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Serena Valerio

Serena Valerio

She/Her

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Hey there! I’m Serena, an illustrator and motion designer based in the lively city of Hamilton, Ontario. I find inspiration in nature and life’s crazy experiences to create captivating and vibrant illustrations that can tell any story. My creative journey has currently led me to be a part of the dynamic team at Thought Café. Here I contribute my passion for storytelling through illustration and collaborate on graphics for the renowned YouTube channel Crash Course. When I’m not drawing, I’m probably cuddling one of my cats, binging the next anime series or trying not to kill another house plant.

I had the privilege of

  creating baby animal characters for Universal Music Canada’s series Lullavibes, an enchanting series of sleeping animals set to popular pop song lullabies for Spotify. Teaming up with the talented folks at Good Form, I was in charge of the design for each character while they skillfully handled the 3D side of things, such as the character modelling, texturing, and lighting.

In collaboration with the talented team at JAXX Studio

  I served as the lead illustrator for an HGTV series project. I was tasked to set the visual style for the series’ animation sequences, working on half of the show’s episodes alongside another illustrator. Working from visual references, I designed the environments and props for each room and prepared every Photoshop file for seamless integration for After Effects animation. Working collaboratively with the team, we ensured that each design was meticulously refined to align with the show’s branding and resonate with the target audience.
This project was the final assignment I completed for School of Motion’s Animation Bootcamp, a 12 week course that I successfully completed at the start of 2023, helping me expand and refine my motion design skillset in After Effects.