The imagination is a powerful tool when being an animator because anything in my wildest dreams can become a reality. When I was younger, I wrote stories and plays that revolved around what I wish would happen to me but were impossible. The longer I spend creating the characters, the greater the desire for it all to be real had become. From there, my passion for art grew stronger as did my fascination and love for animation. Knowing how to animate would mean I could bring anything to life that I desired and could make it behave with any personality of my choosing. Studying animation continues leading my imagination on a journey that produces work like I never imagined. One piece, titled The Ball Pit, gave me my first taste of character animation and focused on a concept about how to get through all the obstacles life throws so that the end goal can be reached. Sometimes the end goal feels out of reach, but with a little bit of thinking and an abundance of determination, the goal can be met. Another piece is titled, Fortunately Unfortunate, as discusses a concept about good luck and bad luck. I bring luck to others, but never to myself and this animated short depicts how for every bad instance, there is always something good to come out of it for another.
To create the work, I focus on ideas that materialize from inspiration around me. There is not one specific style or series that I expand upon as it differs depending on the moment. Once I have the idea, I research what inspired me and begin to discover video and images that will help feed the project as resources and references. The sketchbook comes into use as I draw concepts of story, characters and environment. Off the paper and into computer software goes my penciled thoughts, making them a reality with modeling and rigging. Animating is next as the story comes to life with one frame at a time. This step is tedious, but also the most gratifying part of creating my work. This is where an inspired idea becomes a beautiful reality.
Jessica West 