Tisch sophomore Aidan Terry’s affinity for drawing began when he was a child and has grown ever since. Inspired by Disney movies and animators like Milt Kahl and Glen Keane, Terry began to animate at a young age and created his first short film when he was just 10 years old. Now an animation major at the Tisch School of the Arts, Terry is well on his way to being able to do what he does best — a few hundred sheets of paper at a time.
1. Paper
The most abundant and probably most important item in Terry’s bag is paper. Aside from various sketchbooks, which he uses for practice and thumbnails, he also carries many sheets of whole-punched animation paper.
“There [are] 24 frames in a second. I like to animate on ones, which means there’s one frame, and you draw every single frame,” Terry said. “Everything looks better and more life-like if it’s animated on ones, so I use twice as much paper as I could be using.”
2. Pencils and markers
Terry also carries around various art supplies that he uses in drawing and animation. There are, as can be expected, different types of pencils of various graphite densities. Terry prefers HB brand pencils as well as 4H and 6H pencils, which appear much lighter on paper. He also carries colored markers.
3. Tape
Terry carries tape, which he uses when drawing. In animation, it is important to keep the drawings in each frame consistent, so he needs to keep his paper still as he draws characters and then traces over them.
4. iPhone
Terry’s iPhone is always in his backpack, but he does not use it like most of his peers. He uses his phone and a stylus, a writing utensil for his screen, to help him draw.
“Honestly, I don’t even want the phone,” Terry said. “Someone told me to get Draw Something, so I did that, and I was getting really tired of drawing with my fingers. I never liked finger painting, so I sprung for a stylus, and that’s what I use it for [as well as an] app called animation desk, which lets you do animations.”
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Nov. 5 print edition. Alexandra Connolly is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
