The holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means at School of Motion – it's time for our much-anticipated Alumni Holiday Card!
This year's card brings together over 60 creative minds from a whopping 18 countries. So, grab your favorite holiday drink, get comfy, and let's dive into this gem.
Dive into real-time 3D with our Unreal Engine beginner's course by Jonathan Winbush. Master importing assets, world-building, animation, and cinematic sequences to create stunning 3D renders in no time! Perfect for motion designers ready to level up.
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Unlock the secrets of character design in this dynamic course! Explore shape language, anatomy rules, and motifs to craft animation-ready characters. Gain drawing tips, hacks, and Procreate mastery (or any drawing app). Ideal for artists seeking to elevate their craft.
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Elevate your freelance motion design career with our guide to client success. Master a repeatable method for finding, contacting, and landing clients. Learn to identify prospects, nurture leads, and develop a thriving freelance philosophy amidst chaos.
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Rev up your editing skills with After Effects! Learn to use it for everyday needs and craft dynamic templates (Mogrts) for smarter teamwork. You'll master creating animated graphics, removing unwanted elements, tracking graphics, and making customizable templates.
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Stand out with Demo Reel Dash! Learn to spotlight your best work and market your unique brand of magic. By the end, you'll have a brand new demo reel and a custom campaign to showcase yourself to an audience aligned with your career goals.
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Illuminate your 3D skills with Lights, Camera, Render! Dive deep into advanced Cinema 4D techniques with David Ariew. Master core cinematography skills, gain valuable assets, and learn tools and best practices to create stunning work that wows clients.
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Master After Effects at your own pace with Jake Bartlett's beginner course. Perfect for video editors, you'll learn to create stylish animated graphics, remove unwanted elements, and track graphics into shots. By the end, you'll be equipped for everyday AE needs and more.
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Revolutionize your Premiere workflow with customizable AE templates! Master creating dynamic Motion Graphics Templates (Mogrts) in After Effects to speed up your team's work. By the end, you'll craft easily-customizable templates for seamless use in Premiere Pro.
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This year’s theme, "In 2024, I Want to Do More…", has sparked an incredible array of animations. Our alumni have shared their aspirations for the coming year, making this holiday card not just a feast for the eyes but a window into the dreams of artists around the globe.
Now, let's talk tech. This year's submissions showcase not just talent, but also a diverse range of tools and techniques. From the classics—After Effects and Cinema 4D—to the cutting-edge Unreal Engine, and even some Blender magic, showing just how versatile and creative our School of Motion family is.
Before you dive into the video, a quick shout-out to all of our alumni contributors and to Traci Brinling Osowski, a School of Motion alum who orchestrated this project, blending individual dreams into a collective, visual delight.
We invite you to watch this year's card, marvel at the talent of our alumni, and perhaps find a little inspiration for your own 2024 aspirations. Whether it’s mastering a new software, exploring a fresh animation style, or simply finding more time to create, let this be the nudge you need to aim high.
So, what do YOU want to do more of in 2024?
Happy holidays, everyone! May your frames be smooth, and your creativity boundless. Here’s to a fantastic 2024 filled with more of what we love – motion design at its finest.
Special thanks to everyone that contributed to this year's SoM Holiday Card:
Sound design by Sanctus Audio
Leigh Williamson • 3D intro environments
Traci Brinling Osowski, Camila Lachman, Anne Saint-Louis, Sara Wade • Intro concept & character animation
Alistair Gunn • Growing • Australia
Alvina Cheng • Painting • Canada
Amin Rocking • Learn Something New Daily
Anastasia Tushentsova • Good Deeds • Russia
Bea No • Character Animation • Germany
Beau Brannon • Fiddle Fartin' Around • United States
Betsy DelCiampo • Cooking • United Kingdom
Bruno Jacquet • 3D Jobs • Belgium
Charrisse M. Harrison • Watercolor • United States
Chelsea Winot • Drink More Tea • United States
Cian Abalos • Star Wars Inspired Art • United States
Cyrene Domogalla • Of What I Already Have • United States
David Brophy • 3D • United Kingdom
Denise Seegers • Be More at Peace • Netherlands
Emily Kundrot • Moving • United States
Eva Nage • Space • United Kingdom
Gerry Theron • Watercolor • South Africa
Gilbert Venegas • Things Outside • United States
Giovanna Conforti • Reading • United Kingdom
J. Adam Brinson • Tabletop Gaming
Jamie Northrup • Dance (or Dancing) • United States
Jay Meagher • Pottery • United States
Jeff Russell • Travel, Draw, Chill, Play • United States
Jen Van Horn • Paid Gigs
Jeremy Rech • Music Listening • United States
Joana Sus • Skateboarding • Poland
John Louis Caiella • Making • United States
Joshua Arviso Becenti • Service • United States
Josiah Van De Steeg • Storytelling • United States
Julio Casanova • Cat Stuff • Peru
Karen Pearson • Activism • United States
Kendall Hotchkiss • Crochet • United States
Kris Ike • Floating • United States
Lauwers Sylvain •. Less • Belgium
Lillian Meng • Exploring • Australia
Lisa Donohue • Gardening • United States
Marsh Nabors • Gardening • United States
Matilda Luk • Reading • United States
Melinda Kiss • Camping • Hungary
Nicola Magri • Projects • Italy
Niklas Sundin • Fishing • United States
Paddington Kaseke • Motion Design • Zimbabwe
Pete Bone • Eat More Fruit • United Kingdom
Phil Reed • Sriracha • United States
Ramon P Montoya • Rocking • United States
Sarah Proietti • Growth • United States
Scott Brower • Sleeping • United States
Shanice • Drawing for Fun •
Shannon Calderon • Motion Design • United States
Shawn Robinson • Focusing • United States
Stefanie Scholz • Art • Germany
Tao Mao • Face to Face Communication • New Zealand
Taylor Moore • Creating • United States
Todd Egan • Music • United States
Tomasz Kotermański • Travel • Poland
Tyler Bishop • Reading • United States
Tyra Martina Schad • Meditation • Spain
Valdair Leonardo Sgarbossa • Art • Brazil
Not sure where to start?
If you’re a beginner, here are some great courses to help you get started:
After Effects Kickstart
Dive into the fundamentals of motion design with our most popular (and recently updated) After Effects course.
Photoshop + Illustrator Unleashed
Master the basics of Photoshop and Illustrator and gain invaluable insights in this introductory level course.
Design Kickstart
An introduction to the design principles behind all great work.
More Advanced?
If you’re a more advanced student looking to up your game, here are some great options:
Animation Bootcamp
Learn the art and principles of creating beautiful movements in Adobe After Effects.
Design Bootcamp
Learn to design for motion in this intermediate-level, project-based course.
Cinema 4D Basecamp
Learn Cinema 4D from the ground up in this exciting introductory C4D course.
Now is the time to learn the skills you need to advance in your motion design career:
