Niloufar Vand Rajabpour · JournalShort notes from the studio and the gallery.https://niloart.dixo.uk/Framing the face: where things sithttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/framing-the-face/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/framing-the-face/Why the empty space around a face matters as much as the face.Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTBuilding a portfolio: fewer but betterhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/building-a-portfolio/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/building-a-portfolio/Why ten strong pieces beat fifty average ones, and how to choose.Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTDigital tools: what changes and what does nothttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/digital-tools/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/digital-tools/What a tablet and software make easy, and what still rests in your own hand.Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTA short history of animation: from flipbook to screenhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/animation-history/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/animation-history/How a simple trick of the eye grew into a whole art form.Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom drawing to animation: the bridge few people mentionhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/drawing-to-animation/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/drawing-to-animation/Why a good animator must first be a good draughtsman.Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTStoryboarding: seeing the film before you make ithttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/storyboarding/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/storyboarding/Why every animation begins with a few simple boxes.Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTTiming and spacing: the secret of weight and speedhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/timing-and-spacing/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/timing-and-spacing/Why the number of frames and the gaps between them decide everything.Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTSquash and stretch: how a ball comes alivehttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/squash-and-stretch/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/squash-and-stretch/The single most important principle, with the simplest possible example.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe twelve principles of animation: the alphabet of movementhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/twelve-principles/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/twelve-principles/A tour of the rules Disney’s studio set out that still underpin every believable movement.Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTDaily practice: small but every dayhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/daily-practice/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/daily-practice/Why ten minutes a day beats three hours on the weekend.Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTFrom a photo or from life?https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/photo-vs-life/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/photo-vs-life/What each one teaches you, and why you need both.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTAnimals as characters: a cat that wears a hathttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/animals-as-characters/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/animals-as-characters/How to make an animal human without making it silly.Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTOil paint: patience instead of speedhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/oil-portrait/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/oil-portrait/Why oil is built in layers, and why we work from dark to light.Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTHands: the hardest part, with one simple trickhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/drawing-hands/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/drawing-hands/Why not to start hands with the fingers, and how to build from big shapes.Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTDrawing the eye: a window that must stay alivehttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/drawing-eyes/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/drawing-eyes/Why the catchlight matters more than the lashes, and how to give the gaze direction.Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTValues, not lines: the secret of volumehttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/values-not-lines/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/values-not-lines/Why the real world has no outlines, and how light and dark build form.Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTFace proportions: the map that puts everything in placehttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/face-proportions/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/face-proportions/A few simple rules that help you place the eyes, nose and mouth correctly.Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTPastel on kraft: colour on a warm groundhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/pastel-on-kraft/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/pastel-on-kraft/Why brown paper does half the work, and how to build skin from just three colours.Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTCharcoal: darkness and drama in a portraithttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/charcoal-drama/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/charcoal-drama/Why charcoal suits weathered faces and hard light, and how to draw the light back out with an eraser.Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTKnowing your pencils: from H to Bhttps://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/pencil-grades/https://niloart.dixo.uk/en/journal/pencil-grades/How pencil grade decides your shadows, line and texture, and how few pencils you really need to start.Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT