Eva Munnich: 3D artist The CreativeMindClass Blog
Eva Munnich is an animator and illustrator who is based in London. As a visual artist she draws cute, 2D/3D-animated characters. She studied film in the art academy in Germany and worked on various animation-related projects. In the wake of a lack of a creative challenge, Eva actively sought new opportunities to expand her wings. Three decades ago, she came to London to learn about its growing, vibrant art scene, and decided to go into illustration and character design.
Below you can read about the way Eva changed her route and get more about the special X-Files animation project she worked on along with Phil Brookes.
In search of new challenges and a creative career direction
Before I moved to London in the year 2017 I lived in a small town in Germany working as an After Effects animator. It wasn't a lot of creative opportunities, my skills plateaued quickly and I was very annoyed.
Moving from London and getting acquainted with everyone who is a wonderful animator here gave me a huge boost. It was like: "Damn, I'm running alongside the cool kids and I should get my skills. "
After visiting at the 2019 Pictoplasma conference, I decided to join the community of eccentric character designers. The realization came quick that my characters perform most effectively in 3D which is something I'm still learning which is hard but also very enjoyable!
My work caught the attention to Greenhouse Animation, and now I'm represented as a director by them.
Concerning the X-Files project as well as the mystery of socks disappearing
One of the initial client projects I did using my new style is the Covered by Lemonade clip.
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Lemonade Insurance approached me to create a work to promote its continuous Instagram artist collaboration. Because the company is an insurer of content and the concept of adorable household objects in danger immediately came to mind. This is how the X-Files concept came to fruition.
I spent the last winter lockdown rewatching all of the x-files. Therefore, the idea of an abduction from the past was obvious. However, all of the characters needed to be in the same spot at the time of finalization in order to stop the animation loop so none of them could really be abducted. That is when I had an idea of having the washing machine open and the single pink sock flying up to the UFO.
While modeling my UFO as well as giving it a few legs, I realized that everything could be put in place. The UFO has lost its sock and is retrieving it!
To me, creating a memorable story best involves combining various things that appear unrelated at first. Making something unplanned take place and also to give inanimate objects an identity by putting funny faces onto them is the most fun for me!
The animation workflow
My process always begins with sketches of the characters as well as a storyboard. I made the animation for Lemonade to communicate the idea as well as the time. From there, I go into Cinema 4D and model all my characters. It is also where I test out techniques and design frames.
After the animation in Cinema 4D is done, I then switch to After Effects to do final touches and compositing. The pink light beam, for instance, is created with After Effects.
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The sound effects, and working with Phill Brookes
This was my first project I did with a sound designernamed Phil Brookes who really took it to the next level! His work lifts the whole footage up to a new level and makes everything come together flawlessly! It was an amazing project to work on, and I hope to make many more like it!
We've talked to Phil about the process of making sound effects for his X-Files project. Listen to the conversation with Phil Brookes.
In the present I'm learning new techniques for character rigging , and also how to make beautiful textures with Cinema 4D and Redshift. I'm trying to combine 2D and 3D animation, and I'm looking forward to seeing the direction that my design for characters will take me in the future!
Tips for visual artists about how to alter the direction of their careers
Some tips I can give to anyone wanting to change directions:
- Discover which method suits your thoughts best, and then take the time to learn it! Working in motion design feels as if you have to be aware of everything in every program there is. It's just not feasible.
- Be serious about your oddness and never downplay your weirdness. Your uniqueness is yours. Your unique voice and style is distinctive.
- Take your time and embrace your ideas. Whatever is taking place in your head, embrace it and make the most of it!
We're delighted by Eva's artistic artworks, the creative path she's stepping, and the changes she's made. Here, at CreativeMindClass We believe that artists have a great ability to form paths like Play-Doh and make them look gorgeous. We're excited to see ambitious ideas and bold people succeeding. Thank you for sharing your story, Eva!
Go to Instagram to see new 3D animated characters as well as to follow Eva's future project. Explore a wider gallery of her work at her website.
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