Class:MFA Illustration 2026/Week 6

Last Week

• Tiny Town Review 1
• Color Calibration Demo
• Smart Object Illustration Tips

This Week

• Review "tiny town" projects and your separation technique
• Photoshop animation techniques
• New assignment: tiny town animations

Notes

Animation Examples

Animated illustration examples on pinboard

https://pinboard.in/u:choppingblock/t:animated-gif/t:illustration

Animated illustration examples on raindrop.io

https://matthew-nyc.raindrop.page/animated-illustration-62364612

Animation in Photoshop Videos

• Watch this one: Photoshop Animation Techniques (Redux, Creative Cloud)
  • https://vimeo.com/80851591

• How To Animate in Photoshop CS6 & CC - Tutorial for Beginners
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymQJbN5M1Y8

• Tweening/Keyframing in Photoshop Animation- A Lazy Tutorial
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uawQR5UudtU

• Creating animations in photoshop
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omdfcGYEqPY
  • http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/creating-timeline-animations.html

• Photoshop animation overview
  • http://www.alexgrigg.com/Photoshop-Animation-Techniques

Animation in Adobe Fresco Videos

• Easy Animation in Adobe Fresco
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F63sryq8Q08

Video Notes

• Class introduction and assignment review tee-up
• Component-based illustration assignment review: Part 1
• A proper introduction to masks in Photoshop
• Introduction to Smart Objects for coloring and animation
• Brief introduction to loading a multi-part scan into Photoshop
• Introduction to illustrators who animate, with links
• Photoshop animation demo: frame by frame, Timeline
• Photoshop animation demo: object-based motion, Video Timeline
• Introduction to Adobe Fresco with motion

Assignment

!!! For this week you can make a new drawing to animate or use your tiny town art to refine and finish a polished animation !!!

• Use the techniques introduced & reinforced in class to create one composited colored illustration.
• You will upload one Photoshop or Fresco file (and any related working files, scans, etc...) for class next week.
• You must draw all core elements of your drawing using traditional methods (paper, scan, prepare in Photoshop), you can you can also scan textures, patterns, brush washes, etc. From there, you can add or draw anything digitally in Photoshop, Procreate or Fresco.

Your assignment is to draw at least 4 or 5 foreground items and 1 background, then use multiple copies of the same items to create a unique and complex image.

Note: I will look for epic smart object use, layer effects, and clipping mask skills!

Process

• Draw no less than 5 separate parts/pieces which will be assembled into one composition.
• At least one part/piece should be a "background"
• Scan and prep each part/piece as independent grouped items or Smart Objects.
• Bring all the parts/pieces that you wish to use into one file, and compose an illustration.
• You can scale, rotate, recolor, and duplicate your parts/pieces; you can use any variation or Photoshop, Procreate or Fresco techniques you wish.
• You should be using groups and/or Smart Objects within Photoshop.

Bring upload for class next week

• One LAYERED Photoshop/Fresco file and any related working files, scans, etc...
• Compositions should be square and the right size for animation.

1. I would suggest scanning at (at least) 1200 ppi, then working at 1200 ppi & coloring that.
2. I will create a new Google Drive directory for this project: and put the link here