How three artists from SISLER Create made Wacom’s 2026 new year’s animated eCard

Sisler’s CREATE program is an entertainment arts training program located at Sisler High School in Winnipeg, Canada. Founded in 2015, the program provides high school and post-high students with educational and career pathways to the creative industries in Canada and worldwide. Students in the CREATE Program build foundational skills with hardware and software while using a wide range of creative toolsets, including Wacom devices.

In addition to outfitting their lab with Wacom products, we’ve worked with them for a number of years on a variety of projects. In 2022, a group of students and instructors presented at Wacom’s annual Connected Ink event about their program and how it empowers students to develop skills and make headway into creative industries. In 2023, in partnership with Wacom, students in the program worked for a year on a series of comics addressing teen mental health.

This year, Sisler CREATE students were planning to collaborate with Wacom on a project – but when they got too busy with other projects, a power trio of Sisler program assistants decided to step in! They created the below animated holiday card, celebrating Wacom’s busy year – we released five new devices in 2025!

We spoke with the three animators who put the project together to learn more about their process and inspiration: Therese Dizon, Erika Demition, and Francesca Musni. Note: the interview below has been edited for length and clarity.

What was the origin of this project? How did it come about? Who worked on it, and why?

Therese: Originally, this project was supposed to be worked on by Sisler CREATE post-high students, but unfortunately, their work load for their other projects got too heavy. That’s when Jamie Leduc, an animation teacher, decided that we (Sisler CREATE Program Assistants) should work on this instead! That’s how it all started. Our team members are Therese Dizon, Erika Demition, and Francesca Musni – the best trio ever!

How was the concept – of a Wacom “factory” creating the five new products that were released in 2025 – developed?

Therese: The Wacom “factory” concept was part of an earlier brainstorm. Then Rika thought of the conveyor belt idea! It was originally supposed to be different sequences of the workers showcasing the work, but after Fran joined, we started creating a more isometric-like world. The space-like idea was always there in the development, and at the end, it turned to a more futuristic space look.

Rika: I initially had the idea to have the products shown off on a conveyor belt. I thought this format would have made it easier to loop the animation, and give each product time to shine on their own. As for the rest of the atmosphere, I think we all collaborated and each added our own kind of element to make it what it is in the final production.

Fran: I was inspired by the works of Buddha Animations Studio! Working off of Rika’s idea, the image of a cozy, magical factory in space just sort of naturally came together. For the character design, we drew inspiration from Wacom Cintiq display tablets and Wacom’s logo. It took a while for us to settle on a design, and even after we finished the concept art there was some tweaking done to it during the animation process itself.

What was the process for creating the animation? Who did what, and what was the collaboration like? What Wacom products were used?

Therese: The creative process for the animation was so much fun! At the early brainstorming stage, it was just Rika and I. We made some early concepts for the conveyor and the lovely Wacom character, but it wasn’t clicking as it should, and then we brought in Fran! All of a sudden, it started clicking more and with Fran’s creativity, she brought us her new take on the Wacom character and the conveyor world, and we started redeveloping the concepts.

The three of us worked on the brainstorming and storyboarding, and from there, we went into different pipelines. Rika started primarily working on the props and backgrounds. While she was working on rendering both of those things, Fran and I worked on the character and effects animations. After that, Fran started compositing and she did some awesome magic to make everything look so cohesive! For sound design, Rika worked on editing, while we gave her moral support from the sidelines!

All of the concept and animations were done with Wacom products. We used the Wacom MovinkPad for our concept art and we used the Wacom Cintiq Pro for our animating and compositing stage. Both of these products made all this process so much easier!

Rika: Originally, it was Therese and I working on the rough animations and timing of the sequence, but Fran took over for the majority of the main sequence when I started working on the background. I primarily was responsible for the end scene with the fireworks sequence, the background, and sound. I heavily used the Wacom Cintiq on all of the animation and drawing.

Fran: I was so happy when I got asked to join the project. It was my first time animating since I graduated from Vancouver Film School last year, so I went all out into developing the world and characters for this project. Working with Rika and Therese was such a wonderful experience and they really helped keep me grounded whenever I’d get carried away or too ambitious.

What are your relationships with the Sisler CREATE program? How did Sisler’s digital creativity programming influence and inspire you, and how did getting hands-on with Wacom products with the CREATE program help you develop your digital art skills?

Therese: I graduated from Sisler in 2018, and joined their post-high program the year after. Back then, the program had an entirely different name but it had such a huge impact in my life. It inspired me to keep on pursuing this creative path, and it brought me to what I still love and do now. I remember trying my very first Wacom Cintiq in this program and loving Clip Studio Paint in the 9th Grade. And because of the fun experiences I’ve had with those products, it made me grab my very own Wacom Intuos (the manga edition). I’ve created so many awesome projects with both of those devices, and I honestly owe it to Wacom and Sisler CREATE for starting this little spark in me. I still continue to use my Cintiq ‘til this day to develop my skills and also just draw/animate for fun!

Rika: I actually graduated in 2020 from Sisler High School, but I was still heavily connected with the CREATE program during my post-secondary studies and so on. Sisler’s CREATE program has always supported every endeavour and opportunity possible for me. I am forever grateful for the help they provide especially in the creative industry where it can be difficult to get your foot in the door.

As for the Wacom products, I was always a Wacom girl! My first ever drawing tablet was a Christmas present I begged my parents for in middle school, which
was the Wacom Intuos CTL-480. I didn’t upgrade my tablet until high school, where I got the Wacom Intuos Pro. The real show for me was when I started taking my animation classes at Sisler High School, where I was first able to use the Wacom Cintiqs. I could never go back, it was so smooth and lag-free. My eyes never burned no matter how long I stared at it!

Fran: I have been animating on a Wacom Cintiq since I was 16. Wacom has been an integral part of my journey as an artist and animator. I graduated from Sisler High School in 2022, and completed the CREATE Post-high Animation program in 2023. Throughout my time in Sisler, I received so many amazing opportunities – like mentoring under Nickelodeon artists, interning remotely at Nelvana studios, participating in a Wacom Canada Social Media Takeover (2022), and receiving a scholarship to Vancouver Film School (VFS). I love the program and after graduating from VFS in late 2024, I immediately flew back to work as a program assistant. I wanted to give back to the program that gave so much to me.

What are you looking forward to in the future with respect to art and creativity?

Therese: I look forward to seeing different types of art forms from all people. It’s so inspiring to see art with a story or even just art in the form of memes nowadays.

Rika: I would love to see more people creating. When you see something made with passion, it really shines through. I love when people create things with so much love, and I think we really need more of that. I hope we see more traditional animation and more passionate artists emerging.

Fran: I heavily look forward to all the unique stories and ideas that come from emerging artists!