FAQ
Where did you learn to draw and what school(s) did you attend? I grew up drawing almost every day and am mostly self taught, with some help and inspiration as a kid from my Dad. Later I went to Sheridan college in Oakville, for animation. And have continued teaching myself since then.
How long have you been in the animation industry? I graduated from Sheridan College in 1989. I worked at a number of studios until '93 before becoming freelance. I still work as a studio employee from time to time but remotely so far.
What made you want to become an artist? I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. My first love I guess was drawing. Cartoons and comics. I grew up seeing ads for 'Starving Artists Sale!', which was discouraging so I contemplated other jobs, from truck driving to being a mountie, but always ended up drawing so I decided to keep at it and hopefully not starve. Have done alright for the most part.
What do you like/dislike about creating art? There's nothing I dislike about creating art. The closest thing to disliking it is when I struggle with capturing a likeness, mood, or style I'm after. But that's only annoying when on a deadline. The best thing about creating art I've found is that I never stop learning and there's so many mediums of art to explore that you can never be bored. Eg. drawing, inking, painting, sculpture, carving, etc.
What is your opinion on AI art? Visually it can look great. Though there's a difference between something looking good and art. Art comes from within, it's a part of the artist. AI steals art then copies and manipulates it with no credit or compensation to the artist(s) it stole from. So I don't see AI as art and ethically I find it repulsive.
What advice would you give someone wanting a career as an artist? I'd tell them they have to love art and doing art, all-the-time. Being an artist as a career means you have to do it even when you don't feel like it. There's no 'waiting for inspiration'. Inspiration is great when you're doing your own thing but as a career you can't wait for it. Deadlines will ruin you if you wait. When you sit down to learn or take a course, leave the ego at home. Go into every lesson as if you have no idea what to do. Never assume you 'know it'. You can spend your life practicing one medium, become a master, and still not know everything about that medium. Also learn anatomy. The skeleton and muscles of humans and animals. Proportion is everything. And learn perspective. Nothing worse than drawing a great figure but they're not fitting properly with the background. Study the masters. Copy them, over and over and over again. But always give credit when you copy, even in your sketchbook. It shows respect and prevents you from being accused of plagiarism. Take a sketchbook and pen/pencil with you wherever you go. You never know when an idea or situation to draw something of interest might arise. Don't be afraid to make a mess or mistakes. You'll never be great if you're afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn. Be glad when you see you made a mistake, it means you know it's wrong and you'll learn to correct it. Practice circles, squares, and boxes. If you can properly draw those you can draw anything. Study lighting and colour theory. Play with different mediums. Learn to sculpt in clay will give you a better understanding of the anatomy, vice versa. Enjoy the process.
Where do you find you're strengths and weaknesses lie in your art? I've always focused on drawing the figure. So characters and human figures are my strong point. I struggled with perspective early on, even thorugh college. Mainly because I was in the classical animation course, so rendering and layout were not a big focus. However I learned perspective after college and enjoy it just as much and feel I'm just as strong in that area now. My understanding of lighting and colour still need work, but I'm continuing my practice and studies there as you read this.