Author Archives: Laura

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Craig Clark

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Craig Clark, I’m currently an artist at Grab Games, and the producer of The Kustomonsters TV show

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was the box boy to the stars at a Safeway supermarket in Pacific Palisades.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m very proud to been part of that first Simpson’s crew that launched the Emmy winning institution of the yellow people to the world. Also it was an honor animating JFK’s lip synch on the feature Forrest Gump. Currently I also love producing The Kustomonsters show.

The Kustomonsters show Ep 1
A video used to be embedded here but the service that it was hosted on has shut down.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’d say at age six when I was hooked on the Winchell Mahoney show and Gigantor cartoons.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Malibu, CA. I was doing cartoon drawings for my mother’s Continue reading
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Ed Olson

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What is your name and your current occupation?

Ed Olson – concept development/character designer animator:  http://designloftstudio.com/index.html

edolson@designloftstudio.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/designloftstudio?feature=watch

http://www.linkedin.com/in/edolson

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0975075/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?

While going to college I worked construction during the summers.  Construction paid well so I could go to art school 9 months out of the year without having to work during my semesters.  After graduating, I spent several years teaching art, film and television, but didn’t think about animation as a possibility.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?

Rescuers Down Under (clean-up) Pinky and the Brain (storyboard) 101 Dalmatians 1996 live-action release (storysketch)

How did you become interested in animation?

I was teaching live-action and television production at California Lutheran University and faced the financial challenges that comes with the under-financed nature of education.  I had a friend who worked as an assistant at Disney.  He told me about the program there and the test you had to take to get started. I sat for a few months straight practicing in-betweening, took the test at Disney and started there on Rescuers Down Under.   The hardest part was learning to sit for 8 hours straight a day.

(I earlier had a B.A. in art but got interested in filmmaking at the end of my B.A., so went for a Masters in Film and Television production at the University of Iowa.  I made documentaries for PBS in North Carolina and Iowa and taught live-action film for years, but never utilized my art training up until the point I started at Disney.)

While at CLU,  I decided to utilize the drawing skills and subjected myself to a grueling self-training, re-introducing myself to my drawing skills which had been developed in art school.  I passed a drawing test and Disney and my new career was launched.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?

I am from Minnesota, but moved to California to attend The American Film Institute as a Producer Fellow, which was still part of my live-action film work.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?

Unless there is a tight deadline, I spend about 3 hours a day doing the “business side” of The Design Loft.  This includes emails, marketing, bidding on jobs online, networking and looking for opportunities.  Then I take a break, go for a walk, and come back and start the most highly creative part of what I do, drawing.  A lot of my work is hand-drawn, even when it comes to Flash animation, and then it is scanned into the computer for painting and line clean up. This usually lasts about three hours, then I go into the computer mode, which requires less creativity… this also lasting about four hours.  Soon a regular basis I am working around 10 hours a day.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?

The drawing.  It is the time when I feel that the creative abilities are used to their best.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?

The marketing.  It is somewhat tedious, but has to be done.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?

The finacial instability.  Clients pay in sporadic ways, and projects are always variable.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?

Windows PC, Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?

Was instrumental in shaping the end of 101 Dalmatians (1996) with Stephen Herek directing.
See my profile on IMBD   http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0975075/

 

Describe a tough situation you had in life.

Animation in general is tough, but very rewarding.  Concept development requires getting very involved with a client’s hopes and dreams, and then you ride the emotional roller coaster with them and they try to make their baby come to life in the marketplace.

 

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?

If you are truly supposed to be doing this, you will be doing this.

 

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Cedric Hohnstadt

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Cedric Hohnstadt. I own an illustration studio where I specialize in character design.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve driven school bus, worked in a canning factory, and even done medical studies. Fortunately I’ve been able to make a living as an artist now for about fifteen years.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’ve done advertising concept work for brands like Coca-Cola and Walmart; designed toys for Hasbro and Disney; designed characters for VeggieTales; and supervised the animation of Mr. Potato Head for the Hasbro website. I also illustrated a Gospel tract with over five million copies in print. You can read it at www.freecartoontract.com.  Recently I launched a Kickstarter called the Pose Drawing Sparkbook. It’s a tool to help artists put more life into their drawings and I’m getting a lot of great feedback on it. By the third day of the campaign it was featured in Kickstarter’s “Popular this week” section under the “Publishing” category and it received over 800 “likes” on Tumblr. Your readers can check it out here: http://kck.st/12K2otL

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m a life-long Minnesotan so all of my animation-related work has been done from my home studio. In 2000 I attended Continue reading

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Philip Carrera

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Philip Carrera, Animator/Digital Storyteller

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before getting into animation, I was a third grade teacher, an advertising copywriter, architectural draftsman, and production layout artist. I managed to switch careers about every three years until I finally settled on this one.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Three big projects come to mind: (1) publishing my book: “Flash Animation: Creative Storytelling for Web and TV”.  (2) Being nominated for Best Kids Short by the Kids First Animation Festival for my first short film: “Dan Mog”:  , and (3) completing my first mini-documentary for a local  music school.

How did you become interested in animation?
I used to make my own comics when I was a kid and always wondered how Continue reading

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Kenya Danino

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Hello there! My name is Kenya Danino and I am a Freelance Visual Development Artist for BlueBells Animation Studio in India and I’ve worked with PennyFarthing Press Inc.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Well, before I even thought about pursuing a freelancing career I did a lot of small commission work here and there since my high school days. In doing so I was making some pocket change as well as practicing to better my talent in areas I struggled in such as anatomy and perspective. And to think when I got to college I was going to pursue the sciences haha, totally different ball game. Wasn’t quite my cup of tea to say the least.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Ah I’ve loved all my awesome opportunities! However, favorite project I have been and continue to be part of is working with the lovely Miss Karen Kiefer on her ongoing children’s book project entitled “The Misfit Sock.” The Misfit Sock teaches lessons of love, hope, inspiration and gratitude through a profound children’s story and introduces a wonderful children’s Christmas tradition. Karen is such a wonderful person in how she is and what she does with this project which talks to “misfit people.” They come in all colors and genders and try to fit in with society that views them as different but what they really have is a gift; a good reason why they don’t exactly fit the puzzle. You can’t lead what you fit in with. And that’s what Karen The Misfit Mama teaches.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from good ol’ Queens, New York. I hear this state used to be an animation central, now there are only a few sites left. Shame, but no matter, you make do with what you got around you when Continue reading