Sunny Side Megg
Welcome to Sunny Side Megg, a space I’m using to document my creative process and pour my love for new illustrations and motion design pieces! I’ll also be sharing all the lessons I am learning as an artist, in hopes that anyone that stumbles on here can find this resourceful while navigating their own journey as an artist.
My Favourite AE Plugins! (Bonus Majority of These Are Free)
Hello, it’s finally April - which means spring!
I have no way of connecting this introduction to the context of this blog so let’s just spring into it. I want to share my top 5 favourite plugins on AE! I’m not much of a plugin type of gal but I mainly use them for the purpose of bettering my motion design workflow, so here we go.
Motion Tools 2.1.2 by Motion Design School
This plugin has been a savior to me and the first plugin I got. The Motion Tools has sliders, reposition anchor points, and all the fun stuff (that basically acts like a shortcut for most actions that would have to be done manually). My favourite use for this plugin however has to be the ability to convert .ai files to shape layers by [ hitting thee convert to shape button + option ] Such a time saver, especially since I primarily work by designing and creating my vectors on Illustrator then importing them to After Effects.
Source: https://motiondesign.school/products/motion-tools/
Price: Free with Fundamentals on After Effects (unfortunately this course is no longer free and at the time was able to finish the course and download the plugin from it. Bu, I highly recommend the course as a starter for After Effects!) or $40 for purchase alone
2. True Comp Duplicator by Brennan Chapman
I LOVE this script and so will you if you no longer want to duplicate a comp layer into new comps manually. This plugin was recommended by a former colleague and I have been using it to its fullest ever since. The best part for our subfolder lovers is the duplicate preserves the comp hierarchy in the project panel - making all the organization of comps worry-free.
How to use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=EQ1KIS65Djo&feature=emb_logo
Source: https://aescripts.com/true-comp-duplicator/
Price: Free
3. Rough Animator-to-AfterEffects by Rough Animator
Okay hear me out - but app compatibility is my life LOL. This plugin is useful for anyone using a rough animator app purchasable for iPads. It’s a good workaround rather than exporting your roughs as .mov and importing them to After Effects. This plugin allows you to import all your Rough Animator files directly to AE with ease. There are still some improvements that can be made to how the layers are imported in terms of organization but it's still handy as a way to make Rough Animator as compatible as it can be with AE!
Source: https://roughanimator.com/toaftereffects/
Price: Free
4. Composition Setter by Jeff Almasol (redefinery)
This is an all-time classic in my books. Want to resize or change the duration of your comps all at once without manually hitting that CMND + K for each and everyone - well this is the plugin for you. I have embarrassingly once changed the duration of each and every comp within a comp within a comp one at times before this came into my life. This is for you if you want that extra speed in comp changing. Also, praise to Redefinery for the script and other scripts that are free and accessible to all.
Source: https://aescripts.com/rd-compsetter/
Price: Free
5. AEJuice GIF by AE Juice
This is probably the latest script I’ve used and still figuring out how it meshes with my workflow. I find it pretty useful as I usually created animated loops and would love to go straight to rendering out a GIF with corrected settings. I think the best feature of this plugin is how it can export a GIF from AE with a transparent background which again really saves me the step of rendering to the right animated GIF settings.
Guide on how to use: https://aejuice.com/blog/how-to-make-a-gif-in-after-effects/
Source: https://aejuice.com/free-plugins/
Price: Free
Are You Afraid To Fail? The Art of Embracing Failure
Hello everyone, today I am going to teach you three easy ways to love failing. Yes, you read that right and you can now close this tab.
Joking! Don’t stop now, this is a quick read on the best way to embrace the art of failing because failing to me only means you tried something out of your comfort zone and will find new lessons to help you improve whether in your creative journey or in life in general. So stick around if you want to give failure a big hug and say let’s learn something new.
Piece I made during a moment of contemplation
Be Proud of Yourself for Trying
Remember when you were too afraid of trying something new? Maybe it was submitting an application for a new job or starting that new art project that you weren’t sure about, whatever it was at one point you always wanted to try. If you did end up trying, congratulations on pushing yourself in new directions. If you failed, congratulations still for putting yourself in this new position even if you were not in control of the outcome. I know it’s difficult to see it that way during the situation and that’s also okay. Embrace the emotions that come with experiencing failure and give yourself time. When the time comes, I hope you can look back at the time you were too afraid to start that new and scary step or project and see where you are now and say, I’m proud of myself for trying.
