Tag: Tacoma

South Side Animation Club Details

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

What’s New

Join the South Side Animation Club at Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch (215 S 56th St) on Saturday, March 25, 2023 for our first meeting! Free and all ages. Presented by No, Mine! Studios and the Tacoma Public Library, with support from the City of Tacoma Arts Commission.

The date for the first South Side Animation Club is getting closer (March 25, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch), and preparations are going well! 

No, Mine! Studios Interns Jillian Schmitt and Sterling Kelly helped assemble 40 Animation Kits that will be given away to participants for free on a first come, first served basis. We’re also planning to expand the resources available for the stop motion station, so last week I trekked out to TinkerTopia to get some ideas. I highly recommend supporting this local business if you’re looking for additional stop motion set building supplies and figurines to use for animation.

Interior TinkerTopia.
Interior TinkerTopia.
No, Mine! Studios Interns Jillian and Sterling helping assemble the South Side Animation Club Animation Kits at the Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch.
What 40 packaged Animation Kits look like.

Club Meeting Format

Each club meeting will be set up with multiple stations dedicated to different styles of animation. Participants are free to float between stations. 

Digital 

Participants can check out a limited number of Chromebooks at the Moore Library front desk, use Adobe products on the computers in the main area, or bring your own laptop/tablet. If there is interest in collaborating on a digital group drawing, I’ll make a Magma Studio link available the morning of the club meeting(s). USB thumb drives are included with the free Animation Kits.

Hand Drawn

The free Animation Kits include tracing paper, coloring pencils, sharpeners, and more useful supplies. We will have newsprint, pencils, coloring pencils, and a light trace box for general use/ collaboration, and participants are welcome to bring their own supplies.

Flip Books

Flip books are included in the Animation Kits. We’ll have some loose paper as well as a flip book size light box for shared use. Participants are also welcome to bring their own drawing supplies from home.

Stop Motion

We have Two Hue Animation Studio stop motion cameras so up to two groups can work on different projects simultaneously. We’ll also have some other set building materials for smaller projects. 

Teardown of stop motion projects (returning cameras to the No, Mine! Studios team and materials to their proper bins) will need to be completed by 11:50 a.m.

Audio

The South Side Animation Club will have mini-lessons on audio editing and sound design for animation at a future meeting. Because noise may be a factor, there won’t be a dedicated audio station at the first meeting, but library card holders can check out podcast kits for recording ahead of time from the Tacoma Public Library: (Podcast Kit Style 1/ Podcast Kit Style 2)

The Tacoma Library’s Digital Media Lab at the Main Branch (downtown) also schedules appointments for those who want to work on recording and editing.

If you have some basic questions about audio editing with Audacity or Adobe Audition, I will do my best to help at the club meetings after the mini-lesson and before the Showcase.

Showcase

As a reminder, we have access to the library’s projector! Those who want to showcase their animations should email a YouTube/ other link to nominestudios@gmail.com or bring a USB drive with the work. (This is an all-ages event, so please share work that is PG/ General Audiences friendly.) The showcase will start at around 11:30 a.m. (or sooner) depending on how many participants we have, so please get your digital files to me by 11 a.m. that day or sooner. We will also plan a longer Showcase later in the year. More details to come!

Local game devs, you are welcome to share your work here as well! Message me ahead of time so we can make sure we have the necessary equipment/ cables.

Share with Friends!

Please help us get the word out to as many interested community members as possible!

Acknowledgments

The South Side Animation Club wouldn’t be possible without the Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch, the City of Tacoma Arts Commission, the City of Tacoma Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality, and the support of the greater Tacoma community.

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne

South Side Animation Club Progress

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

I often get an inordinate amount of glee from purchasing art supplies, but that’s tenfold this week because — Some of the supplies for the South Side Animation Club kits arrived this morning! 😁 2 gallon Ziploc bags, #2 pencils, and nonphoto blue pencils. Now just waiting on the tracing paper, USB drives, and the motivation to design and print out the package labels. 😄

The kits will be available for free to the public at Tacoma’s Moore Library starting at the first club meeting on March 25 at 10 a.m. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking of some other smaller items to add (plain sketchbooks, small notepads, erasers, …). If any local businesses would like to contribute items to the kits or equipment to the club, please contact me at nominestudios@gmail.com.

Thank you everyone for your support, especially the City of Tacoma Arts Commission, the City of Tacoma Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality, and the Tacoma Public Library Moore Branch for helping this project come to life!

