What is your name and your current occupation?
Kim Narsete, Storyboard Artist.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Receptionist, Cosmetics Clerk, Shoe saleswoman
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Hmmmm, that’s an interesting one. I really liked working on Strawberry Shortcake. She was my childhood favorite and it was honor to storyboard on the DVD. It was kind of like life coming full circle.
How did you become interested in animation?
As a kid I had always liked drawing. My Mom would give me a piece of paper and ask me to draw her something while we were at a restaurant. I guess it kept me occupped, lol. She would also take me, my brother, and sister to Walt Disney World during the summers. However, the actual inspiration to get me to study animation was “Batman the Animated Series.” When I first saw that show a sort of light bulb went off in my head. All the sets where so mystical and the character stories dynamic and interesting. Batman came to life in a whole new way and I couldn’t take my eyes off that show.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I didn’t get actually hired until I was 26 as an intern and then professionally at 28 as a character layout artist.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
When I am working on a show of movie, I generally start by reading the script and doing a couple of pages of story thumbnails. Next, I will gather any film reference that I need for the sequence and use that as a basis for my storyboard. Then, I will rough in the panels and screen notes and finally go into clean-up. It’s kind of like building a house.
What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I really love action sequences and I wish I could storyboard on those types of shows.
What part of your job do you like least? Why?
The amount of time it takes to make anything look good.
What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
I guess being turned down for a job.
What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
SketchBook Pro is God’s gift to artists!
In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Too many moments to mention. The best experiences are usually at Comic-con!
Describe a tough situation you had in life.
My family was against me going into animation because of the instability factor. There were a lot of fights about that. It was pretty frustrating for me. I had came out to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of one day working for WB Animation on one of their Action Shows, and coming from a family of doctors you just didn’t do that kind of thing. Well, I guess they just kind of accepted it after awhile.
Any side projects you’re working on you’d like to share details of?
I just finished storyboarding on a live action short film which was really interesting. Also, if you watch “Brain Surge” on Nickelodeon, I did some of the the flash animation storyboard sequences on the level two questions.
Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
Draw, draw, and then draw some more. Also, it helps to draw in the style of the show/movie you are applying for. For Storyboarding, learn your perspective. It has really separated me from the crowd. For Design, use a variety of shape and negative space. Study the animation masters and anatomy books, but apply those techniques to your own style.
