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Animation with Emily S.

4.9
(75)
Background check
Teaches online
Teaches all skill levels
Age: 10+
Speaks English
Teaching since 2014
Bachelor's in Fine Arts
  • Student Favorite

Learn to create animated emojis, character sprites for games, GIFs or scenery

*My scheduling availability isn't always accurate, as many students have their lessons with me every other week. My schedule is different from week to week, so it's best to at least pick a time with me and if it doesn't work, we'll make sure we schedule a lesson time that's convenient for both of us. If you need to schedule a lesson for a time sooner than what the TakeLessons calendar allows, you can always let me know and we'll most likely work something out for you. I've created many animations in the context of video games as a professional artist. I primarily use Krita and Adobe Animate. I specialize in character animations, mostly humans and animals, but also help students with larger projects such as short films. I've helped students with storyboards, keyframing, background paintings and tips on video editing. Students may use any animation program they'd like, as long as they have drawing and timeline features. If students are absolute beginners, I recommend downloading Krita or Pencil2D. Krita is great for illustration and animation, Pencil2D is very basic and ideal for absolute beginners. Both Krita and Pencil2D are free. My goal is to focus on the study of motion and help the student implement their own skills in drawing and observation. I can also help the student build a portfolio in preparation for college or applying for companies (games, animation studios). I've graduated with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University, and worked for Disney Research for a year and a half.

Instructor details

Location:
Teaches Online
Teaches Online

Teaching Hours

Monday
12 PM-2:30 PM
Tuesday
11 AM-1 PM
Wednesday
12 PM-2:30 PM
3 PM-4 PM
Thursday
12 PM-4 PM
Friday
12 PM-2:30 PM
Times are shown in your local timezone (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Pricing
60 minutes
$120

About Emily S.

4.9
(75)
I specialize in drawing/illustration, digital painting, and 2D hand-drawn frame-by-frame digital animation, mostly in the context of video games (with 2D graphics). Many of my drawing/animation students have been interested in drawing/animating human figures and animals, including furry/anthro characters. I've helped students complete tiny looping animations, creating memes as well as short films. Each student can work on whatever they're interested during my classes, whether they want to draw their favorite cartoon character from reference or animate their own original character to their favorite animation meme. I've been working professionally as an artist since 2009, making graphics and illustrations for clients and having worked for Disney Research for just over a year. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts in 2012. My hope and mission is to successfully distribute my knowledge, skills and experience to anyone who wants to acquire them. I'm capable of a large range of improvements, from goals as hobbyists to more professional goals. I have successfully helped students get admitted into their desired art schools through portfolio preparation, as well as helped artists get their first gigs as freelancers. I can serve as a mentor for an artist's early years as a contractor. Lessons are taught through video calls where I always share my screen to clearly show my demonstrations in real time. Students may also share their screens if they are working digitally. If students work on paper or through a tablet like an iPad, they may take phone pics or screenshots and message/email them to me during class, or hold up their work on the webcam if it's high enough quality. For animation classes, students should use a laptop or desktop so that they can share their screens. This is the best way for me to view students' animations in real time. Thank you for your interest!
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4.9
75 Reviews
Matt
Teacher's studio
We have two our our children taking lessons from Emily, and they both love it! We’ve found that Emily is very flexible - she can cover all the way from the most basic concepts to the most advanced. Truly someone they could learn from at all stages. It is also obvious that she would be very helpful in preparing a portfolio for professional work or admissions into a program.
Posted May 18, 2023
Yaya
Online
Emily is an excellent animation tutor. My 10-year old daughter really enjoys working with her. She has a very straight-forward demeanor that drives towards real learning using no nonsense feedback that resonates with our young animator in a naturally motivational way. Emily has been extremely professional and helpful to us as we worked to get the right technical setup for her lessons. She is super detailed with amazing follow-up after every lesson and she always responds to questions. We are so glad that we found Emily on TakeLessons! Our daughter is more enthused than ever about animation and the skills that she has learned after these first five sessions with Emily!
Posted Oct 13, 2021
Rocco
Online
Emily works well with my child who is a beginner. I was very impressed with the animation he created during his first lesson! We're looking forward to more lessons.
Posted Aug 20, 2021
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Experience

Freelance Artist

Sep, 2012 - Present

-

- create game graphics for clients (character animations, background imagery, objects, user interface designs) - illustration/concept art - digital painting - 2D animations - drawings

Artist Intern

May, 2011 - Aug, 2012

Disney Research Pittsburgh

- worked in Maya, rigging, animating, modeling and rendering - worked with motion capture data - created concept art - created miscellaneous 2D art/illustrations - made graphics for video games

Artist

Jun, 2010 - Aug, 2010

V-teractive

- created 2D concept art for 3D modelers to model after - created 3D models with 3D Studio Max

Artist

Jun, 2009 - Aug, 2009

MegaNudge

- created all graphics for a video game - 2D animated characters - background images - title logo and UI

Education

Bachelor's in Fine Arts

Aug, 2008 - May, 2012

Carnegie Mellon University

Awards

Dozzi Scholarship

May, 2010

Carnegie Mellon University

Nominated Best Student Animation at AniMazing Spot Film Festival 2012- "Dinnersaurus Rex"

Aug, 2012

AniMazing Spot

Languages

English

Native Proficiency

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