We regularly bring on co-op students to help build Tapfun. One of the programs that we work with is the Cooperative Education program run by the TDSB. Griffin Nikkel is a grade 12 student in the Cyber Arts program at Don Mills Collegiate. As he is wrapping up his co-op placement, Griffin discusses his experience and future plans.
Take us through your day – what do you actually do?
Well it depends on what stage of a project we are on. If it is near the beginning of a new project I usually will start off by sketching out ideas and concepts for the app in my sketchbook. Then once I have my ideas down I will bring them to Jordy and we will discuss together what we like and don’t like. Once we agree on a direction for the app I then take pictures of my sketches that I later bring into Adobe Illustrator where I start to create the graphics for the game. If we are in the middle of a project or near the end I will usually just conference with Jordy, figure out what aspects of the game we still need and what needs changing and then work to implement those changes.
Describe your creative process?
Usually if I can’t already imagine what I want to do clearly in my head, I will start to sketch out various ideas in my sketchbook and just play around until I get something I like. Then I will re-work it over and over until I am completely satisfied with the concept. Then I take a picture of the sketch with my phone and email the picture to myself instead of spending time scanning. I take that image and import it into Adobe Illustrator to use as a reference when creating the graphics. The style I used was very vector-like and mainly consists of using the pen tool to create different shapes and layer them to create the image of the character or environment.
Take us through your day – what do you actually do?
Well it depends on what stage of a project we are on. If it is near the beginning of a new project I usually will start off by sketching out ideas and concepts for the app in my sketchbook. Then once I have my ideas down I will bring them to Jordy and we will discuss together what we like and don’t like. Once we agree on a direction for the app I then take pictures of my sketches that I later bring into Adobe Illustrator where I start to create the graphics for the game. If we are in the middle of a project or near the end I will usually just conference with Jordy, figure out what aspects of the game we still need and what needs changing and then work to implement those changes.
Describe your creative process?
Usually if I can’t already imagine what I want to do clearly in my head, I will start to sketch out various ideas in my sketchbook and just play around until I get something I like. Then I will re-work it over and over until I am completely satisfied with the concept. Then I take a picture of the sketch with my phone and email the picture to myself instead of spending time scanning. I take that image and import it into Adobe Illustrator to use as a reference when creating the graphics. The style I used was very vector-like and mainly consists of using the pen tool to create different shapes and layer them to create the image of the character or environment.
Can you share a few images from the projects you've worked on?
The images here are just a few of the many characters that I created during my placement at Tapfun.
The images here are just a few of the many characters that I created during my placement at Tapfun.
What is your favourite part about the Tapfun office (located in the Ryerson Digital Media Zone)?
My favourite part of the office is the space itself. It’s a very well equipped office with plenty of workspace and all the tools that you’d ever need. The Digital Media Zone is also great because of the people involved. The space is full of nice people willing to help and there is a lot of creativity going on.
What skill do you think is most important to have as an illustrator / animator?
I think the most important skill to have is creativity. Creativity is a tricky thing because sometimes the ideas flow great and other times it can be a struggle to come up with something cool and new. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how good of an animator / illustrator you are if the things you are creating aren’t interesting in their own way.
What are your plans post-Tapfun?
Starting in September I am attending George Brown College to start my study of game design. I hope to one-day work on big game franchises for consoles like the PlayStation. Before that though, my plans are to find a job so I can pay for my college tuition.
If you are interested in working for Tapfun as a co-op student, please contact us at coop@tapfun.com
My favourite part of the office is the space itself. It’s a very well equipped office with plenty of workspace and all the tools that you’d ever need. The Digital Media Zone is also great because of the people involved. The space is full of nice people willing to help and there is a lot of creativity going on.
What skill do you think is most important to have as an illustrator / animator?
I think the most important skill to have is creativity. Creativity is a tricky thing because sometimes the ideas flow great and other times it can be a struggle to come up with something cool and new. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how good of an animator / illustrator you are if the things you are creating aren’t interesting in their own way.
What are your plans post-Tapfun?
Starting in September I am attending George Brown College to start my study of game design. I hope to one-day work on big game franchises for consoles like the PlayStation. Before that though, my plans are to find a job so I can pay for my college tuition.
If you are interested in working for Tapfun as a co-op student, please contact us at coop@tapfun.com
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