A woman outdoors on a rocky hill under a blue sky, wearing a pink hat with a 'VOTE!' sticker, with digital doodles added around her head.
A woman in a blue jacket walking on rocks in a river surrounded by trees and large boulders.

Hello! My name is Eliza

I’m a Designer, Illustrator and Animator.  I’m here today to chat a little about my process and
maybe inspire some of you to try something new!

Six line drawings of a woman in a swimsuit, each in a different pose, arranged in a 2x3 grid on a blue background.
Minimalist green line drawing of a tree on a grassy hill.

My process is —

Collage of various paper cut-outs including a black-and-white mountain photograph, colorful abstract mountain sketches, a leaf, and a page with red chair sketches, arranged on a white background.
Sequence of a person walking, shown in different steps from left to right.

I am MESSY and LOVE to PLAY

Reflection of my interest in the natural world. Curiosity and observation takes me many places.

  • Textures of my environment

  • The way water moves.

  • Wind in the trees.

  • Going Micro - how does an ant see the world?

  • Going Macro - Brids eye view?

Colorful background with the text 'Bellingham Exit' in bold, and purple cartoon hands reaching out from the right side of the text.

I love to draw the same thing over and over again.
The variety in shape creates movement and action. Can you create motion in a still image?

My world

A little about my background! I’m a self taught animator. I’ve taken some classes with School of Motion to hone in my After effects technical skills. I use a mix of Procreate, Photoshop and After Effects to put together my animations.

Animation is simply a collection of still images played one after the other

I was initially drawn to animation because my illustration work is interested in movement. I love the idea of starting with some scribbles and coming out the other side with a totally new idea. I’m a perfectionist so working this way feels really good, it loosens me up and always has fun results.

ANIMATION
THAT
INSPIRES
ME.

I take a lot of reference photos!

Line drawing of four flowers on a grassy patch, with a green tie-dye background

Sometimes its simple.

Draw from what brings you happiness. I love to dance! I also love to think about the play between night and day.

Collage can be a really fun way to play around with imagery. I animated it as if it were rolling to show a passing of time.

I love the nostalgia of collage and how it makes me feel connected to the process of making things.

How does it tell a story? How does the absence of color or adding color add to the narrative.

Sunset view over a body of water with rippling waves and an island or landmass in the distance.
A piece of paper with handwritten or typed notes about a trail or mountain pass, mentioning a route to Dumbbell Lake, 13 miles, a 7-hour hike, a summit at 5600 feet, a gain of 1200 feet in elevation, and a trip duration from mid-July through November, suggesting information related to backpacking or hiking.

My initial challenge to myself was how can I create an animation from only a couple photos. I love abstracting images to become textures. The results ended up mimicking the ocean tides.

Drawing over a photos to create other realities. I like making images into textures as background images

Sunset over a body of water with a boat wake and a distant landmass, with a partly cloudy sky.
Handwritten tic-tac-toe game with X and O marks, some with smiley faces and question marks.
A simple drawing of the word 'cool' inside a square, with a face made of dots and a curved line for a smile.

Marine Buffard

Beautiful frame by frame animation

Two people outdoors wearing tie-dye shirts, one with a mouthful of an orange and the other holding two oranges in front of their eyes.

Unlimited Time Only

Creative studio based in Minneapolis. Known for their use of muli media in their work

Epson label printer with black control panel and power button on the front
A series of photos capturing the changing ripples and reflections on the surface of a lake, with trees and blue sky reflected in the water, posted on a phone photo gallery with the date July 18, 2023, and labeled as Fragrance Lake.
A series of photos showing a person setting up a campsite on Long Beach, with driftwood structures and a cooler, with a forest background.
A sequence of photos taken from a kayak on a body of water, with a green forested shoreline in the distance. The water is calm with small ripples, and the photos are taken during daytime under a clear blue sky. The images are organized in a grid pattern.

Lets play around with something similar!

Drawing of a person skateboarding with the word 'THRASHER' written above in stylized letters.

Leon Washere

A master of hand rotoscoping and collage in design. The process of creating animated sequences by tracing over live-action footage frame by frame.

The product is in the process

Its easy to get caught up in the end result. The magic in the unknown, the idea that pops into your head that you have to put on paper. Seeing it all come together in the end is the cherry on top.

