Animator / Motion artistUnited States · Worldwide

I make ideasmove, reactand feel alive.

Character animation, stylized CGI and motion-driven stories for films, brands, studios and screens.

Explore work
Cinematic animated character holding a glowing creature SHOT 014 / ENV + CHARACTER
Graphic two-dimensional character action frame
2D / pose + timing
Facial rig development views
3D / rig + expression
01—24

Software creates frames. Timing creates personality. Staging creates clarity. Performance creates connection.

Selected worlds / 2D + 3D

Work built around movement, not decoration.

Each project is presented as a distinct visual world—character, environment, rhythm and finish working together.

Stylized 3D filmDirection / animation / lightingConcept study

The Last
Canopy

A stylized world is built around scale, atmosphere and a single visual destination. Restrained movement lets the environment carry the emotion.

2D character shortDesign / animation / compositingConcept study

After
the call

One character, one room, one emotional shift. Graphic poses and camera rhythm carry the story before the dialogue does.

Animated ensemble characters in a forest
Final ensemble staging / shot 028
Character expression sketches
Expression map
Environment development artwork
Environment language
Hold eye-line
for 06 frames
Stagger reactions
Character ensemblePerformance / staging / look devConcept study

Forest
Chorus

A crowded cast stays readable through silhouette, eye-line and deliberately staggered reactions.

2D visual narrativeDesign / animation / transitionsConcept study

Parallel
Lives

Contrasting spaces, repeated silhouettes and controlled transitions turn one character journey into a cohesive visual rhythm.

Creature performanceAnimation / facial rig / cinematicsConcept study

Ash &
Scale

Weight, eye-line and restraint make an impossible creature feel present before spectacle takes over.

One artist / three visual languages

2D instinct.
3D depth.
One point of view.

Graphic 2D character action framePOSE / TIMING / SILHOUETTE

2D character animation

Every line should carry intention.

Strong poses, clean silhouettes and timing that reveals thought before movement. From rough thumbnails to final compositing.

  • Character design
  • Storyboards
  • Key poses
  • Frame-by-frame

Performance breakdown / facial system

The final expression starts inside the rig.

Drag to move from technical structure to final performance.

Facial rig and wireframe views
Final cinematic character performance
Rig / setupFinal / performance

From first mark to final frame

A process built to protect the idea.

Each stage answers a different question. Nothing moves forward until the story reads clearly.

  1. 01

    Direction

    Define the feeling, audience and visual rules before making frames.

    WHY
  2. 02

    Boards

    Find the strongest staging, pose and transition with the cheapest possible marks.

    WHAT
  3. 03

    Animatic

    Lock rhythm and editorial intent before detail creates attachment.

    WHEN
  4. 04

    Build

    Illustrate, model, rig and design only what the camera and performance need.

    HOW
  5. 05

    Animate

    Move from readable blocking to controlled arcs, overlap and expression.

    MOVE
  6. 06

    Finish

    Lighting, effects, compositing and sound pull every decision into one world.

    FEEL
Animated character in a stylized interior
Character / environment / visual rhythm
Stylized character development artwork
From sketch to screen

About Dylan

Obsessed with movement, character and visual rhythm.

I work across 2D, 3D and motion design, building animated worlds for studios, brands and independent productions. Sometimes that starts with a rough pencil pose. Sometimes it starts with a fully modelled scene. The goal is always the same: make the audience feel something.

Based
United States
Working
Worldwide / remote
Focus
Character + stylized CGI
Blender · Maya · Cinema 4D · Houdini · Unreal · After Effects · Toon Boom · DaVinci Resolve

Start a project

Have a story that needs to move?

Tell me what you are creating, where it will be seen and what you want the audience to feel.

hello@dylancross.studio

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DC / SHOWREEL

Spring — environment & character

Animation reel poster
01

Stylized 3D film

The Last Canopy

Challenge

Approach

Outcome