Tag Archives: Adobe Photoshop

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David Trexler

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What is your name and your current occupation?
David Trexler. I’m the Supervising Producer at Soup2Nuts Animation.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve had a good amount of jobs – installing custom kitchens, waiter (for 3 days), summer rec counselor and above ground pool installer, to name a few – but the crazier one would have to be drilling bowling balls for a sporting good store in Philadelphia. Maybe “odd” is more appropriate than “crazier”, but that’s the one that sticks out. The job where you think – what the hell am I doing? I was attending art school at the time and the hours were flexible. I got paid per ball. I also got to etch in peoples initials.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud of many of the projects I have worked on, all for different reasons. Daria at MTV Animation was a blast to work on. That’s where I learned the business. The show was more of an underground hit with a cult following  (as opposed to their huge hit Beavis and Butthead, the series it was spun off of). Fans have been requesting to have a DVD set released since it went of the air and it finally was late last year. We had an amazingly talented team on that show and I still keep in touch with many of them.

How did you become interested in animation?
My dad was an art teacher so as a kid I was always drawing. I would work from his lesson plans to learn shading, color wheels, etc… On top of that Continue reading

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Gavrilo Gnatovich

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Gavrilo Gnatovich (Gav, Big Gav) Head Honcho Grande, Horrendous Fiasco Cartoons

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Worked for the family sewer and water construction business, and late seventies disco bartender

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
The projects where I had the most lip-smacking, paddywhackin’ creative freedom. My first independent film, Lazar and the Longhair and Doubledome pilots I produced for the Cartoon Network. Had they listened to their own focus groups, it would have been a show. Ack, excuse me, choking on sour grapes:)

How did you become interested in animation?
Drinking in a Chicago Bar with Richard Williams on several occasions. I was working for a photography studio in Chicago (Jim Braddy Photography) and his sales rep, Tom Parker was also Richard’s rep in Chicago. When Richard would come in for Pre-Pro meetings, we would go out drinking and he would talk animation, (what a surprise). I figured Continue reading

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Kaya Dzankich

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Kaya Dzankich, Color Stylist at Fox Television Animation.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve worked since age 14 at a diverse array of jobs. At 18 I worked at a pizza joint and was held up at gunpoint. At 20 I was a lube tech at Jiffy Lube. Throughout my 20s I worked at our local, independent record store and got the finest education in music I could have ever asked for.

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

How did you become interested in animation?
From as far back as I can remember I’ve loved animation and always knew I wanted to have a career in art. It was always a goal of mine even when Continue reading

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Spencer Ockwell

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What is your name and your current occupation?
I currently make cartoons for Red Bull campaigns at an ad agency called Kastner & Partners. I recently animated the end title sequence for Mr. Popper’s Penguins (starring Jim Carrey). In the near future, I hope to be storyboarding and/or writing on an animated TV show.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I used to make pastrami sandwiches in the CIA cafeteria. Before that, I trained at-risk spider monkeys how to tap dance in Indonesia. I also worked at a Hilton, but never saw Paris and did construction, but it wasn’t constructive for my career.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud to have directed a few music videos and be signed with The Masses on their Masses Lab roster of directors. I’m also proud to be a Writer/Producer on a promising TV pilot for a kid’s puppet show, called Imaginus Zoo. You can get a taste of it atwww.imaginuszoo.com . The pilot is now represented by Continue reading

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Curt Walstead

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Curt Walstead- freelance illustration

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I don’t know, animation is pretty crazy.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Dragon Tales, Baby Looney Toons

How did you become interested in animation?
Needed a job after graduating from art school and animation seemed like a fun way to make a living.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Grew up in central California in the small agricultural community of Merced. Animation was my first art job out of college.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
If I’m on a project, I usually get about around 4:30 am and either sketch out concepts or get on the computer and start doing my finished
art. since I’m freelancing, part of my day will be spent reviewing the freelance job sites and making bids and checking in with my agent.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
Sketching out my design concepts.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Clients that don’t understand the difference between subjective changes versus objective. If it’s subjective, then it varies from person to person and
it’s not really a change that ultimately matters in terms of whether the image works or not. You can end up wasting a day trying to read their mind as
to what they really want which they won’t know until they see it. That’s very frustrating. Also, clients that don’t tell you the whole story until your already
finished with the image.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Read the above comment. Also, trying to come up with a fair price. I always seem to be too high or too low with my estimates. You need to cut a balance
between the client’s budget and what your time is worth and you need to be flexible to get the projects.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
Adobe Photoshop and sometimes Illustrator.

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

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
The great recession of 2008.

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

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Matthew Augustine

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Matthew Augustine.  I am a Flash artist and animator for Age of Learning.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Well, this is my first full time job, actually.  During high school and part of college I worked at Del Taco.  While in college I also worked at Disneyland as a night shift custodian for a short time.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Well, the main one is with my current job.  We made and still maintain a children’s website.  It has educational games and lots of fun stuff for young kids to do.  I do a lot of animation for the games and for the interface.  I also designed and drew a lot of the characters in the games and the different collectibles and prizes you can get on the site.
How did you become interested in animation?
For as long as I can remember I have loved to draw.  Ever since I was a kid I have said that I wanted to be an artist when I grow up.  I took lots of drawing and art classes in school.  When I got to college, I originally thought I may become an illustrator of some sort, or maybe a comic book artist.  But then Continue reading