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Melanie Tan

@schmertt

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🍳 Just your friendly neighbourhood story artist!🍳
OUT NOW Whale Fall: An original animatic pilot
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I just wanted to talk a little bit about the next story I am looking to develop out. Presenting: Symbiosis!

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ve definitely seen these OCs floating around my feed or my Instagram stories. I conceptualised the very first iteration of this story all the way back in 2019 towards the end of high school and since then it’s really stuck around and has basically been in secondary development throughout every other story I’ve told so far.

I never felt I was mature enough as an artist or person to be able to tackle this story to the level I wanted. However, I finally now feel I am at the right place and time to start. Especially with being able to complete Whale Fall, I now have confidence knowing that I have the tenacity to chip away at a story that I really care about.

Just based on design I think you can very easily tell what my favourite media is lol, but it’s the characters in this that make it special for me. They are very near and dear to my heart so I want to wrap them up in a story that suits the love and care I have for them. I fully expect the research and development stage of this to take far longer than Whale Fall to be honest cos there’s a lot I want to convey, it will take a lot of skill-building and in-depth research to express effectively and faithfully, and I am transitioning careers all at the same time so I know I won’t have as much free time to tackle it as I did with Whale Fall. However, I’m not kidding when I say I’ve often thought to myself that if I never get to tell another story for the rest of my life except one, I want it to be this one 💚🤍💜

I’m hoping to also be a bit more open about the research and development of this project cos I don’t think I’m built to do another 2-year self-imposed NDA hahaha, especially when I don’t know how long it will take to develop this out to a level I am happy with.

So I hope you stick with me for another wild ride! 🙂‍↕️

If another project gets announced called Symbiosis while I’m developing this story again, GUESS I’LL DIE 🤡🔫

#indieanimation #storyboard #storyboardartist #storyboarding #storyartist

It was very embarrassing to go through these old dra by @schmertt

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3 days ago

Two undersea scavengers discover the corpse of a whale hiding a devious secret…

After 2 years of work, Whale Fall is released! Truly thank you all for your love and support on this journey. The screening was last night and there was an insane turnout of 113 people that I never could’ve guessed would happen. Thank you all for viewing my film and my art, I think this is all the child in me ever wanted - my cheekbones literally hurt from smiling so much. I’m so happy people enjoyed the project and so happy people connected with my story ❤️ To everyone who told me their own struggles within the arts industry as well, my heart really goes out to all of you, I hope we can all find the strength to keep creating even in the hardest of times.

Whoever is reading this, I hope to attend your screening next. Never give up and keep creating!!! 🫶🫶🔥

Thank you to @islafdavies and @kav.zam for lending me their voice talents for the project, and my cousin @dhln_yaeng for composing some beautiful original tracks for the project ❤️

If you haven’t seen the film yet it is out now on YouTube! (Link in Bio)

If you enjoyed the project and feel like throwing me a dime to support I have a Ko-Fi (Link also in Bio)

But regardless, all I ever wanted was to be seen for my art - so simply your support in viewing the project is more than enough for me. 🐋❤️

#storyboard #storyboardartist #animatic #indieanimation #art by @schmertt

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18 days ago

This is absolutely insane and so unexpected. I keep saying it but genuinely thank you so much everyone for viewing my art 😭😭😭😭😭 I’m so happy everyone is enjoying it all as well 🫶

To go from being at an absolute rock bottom last year and working in my room alone for the past 2 years on Whale Fall, to this. I can’t describe how gratifying that feels 🥹

Everyone has also been so sweet and supportive in the comments, you guys are all so nice 😭😭 THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️

#indieanimation #animatic #storyboard #storyboardartist #storyboarding by @schmertt

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10 days ago

What might one encounter in the deepest crevices of the ocean?

Music by Dylan Heng (@dhln_yaeng)

My final teaser poster before Whale Fall releases this weekend! I can’t wait for this project to finally see the light of day, and I hope you all enjoy it 🫶

These will be the last couple days you can purchase a ticket to the screening this Saturday! It would mean the world to me if you came along to celebrate this milestone and release with me right before it drops online (Link in Bio) 😊

#storyboardartist #storyboard #animatic #indieanimation #art by @schmertt

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21 days ago

Glowing green in the darkest of depths, the ebb and flow of its beating pulse can be heard…

We are less than one week away from release!!! AHHH 😭😭😭 This is truly so exciting and scary at the same time. The YouTube Premiere is set to go live this Sunday 8am AEST and my theatre screening is this Saturday!!! There are still tickets available if you would like to come 😊

#storyboardartist #storyboard #art #animatic #indieanimation by @schmertt

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24 days ago

A creature’s curosity can be a dangerous thing.

