Tag Archives: Adobe Flash

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Art Grootfontein

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What is your name and your current occupation?
I’m Art Grootfontein, and I’m a freelance animation artist, designer and illustrator.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I would love to say that I was a submarine cook for the British army, or a pet taxi driver in Singapore, but I’m afraid I didn’t work on anything weird before I start my art carreer…
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I think I’m usually happy only with the very latest things I did… recently, I directed a TV spot for Yoplait which I’m really proud of. This spot had been aired during the 2013 Emmy Awards night.  I had the chance to be in charge of the major part of the work (storyboard, design, animation) so it was pretty fun. And these days I’m working on something completely different : an fun eCard for JibJab, and I’m really enjoying working on it too.


Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m from Paris, France. I studied at the National School of Art & Design in Paris. There I learned graphic design and illustration.
I discovered later that animation was my true passion. I think I had a brain wave when I saw “Gruesomestein’s Monsters” from Mark Ackland and Riccardo Durante.  I understood then I’d have to work on animation !  So I trained myself watching hours of TV animated shorts and series, frame by frame, in order to understand how all this magic was done !  Then I started doing stuff just for me, and when I thought I was ready, I started entering some contests. I had the chance to win a couple of ones, like this bumper for a company named myToons, who disappear a few years later (its aim was to be the “youTube” for animation… fail !)I also did an animated greeting card every year, sending it to everyone in the animation world to get my foot in the door! Gradually, people saw my work, and so I started working on “real” stuff !

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

First I eat some chocolate.  I sit on my chair and check my mails, hoping I wouldn’t get too much retakes on the animation I sent the day before.  Then I eat some chocolate, and I work on all the retakes I received by email.  When I realize it’s the end of the day, I try to wash myself as fast as I can and I eat some chocolate.  That’s it ! (Kids : don’t try this at home, it does’nt work so well)


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

I love the beginning of a project, when everything is still possible. It’s the part where I feel I’m completely free to do what I want (even if i’m obviously not !) I don’t feel any stress at this time and I’m the more creative.

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

When Adobe Flash crashes !

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
I work with Photoshop, Illustrator… and Adobe Flash.  As I started recently to work on animation, I can’t say that things really changed for me regarding technology. I never learned animation “the old way” with hole punch paper and peg bar…


What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Finding paid gigs and new clients is probably the hardest part of the job in my opinion.
In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
I’m afraid I don’t quite understand the question. But I love brushes and travelling !


Describe a tough situation you had in life. 

One day, there was no chocolate at the store.


Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?

I would love to have time to work on something I really care about, a series concept about a skate team, but I don’t have much to say since I did not do much right now…

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
Animation used to be my hobby ! And in a way, it still is.

But, I have to admit, I have a kind of everyday habit, but I’m not comfortable talking about it. The only thing I could say is that it has something to do with cocoa.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business? 
“Hey guys ! I AM an artist trying to break into the business ! So please wait a few years more so I can find my place. Cheers !”
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Raymond Arrizon

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Hi im Raymond Arrizon.  Im a Flash Animator and Character/Prop Designer

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Some of the crazy Jobs I had before was during my school years, I worked as an assistant to the animation department head and was able to meet all these great people and went to awesome trips to Pixar DreamWorks and many more.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There are many I am actually proud of being a part of but one of the recent one was Rainbow Brite 2014. I was able to do character designs Animate and work with a number of great folks. Another fun project was the Anchor Man app game for Animax/Paramount, Along with the NBC Community Animated shorts!

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in LA, as a kid our school was visited by Syd Hoff who wrote and illustrated Danny and the Dinosaur. At that moment I realized Continue reading

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Xavier Ramonède

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Xavier Ramonède, I’m mostly a 2D animator but I’m also an illustrator and character designer.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I have made a lot of little jobs when I was a student : I worked in an hotel, then I worked in a supermaket called Monoprix where i sold fishes and sea food, bread, cheese…

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
It’s hard to tell because there can be a lot of differences between the mood on a production and the film itself. Working on The Illusionnist was very long and hard but the movie has been nominated for the Oscars and won a Cesar (the french Oscars), but my favorite movie I’ve been working on was Nocturna. It’s a very small budget feature film from Spain but it’s a very beautiful movie.

How did you become interested in animation?
First I wanted to make films like Toy Story but I absolutly didn’t know how they did it, so I was aiming for a computer school. But then Continue reading

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Alisa Harris

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Alisa Harris and I’m a freelance character designer and traditional Flash animator in New York City.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
One summer during college, I painted carousel horses in Canarsie, Brooklyn. It was pretty awesome.  Some of the carousels I worked on are at the Willow Grove Mall in PA, Bryant Park in NYC and overseas.  When I first graduated from art school, the animation industry had tanked.  I ended up doing data entry for two years at an insurance company specializing in mental health and substance abuse.  I like to joke that it prepared me for working in the animation industry.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
One of my favorite projects was my first lead design position at Flickerlab in NYC.  It was a web series for Ritz/Nabisco on how to have cheap family fun in the summer.  It was the first commercial project that I designed characters and props in my own style.  There was a lot of freedom in designing the families and I enjoyed creating a more diverse cast.  Because it was a small studio, I also boarded half of the episodes and did some of the Flash puppet setup.  It was really cool to see my own designs and staging come through to the final episodes.

How did you become interested in animation?
As a kid, I loved Looney Tunes, classic Disney films, The Muppet Show and Rankin Bass Christmas Specials.  In the ’80s, my family would watch The Disney Sunday Night Movie and I was riveted to the Continue reading

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Eric T. Elder

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Eric T. Elder and I am an Animation and Video Game Producer in Los Angeles.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I had a couple of cool service jobs before getting into animation full time. I was the “King of Room Service” at the Hotel Atop the Bellvue one of the oldest hotels in the country and got to see some interesting celebrities Winona Ryder, Sherman Hemsley, The Edge from U2.  Then I was a singing waiter on the Spirit of Philadelphia and my solo song was “The Rainbow Connection” from the muppet movie. I also had a retail job at a Warner Brothers studio store selling prints and cells of classic Looney Tunes.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I am definitely proud to be part of the team that created King of the Hill. My favorite sequence was one of my last where I made Peggy a rapper. Also I’m really proud of the Game Wizards program I created at the Art Institute in Santa Monica where I trained many successful people to work in Video Games.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m originally from Philadelphia where there were at the time just one small animation studio called the Production House. I worked on a project there which was an infomercial for baby formula. That was the first Continue reading