Category Archives: Artists Interviews

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Stu Livingston

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
Stu Livingston — I work as a storyboard artist in animation – I also write and draw comics.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I had a lot of customer-service-type jobs before breaking in, but the most unusual was the summer I spent working at Meadows Field Airport, back in Bakersfield, CA where I grew up.  The crew and I were responsible for checking-in passengers, loading and unloading luggage, as well as taxiing in and out the airplanes.  Somehow, I became the guy at the front with the orange batons leading in and out the planes each day.  You have to learn all the signals (turn left, go straight, slow down, stop, engine 1 is on fire…), it’s crazy…there’s definitely nothing like having an airplane in your face once or twice a day haha.  I was also a court sketch-artist for a major murder trial that took place in Bakersfield back in 1994.  They had finally tracked down the key-witness to the crime in 2006, so they scouted out artists at CSUN, where I studied, and I was the one they picked.  Interesting story, actually — I helped land, park and service the very plane that brought that witness to Bakersfield, then a few months later I was drawing his picture in court.  Probably the most ridiculously unlikely coincidence of my whole life – I can barely believe it happened.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
With storyboarding, I’ve had the great pleasure to work on Futurama, a show I’ve loved and watched since its debut.  Due to the large cast and the great variety of stories from script to script, each episode of Futuramacomes with its own unique challenges.  As I’m winding down on an episode, it’s a good feeling to have knowing the next one will most likely be totally different.  With comics, I’ve had the great, great fortune to contribute to the Flight series, which I’ve been a huge fan of since college.  It’s led to some unbelievable opportunities to meet and work with some of my favorite artists!  Most recently, I contributed a story to Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, a new comics anthology from Kazu Kibuishi (who also created Flight).  What made that experience memorable compared to some of the other stories I’ve done was the chance to work with a really hands-on editor who helped challenge, discipline, and guide us until we each came up with stories that we were all really proud of.  Suffice to say I learned a LOT from that experience, I’ll never forget it.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
I made the choice to become an artist very early on – around age 6 or 7 maybe?  It was a shockingly easy choice to make and one I, thankfully, never lost sight of.  Cartoons, animation and drawing were always Continue reading

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Rachel Anchors

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
Hello I am Rachel Anchors and I am a Character Animator.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I wouldn’t call the jobs I did before animation crazy. I was a freelance artist doing some illustration. I worked some restaurant jobs and barista jobs. I worked as a rental agent. As soon as I graduated college I was doing only animation and animation related jobs.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I am proud to have worked on Arthur Christmas with Sony Imageworks. I got to work with some pretty inspirational people, push myself as an animator, and experience what it was like to work on a big production.

 
How did you become interested in animation?
I became interested in animation at a very early age. I always drew and made up illustrated stories. I watching, “Lady and the Tramp,” and, “Robin Hood,” repeatedly as a child. There was something about the way Continue reading

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Miguel Godinez

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Miguel Godinez, I work doing Freelance work and make YouTube videos.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I would have to say doing dishes at a restaurant.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Probably my first project that I did when I started learning Animation and that was a video for a upcoming Music Studio.
How did you become interested in animation?
Ever since I was little I was into drawing and as got older I just better at it. After graduating from high school I didn’t know if to go to college for art or another field similar to it. So then I ended up making my decision when I realized that I liked cartoons like Dragonball Z and all this 3d movies and then wondered how they actually were made. Then Animation got into me after I was Continue reading

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Mary J. Sheridan

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Mary J. Sheridan and I am a 2D Effects Animator, I have been in the business for 25 years.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Cleaning an office space for a truck hauling company .

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
My first feature was “All Dogs go to Heaven” at Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin, Ireland. It was my first job in animation and I was a trainee inker. My mentor was trained by Disney inkers and I got to see original cels from Sleeping Beauty which was all hand inked and learn the techniques of the old inking masters. My first job as an effects animator was with Steven Spielbergs animation studio Amblimation on the production “Balto”. It was a great experience and one which opened the door to working with DreamWorks SKG in Los Angeles.

How did you become interested in animation?
My uncle was a great fan of all cartoons, from Wile E Coyote & Roadrunner to Tom and Jerry to the great classics. He loved watching them all. Myself and my cousins would gather around him and laugh together. I remember Saturday morning cartoons with a bowl of cereal, doesn’t get much better than that! Its a tradition I kept with my own son.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am from Dublin, Ireland. When I graduated from art college I couldn’t find work so I left for London. Unknown to me, my mum submitted my college portfolio to Sullivan Bluth Studios and before I knew it I was offered my first job in animation!

