Digital Animation classes have recently been working on an animated name character project. This class is new and is in addition to the digital interactive media class taught by Beth Huse. 

“This is the first year of our program, so this is the first year of the project,” Huse said. “I wanted the students to have a chance to use something they have drawn about themselves to create an animated character. This, in turn, reviewed a lot of material and concepts we have covered.”

This project allows students to bring their names to life in the form of an animated character. This character could be an animal, a monster, or even just a person. 

“The students love using their names to create an animation,” Huse said. “It was also a great way to review a lot of the tools and skills we’ve learned in our program Adobe Animate.”

Over the course of the year the students become certified in different platforms of media. The project, and steps leading up to it, is for students to learn tips and tricks to reach certification. 

“Our focus this semester is to use our curriculum to be sure we are prepared for the ACP Adobe Certified Professional (Adobe Certified Professional in Multiplatform Animation Using Adobe Animate ) IBC exam,” Huse said. “This will prepare students for college and the workplace. Plus, passing gives our students such a great sense of accomplishment.”

The project is designed to allow students to explore their creativity using a digital platform. 

“The whole point of the project was to take simple shapes, like letters in your name, and create something entirely new out of it,” sophomore Laila Lindsey said. “For the assignment, I turned my name into a little robot character that fried an egg on a stove. The assignment helped me break down characters into simple shapes for easier animation.”

Mrs. Huse came across this project at a workshop and chose to incorporate it into her new curriculum.

 “I love watching my students’ creativity blossom,” Huse said. “Seeing them proud of their own creation is worth all the hours it takes to create one animation.”