Meet Craigkinda goofy, but a nice guy
Hello there. My name is Craig Roblewsky. I'm an animator, designer and coder living and working just a bit south of Seattle Washington with a great view of Mt. Rainier. My wife and I run a boutique design studio and I volunteer some time as a GreenSock forum moderator.
My superhero origin story starts as a kid in the early 80s getting my first computer. It was a TRS-80. Ahh... the sweet syntax of the BASIC language. Good grief, now you know I'm an old timer. Shhh... please don't tell anyone.
My career has taken me from my original love of programming computers onward to photography, video production, animation, web design and right back to where it all began — coding. It's been a fun trip with lots of twists and turns. As long as I'm doing something creative, I'm content.
Whether you're a coding newbie or a genius, it doesn't matter. Let's just make some pixels move around the screen and see if we can have some fun. I really try not to take it all too seriously and I hope you will too.
The day job gotta bring home the bacon
By day, I own and operate Sleepy Dog Media Group LLC with my wife Nancy. We're a boutique design studio serving small to medium-sized business. We build websites, create animated explainer videos and design interactive infographics.
Our web design clients are primarily smaller businesses in need of a brochure-style site and management of their digital presence. We also create explainer videos for a variety of industries. My tools of the trade for these productions are After Effects and Cinema 4D.
Skills & toys I use in my daily work
I use a variety of software packages and libraries. On any given day you'll find me using the following:
- GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP)
- PixiJS
- Fritos Corn Chips
- CSS
- HTML
- JavaScript
- After Effects
- Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Adobe Audition
- Cinema 4D
motiontrickswhy did I create this site?
motiontricks.com is an idea that originated from helping people on the GreenSock forum. I started helping moderate that forum out of a passion for the product, but soon after found that I really enjoy teaching. There's nothing quite like seeing the light bulb turn on when you've helped someone with a coding problem.
It had been mentioned to me a few times that I should write tutorials. This site is the result of me saying "O.K., let's make this happen."
GreenSock forum moderator
You'll notice that nearly every tutorial I write is powered by the GreenSock Animation Platform. There's a good reason for that. (**Dr Evil voice **) They've paid me one million dollars.
Actually, I've tried all the other animation engines and have seen many come and go, but GSAP is hands down the absolute best. True story: I learned GSAP before fully understanding JavaScript. I can honestly say had I not discovered GreenSock, I wouldn't know JavaScript and this site would not exist.
I enjoy using the core tools and bonus plugins so much that I volunteer time helping others on the GreenSock forum. It's an amazing tool-set, but the community is literally the best on the web. You'll find friendly, knowledgeable people with none of the usual "that's a dumb question" attitude you find in other forums and communities.
If you know GSAP (and you should), you certainly know Jack Doyle (the mastermind behind GreenSock). I've known Jack for several years and somehow I even talked him into saying some nice things about me below.
Craig has a real knack for getting people to understand complex animation-related concepts quickly. As someone in the trenches himself, he knows the common sticking points and how to address them head-on. What takes most people 6 lengthy pages to explain, he can convey with a few sentences and 2 interactive demos.
There is no doubt in my mind that motiontricks.com will quickly become a go-to resource for anyone doing animation on the web. As a moderator in the GreenSock community, Craig’s thoughtful, elegant solutions have helped countless people elevate their animation skills.
Jack Doyle, GreenSock Inc.
Social Media tuts, tricks and dog pics
The only account I use is Twitter and I do tweet out tutorials, tips and the occasional dog picture so give me a follow if you dig my work. Or if you just want the occasional picture of a dachshund.
Hey... look at it this way. You don't have to follow me on a bunch of accounts since I only use Twitter. How considerate of me, right?
Personal stuffsci-fi geek, hiker, dog dad
I'm an average coding geek. I love all things tech, sci-fi and spending my downtime on Mt. Rainier hiking trails. I'm a dog guy with a particular passion for dachshunds. My assistants Rudy and Dewey are indispensable parts of my process.
My wife Nancy and I have had many dachshunds over the years and have a special place in our hearts for senior dogs. If you've never considered adopting a senior dog, please give it some thought. They are amazing!
Q & Adull and boring - don't read this
Will you be adding new tutorials?
Is this site affiliated with CSS Tricks?
I’m a fan of CSS Tricks and all the excellent work Chris Coyier does for the community, but nope, no affiliation at all. Just another domain name with the word 'tricks' in it.
Are dogs better than cats?
Yes. Don't @ me.
Why don't you animate with CSS keyframes?
Too many limitations and no ability to sequence animations . I personally use the GreenSock Animation Platform for all but the simplest of animations.
I prefer JavaScript to power my work, but you can certainly apply many of the techniques in the tutorials to CSS keyframes if that is your preference. Though I truly think you'll enjoy the ease of using GSAP once you give it a try.
Why don't you have a comments section?
I'm a one man band and can't give a comments section the time it would deserve. I work a full schedule at my studio and this site is a labor of love so I stick to creating tutorials.
As a result of my hectic schedule, I've decided against comments. Feel free to follow me on social media. I'm on Twitter @Craig_PointC. You can also follow me on CodePen @PointC.