Purple and white text on orange background: "Coming spring 2023! No, Mine Studios presents South Side Animation Club. Tacoma, WA. For more information, visit nominestudios.com."
South Side Animation Club announcement. Design by Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.

What’s Going On: South Side Animation Club and More

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

It’s official! The South Side Animation Club has found a home at Tacoma’s Moore Library. Our first meeting will be on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Please help get the word out and share/RSVP to the Facebook event. Thank you to the City of Tacoma Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality and the Tacoma Arts Commission for helping make this project a reality!

Purple and white text on orange background: "Coming spring 2023! No, Mine Studios presents South Side Animation Club. Tacoma, WA. For more information, visit nominestudios.com."
South Side Animation Club announcement. Visit nominestudios.com for more information. Design by Suzanne Skaar, 2022. All rights reserved.

In other news, I am excited to announce that for the first time Interns through Tacoma Public School’s Next Move Program will join No, Mine! Studios! In addition to learning about indie game dev, they’ll be contributing to the South Side Animation Club in a variety of ways. Welcome!

And one last update, I will be joining a local Tacoma high school as an adjunct instructor for Game Design and Animation starting next week, which means…. BRING ON THE POWERPOINTS!

(I may be at my happiest when making slideshows.)

Thank you everyone for your support along the way. Here’s to an amazing 2023!

Suzanne

Exciting News

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Spring 2023 promises to be a great time of personal and professional growth!

Background on why the following news is so important to me:

Like many other artists, I started drawing, painting, and writing as a kid.

I was also diagnosed with migraines as a kid. More recently, in 2018, I was also diagnosed with both bilateral hand arthritis and early-stage glaucoma.

Ironically, working long hours as a VRC without adequate accommodations became unsustainable, and I left the field in December 2018. For a while, I stopped creating art at all, due to both pain and fear of making the latter two conditions worse.

In June 2020, I started designing my first video game with accessibility in mind. I personally can’t enjoy media with flashing lights (a known migraine trigger), and time-sensitive games can be impossible with hand arthritis, so these were the starting points for determining my design process. Thanks to in person game demos, I have been able to incorporate feedback into making gameplay more intuitive. I have received a lot of support in this project, and I still have a long way to go before I’m ready to release the game.

The News

Yesterday I found out I was selected to attend an upcoming AbleGamers’ Accessible Player Experiences (APX) Certified Practitioner Training session for free through the Developers Promoting Accessibility & Diversity (DPAD) Initiative. I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to learning how to better apply knowledge and skills from my previous experience as a VRC/CDMS within the gaming industry.

Learn more about AbleGamers’ work and how you can support this amazing organization at https://ablegamers.org/.

As always, thank you for your support as No, Mine! Studios grows in scope and capacity! I couldn’t have gotten to this point without an amazing community of artists and friends!

Suzanne

South Side Animation Club

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment
Animated gif of a dinosaur happily bouncing up and down side to side.
Happy dinosaur. Gif. Suzanne Skaar. 2020. All rights reserved.

I just received word that the City of Tacoma has approved funding for No, Mine! Studios to start the South Side Animation Club!

This all ages/ all-levels gathering will be once a month, free to the public, and is meant to bring more opportunities in the arts to residents in the South End, East Side, and South Tacoma. (It’s not a requirement to live in these neighborhoods: others are welcome to participate, too.)

A large portion of the funding received will be used to compile starter kits with drawing paper, pens, pencils, etc. and more for participants who need supplies. There will also be a projector and screen on hand so that participants can share works in progress.

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work to take care of before the first meeting in the Spring: securing a venue in the South End Tacoma, getting the word out to interested artists, securing supplies/ equipment, and more. If you want to get involved, please email nominestudios@gmail.com.

I am grateful to the City of Tacoma for this opportunity. I’ll share more news as it becomes available.

Suzanne

T Minus 7

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

The Countdown to Tacoma’s Arts at the Armory is on! Mark your calendars for December 10 and 11, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. for your chance to support local independent artists.

While you’re there, stop by my booth to play test my in-progress dinosaur game demo. I will also have a limited supply of stickers and buttons for sale.

In honor of Screenshot Saturday, here’s a glimpse at what I’m currently working on:

Sticker Sheet! The Pink Series by Suzanne Skaar, 2021-22. All rights reserved.

I look forward to seeing you!

Suzanne

Yeetcosystem Promo Premiere

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment
Concept art for Yeetcosystem. Suzanne Skaar, 11/2/2022. All rights reserved. Visit yeetcosystem.com for more information.

