Motion Design

To learn about storytelling I created an animation based on the concept of a nurse log. The animation illustrates how an old fallen tree becomes a nursery for younger trees, visually explaining the meaning of the term. I designed and drew the entire animation myself in Procreate and animated it in Adobe After Effects.

Research & experimenting

To bring my story to life, I first needed to learn the basics of animation. This would give me a better understanding of the possibilities within the tools I would use and helped me shape the narrative. I began with the fundamentals, starting with stop motion. A simple way to break animation down into individual frames that, when played in sequence, create movement.

In order to practice my animation skills further, I worked in both Procreate and Adobe After Effects, focusing on simple exercises like walking cycles and bouncing movements. These fundamentals helped me understand timing, weight, and flow. The core principles that make an animation feel natural. By repeating these exercises, I became more confident with the software and better equipped to bring my ideas to life.

Sketching & Storyboarding

I began by sketching ideas to define how I wanted my animation to look and feel. The first step was creating a storyboard, mapping out each scene and identifying the elements I needed — from backgrounds and environments to character poses. This process also helped me shape my main character, an old tree, and envision the setting in which the story would unfold.

Once the concept was clear, I created all visual elements in Procreate: the intro, effects, backgrounds, environments, and the character itself. These assets were then imported into After Effects, where I rigged and animated them, bringing the entire story to life.

Final animation

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