Introduction

My name is Julie Broch and I am a student at Freestyle Academy. I have taken Digital Media and English as well as my elective class, Animation. Here, I have been able to explore many new programs and mediums, eventually creating a portfolio that I am proud of. Before Freestyle, I had only used traditional mediums. I have Freestyle to thank for pushing me out of my comfort zone and exposing me to digital art, which I am now very passionate about. 

Outside of freestyle, I enjoy oil painting and drawing with charcoal. I have also been experimenting with digital art and poster design in my free time. Additionally, I love fashion and thrifting interesting pieces as well as going out with my friends to explore a new city or try different foods. 

In the fall, I will be attending the University of Santa Barbara, California, and am currently undecided as to what my major will be. I hope to go into a job that will allow me to utilize the creative skills that I have cultivated at Freestyle. 

Thank you for taking the time to review my work.

3D Modeled Sword

My first project is a 3D model of a sword and scabbard inspired by the swords used during the Qing Dynasty. This was created with Maya, Zbrush, and Substance Painter.

No background weapon render
Weapon render with background

I found our 3D modeling unit to be the most difficult unit so far, and I especially struggled with the program ZBrush. However, I was able to improve a lot since the first couple of models I created and this is my favorite thing I have sculpted.

“The Wolf’s Journey” 2D Animation

My second project is also my Zenith final project, a short story conveyed through 2D animation. This was created with Procreate and Adobe After Effects.

2D animation short story

This project was definitely out of my comfort zone since I had only done short clips of 2D animation previously. I really enjoyed playing around with different colors and textures throughout the process of creating this. This project taught me a lot about animal anatomy and also motivated me to keep improving my animation skills.

Traditional Mediums

I started using traditional mediums when I was really young. I began with pencil primarily and slowly worked my way up to pastels, oil paints, and many other mediums. I believe the skills I developed through traditional mediums made the transition into digital art much smooter. These are some of my favorite works.

Young Aspirations (pastel pencil)
Conformity (oil paint)

Reflection

During my time at Freestyle, these two projects encompass much of what I have learned in Animation and also focus on skills I want to keep developing well into the future. 3D modeling was something brand new to me and at first, was very intimidating since I consider myself to not be so tech-savvy. Although I did run into a lot of issues, I discovered how rewarding it is to sculpt something I’m proud of. The 3D modeling unit unlocked a new door for me and I now feel that there are endless possibilities for what I can create. I hope to further my knowledge by learning Blender and combining 2D and 3D art in future projects. 2D animation is also a skill I am very happy to have been introduced to in this class. I had a rough start since I only had experience in realism and did not know how to simplify my art into an animation-friendly style. To solve this, I taught myself digital art in the summer of 2021. Sadly, this was after our 2D animation unit was already over, so I was really glad to be able to apply my newly acquired skills to “The Wolf’s Journey”. I have already started my next 2D animation project and am looking forward to improving as I keep producing. Freestyle has shown me the many different forms of art I have yet to explore and given me the tools to do so. With my knowledge of Maya, Zbrush, Substance Painter, and the Adobe Programs, I can continue bringing the concepts I envision in my head to life.