The subtitled version of the first Yeetcosystem Promo is set to premiere on YouTube at noon today (November 16, PST )!

[Content warning: There is one swear word, and it’s not even my favorite — I mean a really bad one.]

I promise I’ll get back to posting dinos and other work soon — unless some actual investors want to make this project happen. [How much would liability insurance on a project like this cost? Ten dollars?]

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne

Side Project/ Game News

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment
Yeetcosystem. Logo by Suzanne Skaar, 10/25/2022. All rights reserved. Visit yeetcosystem.com for more information today!

Recently, I began pitching my exciting new business venture, Yeetcosystem (TM). The first promotional video is up now. Please check it out, unless you’re not allowed to watch videos with a swear word in them. [I forgot to bleep something. I blame sleep deprivation/ laziness/ being a grown up who occasionally uses mild curse words in public.]

In game screen capture. As yet untitled dino game by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

In other news, I am happy to announce that No, Mine! Studios will be back at Tacoma’s Arts at the Armory event on December 10 and 11, 2022! I’ll be listed in the materials under my name (Suzanne Skaar) in case you have troubles finding me at the Armory. The dino game will available for playtesting for those interested in seeing the latest progress. I’ll also have buttons and stickers for sale for those looking for last minute holiday gifts.

If you want to help a small, mom-owned business, there are a lot of ways to do so! Follow No, Mine! Studios (@nominestudios) on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

No, Mine! Studios is also still on Twitter, but…? We’ll see how this goes…

You can also Buy a Dino a coffee by clicking here.

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne

Resources

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Happy Friday!

As promised earlier this week and to those I spoke with at the City of Tacoma Kaleidoscope Kickoff Party, here are some resources that I have found useful while working on my as yet untitled dino game.

Screencapture of how a scene is assembled in Unity. Artwork by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

GAME ENGINE

I am building my game in Unity, which is free for individuals who make under a certain amount of income from games per year. I am brand new, and I have definitely not come close to that threshhold yet. Another engine that other artists like using is Unreal. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m thinking about testing it when I start on my next project. A great benefit of Unreal is that they do offer funds for some projects. Here’s the link for more info.

2022 8 1 Progress. In game capture. As yet untitled dino game by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

GRAPHICS

(NOTE: This is not a paid promotion by Adobe. If they would like to change that, my bank account is all ears.)

I create the initial designs of characters, objects, and background art in Adobe Photoshop. I held on for as long as I could to my 2009 MacBook and hard copy of Photoshop CS 6, but at this point, I am now locked into the full Creative Cloud. It’s expensive, so if others would like to suggest free/ cheap alternatives that work well with Unity, please comment below. The import process between Photoshop and Unity is fairly simple. I can share a sample video of the process if others are interested, but there are also many tutorials on YouTube.

AUDIO

When getting the sound ready for the game, I have used a combination of Audacity (audio editing software), BeepBox (online tool for making and sharing melodies), and more recently, Adobe Audition. The first two are free whereas Audition comes with Creative Cloud subscriptions. I have used Audition more for marketing than content creation so far.

Video capture of in game play. Graphics and sound by Suzanne Skaar, 2020-2022. All rights reserved.

VIDEO

For video, I have been relying on Open Broadcast Studio (OBS) for screencaptures and Adobe Premiere Pro for compiling videos. OBS is free, and I am still figuring it out. For Creative Cloud subscribers, Audition is linked to Premiere, so changing audio levels or doing simple effects like fade in/ fade out is relatively fast.

TUTORIALS

I started researching how to turn my concept into a game using Unity in March 2020. Since then, I have watched a lot of videos which break down the process of animating sprites, importing audio, and more. Due to updates from game engine platforms, some of these tutorials may become outdated fairly quickly, but I really like the teaching styles of Brackeys and BurgZerg Arcade. While Brackeys is no longer posting new videos, they have a plethora of great ones still up on YouTube. GDC posts a lot of great talks about game design from all angles. From the business side, I recently discovered the Future of Play channel on YouTube. The Publish Me Punish Me series is entertaining and informative.

If you think this kind of post is helpful, please like and share with friends. You can also support No, Mine! Studios on the following social media platforms:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

YouTube

If you’re local to Tacoma, I would love to see you at Grit City Comic Show on October 22, 2022! In addition to having the game progress available for playing, I’ll have a limited supply of merchandise for sale.

If you’re not able to attend but want to help support No, Mine! Studios financially, you can buy a dino a coffee here and buy art online here.

For media, retail, and event inquiries, please email me at nominestudios@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support!

Suzanne