Visual storyteller, designer, book author, creative writer, musician; Chris Georgenes can be identified with any of these adjectives but all of these combined, will still not be able to capture the essence of this multi-talented artist. He is the head of interactive animation for a startup and an accomplished drummer having his own band that performs throughout Boston and the New England area. An animator for over twenty years, Chris has seen everything, done everything but his thirst for more drives him further. I had the pleasure of talking to Chris and here is an excerpt. But first, here’s a short glimpse of some of some of his animations.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/fZgHyKivLD8
What made you interested in art?
Even as a kid, I liked to draw. I doodled countless drum sets and dinosaurs in my school notebooks. I loved flipbooks and seeing a drawing(s) come to life. I loved film. I loved motion. One of the unfortunate things that I had to go through was that my school didn’t have an art or music program. This stifled my creativity to some extent but then I got accepted to an art school where I learnt how to really draw, paint and create lithographs and etchings on copper. I also started a band during this time and performed every weekend on campus. We drew large crowds. I went from a school that offered no arts to a school that had me creating art 24/7. I grew exponentially.
How did you get into animation?
I found a local studio producing an animated television series on a major network and showed them my stuff and then there was no looking back. I spent 6 years learning all I could about creative software such as Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator and how-to author content for television and the internet. I loved being at the helm of assembling entire episodes for popular shows. It was a magical time for me and needless to say, I was in love with animation.
How does Adobe Animate fit into your workflow?
Animate is as simple or as complex as you want it to be which is why I love it so much and use it nearly every day. My workflow varies based on the type of project at hand. A simple looping animation to be published as an animated GIF has a different workflow than an animation meant to be exported to video for television or the web.
If it’s a personal project, typically my workflow is to start with a sketch either on paper or on my iPad or directly in Animate CC. I then refine the sketch using the primitive tools in Animate (Rectangle and Oval) or draw with the brush tool. Once the design is complete, I begin separating assets into Symbols. When I design for animation, I always think in terms of motion. I’m always imagining how my drawings will ultimately move and that helps me make the proper design choices along the way. I’m often asked by animators what tool should they use for their animation projects and my answer is always the same; never start with what tool to select but rather imagine how you want the image to move, then choose the correct tool(s) for the job.** **Ultimately Animate CC allows me to be flexible in terms of style. I’ve seen an incredibly broad range of art and animation styles across hundreds of artists. I never get tired of seeing how an artist’s creative personality is showcased while working in Animate CC.
What inspires you?
Which of your projects are you most proud of and why?Chris: Wow. Great question and difficult to answer but I’ll give you this: I’ve spoken/taught at many design conferences around the world. One such conference happened in Boston, Massachusetts, my hometown! I felt the need to come up with a clever way to take advantage of the fact that the event was in my home town. My daughter was already well known as a cartoon character from my holiday animations. I decided to have art imitate life, imitate art! Here’s what I came up with –
https://www.youtube.com/embed/U_cGwWnBEpU
At the conference, I opened my session with this animation in front of over 500 attendees and had her make her grand entrance riding a tricycle.
