What is your name and your current occupation?
Eric Scott Fisher-Freelance Writer and Illustrator
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I’ve been a sign painter, a CAD draftsman, a waterjet operator, a construction superintendent, a fire and water mitigation specialist, a detasseler (for those who don’t know, that is walking through corn fields and popping the tassel off the top of the corn) and a salesman of GRIT newspapers.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I recently completed a series of classic adaptations for
Abdo Publishing. 17 books total. For a nerdy bookworm, this project was a dream come true!
How did you become interested in animation?
Way too many hours of Saturday morning cartoons as a kid.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I am originally from Mackinaw, Illinois, a small town in the middle of The Middle of Nowhere. I studied film and screenwriting at Columbia College in Chicago and became interested in animation shortly after.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
I wake up at the crack of dawn and start drawing. I’m an early bird, which is kinda weird for an artist. My best working time is between 5 am and noon. I slow down a bit in the afternoon and try to get in some time for marketing. Hard to do when busy, but marketing is essential if you want to keep the ball rolling. I’ve found that you have to be as passionate about the business end of art as you are the creative part of it, if you want to be a successful freelancer.
What part of your job do you like best? Why?
Getting to do something that I think is both important and interesting while making a living at the same time.
What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Taking small unfulfilling jobs. If you freelance, you know what I mean. Those jobs you gotta do just to pay the bills.
What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
As a freelancer, it is often hard to keep up with marketing yourself while you have jobs going. Keeping in business is difficult, especially in with the market being the way it is these days.
What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
I work mostly in Corel Painter X, Illustrator, Toon Boom, and Flash.
In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
I designed a cartoon character of William Shakespeare who was voiced by director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, Dangerous Liasons) Not exactly animation greatness, but my one claim to fame.
Describe a tough situation you had in life.
Hmm…I’d say the long stretches between pay checks is pretty tough.
Any side projects you’re working on you’d like to share details of?
I have recently finished writing my first young adult novel that I am trying to get published and am working on a sci-fi/horror novella that I hope to have finished this spring.
Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
Work hard…then work a little harder
