Kat Miranda

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Kat Miranda and I’m a freelance story artist/illustrator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Hmm crazier than animation? I served at the Cheesecake Factory for 3 years and for a short while I also worked for the government. Top secret stuff, you know. (They’re probably monitoring this interview as I type!)

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
While interning at Titmouse in Manhattan, I’ve had the pleasure to work on Venture Bros Season 5! GO TEAM VENTURE! Also a tad on Metal, a tad on Super Jail and a tad on Motor City helping with little things over all!

How did you become interested in animation?
I watched movies such as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Sword in the Stone and all the other amazing disney features. But I also loved my saturday morning cartoons like Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Hey Arnold, AH! Real Monsters, and you get the gist of it. But it really hit me when I learned that I could Continue reading

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

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!

 

Kenard Pak

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Kenard Pak Visual Development Artist at PDI Dreamworks.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing too crazy. I’ve flipped burgers, cleaned dishes + bathrooms, got yelled at for bad video rentals.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m very proud of “Madagascar 3”. We were an excellent, inspiring, professional + fun art team. This doesn’t happen very often,
and I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of it. The film that started my career, “Prince of Egypt”, is also very memorable.  Not only did I get my start on such a mammoth project, but I learned so much from the legendary artists that had designed it.  At Disney Feature I had a great time on their pre-production projects, and I also have some interesting memories working  with the director Monkmus on his “Topside Rag” shorts.

How did you become interested in animation?
Like many kids, I grew up enjoying cartoons like Merry Melodies and Woody Woodpecker. Unlike most kids, this fascination eventually became Continue reading

Fraser MacLean

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Fraser MacLean, At-Home Carer (but, when time permits: Lecturer/Writer/General Animation Mongrel)

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I once spent an entire week working as an Assistant Film Editor on a 5-minute local news item (shot on 16mm co-mag) about a company that made heated dog baskets. On another occasion I had to drive across Glasgow with half a human brain in a perspex display case on the passenger seat, praying all along that nobody would rear-end the props truck since the safety belt wouldn’t fit around the case that the half-brain was floating in.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, “Space Jam”, “Tarzan”, “Little Dorrit” and the Animo animation software package.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was a kid growing up in Scotland there was a regular early evening double-bill of Continue reading

Francis Glebas

What is your name and your current occupation?
I’m Francis Glebas and I am a storyboard artist and author. I’ve also been a director, vis dev artist and teacher.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Newspaper delivery. It got crazy with the dogs. I taught cut-out animation at a summer camp. I built models for a model building company, like architectural models and airplanes. It gets old when you’re on your 100th airplane. I also designed and painted
stage sets. I’ve probably painted more square footage than most background artists. After getting into the business I once ran a brainstorming session at Los Alamos Laboratories that was surreal.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Aladdin was a magical time, the studio was buzzing with excitement but we were still under the radar of the money people. I remember seeing the Whole New World that I storyboarded with crude drawings at the premiere and every department took it and
made it better. It was incredible. I also poured my heart into the ending of Pocahontas. Lion King and Ice Age 4 were also really great to work on. Space Chimps was really fun too. Sometimes it’s more about the people you work with. In pre-Pixar days, getting Ed Catmull’s TWEEN system to work at NYIT was exciting. It created automatic inbetweens and we used it on hundreds of commercials. Well, maybe we reached 100.
How did you become interested in animation?
To work out traumas from watching Continue reading