Friday, December 4, 2009

Goodbye, Tippett

It's coming on two weeks since my last day at Tippett. I guess it's only now starting to feel that way now that Thanksgiving is over. The show I was working on, (Cats and Dogs2) ended up going longer than August, which was great. But now it has finally come to an end.
This was my first non-Flash animation job and it was a fantastic experience. A year ago I was still looking for my first break. I remember the frustration very well of coming close, but not being able to land a job. I remember using that frustration and channeling it into energy to keep working at it, to keep doing my own work. It was sometimes a hard thing to do.
Almost a year a go a got an email from Tippett. They were interested in my work, and wanted me to take a test. I had never animated a cat, or any kind of four legged animal. I was nervous, to say the least. Nervous, but excited.
It's been a really fast 10 months. Before I came to Tippett, I felt I was in a bit of a rut as far as progressing with my work. I was doing my own assignments, but I was missing having mentors and others give me a push, and a real critical eye. I was growing, but not much. and I knew it. At Tippett, I feel I have grown again. Being surrounded by awesome animators, having your work critiqued on a daily basis, and being able to see what your peers are working on does so much for you. I recently took a look at some of my old work, and I can see things I couldn't see a year ago. Looking at my old work, I see that I've grown. I still like the ideas I had, but I can see ways I can improve. I can't wait to start animating again :)
I miss Tippett. It was an awesome experience for me. Though my project ended, I will be taking with me a lot of knowledge, and a lot of good friends.:)


Here are some cat sketches I did while at Tippett. They were fun to do, and I don't think I ever got to do cat gestures before :)
Photobucket
catsketch1