Using my storyboard template, I started by writing out the key poses and actions I wanted to include in the final design. Since it’s a looping GIF, the start and end poses had to be identical. I chose to make the clip four seconds long, so there could be a 1 second hold at both key positions with a 1 second build between each.

After storyboarding, I sketched the design I wanted in my sketchbook. Then, I imported a scanned copy of the sketch to Adobe Illustrator and began tracing my image with the pen tool.

Later, I imported the Illustrator file to Adobe AfterEffects to animate the layers individually. I used a mask to hide the paws while the cat is in the down position and added a glow effect to the pumpkin’s face.