About the Project
Adapting a Comic into
a Chalk Animation
As 2024 began, to challenge myself and grow further as a Designer, I created an original comic experimenting with storytelling through visuals, focusing on layout, mood, and narrative flow. Wanting to push my creative boundaries, I adapted the comic into a chalk animation, a medium that was entirely new to me. This process forced me to think beyond digital tools, teaching me to convey motion, atmosphere, and emotion using texture and tone alone. Working frame by frame with chalk also helped me develop a sharper eye for contrast, composition, and timing.
More than just a creative project, this experience gave me a deeper understanding of how to communicate visually across different formats, making me a more versatile and thoughtful designer.
Role
Animation
Visual Design
Sound Design
Storyboarding
Client
Self-Motivated
Date
2024 Jan 07 - Feb 14
#1
Creating the Comic
What is the topic this comic addresses?
I chose a dark and gritty theme centered around exploring our innermost fears for the comic to push the emotional depth and intensity of my artwork. This theme allowed me to be more expressive in my art style while challenging me to develop stronger visual storytelling skills.
Layout and script
The layout of the comic reinforces the storytelling by reflecting the progression of the protagonist’s life through the use of panels with varying scales and shapes. The script leaves the story to the reader’s interpretation, beckoning them to ask themselves “what could have happened?” driving engagement, while also allowing them to conjure their own fears.
#2
Research
Learning from the masters
For this project, since I was working in a field that was completely alien to me, my research included studying chalk animations and learning the various skills, techniques, and styles used by veterans in the medium.
The website of Dustin Grella, an animator known for his detailed chalk animations.
A frame from renowned charcoal animator William Kentridge’s “Johannesburg 2nd Greatest City after Paris.”
#3
Storyboarding
Planning out the scenes
I knew that I wanted my animation to be around 1 minute in length, so I needed to create storyboards for each scene, planning out the sequence of events and visualizing how the narrative would unfold over time. This helped me organize the pacing, timing, and transitions of the scenes, ensuring the animation flowed smoothly and effectively conveyed the story.
#4
Style Frames
Creating a reference
I created style frames for my chalk animation to serve as a visual reference for the final look and feel of the piece, ensuring consistency in texture, color, and composition. These frames are crucial for aligning creative direction early in the process, helping me define the intended aesthetic clearly before I begin animating.
#5
Animatic
The final puzzle piece
I created an animatic to combine the storyboard images with timing and sound, giving a rough preview of how the final animation will play out. This animatic was essential for identifying pacing issues, refining timing, and ensuring the visual and audio elements work well together!