tHom DeQuin
Animator / Illustrator / Artist
About Me
I got into animation after my love for the Wallace and Gromit films. I didn’t get into working in animation till 2012 when I realised it was a job possibility. After that I spent my time learning, making, and jumping at any opportunity offered to me. I have now freelanced for 10 years, working on amazing projects for great clients. Freelancing has given me the opportunities to work on a variety of company animations, but also allowed exploration into more art based projects.
When I’m not working on a project, I use my time either playing games or watching films. Currently enjoying some old games, I missed out on when I was younger. As for my favourite film, that would have to be Evil Dead 2, and naturally Wallace and Gromit The Wrong Trousers.
I like all the parts that goes into animation and film, so becoming a generalist make sense. I would describe myself as a picture maker, enjoying building a scene and help to show and not tell. My work is representational if I had to decide, I like showing bits of reality.
I have spent my years bouncing around different teams and thoroughly enjoying the experiences I have gained. I have in the last couple years filling in the lead rolls, but I am still happy to pull my weight as a team member. My team style is an active listener and making sure everyone gets heard. As a freelancer, as many do, I have had to work solo on projects. One of skills I have from this is staying motivated and hitting deadlines on time. Working on solo projects have given me experiance in each part of the animation pipline.
My preferred part of animation is the old classic, character animation, but, editing and effects building have become a big interest in what I do.
Education
2019 - 2020
Animation MA
Northumbria University
Started the course learining about augmented reality. I made apps to play AR animations from and learning a bit of game design to further my reasurch on AR.
The other half of my year was directing a short film during lockdown.
2014 - 2015
Bachelor of Arts (BA) Creative Enterprise (Digital Media)
Newcastle College
I spent the time getting into freelancing and improving my skills. Also getting work experiance from local studios and artists.
My studies was spent reasurching films and how styles are infulanced by culture and the histery of where they are made.
2012 - 2014
Foundation Degree in Arts, Animation
Newcastle College
I learned the basics of animation for the first year. I also got into 3D animation during this time. My last year was spent refining my skills in digital animation and putting together my first film. My last year was also used to start my internship at SHIFT Creative, were I learned about advertising.
2011 - 2012
UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)
Newcastle College
Spent half the year learning different creative disciplines, for example, photography, ceramics, and graphics design. Then I chose to spent the last half of the year specialising in graphic design.
Experience
2021 - 2023
University Cambridge
Cambridge University Library
My duties for this role were to create video content for their online archive of Laurence Sterne. I worked with the literature and archive departments from Northumbria University to help them script out the project. I worked on all the
pre-production and post-production. The 2.5D animation was made in After Effects, using the assets from the Cambridge archive.
2017 - 2023
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Mainly composed of giving talks and tours of different artists and heritage of the building and surrounding area. Assisted in the archive video production. Produced and edited videos for their digital tours and artist talks. Attended meetings with the heads of departments about different areas of the building and what they need. Learned more about camera technique and producing talking heads.
2016 - 2022
Equal Arts
One Housing Group Ltd.
Worked with One Housing Group Ltd. Directed and created videos with vulnerable people. Advised and made an instructional guide for participants on how to do self-filming and how to do it within the style guide.
2014 - 2021
Ampersand Inventions
One of the studio room managers and Head of Digital Arts. I managed a studio room directly under the Floor and Building Director. Delivered workshops on different video producing software and co started the life drawing class. Advised on digital media related topics. Produced video content for the building.
2020
Northumbria University
Produced video content for their new intake of students to welcome them but also instruct them on the new Covid safety measures. Helped script and was part of the discussion with the communications team on what the content should be. Used Adobe After Effects for the edit and animate.
2019 - 2020
National Trust
Seaton Delaval Hall
Made advertising videos for Seaton Delaval Hall for their new cafe and branding. My roles included scripting, producing, and editing the videos. Worked with National Trust to decide on what needed to be done and create the brief to then lead a small team of animators. Regularly attended meetings with the communications team.
2019 - 2022
Gateshead Council
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gateshead Millennium Bridge opening, Gateshead Council’s Arts Team commissioned artist me to create a film to mark the occasion.
200 people from Gateshead, the wider region and visitors to Gateshead Quays took part, each wearing a specially designed t-shirt, featuring a frame from the animation I made
2019 - 2021
Wayne Sables Project
I worked on different video projects, from projection mapping to music videos. One project had me work on an introduction video for perspective parents looking to adopt a child. The project had me making several videos for them.
2017 - 2018
The Royal Society of Science
I had to make a video for the toxicology department. It was a brief intro into the subject and what you can learn. I scripted, storyboarded, and edited. I learned a lot about working with big teams and unexpected deadline changes, as we originally had 6 months, but it had been cut to 2. Having to adapt quickly was how this project got completed with success.
2014 - 2015
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
One of the animationrs for the film 'We make the Angel of Aberstwyth fly'. I made half animation using hand drawn frame by frame animtion.
The work was made as part of an installation at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre for their Connect 2 programme. The animation was Devised by Chris Folwell working with me and another animator Emma Inglis. The 280 perspex pieces were shown in the gallery and then at the end of the show the people who are in shot could come and collect and keep the image.