How I Made Pause!

Pause is an animation practice of making a short film based on a simple idea. In this blog post, I share how I made the short animation.

A clip from my animation short, Pause!

Brainstorming

With the introduction of AI people have more tools to improve their workflow. As an artist I do not use AI for any type of art but I did want to test it for generating ideas. I asked Chat GPT for an animation idea and then I challenged myself to make an animation based on the idea.

Me asking Chat GPT for an animation idea.

After asking Chat GPT several questions, I was given the idea of a bird pausing and watching a butterfly in awe after flying through the forest. I decided to work with the idea.

Character Design

Now that I had an idea it was time for me to design a bird and butterfly. I did not want the bird to be a specific type of bird but I did base the design mainly on a sunbird.

My first sketches of the bird and its faces.

My drawing of the front and side view of the bird.

When I finished designing the bird, I then did a simple design for a butterfly.

My simple design of the butterfly.

Background Design

Before starting the animation I drew the background. I drew the background wider than the 1920 * 1080 format because I wanted the camera to "move" through the forest.

The background I drew for the animation.

Animating

When the background was done I began to animate. I first animated the bird flying through the forest before landing on a tree branch to watch a butterfly. This was my first time animating a bird flying. It was a challenge but it was also satisfying.

Me animating the bird, on the far left.

Finishing Touches

When I finished the animation it was time for one of my favorite parts of the animation process, adding the sound.

I enjoy adding sound to animation because it brings the animation to life. It is what makes the animation engaging.

Once the sound was added made the credits and the animation became complete.

Conclusion

What I liked about doing this animation the most was animating the flying sequence. As I explained earlier in the post, it was my first time doing so. It put me out of my comfort zone as an animator and I am glad about the results.