Those days may be gone, but 2D animators work in new ways to tell stories with their art.
No need to redraw a character pose if you have the digital file from a previous show on hand.
What drove you to choose your career path?
Making a career in 2D animation isnt easy!
Growing up, I wanted to be a cartoonist like Bill Watterson and Jim Davis.
I learned to draw copying Roger Rabbit books and comics, then took classes in high school.
In high school I developed a love for film and so applied to colleges to become a filmmaker.
I took two years of community college to save some money and while there I discovered 3D animation.
While there I studied 2D animation as a foundations class and took a single Flash animation class.
How did you go about getting your job?
After a year of applications I got an internship in Atlanta with a now-defunct studio called Wild Hare.
I gave him my card.
Thats been most of my job for eleven years.
What kinds of things do you do beyond what most people see?
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
While I do that, I oversee, educate, and sometimes learn from the animators I supervise.
Does that make sense?
It almost always does.
Those people I know that also practice their physicality get a lot of my respect.
I dont do any of the writing outside of the occasional visual gag that comes of my animating scenes.
What other misconceptions do people often have about your job?
Some people think every frame is redrawn, but its not.
Im using some of the same heads and mouths for the main characters that I drew eleven years ago.
We dont animate on paper.
I havent touched paper professionally in eight or nine years.
I dont write the show.
I use my abilities to develop someone elses vision.
We almost never use references of the voice actors.
What are your average work hours?
Typical 9-5 thing or not?
In the case of Squidbillies, yes.
Were a 9-5 job, 40 hours a week.
A fella came on to the show last season who had just come off of the ill-fated seriesChozen.
He hadnt seen his wife in months.
Squidbillies was a relaxing diversion.
What personal tips and shortcuts made your job easier?
Learning to be a professional and bolster my team helped it endure.
Do you do anything differently from your peers in the same profession?
I stay in one town for years on end.
Also, I get up out of my chair and act complex actions.
Whats the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
Lack of recognition for my show.
Its disheartening, especially with the success of far younger shows like the much-belovedRick and Morty.
Whats the most enjoyable part of the job?
The other half of the fans who love the show.
Its genuinely a great show, and I laugh enthusiastically every time I get a new script.
I often ask people what sort of money they can make in their field.
Can you comment on that?
This is why I dont recommend people go to SCAD.
Is there a way to move up in your field?
Im not the guy to ask.
Ive been the lead animator on the same show for eleven years.
If you want to produce shows you better be a writer/producer.
What do people under/over value about what you do?
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
If you’ve got the option to find a way to avoid college debt, Id recommend it.
You dont become a quality animator with a professional mindset in your home office.