2. Failure brings Community
Hopefully, you have found a supportive circle that you can communicate your feelings to surrounding your good/bad experiences. If you do, that’s amazing (if not I am here for you friend, shoot me a message whenever!), be prepared to have lots of love after your failure. I find when I experience failure and I share my feelings with my loved ones, they bring me comfort and open up with their own experience with failure. Failure brings a community and I embrace it as it leads to stories being shared and lessons that I can move forward with in the future.
3. You’ve Already Done it Once (Maybe Even Twice) and You Know You Can Try Again
Try remembering a time when you failed? Do you remember the uncomfortable feelings? The feeling that reminds you you’re not perfect and the feeling that hopefully helps you realize that’s okay. Being human means not being perfect, it means having the ability to try and try again and know you can survive and have a lifetime to keep going. It’s the most reassuring feeling as an outcome of failing, to realize that you’ve already done it and you can try again because we are allowed to.
So, what's something you’ve always wanted to try but are too afraid to fail in? Give it a try, the worst that can happen is you fail and as we now know, that's not the worst outcome in the world.
In Search of New Inspiration (+ Moving to A New City Update)
Imagine finishing a long day of work/school and you want to reward yourself with a cookie, so you reach into the cookie jar and find out there is none. That’s how I feel whenever I want to create a new drawing but have run out of inspiration (yes I am comparing inspo to cookies).
Hello hello everyone! Today I want to talk about 3 ways you can find inspiration when you feel like you’ve run dry from them. Early this month I’ve been finding it difficult to come up with new ideas for pieces but found fun ways to look to new sources of inspiration, that I’d love to share with you.
So, think of this as me baking a new batch of cookies to fill your inspo jar!
Where do you find inspiration from? The pitfalls of Pinterest and Instagram
Before we begin talking about new ways to find inspiration, let’s talk about the pitfalls of Pinterest and Instagram as your main source of inspiration when starting a new piece. I am 1000% guilty of starting a new piece by endlessly scrolling on Pinterest and Instagram to see what would be fun to draw next. As convenient as it is to find inspiration in these avenues, it can also set a limit to what you can be exposed to.
With Pinterest and Instagram’s algorithm, we can be fed with art and styles we are already drawn to, that leaves no room for new styles that we can venture off to grow into.
This endless scroll of inspiration is what also led to my fatigue in drawing, so be weary! To find new inspiration, I stepped away from what I was used to and tried these methods.
Go Out! Galleries, Museums, Book Stores are Your Best Friends!
Find inspiration from other forms of art! If you mainly work in the digital medium, such as myself, you’ll find that finding inspiration from physical art forms could bring a new perspective to your work. This is a lesson I learned from one of Sarah Beth Morgan’s Illustration for motion courses at the School of Motion, and have found it useful to date. You can try going to a gallery, museum, or bookstore!
A little update, I just moved to Vancouver from Toronto to live on my own, so I'm in a pretty fortunate position to find new galleries, museums, and book stores to explore. Here are a couple of places (including images) of where I’ve gone to find inspiration.
In my first few weeks, I walked over to Granville Island and there were these amazing bronze and iron sculptures. Their forms were so intricate and really made me think about how I usually pose my characters.
Another time my coworker and her friend brought me to this lovely second-hand book store. The store itself held so much character already, but they also had these amazing design and fashion books that had such a unique colour palette and shapes in each visual/garment.
In the end, these trips were just fun in general. It's also a good way to step away from the digital world and just take yourself on a mini art adventure!
2. Online Inspiration - Follow New Art Blogs
Another option to expand your search for inspiration is to follow new art blogs. This could be a more viable option if there are lockdown restrictions where you are living. Besides that, the diversity in content is a huge plus in the blogs I've come across! Here is a couple of my new favourite:
(Pardon me if you are already familiar with these blogs - clearly, I have only stuck to Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration)
Juxtapoz, one of my most recent discoveries, is a contemporary art blog where I've found new artists from multiple disciplines. These articles give such great insight into the artist’s work that inspires me to think about the connection I have with my work and process.
Literally has a sidebar on the home page that says “get inspired” haha. Communication Arts has a gallery section that holds an assortment of images ranging from photography, design, illustration, video art, and more. The curation of these images and clicking on each makes it feel as if I’m actually going to a gallery and reading more about the work.
Hue and Eye is my most recent discovery and has all the latest news on arts and culture. They even have a section that covers events and fairs, which just inspires me to visit more to check out more work and expand my taste in art and styles.
3. Drawing Inspiration from Your Life - the moments and feelings
Finally, if you’ve run dry of inspiration, my favourite method to find fresh inspiration is to tune into - well, life. A lot of my work is already drawn from moments and feelings and I find those are pieces I feel most passionate about.