Submitting the film to the theatre tomorrow and the screening is the following week! Can’t believe I’ve made it all the way here 🥹 The journey is almost over… 🥺

#storyboardartist #storyboard #animatic #indieanimation #art by @schmertt

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a month ago

What secrets are hidden below the surface?

Music by Dylan Heng (@dhln_yaeng)

Another teaser as we count down through the final few weeks before Whale Fall releases! I think I’m slowly starting to actually feel the weight of this release now… 2 years gone by in the blink of an eye! Just making the last of my edit changes this week and will be handing the final film over to the theatre next week which is super exciting and scary 🥹🥹🥹

Tickets to the debut theatre screening are still available! (Link in Bio) ☺️

#storyboardartist #storyboard #animatic #indieanimation #storyboarding by @schmertt

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a month ago

An echo from the abyss called to her, so down she dove - deeper… and deeper…

Music by Dylan Heng (@dhln_yaeng)

Another teaser for Whale Fall!! I’m in super crunch mode right now as I work towards the deadline for submission to the theatre, but doing my best to keep my head above the water, not long to go now! 🥹🥹

Tickets for the theatre screening are still available! Link in bio as usual 😎

#storyboardartist #storyboard #animatic #indieanimation #storyartist by @schmertt

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a month ago

Above the canopy of the seagrass forest the two searched left and right, unbeknownst to what laid below…

Music by Dylan Heng (@dhln_yaeng)

Week by week I’ll be counting down towards Whale Fall’s release with a new teaser poster! 👀 I’ve been very excited to share all of them because I’ve had them ready since all the way back in June lol! Tickets to my debut screening event are 20% sold, thank you everyone who’s already bought a ticket 🥹🫶 There’s still plenty more room for more people to come! ☺️ You can find a link to the event in my Instagram Bio! 🐋

#storyboardartist #storyboard #animatic #indieanimation #indiefilm by @schmertt

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2 months ago

Just need to clear this up, Whale Fall is an ANIMATIC 😭 If I tried to animate the whole thing oh boy I would be here for a lot longer than 1.5 years lmao

#storyboard #animatic #storyboardartist #art #storyartist by @schmertt

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7 months ago

Reflecting on 2025 PART 3/3

And to tie a bow on things - an expression of gratitude. Finally landing a job with my cafe was one of the most insanely relieving things of the year, no longer having to get by in Sydney by the skin of my teeth while also still having plenty of time to focus on developing Whale Fall. Thank you to my roomie, you’re the best! He’s competing in the BC One Last Chance Cypher this Friday so everyone wish him luck!!!

I already wrote it in the comic but massive shoutout to my mentor Josh Kang @kngstr, besides working on Whale Fall, being able to do the mentorship with him has honestly turned my year around. Awesome artist and even more amazing dude! 🥳

If you got this far, thank you for reading!! Look forward to more art from me now and in the future, I still need to finish Whale Fall lol! ❤️

#storyboard #storyboardartist #storyartist #story #storycomic #comic #relatable #autobiographicalcomic #art #drawing #illustration #storyart #digitalart #digitaldrawing #digitalillustration #personalcomic #storyboardpro by @schmertt

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a year ago

Reflecting on 2025 PART 2/3

As a person who has always viewed themselves as a very driven and determined hard worker, being fired seemingly out of nowhere has got to be one of the most humbling experiences of my life. It truly caused such a ripple effect for the rest of my year and made me question so many things about myself. I decided I wanted to pursue a career in the animation industry back in 2017 when I was in Year 10 and that’s when the chase of the industry and what I thought they wanted from me, began. In the past couple years, especially after graduating from Uni, I noticed a strong sense of dissatisfaction within myself for what my art is or was becoming. “Do I even like my art/my style?” “What even is my artistic voice?” “I only know how to imitate what other people want.” But I never truly had the time or space to sit down with myself and think about what *I* wanted my art to be - focusing on kicking off my would-be career was obviously much more important.

I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone of course, there were a lot of emotionally difficult moments this year. But I can say that it forced me to have the time and space to really think about what I wanted and make a change for myself and my mentality towards art. An immense weight was lifted from me when I was finally able to let it go and finally learn to do this for myself again ❤️ Truly a canon event for the ages, for my art journey haha!

#storyboard #storyboardartist #storyartist #story #storycomic #comic #relatable #autobiographicalcomic #art #drawing #illustration #storyart #digitalart #digitaldrawing #digitalillustration #personalcomic #storyboardpro by @schmertt

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a year ago