Photo by Carl Justice ’21 | Nathan Zonn ’21, Rajveer Walia ’21, and Dean Kobs ’20 work on animation during a meeting.
By Carl Justice ’21
THE ROUNDUP
At the beginning of the year, two different animation clubs were created at Brophy.
Dean Kobs ’20 created a club with Mr. Steve Smith ’96, and Nathan Zonn ’21 and Rajveer Walia ’21 created a club with Mr. Cooper Davis ’10. Once they were asked to band together, the clubs decided to do so and have not looked back since.
Zonn and Kobs have taken on leadership roles within the club, which alternates weeks meeting in Mr. Davis’s and Mr. Smith’s rooms.
“The purpose of animation club is to have artists at Brophy who are interested in animation come together to create a project,” Kobs said. “Animation club is also a place to discuss the process behind what goes into making an animated video, and it is a place where different artists and their various styles can come and blend together to create a great product.”
Zonn believes that the club has developed into a great place. “Our club doesn’t only build a community of people who are passionate about animation, but it also perfectly exemplifies the creative diversity among students at Brophy,” Zonn said. “Everybody feels supported in their creative efforts, and I think that’s where our club really shines the most.”
The club is currently working on a project related to outer space.
“It is a video following an astronaut flying from planet to planet, and each planet is done by a different person,” Kobs said. “We want to have each planet drawn in each artist’s respective style, with the same story of the astronaut traveling to each one.”
“This project will truly showcase all the club member’s artistic variety; it will encompass the wide array of creativity Brophy’s students have,” Zonn said.
The club animates in a few different ways, though Zonn said that the most common type of animation done in the club is by onion-skin paper.
“Most members of the club are doing a traditional style of animation- layering drawings over transparent onion-skin paper with pencil and transferring those frames to a program to string them together,” Zonn said.
Kobs furthered that each drawing is drawn on paper. Animation is usually accompanied by some sort of light shining underneath the paper, allowing you to see through it to other, previously-drawn frames, Kobs said.
Zonn is animating using a different method. “I’m animating via digital means, and everything will be sketched out and refined in a digital drawing program, such as Adobe Animate,” Zonn said.
Despite this, the club will allow any type of animation to be completed.
Mr. Davis said that he is not directly involved in the animation process. He explained that it is because of the great leadership Zonn and Kobs provide, allowing the club to operate on its own.
Overall, Zonn believes that the animation club is a place where everyone is passionate about what they are doing, which allows it to be a special place.
“Animation club is always looking for more artists of all kinds interested in creating together. We aim to complement artists’ individualistic diversity,” Kobs said.