These two pieces are mainly inspired by my current life changes and feelings from moving to Vancouver. I definitely draw inspiration from the new environment and scenery. But, most of all I draw from the feeling of this move as a new chapter, with both fear of the unknown and excitement for making room for what's new and up ahead in my life.
Regardless, you don’t need to move to a new city to feel inspired. Maybe it's a moment in your regular routine that you admire, like walking your dog or finishing an exam or maybe something as simple as eating lunch with your dad.
I hope you find inspiration all around you whether near, far, online, or from your personal life. There’s just a jar of inspiration (cookies) for you to reach from and I look forward to seeing what you create!
My 2022 New Year’s Resolution: How Setting Goals to Improve my Art and Well-Being Go Hand in Hand
New Year, same issues that we shall learn to tackle together (I promise this post is more hopeful than the subheading)
Hello hello! Happy New Year beautiful readers!
Cheers to making it to 2022! After all, we have been through in 2021, I am keeping this post short and sweet. So, here’s a short read on how I am reframing my New Year’s resolutions to improve my art by improving my well-being. What could that jumbled sentence possibly mean? Well, let’s find out!
Reframing my New Year’s Resolutions
(Aka Art Goals)
This year I’m choosing to approach my New Year’s Resolutions; specifically my goals as an artist, differently. For the past few years I’ve set my usual round of resolutions; to be more creative, advance my technical skills, get more cool clients that will make me feel ✨ worthy ✨ All that fun stuff. But, I learned after some self-reflection that as much as those goals can drive me for the next few months, maybe even weeks or days, they were not substantial in helping me grow as an artist/individual.
So I did a lovely thing called journaling, that helped me realize what challenges I faced in 2021 and revaluated what I really needed to improve on, and that was well … my well-being.
Improving my Well-Being for the Benefit of Art, Yay!
If I really think about it, it's quite simple, learning how I can take care of my mental health, and giving time and attention to my physical and emotional needs means:
1) More focused energy to learn and practice art (less sick days and wallowing in sadness woo!)
2) Having the necessary tools to tackle and understand my stress and anxieties (when I am or am not working on art)
3) Feeling more confident with the work I produce (recognizing my self-worth in general)
These were goals I have never directly placed on myself but looking at them now, they sound amazing if I can work towards them! So, what will that look like? What resolutions will I place on myself?
Well, this is why this post is a bit of a short read. It’s hard to come up with the answers for you (let alone myself). Firstly, I’m still trying to figure it out along the way; hence why I am trying to improve haha, and also I think the way we take care of ourselves really matters with what you think we need the most.
For example, I know that I am prone to getting sick; which really sucks with our current situation, I know. I tend to stay up late to finish up my art, resulting in very little sleep since I have to get up for work pretty early. I can set a resolution to make it a habit to put down my iPad and laptop by 10:30 pm or 11:00 pm on weekdays.
Another example, I’m aware I have a lot to improve on for my mental health, there are tools and tactics that I am still exploring to help tackle my negative thoughts. Perhaps I can make it a habit to use art as a means to understand those thoughts, which goes hand in hand with my desire to practice art. Or maybe, I can create a resolution to find flexibility in my time allotted for art to use for rest and recovery. I know that's a tough one, but, I can imagine saying yes to rest would be so rewarding for my well-being.
You Don’t Need to Have it All Figured Out
The examples I’ve set out could work for me or could not, but it is worth a try. I am still learning along the way because I believe the idea of improving my art and well-being will be an ongoing journey that surpasses the year, As mentioned, you could find there are other resolutions that cater best to your needs and I am hoping that they help you and your goals.
All I can say is I am really excited about this approach. This gives me the opportunity to view my goals as something achievable and rewarding. Even if I do not get all the cool clients, and haven't become the master illustrator and animator by the end of the year, at least all while doing so I was taking care of myself, and I can be proud of myself for recognizing that matters too.
One Month of Creative Burnout (and 3 Simple Ways to Manage It)
Someone Put Out the Flames because I am Burnt Out 🥲 + A November Update
Recognizing a Creative Burnout:
You know that feeling when you pick up your apple pencil and draw something on your iPad and realize, yup I do not feel a thing.
To me, that’s how I recognized my creative burnout and as soon as it was there, I said to myself - I just have to wait for that moment to pass. I waited days, which turned into weeks until the end of November was quickly approaching. Still without a desire to return to the soulless canvas on my iPad.
Do you know that feeling? If you do, you’ll know it is not a fun feeling; it's a mixture of exhaustion and guilt from being tired and not having any creative work done.
