It's #InternationalWomensDay !
We want to remind the lovely ladies out there to always be proud of who you are. Be kind, be fierce, be cunning, be adventurous. Find your strength!
And remember, no matter how tough it is to achieve your dream, always strive to reach your ZENITH 💖
The Black Indie Animation scene is only getting bigger! Aya wanted to share just how much she loves you all 🫶🏾💕
Let's continue to make history together!
#HappyBlackHistoryMonth
Psst...🧡
Our second project as Studio FON emerged because our founder kept getting distracted from animating our pilot.
Please follow @taftalks.bsky.social to validate his lore theories or we'll literally never hear the end of it.
Zenith Logo and our main character, Princess Aya!
Latest render of Aya, February 2026
NEW AYA RENDER
Happy #indieanimationday in #blackhistorymonth 2026! This past year, we reworked Aya's model, textures, and rig along with our compositing method to make her look straight out of an anime cel! What do you think? Does she look cool? 💪🏾😁
Happy #IndieAnimationDay everyone! We're ZENITH, a show all about a girl chasing her dream of reaching a giant floating island in the sky and claiming the title of "King of Kings".
To our fellow animators, we hope you were inspired by all the incredible projects around you today!
#ReachYourZenith
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! 🥳
It'd mean the world to me if we could get more followers on my indie project @zenithtas.bsky.social 🧡
And if anyone wants to contribute to said project, we've got a merch store and donate link! Every penny goes in to making this cartoon come to life!
studiofon.myspreadshop.com
studiofon.com/donate
Our pilot features a hybrid style of animation inspired by Spiderverse. The bodies are animated in 3D at a lower frame rate, while the facial features are drawn over to give the characters a more exaggerated/cartoony expression than 3D rigs are capable of producing.
A visual breakdown of this latest test animation:
In order to achieve a hand drawn aesthetic, we needed to redo all of Aya's textures and make some tweaks to her hair. Instead of using a particle system, the split ends and curls were meticulously placed to give her more of a hand drawn silhouette from all angles. How'd we do? Like her new look?
For comparison, here's a turnaround of her model from last year's teaser.
AYA'S MODEL HAS BEEN UPDATED!!! It's been a year since our first teaser, and we took the time to revamp her model to look more cel shaded! What do you think?
Want to know more? We've got plenty of lore!
Check out the thread below for some character bios:
Her model takes direct inspiration from @mastrocecchi.bsky.social 's design sheets. We loved them so much we tried to replicate her look in 3D!
bsky.app/profile/zeni...
We would appreciate anyone who wants to #supportindieanimation and help fund our pilot episode! We have shirts, mugs, and stickers all available on
studiofon.myspreadshop.com
Don't forget! We're also open to donations! Please feel free to pitch in to making our upcoming pilot by visiting
www.studiofon.com/donate
Every dollar goes back into making our production come to life! Thanks in advance, everyone!
HAPPY #INDIEANIMATIONDAY EVERYONE!
Our show is about two strangers, Aya & Zed, on a quest to challenge the seven kings of Nadir for their coveted artifacts. If they succeed, they may find a way to reach Zenith: a giant floating island home to the legendary King of Kings!
If you love shows about:
-Achieving big dreams
-Huge anime fights
-Exploring a vast fantasy world
Then you're gonna love our upcoming indie animated show ZENITH!!! Please like, share, and follow to keep updated.
Happy Indie Animation Day!!! And remember to always aim high!
#ReachYourZenith
It just dawned on me that this is also the very first depiction of the titular floating, Zenith! That's only a small piece of it, though. Stay tuned for our pilot to see the full scope in all its glory!
Official Promotional Poster for ZENITH's animated pilot. Illustrated by Klemt Mandra.
Official Promotional Poster for ZENITH's animated pilot. Illustrated by Klemt Mandra.
Logoless alt versions for your viewing pleasure:
Official Promotional Poster for ZENITH's animated pilot. Illustrated by Klemt Mandra.
THIS IS IT!
Our official poster for the Zenith animated pilot is finally here!!! Please join us in thanking the legendary @klemtmandra.bsky.social for this immaculate work of art. We're so excited for what's coming next-
Hey isn't someone missing???
#Zenith #indieanimation #ReachYourZenith
A few of these might make it into the pilot 🤭 (2/2)
As an bonus, we noticed that many of the expressions matched with each other! Here's some unintended extra Aya/Zed's for ya! Let us know your favorite 😍 (1/2)
Aya Expression Sheet by MastroCecchi
Zed Expression Sheet by MastroCecchi
NEW ART DROP!
We asked @mastrocecchi.bsky.social earlier this year to draw these awesome expression sheets for Aya & Zed! The ranges on these two have been instrumental when drawing our storyboards. Thanks again for the wonderful work, Mastro!!!
NEW ART JUST DROPPED!
A big thank you to the amazingly talented @shamarttm.bsky.social for this Aya and Zed illustration 🧡🩵
Please go check out their portfolio and show your support!
bsky.app/profile/sham...
A promotional drawing for Zenith TAS indie series
Commission for @zenithtas.bsky.social
#commission #art #indieanimation
We're wrapping up our major character summaries this month! Feel free to check out the thread of lore below to catch up. Maybe once it's all through, I'll go through each character and provide some behind the scenes trivia & fun facts!
The Spring Ascension represents Hope - the hope for a brighter tomorrow! Those who choose this day to ascend are optimistic in Nadir's future. May the blessings of our ancestors give you the strength to remain hopeful even in times of Chaos.
Thanks for all the kind words on the video! I’m glad it’s resonating with folks!
I truly believe in the future of indie animation but I think we’ve got lots of problems to solve before it can become a viable industry, and the best way to change it is to start talking about it. ✌️