Angela Kirkwood

Great example of excellent posing / timing / spacing

A piece of yellowish beige plastic with two small stones on it, lying on a gravel surface.

I love going down to the beach and making faces on rocks. Stop motion can be a great way to capture emotion.

A cartoon pink creature with a yellow nose, large eyes with black pupils, and orange lips, set against a green background.
A blurred image with the text 'The Morning Letter' surrounded by daisies.

Different ways to play with animation techniques.

I like to give myself restrictions during the process. This allows me to really focus on one techniques. Some of the techniques I’ve seen before others I make up as I go.

Two black monstera leaves on a transparent background.

Give everything legs! Everything is alive!

Black and white doodle of a cat with a ball of yarn

Line animation

I have a whole world of characters in my head I love to combine their world with the world I find myself in. This was taken mid winter when we all needed a little sun.

ABSTRACTION!

How can a pattern become an animation? Or vice versa
Add Blurring effects/ Add Noise/ duplicate/ reflect/Zoom in/ Zoom out

Abstract swirling pattern with pastel colors including pink, purple, green, blue, and orange.
Black and white line drawing of a person with arms raised, standing on a hill, with a sun and clouds in the sky

How can type represent a mood?

A black and white diagram illustrating the process of photosynthesis in a plant cell, including sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, chloroplasts, and the production of oxygen and glucose.

Two Frames can take you a long ways!

Hand holding multiple overlapping black-and-white photographs and maps.
Pair of scissors with red handles and silver blades.
Gray background with a white line drawing of a smiling sun with rays, walking with legs and arms.
Black and white illustration of a person awake in bed with a clock showing 2:00.
A colorful abstract design with green background and blue swirling shapes, featuring the website URL www.eizacarver.com in white text.

Commercial Projects

These projects are a reflection of an ongoing career with my personal animation style. I try project into the world the projects I want to be commissioned for. I like working with brands who aren’t afraid to be creative and out of the box thinkers. I’ve been very lucky to have interest my in music and love of the outdoors keep on fueling my work.

SKIDA

Ask / Ten days of Tubular ad campaign

SANUK

On going animation work playful multimedia projects

A tropical scene with palm trees against a cloudy sky, with the words 'Spring 2023' in green, stylized text, and legs wearing colorful sneakers relaxed on the ground.
Text logo that reads "COZY VIBES" in dark blue letters on a light gray background.
Invitation for Sanuk's Fall 2022 virtual brand conference, with a yellow background, decorative orange border, and a central brown and yellow square with the event information.

Logo animations

A couple examples of some logos I’ve designed and made into loops

Silhouette of a watering can pouring water onto a plant.
Black panther with yellow eyes

LEEPLEP SHIRT DESIGN

Social media and shirt design for Leeplep a skate park

A black and white photograph of a monarch butterfly perched on a plant.

Step 1 / cut out shapes

Collage of four cutout images related to winter: a snow-covered mountain with trees, a skier on a snowy slope, a close-up of a blue and white floral pattern, and a snowy landscape with a tree and a cloud.

Step 2 / Arrange shapes

Collage of snow-covered mountain, skier in action, and a stylized blue and white floral pattern.
Snowy mountain scene with three skiers, abstract mountain shapes, and the text 'Tubular Deals' in light blue.
Spring 2020 poster with black stylized text on a green background and smaller text reading 'sanük' at the bottom.
Logo with a woman in a swimsuit reclining on a large flower, with the text 'Proud to be Queer' in a circular arrangement around the graphic.
A poster for Leeplep Skatepark featuring orange butterfly and skateboard illustrations on a black background.

NORTH WEST AVALANCHE CENTER

Ask / Membership Card & Giving Tuesday Social media posts

Digital illustration with mountains, trees, rainbows, snowflakes, and abstract shapes, featuring a blue tree, and the NWAC logo with a snowflake and the text "A MEMBERSHIP JUST FOR YOU."

Music Video

Some graphics for Leah Woods music

A black and white diagram of the solar system with labeled planets orbiting the sun.

TAKE AWAYS

  • Play Play Play

  • Make something with no intension of an end product.

  • Try out different mediums and let them inspire your process.

  • Let your environment shape your work

  • Give yourself rules and restrictions during your process and let that lead the way.

  • Trust your gut