So, I decided this time around I wanted to document the steps I took that helped me ease out of my creative burnout and share 3 simple ways to (hopefully) manage them. *This post comes with very quick sketches because hooray for more visuals!*
3 Simple Ways to Manage a Creative Burnout
Identifying What Caused My Burnout
I usually have a difficult time identifying my burnouts, but for this situation; although I didn’t quite know it yet, it was quite obvious (this is where the November Update comes in).
For starters, I started my November with the flu (tested negative for Covid, fortunately!) and was a bit occupied with transitioning to a new job, planning my move, getting a new dog, and working through grief for a sudden loss. In summary, I had to prioritize time and energy for my health and well-being.
It took me a while to come to this realization of what was causing my burnout until I really took the time to reflect and understand what was happening. Often today endless productivity is romanticized, but it leaves no room for moments like this when our focus needs to shift to other aspects of our life. Coming to that realization brought me to accept my burnout and see the time as an act of rest and repair.
2. Do Something Else
Burnouts can also happen from exhaustion from our routine and my method of healing is to do something else - as simple as that.
I crochet as a hobby. I put down my yarn and hook for a bit in late October, where things were a bit hectic. But, I found picking up on a crochet project not only helped me keep calm but helped me stay creative in a unique way. Whatever hobby or activity you decide to pick up, I think it will open up new possibilities in how you approach your creative work once you’re able to get back to it. Maybe it can spark inspiration on what you want to create next or simply give you a fresh start to enter the blank canvas confidentially.
3. Setting a Timeline
Lastly, I found setting a timeline for when I wanted to return to my creative work helped me treat this burnout more as a “vacation leave” as corporate as that sounds. The timeline allows me to understand that there will be an end to this burnout and see that there is a positive aspect to my body and mind calling for rest - aka a vacation.
Setting a timeline also alleviates pressure on why I haven’t started anything that day and all the other anxious thoughts of why I am not being productive (grind culture strikes again). This really allowed me to say okay to put down the Apple Pencil for a couple of days, weeks, etc.
Did I intend for this burnout to last for a month? Nope.
Setting a timeline, for myself, did not mean I had to follow it strictly but acted as a guide tot whenever I would feel ready to return, without any ambiguity for the time in between.
Soon enough I was able to return and was happy I had that month to take care of myself and deal with my burnout in a timely manner.
I hope these 3 tips help you with your creative burnout, please feel free to share your methods of dealing with burnout!
Motion Design Favourites (October 2021)
My top three favourite motion design work from this month
(I am a huge fan of everyone’s work!)
Hello, welcome to my second post on Sunny Side Megg! There has been incredible work this month from studios and artists I greatly admire and can’t help but share them. Let’s get started on this list!
Between Lines Teaser by Sarah Beth Morgan
I have been looking forward to Sarah Beth Morgan’s film since fall of last year when I enrolled in her Illustration for Motion class by School of Motion. It’s such a joy finally being presented a trailer and it exceeds my expectations already.
Sarah Beth Morgan’s style never fails to impress me, the very thought-out choices and the way each scene transitions from one to another inspires me to apply in my own work. Most important the film feels so personal and I can already expect to be moved as we follow our protagonist, this young girl, navigate throughout the fully realized spaces. I’m really looking forward to seeing the film in full!
2. Let Me Explain (Facebook) by BIEN - the Inclusive Motion Design Studio
I was floored when I saw this piece! I have always looked up to BIEN - the Inclusive Motion Design Studio, especially for their strive for representation on screen. Seeing them work on a new Facebook’s piece and creating illustration guidelines for Facebook makes me so hopeful and excited.
This piece is unique in its own way, combining live footage to capture movement and integrating 2D and 3D animation to create this beautifully executed style. Besides their style, I am happy to see them implement their value in representation that holds true in the piece, Let Me Explain. I attended a conversation on Clubhouse hosted by Bien and they explain how they approach diversity on screen, they mention that representation on screen is not just about diversifying your cast for the sake of checking off a box. It is about challenging your unconscious bias and making room for individuals who are rarely seen outside their usual stereotype (Simplified example giving the leadership role to POC women - because let's be real its about time.) It was such an informative talk and their values hold true to their piece. I look forward to seeing Bien’s future work as always.
3. Dropbox Logo by Gunner
Last and certainly not least is Gunner’s captivating peice on the Dropbox logos. I find this piece so imaginative as it embraces the simplicity of Dropbox’s logo. I had to include it on my list as someone interested in familiarizing myself to logo animation. This one will certainly appear in many of my references when working on one. Its incredible to see how they tackled this piece, you can see how well they used design to solve the problem of limitations when it comes to minimal designs - but I love it.
As someone always most drawn upon illustrative styles, it has been a pleasure stumbling upon Gunner work and expanding my reference points to what makes a good design and why.
