Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Jeroen Koelewijn and I'm an animator from The Netherlands. I specialize in funny drawn animations, but I also make unfunny stuff when I feel like it.
In 2018 I graduated from the Utrecht University of the Arts with my thesis film Cake Day, which screened at various international festivals and during commercial breaks on Cartoon Network in the Benelux area.
Currently I make a living as a freelance animator for various clients and I also supervise workshops for kids at local libraries. Aside from that I work on my own animated projects. They take a looong time to make, but are a great creative outlet in my free time.
What hardware do you use?
I always start with a simple paper and pencil to get the creative juices flowing. The softer the lead the better. Starting on the computer feels restrictive when coming up with stuff, and most of the day is spent behind a screen anyway so it's nice to be unplugged from time to time.
My PC runs Windows 10, and it uses an AMD Ryzen 5 processor with 16GB of RAM. The GPU is an AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. I don't know a whole lot about computer parts and what's best, but I know this gets my work done with ease and allows me to play videogames during offtime! Which is also important!
Where the real magic happens is my Wacom Cintiq 13HD drawing screen. It's an older model at this point but it has served me well and it still is. I use the standard Wacom pen with spring loaded tips.
And what software?
TvPaint 11 is my bread and butter. It's what I use for all my animations at the moment. The finishing touches and editing I do with Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. Another little piece of software I use often is MPEG Streamclip, which lets me convert videos to different formats on the fly.
What would be your dream setup?
Honestly, my dream setup would start with more space! If I had a larger working space I would love to have a larger drawing screen. The Wacom Cintiq Pro 32 seems to be the biggest and baddest one of them all and I'd love to give it a spin sometime.
Aside from that I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on.