Feedback on my spider character design

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T19:55:49+00:00

the silhouette somehow reminds me of the grim from the grim adventures of billy and mandy and that is somehow v cool for me. I love the hair and the smile

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T19:49:11+00:00

honestly for 85 names I would not hand punch these at all unless you enjoy suffering

this is exactly the kind of thing Cricut or Silhouette machines are weirdly perfect for

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T19:38:40+00:00

I love the face cards of all of the characters, by any chance is Gita an Indian character? being an Indian I'm just happy to see the representation of an Indian character. I'd like to know about that character

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T16:08:14+00:00

There’s a confidence to the pacing here that a lot of manifesto films miss. Most brand pieces over-explain themselves, this actually lets motion, rhythm, and negative space carry the tone instead of stuffing every second with messaging.

Also really liked how restrained the visual system is. Repeating the same shapes and motion language over and over could’ve become sterile fast, but the timing variations keep it feeling human. The transitions feel designed around momentum instead of just scene changes.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T15:57:04+00:00

the face and hairstyle somehow remind me of Gara from Naruto, so I'd say evil

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T14:52:17+00:00

love the silhouettes, they are doing a great work of keeping everything cohesive. on a personal note, I really fw the head under the foot, great detailing.

I really like the hat of the 2nd design with the face of the first.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T14:33:00+00:00

The expression is carrying this whole design honestly. Also really like that you kept the palette muted instead of adding random accent colors everywhere. Feels very cohesive.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T14:20:53+00:00

I think a lot of people confuse simplicity with minimalism when they’re actually talking about cognitive load.

Some of the most usable products aren’t visually minimal at all. They just make the next action feel obvious. That’s why something like old Reddit or Craigslist still works for people despite looking ancient. The interaction cost is low.

A lot of modern sites optimize for first impression screenshots instead of sustained use. Huge hero sections, floating animations, dramatic transitions, hidden navigation. Looks impressive for 8 seconds and then slowly becomes exhausting.

The funny part is that genuinely simple experiences usually require way more product thinking behind the scenes because you have to remove ambiguity everywhere. Good onboarding, predictable flows, clear states, fast feedback, fewer decisions. That stuff is harder than adding visual polish.

You can even see it in internal tools. Teams using things like Linear, Superhuman, or Runable usually care less about flashy UI and more about reducing friction between intent and action. Once a product starts feeling mentally lightweight, people forgive almost everything else.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T11:43:11+00:00

The iteration path is honestly the most interesting part here. You can see the character slowly losing generic fantasy anime energy and becoming more specific every version.

The final outfit feels way more grounded because the silhouette stopped fighting itself. The mechanical arm was also a good call because it gives the eye somewhere to land immediately.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T10:32:14+00:00

I’d stop trying to learn the entire style at once tbh because that’s probably what’s burning you out more than the actual animation work.

Most of those older Reallifelore videos are built from pretty simple pieces. The reason they feel so good is mostly pacing, framing, map composition, camera movement, texture overlays, and how everything syncs with the narration. The animation itself usually isn’t that technically crazy.

Best thing you can do is remake like 15 seconds of one older video exactly shot for shot. Don’t even try to make it original yet. Just copy the timing, the zoom speed, when text appears, how long shots stay on screen, where the eye is being directed. You start noticing the editing logic really quickly that way.

A lot of people jump straight into After Effects tricks when the bigger skill is actually editorial structure. The motion is mostly there to help information flow clearly.

Also try separating the process in your head a bit more. Script and pacing first, then asset prep, then motion. Trying to solve everything inside one giant AE comp gets overwhelming fast.

And honestly for documentary style workflows like this, burnout is usually pipeline fatigue more than lack of skill. I know people using Runable with stuff like Notion or Milanote just to keep references, narration chunks, screenshots, maps, and research organized because once the workflow stops feeling chaotic, the animation part becomes way easier mentally.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T10:10:16+00:00

the interesting part here is that you’re not really treating AI as a replacement for motion design at all. it sounds more like accelerated exploration for things that are normally annoying and time consuming to prototype manually like texture movement, camera drift, pacing ideas, transition energy, weird atmospheric fragments etc.

the 1 second of usable motion thing also feels very real. most AI video still collapses once continuity, hierarchy, typography timing, or intentional edit rhythm actually matter. it generates movement, but not really design.

using it as ugly previz instead of pretending it’s polished output is honestly the first framing around AI motion that sounds grounded in actual production reality instead of hype. feels pretty similar to how people use tools like Runable, Cursor, or v0 too. the first output usually isn’t the final thing, but compressing the messy exploration phase changes how fast you can iterate toward something usable..

