motiondesigner,qaramello Details
Qaramello is an art director, motion designer and illustrator with a passion for blending old-school animation techniques with modern animation sensibilities. Best known for their colorful, flashy animated music videos, they've managed to turn what was otherwise an experiment into streamlining their animation process into a steady career, co-founding indie animation studio ROCKBAND STUDIOS in late 2023.
In this class, Qaramello gives insight into their animation process, how they ideate for new projects, and how they balance efficiency without compromising on quality. Students will learn how to draw inspiration from conventional and unconventional sources, and how to utilize this way of thinking across all their projects to create unique, standout work.
[Current] - Freelance Motion Designer & Illustrator [Projects] - Starsmitten - LilyPichu [MV] (2023) - Live - Derivakat [MV] (2025) - Melody - Derivakat [MV] (2025) - Star Trails - Derivakat [MV] (2025) - ARCHIVE02 by Derivakat, Visual Direction (2025) - Everdeep Aurora, Release Trailer (2025) - MUSE - Derivakat [MV] (2024) - Cycle - Derivakat [MV] (2023) - Lost in Space - Derivakat [MV] (2023) - Froggy Song - Derivakat [MV] (2022) - REVIVED - Derivakat [MV] (2021)
[Current] - Freelance Motion Designer & Illustrator [Projects] - Starsmitten - LilyPichu [MV] (2023) - Live - Derivakat [MV] (2025) - Melody - Derivakat [MV] (2025) - Star Trails - Derivakat [MV] (2025) - ARCHIVE02 by Derivakat, Visual Direction (2025) - Everdeep Aurora, Release Trailer (2025) - MUSE - Derivakat [MV] (2024) - Cycle - Derivakat [MV] (2023) - Lost in Space - Derivakat [MV] (2023) - Froggy Song - Derivakat [MV] (2022) - REVIVED - Derivakat [MV] (2021)
What led you to choose this topic or theme?
People have been asking me to make tutorials of my work for years! I think my line of work is pretty niche; it requires you to not only be an animator and an illustrator, but also be at least somewhat musically inclined. So, people are always very curious about what I do. I am very passionate about my work and love sharing my process, so it's only natural that I'm here now!
What makes your class different from other classes?
My deep dive into After Effects and the animation workflow will not only benefit you in learning the principles of motion design, it can also serve as a launchpad towards a wide variety of things under the animation umbrella, from typography to compositing, editing, VFX for film, even 3D! A solid foundation in this software is an excellent way to branch off into other disciplines, as I have found out myself.
Do you have any advice for your students?
Hank Green (famous YouTuber) said something in one of his videos that summarized how I've played out my career thus far: follow your tools. I have never been much of a 'chase your dreams' kind of person; I just realized over time what I was good at and invested into it. A lot of people seem to think that you have to have a clear view of your goals and dreams for the next ten years to become a career artist, which isn't true. Give yourself grace; find out what you're good at, nurture it, and expand from there.
Ideation, Conceptualization & Critical Analysis
Analyze music through rhythm, structure, and emotion to develop strong visual concepts. Learn how to define a clear creative direction before entering production.
Pre-Production & The Importance of Planning
Create moodboards, styleframes, and storyboards while building a structured production plan. Establish clarity and efficiency from the start.
Applying the Principles of Animation and Motion Design
Apply core animation and design principles, including timing, spacing, hierarchy, and composition, to build strong visual foundations.
After Effects: Exploring the Motion Design Workflow
Develop a clean and efficient workflow inside After Effects, covering asset organization, keyframe control, and compositing techniques.
Compositing, Visual Effects & Refinement
Enhance depth and polish through layering, blending, and subtle VFX to achieve a cohesive and refined final look.
Audio Sync, Editing & Final Delivery
Synchronize motion precisely to music, refine pacing and color, and export a complete, portfolio-ready animated piece.
- Section 01
OT
01. Orientation- Instructor introduction - Class objectives and learning outcomes - Software requirements & walkthrough
- Section 02
Ideation
02. Ideation for Music Video Production- What is ideation? - How to ideate for a project / song analysis - How to maintain "flow"
03. Reference Gathering & Creating Moodboards- Gathering inspiration that is relevant to your song (pictures, fonts, animation, etc) - Where to find a good reference / inspiration - How to create your own reference - Websites / apps: Miro, PureRef - How to arrange visual moodboards to suit your theme - Showing how to combine multiple sources of inspiration - Creating rough visual deck for our final project
- Section 03
Pre-Production
04. What is Pre-Production?- What entails pre-production in music video productions? - Exploring storyboarding, styleframes and animatics
05. Concept Boarding- Exploring the best way to organize your idea - Visual drafting your character, background and story
06. Storyboarding- Basics:Terminology, Setup & Software - What makes a good storyboard? - Creating storyboards
07. Styleframes- Basics:Terminology, Setup & Software - Applying Color Theory, Shape Design, Layering - Creating animation-ready styleframes
08. Asset Prep & Production Planning- Naming convention & good housekeeping - Creating a shotlist - Prepping your assets for import into AE
- Section 04
After Effects I: Basics
09. Workspace Setup- Introduction to After Effects - Important Tabs & Windows - Importing your storyboards - Project Viewer: Housekeeping & Organization - Saving your file to the optimal destination
10. Comps & Layers- Introduction to Comps - Creating your first comp - Shortcuts
11. Rendering & Exporting I- Introduction to Render Queue - File types, render settings, output module & destination - Exporting your first comp
- Section 05
After Effects II: Animation
12. Setup- Importing your styleframes / assets - Vectorizing your styleframes - Useful plugins for motion design
13. Rigging- Character rigging in After Effects
14. Animation I: Blocking- Introduction to keyframes & interpolation - Shape Layers, Layer Transform, Parenting & 3D - Text Layers & Typography - Blocking out final animation & shot layout
15. Animation II: Refining- Playing with framerate - Introduction to Expressions - Most commonly used presets & expressions
16. VFX- After Effects organic VFX - Tips and trick for creating dynamic yet cohesieve VFX
17. [BONUS] 3D VFX- 3D VFX in Blender and After Effects
18. Compositing- Curves, blurs, glows - Expressions, Layer Modes, Track Mattes & Sampling - Most commonly used presets & expressions
19. Rendering & Exporting II- Rendering for final edit - Exporting your animation
- Section 06
Editing
20. Setup- Exploring different editing software - Importing your assets into the project
21. Audio Sync & Timing- Timing your assets correctly to the song - Transitions & Cuts
22. Exporting- Export & audio settings - Ideal formats for different platforms
- Section 07
Conclusion
23. My Journey as an Artist- My personal milestones as an artist - Advice for artists just starting out
24. Closing Thoughts on Animation- Future of animation & motion design - The importance of animation in an AI world
This course will use Adobe After Effects (ver.25.1.0+)
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
