After spending a few years dabbling with rudimentary 3-d programs and working on small projects using the Amiga, I started doing more drawing. My love affair with 3-d began to wane, as my attentions shifted back to the 2-d arena. Ironically, the world went the exact opposite direction and began producing large scale features in 3-d with teams of hundreds of animators.
Be that as it may, and when it comes right down to it….most times, I’d rather draw. But 3d is a medium in which I continue to refresh my skills.
Inbred Jed - Spec project for MTV - early 90s
As any animator can tell you, animation is a love of the art, a love of the process and the art of the sacrifice. Caffeine and bad music are a staple for projects with near-impossible deadlines and endless pressure to not only meet the challenge, but to walk away proud of the effort and the finished project. In the end, the work is fun. But it is work. Lots of it.
Enjoy below the many aspects and elements of 2-d projects throughout the years. The styles vary in as many ways as the subject matter and projects themselves did. As with most animation projects, there are many elements in the work that need to come together for a piece to work. These are usually done by multiple artists with differing styles. I’ve presented below projects and work on almost all roles with the art form. Also showcased are examples of shorts and other projects I’ve worked on throughout the years. Some companies I’ve worked with include: Plural Pictures, Animink, Happy Trails Animation and others. Of the many tasks I’ve been working on, I have been a writer, producer, director, illustrator, background designer, character animator, key frame animator, cleanup, production, frame painter, and many, many others. Hell, I’ve even been known to water the plants.
In a perfect world, if I could work full-time on my own animation projects, I don’t think I’d ever quit.
below: watch the award-winning, Jimmy’s Donut (2018)
Jimmy’s Donut was a story my mom used to tell about my brother and I when we were little.
Although she passed away in 2016, her legacy lives on and her mastery of story-telling lives on in this funny little piece.
My intention was to do a series of these and animate her stories, but unfortunately, I was only able to record a couple of them before she left us.
