Tag Archives: Andreas Deja

One Comment

Liron Peer

  By

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Liron Peer (sounds like “Lee-Ron Pair”) and my current occupation is being a Freelance Animator / Character Designer / Illustrator.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I don’t think I had one, animation was something I knew I would be studying and working in after high school (and the army - that’s what all the people in Israel have to do at the age of 18 – men and women, I’m a women btw). The only 2 jobs I had before animation school where doing tech support in the army and then Quality Assurance for a software. So you could say I came from the computer world, though I always knew I’d be creating Art for a living.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I didn’t get the chance yet to be a part of many projects (I’m only at the beginning of my career), so I guess I can say that I’m most proud of my own “Lady Ice” project and my “The Final Stand” project.

How did you become interested in animation?
As far as I remember I always drew, but frankly not professionally until I was about 18! As for animation, well – ever since I saw Disney’s the Little Mermaid when I was 9 years old I fall in love with Disney movies. As I got older I wanted to be an actor and even majored in Acting during my high school years. But I also Continue reading
No comments

Deja View: Lady & the Tramp Art

  By

LTR11

Interesting article up on Andreas Deja’s blog site Deja View with some Lady and the Tramp art…

An animation colleague of mine said this about the film Lady & the Tramp: “Oh, it’s just a soup opera with dogs. Boy gets girl, boy looses girl, boy gets girl in the end.”
Be that as it may, I think the movie’s story is compelling and in support of rich characters. I remember listening to a Walt Disney interview, in which he said this about the film: “Lady & the Tramp turned out well. We felt it, we felt the personalities.”

Check out the entire article on Andrea’s blog here.

No comments

Boris Hiestand

  By
What is your name and your current occupation? 
My name is Boris Hiestand, and I’m an animator/storyboard artist/character designer/voice over guy.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I worked as a waiter in a hotel and on a construction site shoveling bricks as a teen, so nothing that crazy really. I knew I wanted to be an animator when I was 14, so focused on that from an early age. I got fired from most of those other jobs as I wasn’t committed to them at all, probably because I was constantly day dreaming about animation!
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Working at Aardman on “The Pirates; In An Adventure With Scientists” was incredible, because I had never worked on a stop motion project before, and it made me feel like a student again, or a kid in a sweet shop. Being able to walk around those mind blowing sets every day was amazing. Everything you see on the screen is really there physically; the talent and craftsmanship there is truly humbling. “Hotel Transylvania” was very rewarding creatively for me because the style of movement required was very cartoony which is right up my alley. The old Warner’s and MGM Tex Avery shorts were a big inspiration, and I hadn’t seen that done well in CG before. Also, Genndy(Tartakovsky, the director) knew exactly what he wanted and trusted the animators to get on with it, rare qualities in directors of big CG productions unfortunately. It’s easier to change things in CG than it is in hand drawn or stop motion animation, so on CG productions with big budgets they tend to tell you to change shots again and again and again, which is quite draining creatively and rarely improves the quality of a scene. You become a “motion editor” rather than an animator. Genndy however pitched you the shot, you’d go and animate it, show it to him, he’d approve it, done. All the animation I did in that film is really mine, and that felt good.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands but grew up in a small town called Vught in the south of the country. I always loved drawing and was a big Disney fan, trying to master their drawing style by Continue reading
No comments

Olatokunbo Betiku

  By

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Olatokunbo Betiku, but most people call me “Ola.” I am the Co Founder of Outside The Box Vision, where I do a bit of everything. I am also the Creative Director at No Limit Forever.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I used to teach elementary art classes. Kids are great to work with but they get bored easily. The job always seemed to be more about dealing with rowdy behavior and less with teaching art. I did enjoy it most of the time and it also gave me plenty of practice for dealing with other professional artist in the future. Most of whom can be children at times.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
For the last few years our company along with Urban Born have been going to schools and promoting literacy and health to young students. I really liked taking our characters to schools and putting on shows for kids. I think it is important to do a bit of volunteer work and promote things like literacy and good health.

How did you become interested in animation?
Since the age of 8, I have been reading books and learning about the animation and entertainment industry. I used to watch a lot of Disney shorts and cartoons on TV as kid. I remember seeing Continue reading

One Comment

Matt Novak

  By

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

What is your name and your current occupation?
Matt Novak. Children’s Book Author and Illustrator. (Occasional animator)

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Can’t really say I’ve had any “crazy” jobs. In high school and college I was a puppeteer and an actor. Our puppet troupe was called “Pegasus Players” and we performed at amusement parks, birthday parties, flea markets, farmers markets and anywhere else that would pay us a few bucks to make kids laugh. Also, acted on stage and in a nationally syndicated radio show called “Willow Crossing.” I played the part of a freckle faced kid named Billy, which was very convenient since I was a freckle faced kid at the time.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I think my favorite animation project to have been a part of would hands down have to be “Beauty and the Beast.” To be part of the team that created the first animated film to ever be nominated for “Best Picture” That’s pretty cool. Of course, I’m proud of ALL the books I’ve created as well.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I grew up in the small coal mining town of Sheppton, Pennsylvania. (Population at the time, about 700) I was always interested in animation. Even before kindergarten. It was the closest thing to magic that existed in my world. As I grew up I watched a lot of cartoons and devoured any books about Walt Disney and the animation process. Tried making some Continue reading

No comments

Pablo Leon

  By

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What is your name and your current occupation?
Pablo Leon; I am a freelance illustrator, visual development artist and I also do motion graphics animation for educational digital media.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I have had a few. Stock supervisor for Levi’s, Sign Artist for Trader Joe’s, but one that stands out the most was the early morning shift I had as a loader for UPS. Almost everyone in my vicinity was rude, cranky, and sleep-deprived. Loading a truck for a very racist driver wasn’t my cup of tea either, so it didn’t last very long.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
I worked on an animated info-graphic for the “Story of M-Pesa”. M-Pesa is kind of like the Western Union of Africa, but their business was conducted through the use of cell phones. It made it’s way through the World Bank, who liked it a lot, and that project has gotten me a lot more work as a result.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am originally from Guatemala and currently live in Washington DC. My last year of college I was hired by a start-up company to be a graphic designer (I had no real GD knowledge). However, Continue reading