Teacher Spotlight: Oscar Ramos - On Animation
Animation has always been about imagination, taking an idea, a story, or a spark of emotion and bringing it to life through movement, design, and heart.
In this week’s Teacher Spotlight, we sat down with Oscar Ramos, a Melbourne-based visual development artist and animator whose work blends technical skill with deeply personal storytelling.
Artwork by Oscar Ramos
Oscar’s journey has already seen him collaborate with acclaimed industry mentors like Rad Sechrist, Story Artist for K-Pop Demon Hunters and Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts, and he’s now leading visual development on The Mothmen!, an ambitious independent animation project.
At YAS Studio, Oscar will be guiding the next generation of young creatives to build their craft, embrace their individuality, and find the joy in creating worlds of their own.
What are you currently working on in the industry right now?
I’m currently a lead visual development artist on an up-and-coming independent project by Michael V Shrayder (Spider-Verse; The Emoji Movie) and Tristan Torgensen called The Mothmen! It follows an unlikely trio hunting down cryptids in the United States wild.
What’s a moment from your career that changed how you see creativity?
When AI started rolling out in late 2022 it changed the way I approached art. The key to creativity became self-expression. Unapologetic, bold, and drawn from lived experience. Humans connect through emotion, and creativity comes from how we channel it.
What’s one skill you wish you learnt earlier in animation?
I wish I learnt how to let go of perfectionism a bit earlier on — being flexible is powerful.
You’ve studied under some incredible artists, including Rad Sechrist (Story Artist for K-Pop Demon Hunters). What’s something you learned from that experience that shaped how you approach storytelling or character design today?
Rad’s class taught me how to implement changes into characters and stories to make them personal.
Has this setting been shown on screen before? Yes? Then does your story have to be set there? Not really? Then change it.
And the same goes for characters. If something’s not working, don’t get stuck on it…restart.
Why do you want to teach the next generation of young creatives?
Animation, and drawing for it is an incredibly freeing set of skills that allow a person to express anything they want on a canvas. I want to get as many young people experiencing that as possible.
What’s your favourite thing about those ‘aha’ learning moments with young people?
I’m young myself, so I know firsthand how empowering those moments are and how motivating they become.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give every young creative starting out?
Do a bit every day.
What’s the piece of work you’re most proud of?
I’m super excited and proud of my own film I’m putting together. The amount of collaborative work and the ways I’m challenging myself through it is the most satisfied I’ve ever felt towards my work — and I can’t wait to show it off.
If you could show your 12-year-old self your career now, what would surprise them most?
That I’m working actively with the people who inspired me to start drawing at that age.
Meet Oscar Ramos — Animator & Visual Development Artist at YAS Studio
Oscar teaches Animation at YAS Studio, where he’ll guide students through the art of visual storytelling — from character design and colour theory to worldbuilding and creative process. His classes are designed to help young people express their individuality through art that feels true to them.