Jennifer Fabos Patton

What is your name and your current occupation?
Â Jennifer Fabos Patton owner and Founder of Gallery Girls and Art Model
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I owned a Magic Shop and was part of a magic troupe and did the Magician assistant too.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Wow. There were so many. I have been modeling for more then 20 years. I was one of the main models for the development during Warner Brother’s Quest for Camelot and Iron Giant. Everyone notices I look a lot like the Little Mermaid, especially the nose. I did a lot of modeling for Disney during that movie. I have worked for a lot of comic book artists as well as a lot of the animation studios.

How did you become interested in animation?
They pulled me in. During the second animation boom in the 90’s, the studios started having more and more drawing classes and workshops as well as using us for concept and development.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I first got into art modeling from an old bohemian artist in Alta Dena named Jiryar Zorthian who had a great ranch up there. From there I started working at Art Center and Cal Arts who pulled a lot of artists into the animation biz after college.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Nothing is typical. I work all over so everyday is different. We are in Summer right now so it is a little slower.
I’m at the Art Director’s Guild tomorrow night. Wednesday I am working for an art studio in Santa Monica during the day and at night at Warner Brother’s Animation studio where I helped them start it up again. They hadn’t had a drawing workshop in many many years. Saturday was a busy day. 6 hours at Pasadena Art Center modeling for a fun kids class, then off to a body scan for CGI and gaming industry, then my last gig was for a famous book cover illustrator, Glen Orbik, doing a new Stephen King novel. I bring my own costumes and props to a lot of the gigs as well.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I get to work with so many talented artists and so many different companies and projects.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
The traffic!!!!! Since I work all over town, I have a lot of driving to do. Traffic is the worst in LA. I try and schedule things in the same area if I can but it doesn’t always work.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
Well most of the artists work traditionally when they are drawing me but there are a lot more people working on computers and there are more scan or 3d things coming up too.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Again probably the travel and traffic. I guess you could say the taxes too. I get paid from so many places, there is more work for me then if I just worked in one place.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness? Oh yea, I am sure. I have been drawn by a lot of great animators as well as worked with a lot of amazing teachers. A lot of people are excited when they hear that I worked with Walt Stanchfield. I also have worked with and was VERY good friends with Corny Cole. Miss him very much. We are working on a drawing workshops on the weekend of his Birthday, Sunday Oct 14th at Cal Arts. It will be a free event and will show the animation of the project he was working on when he died.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
Not sure….
Any side projects or you’re working on that you’d like to share details of? Working on Drawing events during Comicon with www.Trickstertrickster.com. They will be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night 9pm to 12am during the Comicon week.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I do a side show circus act where I put a 16 penny nail up my nose.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business? DRAW, DRAW, DRAW! or as Corny Cole would say “Draw, damn it” come to the Gallery Girl Drawing events and get your fill http://www.facebook.com/TheGalleryGirls