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Well I work freelance at the moment so it has to be very structured, I work from home. I like to work an eight hour day or more depending on production needs and deadlines. 1. cup of coffee 2. sharpen pencil 3. draw.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I get to draw and get paid for doing what I love. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with very talented artists and visionaries who to this day still keep the art of classical animation alive.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
The last day of a production is the toughest. I meet great people and its always sad to have to say goodbye, being part of a team and creating magic is a bonding experience. Meeting those same people again and sharing memories is always what keeps you going.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
Well I am a traditional artist, my studio consists of an animation desk, a line tester, a 27inch imac with the latest software and from which I upload my work to remote servers, for approvals etc.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
I would say its the down time, being a freelance 2D artist in a 3D world is very challenging. You have to have the drive and faith in your talent to keep going and keep your passion alive. I have been blessed to be able to continue to make a living as an effects animator and to share that experience with other great artists.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Everyone I work with is an animation great! I have been very fortunate to work with some of the greatest names in animation to this day.

 

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
I have realised in life that tough situations are learning experiences which guide us to new opportunities and remind us to always stay positive and believe in yourself.

 

Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
I am an oil painter and a photographer, I have a website where you can check out my latest work and my animation
portfolio www.maryjsheridan.com.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I love browsing through thrift stores and collecting old things, I have been known to collect toys shhhhh

 

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
If you are planning on working in the animation biz , most commonly now the 3D world always have traditional work in your portfolio, draw and paint learn how light and textures work through painting and life-drawing. Take traditional classes in sculpting etc, look for intern opportunities.  Go to conventions and meet with people in the business, make connections and keep up with changing trends. Stay ahead of the game and always respect who you work with and what you work on, its a small business and your reputation is what will make the difference if it comes down to hiring choices. Have fun and keep passionate!

 

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Allan Neuwirth

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Allan Neuwirth.  Right now I’m writing and producing several different projects for film and TV… both animated and live action.

 

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

Wow. I got into the animation biz at the age of 23, so didn’t have too many jobs beforehand…  but one of them was designing and re-scaling newspaper print ads for United Artists feature films, in a crazy bullpen art company called Carluth Studios.  One wall of their 3rd story office was a huge window from floor to ceiling, overlooking Times Square — an amazing view of all the hubbub — and I was the youngest artist working there (everyone else was well into their fifties and sixties and beyond).  Before that I was a salesman at the store Hammacher Schlemmer, selling very expensive toys and gadgets to the very wealthy and very famous.  Also an insane job.  And as a teen I worked as an usher in movie theaters, where I would memorize literally every line of dialogue from every film…. from the opening frame to the closing credits.  To this day I can recite some of them.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Quite a few, actually.  Early on I designed and directed lots of animated motion graphics and flying logos for ABC News and Sports, HBO, NBC, and other networks.  Worked on the original show openings for “ABC Nightline,” “This Week with David Brinkley,” “20/20,” the “World Series,” and many more.  Got to design the scoreboard animation for the New York Yankees (for their DiamondVision screen, so I created them on film), working for George Steinbrenner for two seasons, during the height of his bombastic, bullying days.  (He was pretty nice to me, actually, but I watched him berate people like mad in the front offices!)  Was co-developer and animation head writer of Cartoon Network’s first pre-school series, “Big Bag,” with Jim Henson Productions and Sesame Workshop.  The network gave us an awful time slot, so the series only lasted a few years… but we broke some new ground and it came out great.  Animated and directed a bunch of award-winning TV commercials, all character animation.  Lots of fun!  Many other projects that I’m proud to have been a part of over the years, but a few that come to mind right now are “Arthur,” “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” “The Octonauts,” and two recent Hallmark Christmas specials that I’ve written, “Jingle All the Way” and “Jingle & Bell.”  Also an amazing new feature film that I’m producing right now, called “Drawing Home.”  I’ve also written some books I’m quite proud of, including “Makin’ Toons” (all about the toon boom of the 1990s and 2000s), and co-created a widely syndicated comic strip called “Chelsea Boys” that ran for nearly nine years.  Now that I think about it, it would take me a long time to list ALL the projects I’m proud to have worked on…
How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve always been a rabid animation fan, from when I first started watching “The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show,” “Beany and Cecil” and Warner Bros. cartoons on TV while I was Continue reading
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Micah McNeely

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Micah McNeely and I am a freelance 3D modeler and Texture Artist.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before Animation I was a Production Supervisor at Kinko’s Copies and the Chappell Episode “Pop Copy”was a day in the life of my job LOL! My experience there gave me the interest in computers and design so, it wasn’t too bad of an experience 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Oh Man one of the coolest things for me to work on were game cinematics. I worked on cinematic trailers for Colonization/Civilization Revolution and a yet announced game. That being said, I am now working on environments for the PC title FORGE and that has been a great experience for me because although most of my experience in the VFX studio category I have always wanted to work on a video game.
How did you become interested in animation?
Ever since I was a kid I loved comics and games! I grew up in the Marvel Comics and NINETENDO era and when my mother put my first console on layaway at our local Kmart I was hooked! I would say that I also had Continue reading