It is recommended to view this website on a computer.
Click the button below to begin viewing the portfolio.

Dane Zalsos
(or: "renn.ai.ssance")
animator, storyboard artist, narrative writer

Main Page

About Me

LIFE STUDIES

Studies are listed in chronological order.

Main Page

About Me

ILLUSTRATIONS

Illustrations are displayed in chronological order.

MOVEMENT

DIGITAL ILLUSTRATIONS

moments caught in time

MAIN SCENARIO

PHYSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS

moments caught from time

Main Page

About Me

ANIMATIONS, STORYBOARDS, & ANIMATICS

Animations are listed in order from most to least recent.

Main Page

About Me

"The Arsonist" (2021)

THE ARSONIST

Time spent animating/compositing:
~2 weeks
Video runtime:
57 seconds
Number of frames in total:
N/A - frames were not accessible

INSPIRATIONS & CONCEPTS

The color palette in the video was taken from the single's cover.

animation test #3

Main Page

About Me

"HONOR & VALOR"
(2024)

HONOR & VALOR (CONCEPT VIDEO)

Time spent animating (including boards and roughs):
~3 months
Video runtime:
1 minute, 45 seconds
Number of frames in total:
2,520 frames
* As suggested, this animation is not made with a concrete story. It serves only for visual, auditory, and character-driven concepts.

CONCEPTS

THE VALOR SIBLINGS - FIRST SKETCHES AND TESTS

BEHIND THE SCENES

Rotoscope reference: Jung Kook of BTS

rotoscope clip

thumbnails

"test" animation

storyboard

roughs

backgrounds

Main Page

About Me

"HOPE WORLD"
(2025)

HOPE WORLD

Time spent animating (including boards and roughs):
~2-3 months
Video runtime:
1 minute, 27 seconds
Number of frames in total:
2,080 frames

BEHIND THE SCENES

* Note for the Following Images: the artist cannot properly read or write korean. many characters and phrases are hand-copied directly from the song which inspired this animatic.

Hope World is paired with a physical art piece, and both were made within the same timeframe. Search for "Hope World: The Reality" in the Illustrations Gallery.

Thumbnails

Storyboard Drafts, Tween Tests, and Effects Tests (Video Clips)

Camera Test

Final Product

Thumbnails

Storyboard Drafts, Tween Tests, & Color Tests (Video Clips)

Camera Test & Impact Frame ("Sakuga") Setup

Final Product

Main Page

About Me

VISUAL DESIGNS

ABOUT THE ARTIST

"So why animation?
... Because it is a retelling of the world i love."

- excerpt from Dane's personal statement

Dane Zalsos is an animator, storyboard artist, and writer based in the city of Glendale, California. Enamored by culture, and appreciative of history, she has lived life in music, fell in love with both animated and live-action films, and spent almost all her life with a pen or pencil in her hand.Born into a Filipino household in the city of Los Angeles, Dane's childhood was spent observing the world around her. She excelled in language studies, sociological research, and the visual arts. Her most robust skill, however, lies in her acute understanding of animation and storytelling. Obsessed with the development of contemporary social, scientific, and artistic movements, Dane is not one to gloss over her inspirations when creating her work.Commonly going by the nickname Renn, both as an online moniker and an artist name, Dane strives to tell the world how she sees it in her eyes. Most of her work is inspired by one word: "Renaissance." Driven by the constant fight to keep artistic passions alive, it is her mission to bring a heartfelt touch of her own to the screen. She does this best by pushing the limits of movement, showing that there is comfort between the big changes in the world.Renn's specialties lie with the Japanese term sakuga, a word which translates to "animation," but has garnered attention in the Western animation scene as anime has become popularized. It is most often used to refer to high-action, well-produced animated scenes that are directed with exact precision. With this in mind, Renn uses sakuga to communicate her exact intentions, and trusts her audience to understand what she wants to say.Renn's mind is always working even when her hands aren't. In her free time, she can be found seeking inspiration through her favorite video games or analyzing her most beloved animated movies, anime shows, and TV series. If not studying digital media, Dane enjoys her downtime by rereading old favorite books, discovering new stories within the genre of fantasy/sci-fi, or exercising her own creative writing skills.

Main Page

Artist Page