Artist
Artists could be musicians, dancers, poets or any number of professions that draw on ones talents. The television world is no different. Artists who work in television could work on storyboards that help turn a script into rough pencil sketches of what a cartoon might look like while others might work purely on special effects and graphic work which can turn a good show into a GREAT SHOW!
I actually had no idea I could draw until I decided to attend college. By the sixth grade most of the drawing classes at my school had been removed from our curriculum due to budget cut backs…luckily I found out that not only I could draw, but that I could make a living as well!
Stephanie Arnett
Storyboard Revisionist
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
When I was growing up I did not have a T.V. I used drawing to tell my own stories and travel to far off lands in my imagination. I would have never thought it would turn into a job though! You too can be a great artist, all it takes is practice and dedication but most of all keep it FUN!
Luke Berliner
Background Painter
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
When I was in school I drew pictures that only classmates and teachers could see. Now I work in animation and create pictures for the whole world to watch! School is the best place to start telling stories in drawings or words.
Edgar Carlos
Background Designer
GI JOE RENEGADES
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, and she taught me how to color with crayons in coloring books and how to stay within the lines. We used to talk about the names of the colors, what they represented and how color helps define not just what something looks like, but also how color can inspire emotion and expression in the world all around us. To this day I use what she taught me to help create the world our animated characters live in, from choosing the colors of the trees, the sky, and the people to painting scenes of happiness, sadness or excitement… And I still stay in the lines (most of the time)!
George Cox
Background Painter & Character Color Stylist
GI JOE RENEGADES
You draw a picture of a character doing something, you've got a cool drawing. You draw another picture of that character a moment later, now you have a STORY. You've just done Sequential Art, one of the most powerful forms of storytelling there is.
Brandon McKinney
Storyboard Artist
GI JOE RENEGADES and TRANSFORMERS PRIME
If I were to choose just ONE favorite thing in life, I would choose drawing. I have been drawing ever since I was young. And the best part about having a job in animation, especially as a story artist, is that it really isn't a job…it’s something I love to do. So if you like to draw, just keep on drawing and there is a good chance you'll end up in animation!
Armen Mirzaian
Storyboard Artist
GI JOE RENEGADES
I can clearly remember as a six year-old watching cartoons on TV and thinking how magical it was. Now here I am, an adult making those same cartoons. So if you have a passion and a talent for something, keep working at it and never let the magic fade.
Sebastian Montes
Storyboard Artist
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
Whether you are writing a script or designing the artwork for the animation, the entire process is an exercise in using your imagination. For me, it is the best job to be challenged everyday to design the coolest and the most realistic environments for an action adventure cartoon. But to be clever and original is not an easy thing to do for anybody, especially if you let your creative mind get lazy!
Vince Toyama
Background Design Supervisor
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
I grew up watching sci-fi shows and animation, wondering how I could possibly be an artist in that field some day. With hard work, focus and dedication, my dream eventually came true.
Christophe Vacher
Color Design & EFX Supervisor
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
Every day I blow things up, wrestle monsters, unmask villains, solve mysteries and tell tall tales. All this and I get to work with my best friends as well. Not a bad way to make a living.
Kirk Van Wormer
Storyboard Artist
TRANSFORMERS PRIME