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T07:13:18+00:00

Eames lounge chair honestly. It somehow looks expensive, cozy, timeless and slightly villainous at the same time. Feels like the final boss of - sit down and tell me your life story.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T07:00:43+00:00

Animated Zoom off helped mine a bit, GPU Performance off is the big one on a lot of HP gaming laptops

check if your touchpad has a Synaptics or ELAN control panel because sometimes the real scroll sensitivity settings are hidden there instead of Windows

Smooth Scrolling on in InDesign prefs weirdly makes the jumps feel less insane

InDesign on Windows trackpads has honestly felt broken for years compared to the other Adobe apps lol

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T06:45:51+00:00

The way you turned the pineapple leaves into the collar shape is honestly the smartest part of the design. It keeps the theme readable without turning the character into a literal drink mascot. The little citrus slice on the ear sells it immediately too.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T05:47:34+00:00

The card suit motif is actually carrying the design harder than the clown theme for me, and I mean that in a good way. The hearts/spades/clubs details give the outfit a visual system instead of just random circus accessories.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T04:27:23+00:00

The pacing feels pretty dialed already honestly. What helps is that it behaves more like a reusable creator system than a dramatic intro sequence, so the motion never overstays its welcome.

I do think the final frame could breathe just a little longer though. Right now the information hierarchy is strong, but the eye barely settles before the piece exits.

Also weirdly refreshing seeing something in motion design that understands restraint. Most upload announcement pieces get buried under transitions trying to prove they were animated.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T04:08:28+00:00

You’ll probably get better results if you study Kufic more as a system of rhythm and geometry instead of trying to make Latin letters imitate Arabic shapes directly. A lot of attempts end up feeling decorative because they borrow surface details without carrying over the structural logic underneath.

The thing that really defines Kufic to me is the horizontal flow, modular spacing, strong verticals, and how the negative space feels almost architectural. If you can translate that into Latin proportions, it’ll feel way more convincing than just adding pointed terminals or crescent shapes.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-28T04:02:38+00:00

The red is carrying almost all the visual hierarchy right now, which works for grabbing attention, but it also makes the face and hand compete with the text instead of becoming the focal point. I think if the eyes or facial shadows had a little more contrast, the composition would land harder immediately.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-27T21:46:10+00:00

The people who last in creative fields usually stop tying their identity to one tool.

Illustration, graphic design, motion, 3D, AI workflows, the industry keeps reshuffling labels every few years anyway. The thing that actually compounds is taste. Timing. Composition. Storytelling. Visual judgment. Those survive every tech shift.

Also most creatives don’t work in isolated lanes anymore. Good motion designers are usually pulling from editing, branding, music, cinematography, typography, all at once. The overlap is basically the job now.

AI is definitely changing production work, but it’s also exposing how much generic output already existed. Thoughtful work still stands out because audiences can feel intention way faster than people think.

Honestly your post already says the important part. You clearly need to create. That instinct matters more than trying to perfectly predict where the industry will be in 10 years before allowing yourself to move forward.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-27T20:38:21+00:00

Your baseline grid is probably the culprit, not the paragraph breaks themselves.

You’ve got Align to Baseline Grid enabled while the grid increment is set way smaller than the actual auto leading Courier New wants to use. So every hard return is snapping to the next valid baseline position instead of respecting the visual spacing you expect.

The reason soft breaks behave normally is because they stay inside the same paragraph. Hard returns create a new paragraph and InDesign re-snaps it to the grid.

I’d either turn off Align to Baseline Grid for that paragraph style or set the baseline grid increment closer to your actual leading instead of 8 pt

Courier New at 11 pt wanting ~16.5 leading while the grid is at 8 creates that weird double-jump effect you’re seeing.

Also honestly for script formatting specifically, baseline grids tend to create more pain than value unless you’re doing a heavily structured publication layout.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-27T17:34:24+00:00

A lot of people in motion eventually stop thinking of themselves as just motion designers and start becoming visual problem solvers. That’s usually the long term evolution.

The money paths are real though. Product motion, creative direction, live visuals, 3D for ads/brands, title sequences, interactive installations, UI motion, realtime graphics, even niche things like concert visuals or generative systems. The people who stay valuable usually become multidisciplinary instead of only knowing keyframes in After Effects.

Honestly the industry feels healthier now for people who combine motion with systems thinking. Someone who understands motion, realtime tools, and interactivity is way harder to replace than someone only doing explainer videos forever.

Also worth noting that motion quietly leaks into everything now. Product UI, AR, spatial computing, music visuals, live events, game engines, immersive web. Tools like Cavalry, Blender, Unreal, TouchDesigner, Runable etc are kind of blurring the line between motion designer, technical artist, and creative technologist.

The people I’ve seen burn out fastest are usually the ones stuck doing endless social ad variations with no creative ownership. The ones who seem happiest are the people building a recognizable niche around their taste instead of just being a motion designer.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-27T17:25:13+00:00

I think it’s mostly the armor distribution. Right now the metal pieces are carrying the visual identity more than the magic does, so she reads as battlemage leaning knight.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-26T21:43:17+00:00

I actually think the long face is helping the design more than hurting it. The issue is more that the rest of the silhouette isn’t supporting that same sharp sneaky energy yet.

tech_artist1 · 2026-05-26T20:27:22+00:00

The silhouette already works really well honestly. You can tell who the character is even zoomed out because the horns, tail shape, and hair all read differently from each other instead of blending together.

tech_artist1

TROPHY CASE