My First Year at University – A Journey Through Game Art, VFX, and Animation

 My First Year at University – A Journey Through Game Art, VFX, and Animation

Hi everyone!

Today I want to take a moment to reflect on my first year at Escape Studios, where I officially began my journey into the world of game design, animation, and visual effects.
This year was packed with exciting projects, new challenges, and huge learning curves - and looking back, it’s amazing to see how far I’ve already come!

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Song of the day...

Starlight - The Supermen Lovers

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Here's a breakdown of some of the projects I completed during my first year:

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Movement and Narrative – Building Worlds Through Story

In this module, I focused on understanding character movement, storytelling fundamentals, and world-building.

I created a synopsis for a short animation and developed an art bible featuring:

• Character designs
  
  

• Environment concepts
  
  

• Storyboards
  
  

This helped me practice how to tell a compelling story visually laying the foundation for all my future design work.

 

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🎸 3D VFX – Modelling an Acoustic Guitar

For my 3D Visual Effects class, I was tasked with modelling a realistic 3D object.
I chose an acoustic guitar, focusing on:

• Clean topology
  
  

• Realistic proportions
  
  

• Basic texturing techniques
  
  

This project really pushed me to improve my precision and attention to detail in 3D modelling.

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🎥 2D VFX – Composing My First CGI Clip

In 2D VFX, I stepped into the world of motion graphics and CGI composition.
I created a short animated clip, combining:

• Basic 2D animation
  
  

• Layered visual effects
  
  

• Simple compositing techniques
  
  

This module taught me a lot about timing, composition, and how effects can add life to static visuals.

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Animation – My First 2D Animated Short

During my Animation module, I created a short 2D animation — my first ever!
It featured a duel between two samurais, combining:

• Character motion
  
  

• Action storytelling
  
  

• Basic keyframing and techniques
  
  

It was a challenge to bring the characters' movements to life, but it taught me how powerful body language is in visual storytelling.

 

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📺 Team Project – 1960s-Themed Animatic

Working in a team, we developed an animatic based on a 1960s reality show concept.
Our tasks included:

• Developing characters and setting
  
  

• Storyboarding the scenes
  
  

• Composing the animatic with sound and voiceovers
  
  

This project helped me practice collaboration, creative communication, and working to deadlines — all essential skills in the industry!

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🧪 Game Art – Creating a Potion Blade

In the final module of the year, I combined everything I'd learned to design and model a fantasy potion bottle shaped like a blade.

Highlights of the project:

• Concept sketching
  
  

• 3D modelling and UV mapping
  
  

• Texturing for stylized realism
  
  

It was incredibly fun to merge functionality and creativity in one unique item!

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Reflections on My First Year

Looking back, my first year at university taught me so much more than just technical skills — it taught me:

• How to take an idea from concept to final product
  
  

• How to collaborate creatively with others
  
  

• The importance of iteration and feedback in improving my work
  
  

It also helped me find what areas I'm really passionate about: game art, narrative design, and environment/world creation.

I'm excited to keep building on everything I've learned so far as I continue my journey!

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What's Next?

Thanks so much for reading about my first year journey!
I’m currently working on even bigger projects in my second year — including a mobile side-scroller, a Borderlands-inspired diorama, and a racing game with a team.

Stay tuned for detailed breakdowns of those projects soon! 🎮✨

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