There you have it, top three motion design favourites from this month! Do you have any favourites? Excited to see what these studios and artists come out with as the holiday season approaches!
Behind: Everyday Feels Like Summer with You
Breaking down my process in creating my short series about a girl and her dog going on summer adventure.
First Blog Post!
Hello, welcome to my first blog post!
Let’s make this introduction snappy:
Welcome to Sunny Side Megg, a space I’m using to document my creative process and pour my love for new illustrations and motion design pieces! I’ll also be sharing all the lessons I am learning as an artist, in hopes that anyone that stumbles on here can find this resourceful while navigating their own journey as an artist.
So let’s get crankin’ (I am trying to make an egg pun, I hope it’ll catch on in the future)
Behind:
Everyday Feels Like Summer With You:
A series dedicated to the summer adventures I embark on with Alpha, my 11-year old husky.
The Idea
How did I come about devoting my summer to a series
about a girl and her dog?
I developed this idea after summer 2020, where at times my only outing was walking my dog, due to the limitations of lockdowns. I’ve always wanted to capture the joy of spending time with Alpha. What to me is a break away from the screen and a chance to get out, to him is an adventure that he never fails to be excited for.
So, I ran with the idea and started conceptualizing how I would best approach this series.
But, before we get there, I should also point out the title, Everyday Feels Like Summer With You, is a direct reference to Feels Like Summer by Tim Wheeler, from the Shaun the Sheep Movie soundtrack (Which I must say is one of the BEST movies ever if you haven’t already checked it out)
Conceptualization and Design
References for my 5th piece of VizRef
(I spy Alpha and I)
My conceptualization and design process took place mainly on Procreate. I started my process with an outline of how many pieces I will be creating for this series and answering the question, whether this series has some sort of a narrative or can they be stand-alone pieces.
This is what I came up with:
5 pieces of work and a very loose narrative!
After that, I started collecting references for style, compositions, and other summer pieces that could spark inspiration before I begin my sketch! My sister recommended the app, VizRef, its fantastic for keeping all my references sorted out on one page, I highly recommend it!
Now, I can begin sketching my first piece and went forward in the workflow where I’d complete each piece from start to finish one at a time.
Lesson/Reflection:
Looking back at this series, I would have made the sketches for all my pieces first, this could have solidified my style and helped everything feel more cohesive.. On the other hand, it was also nice to see my style change over time that was more prominent since I was drawing the same subject repeatedly (subject aka Alpha)
Here are a couple of the sketches from my piece at various stages!
Fun Fact: Some of the pieces where created on my train rides travelling across provinces. There’s nothing like sitting in a train for 5 hours with just you and your iPad.
References
A little bonus, here are some reference pictures that I took myself (and proof yes, Alpha is basically the same size as me.)
Let’s get colouring!
I wanted the narrative of a “summer day, morning to evening” to come through subtly with my colours. We start with our very hot summer day until we progress to our cool evening sunset where we say goodbye to summer.
Colour palette for each piece. The palette gradually becomes softer by the the final piece.
Once the design for my frames was done I moved on to juice - animation time.
Animation (and Rendering - I’ll throw this one in there)
Alright, let's get moving! Okay fewer words and more visuals because I think that will explain this part of my process better (I promise it is not because I am tired of writing and fear that nobody would make it to the end of this blog post if I write even more. But, if you made it this far - you rock.)
First, of all, it’s important to note that I already had the animation for these pieces in mind during the conceptualization and design stage. It was easy to get an idea of what layers I would need to break down and/or recreate as shape layers on After Effects
For pieces that included frame-by-frame animation, I created them on RoughAnimator, brought the png sequence in, and cleaned it up on After Effects.
In the last piece, I broke down the flowers on illustrator, knowing that a huge chunk of the animation - although subtle - would be their gently sway before revealing the girl and her dog.
We’re almost done!
I just want to dedicate some time talking about reading, because let me tell you, Instagram will drop the quality if it is not rendered to its liking. I had a whole separate account just to do render tests for different Mbps, aspect ratios, and length of the loop.
So here’s a render summary:
H.264 codec
1080 by 1080
<15MB
I can dedicate a whole post on rendering and how to set up your project because it was a journey for my nitpicky self.
Hello Autumn!
Once all my pieces were completed, rendered, and posted, well the series was complete and now I welcome autumn and the adventures it’ll bring for Alpha and me. Thanks so much for following through my process of Everyday Feels Like Summer With You. Creating this personal project was such a joy and was good practice and I’m looking forward to the next project.
For now, let’s get to our autumn content, but, this is definitely not the last time you’ll see this 11-year old husky appear in my pieces.
