really hope you get it!!! ROOTING FOR YOU!!
you hit all the marks so well, Lexin!! I love how much personality and story you can gather from just a glance at these characters. Always hyped to see your work