Each year we like to come up with a Halloween greeting to send all of our loyal 2A! followers and subjects. This year we were throwing around ideas and I thought it would be fun to do a group caricature shot of the 2A! staff wearing costumes of their respective work mascots. We decided we wanted it to have a different look than our normal style, so Joe and I agreed that a painted final image would make it really stand out. Joe started it off by roughing in the poses of the characters, then I took that and focused on getting a likeness of everyone. After a couple passes between us, we settled on a final sketch. We then took that into Photoshop, and have both worked on it the past week to finish in time for Halloween. So here we are, after many hours, ready to unveil our hard work. I hope you like it, and have a safe and happy Halloween!
We're quickly approaching the big day, so to continue this week's theme of Halloween related posts I decided to share one of the animations we did for the second batch of SweetIM animations. This one is of a little Grim Reaper who has some heavy news for you. This animation was extra fun to do because it adds more interactivity between users than any of the previous ones we've done. Check out the video above to see what I mean! Then check out the stills below.
Following up on Mark's post from last week, where he showed off his Halloween character sketches, here are my versions of those same characters. These are the approved designs that you will see in 2A!'s newest batch of SweetIM animations!
When I received Mark’s sketches with the notes to make the characters “cuter” I felt conflicted since I really liked his designs the way they were. They were a lovely mix of spooky and quirky, both things that I feel are very in the spirit of Halloween. So I did my best to keep as much of Mark's original design sense while redrawing the characters in my style. All in all, I think they turned out pretty nice!
Check out my approved Halloween character sketches below and let us know what you think! :)
2A!’s Happy Halloween short rises from the depths to gain new life on YouTube!
We created this promotional short a few years ago and sent it out as a Halloween greeting to our clients and colleagues, and to help spread the word about the studio. At the time it was featured on Cold Hard Flash and has since rested comfortably on our YouTube channel. But over the past week the video has been resurrected, jumping from around 900 views to over 31,000 and climbing! Needless to say, we figured it definitely deserved another look. ;)
I’m still really happy with how this piece (which pokes fun at the nightmare of working with a low production budget) turned out. Especially given that it was a very spontaneous idea that I came up with and the team quickly cranked out. Not to mention Joe and I got to do the voices of Igor and Dracula! :P
So be sure to check out the video above and let us know what you think. I’ve also included the original character sheets for Dracula and Igor below. The whole 2A! gang loves Halloween and had a blast working on this, so we hope you like it too!
It's another Monday, so you know what that means... more Monday Morning Motivators! It's a chance for us to pick a theme -- preferably something we normally wouldn't draw -- and spend the first hour of each week sketching. The sketches can be very loose or super tight, but the point is to work out the weekend stiffness and draw something new.
To continue this month's Halloween celebration, here are some Jack O' Lanterns for you viewing pleasure. Hope you like them! ;)
Two Animators! LLP (2A!) is a full-service animation production and development studio.
Founded in 2001 by brothers Tom and Joe Costantini, 2A! creates content for animated series, shorts, music and explainer videos, commercial spots, games, apps and more. We’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects during our 14+ years in business, from full-blown television series to online virtual worlds (MMOs) and mobile apps. Our team works in many different styles and can adapt to your specific production needs, and of course we’re always excited to design a unique look for a brand new property. We love creating new characters, worlds and storylines, and can help transform your ideas into fully developed IPs (Intellectual Properties) ready for pitching, producing or selling.
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