Art Direction for Licensed Properties

SPEAKABOOS partnered with Mattel and Hit Entertainment to create fully animated interactive stories out of 4 of their licensed properties: Mike the Knight, Thomas the Tank Engine, Angelina Ballerina and Sid the Science Kid.

As the Art Director working on these projects, my role was to provide our animation team with ready-to-animate character art assets and 6 to 10 backgrounds per story. We had to create 2D assets for Flash animation, using and adapting 3D visual references (character turnarounds and videos) and detailed brand guidelines. In the case of Thomas we had access to the original 3D files.

I sourced and managed the illustrators creating our assets to make sure budget and deadlines were met in a complex production pipeline. Through our producer, I received feedback from the licensors and discussed adjustments to the art as needed until we got their approval.