Artist Meme

I saw this meme going around Tumblr, so of course I had to give it a go! I'm a sucker for these things - I see them as a means of personal exploration. (At least, that's what I'm telling myself after taking so long to complete this!)

What sort of artist would you most identify yourself as?
I draw on paper. I color with markers and paints. I use Photoshop for anything and everything. I’ve animated in Maya and composted in After Effects. I tell myself I can model and texture. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to say I do it well.

What would be your secondary identity?
I’m an introverted nerd.

What forms of art do you dabble in, but don’t excel at?
I like writing, but am terrible at it. I’m unoriginal to the point where I want to hit my head against the wall until lightening hits me with a string of brilliant ideas… If only.

How would you describe your ‘style’?
I think I walk that Disney/cutsey line, and would like to stray farther away. Not that I don’t love Disney characters - come on, they’re brilliant - but I’d like to not be typecast. I admire those who can work in a wide variety, where each piece is unique and fresh, with underlying tones of one’s style.

What medium do you favor most?
Pencil and Photoshop. I like watercolors, but they don’t always like me. Then again, Photoshop doesn’t always like me, either.

What are your favorite subject matters?
Characters, story.

What are your least favorite subject matters?
Buildings, inanimate objects.

List your Artistic Strengths

• Poses with personality
• Script to boarding (and troubleshooting)
• Organizing (scenes, laytouts, etc)

List your Artistic Weaknesses

• The male form
• Environments (i.e. perspective)
• Digital painting (i.e. rendering)

Which of the above weaknesses would you most like to see improve?
It’s hard to pick just one: all of them, obviously!

Adult Content… yes/no?
Adult as in stimulating, intellectual and deep? Yes. Graphic gore and sex? No thanks.

Adult Subject Matter you favor? See above.

Schooling/Training received in the arts?
I went to the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, majoring in Media Arts and Animation. It was a 3ish year Bachelor’s program that covered the basics of animation, motion graphics, modeling, lighting, figure drawing, etc.

In June I’ll be attending a Pixar seminar on animation and story here in town. It’s only a two day event, but I’m very much looking forward to it!

Schooling/Training you’d still like to have?
I would love to attend an MFA program, ideally in illustration or art history. One day I’d also love to go through Animation Mentor’s program, as their student work is out of this world.

Would you consider yourself prolific, or a ‘quality over quantity’ sort of artist?
Quality over quantity.

Would you considering yourself a Fine Artist, or a Commercial Artist?
Commercial in the sense that the media arts world I’ve been trained in is very profit driven, but I also love fine art and the aspect of doing art for the sake of one’s self.

Where would you like to be in five years? I would love to be a story artist, working in the pre-production department for feature films or games.