Video Of The Week: Different Approaches To Creating Animation On The Go

Are you looking to get some animation done in your hotel room? Finesse your script on the beach? Storyboard at Starbucks? Toniko Pantoja can help.

In this typically clear, informative video, the L.A.-based industry artist explains how he goes about working when not at home or in an office. He describes three approaches, each based around a different piece of hardware: a single tablet PC (in his case, a Wacom Mobile Studio); a laptop with portable pen display tablet; and a standalone tablet (like an iPad Pro).

In each section, Pantoja runs through the upsides and drawbacks of the technology at hand, focusing on issues like price, size, user-friendliness, and available software. He concludes that your choice of kit should depend on the types of environment you’ll be working in, whether a friend’s house, a hotel, or Starbucks. Once you’ve chosen your hardware, he adds, you should carefully research brands before purchasing.

Since graduating from Calarts in 2014, Pantoja has worked as an animator, story artist, and director for the likes of Dreamworks, Tonko House, Cartoon Network, and Studio La Cachette. Here at Cartoon Brew, we’ve featured his art as well as his guide to creating a top-class story portfolio. Earlier this year, he launched a fully-fledged online course, The String Bing Workshop: The Complete Introduction to 2D Animation — “a ground zero course for hand-drawn animation,” as he described it to us.

Do you have tips for working on the go? If so, let us know your preferences and set-up in the comments section below.