New Years Eve
Photo by: Christopher Chan

Hello folks.

Animation Ideas is back after a short break and I have more ideas, insights and inspiration than ever for you.

Normally I try to blend into the background and let other animators and their art take center stage, but in this case, I probably should give you an update.

A lot has happened since the last blog post.

I had a baby!

Wow – if there is anything that will force you to realign your priorities – a baby will do it.

He’s a beautiful healthy boy who not only makes me laugh every day, but he sleeps very well at night. Believe me – I know how lucky I am.

Not long after starting a family, I did an interview with Paul Cageggi from the Process Diary Podcast. We spoke a lot about having a young family and how to stay creative and productive admist the chaos of a household dominated by diapers and sleepless nights.

I also spent a semester teaching animation at The University of Technology in Sydney, which was incredibly rewarding.

If you get a chance to teach, you should totally do it.

Start with a guest lecture, and go from there. If for no other reason that it helps you better consolidate your understanding of animation. It’s a great feeling to give something back to the next generation of animators.

Plus, Animation Ideas is proud to welcome a new sponsor: KennyRoy.com

Kenny was one of my teachers when I was studying at Animation Mentor, and is one of the best animation teachers around. I used his textbook to teach my students: How to Cheat in Maya 2013 and I can highly recommend Kenny Roy’s animation training website.

Coming up on Animation Ideas, I’d like to keep the balance going between showcasing animators I admire, as well as sharing insights and observations from my own process.

Looking forward to a creative and productive 2013.

Related links

Kenny Roy starts work on The Little Painter

Phil Willis talks to the Process Diary

The Five Myths of Motion Capture

Is Animation an art or a craft?