- When did you first start animating?
Animation as a career never occurred to me until someone said "you
should apply to Disney!". Before that I wanted to make my own comic book and become massively successful and famous with it. I actually used a
few pages of my comic book work-in-progress to apply for the job at
Disney.
2. Did anything in education help achieve your position now?
No, not really... I never elected art as a subject, and I left school
early. Nowadays I'm obsessed with learning, and there are times I wish I'd learned more at school. But I'm glad I wasn't exposed to different
styles of art too early on.. it helped me develop my own unique style.
3. Tell me about the evolution of Brackenwood so far.
Yes definitely. Brackenwood started as a novel about a planet called
'Forest', inhabited by a lone crazy pixie called Jack. It was quite dark and even violent.. but eventually the story developed into a more light-hearted thing, and that character became Bingbong. In the
beginning, the story was all about Bingbong, which is why 'Bingbong of Brackenwood' was the first Brackenwood episode. But Bitey's worldwide popularity exploded after his introductory episode, so the story has been developed now to focus on the relationship between Bingbong and his nemesis, Bitey.
4. Who are your favourite animators? (Influenced)
I don't really have a favourite animator. I have friends from Disney
whose work just blows me away. I am lucky to be able to look over their shoulders and watch them work... learn from true masters of the craft.
The direction I have mapped out for my future is more focused on
storytelling, than animation. I have been very fortunate to be given
that training in animation, but it's just one area of storytelling. I'd like to tell stories in other media.. such as 3D animation, live-action, literature (fiction) and illustrated stories (graphic novels, comics). For now though, animation has helped me expose my ideas to the world, so I think I'll stick with it for a number of years yet. Who knows though?
There are usually many surprises that throw your life in a completely
different direction to that which you'd planned. I'm happy to make the best of what I've got, and go with the flow
5. Have any other people helped you on your way, partner, family.. friends?
My mother noticed my talent for drawing when I was a toddler. She has
photos of me drawing spiders on my toes when I was 2 years old, and she has kept many of my drawings. The earliest drawing of mine, a
pencil-drawing of a man's face, she has kept in a photo album. The
drawing is dated 1973. I was almost 3 at the time.
Over the last 6 years, my partner Jeanette has been instrumental in
helping my storytelling dreams become a reality. She was there when I
first got a PC and the internet, and when I discovered Flash and made my first movie. Without her, Brackenwood would never have been what it is today.
6. Tell me about you and Disney
Disney employed me because they saw that I had a talent for drawing. I was not employed as an animator. I was employed as a trainee
Inbetweener. Inbetweening is where you would start a career in
animation. From there, you need to learn all you can about the industry
and the process, develop your skills and work your way up.
7. What are your favourite animated television programs or movies?
My favourite animated movies are Iron Giant and The Incredibles. For
sheer storytelling genius, Brad Bird is my hero. My favourite animated
programs are those that contain very clever writing and entertaining
dialog.. things like the original Warner Bros cartoons (Chuck Jones)
Angry Beavers, The Simpsons (early years), Spongebob. These are all
legendary because of the refined blend of character design, writing and
animation.
8. What advice would you give to young animators?
Learn all you can about anatomy (human and animal) before you try to
learn about animation or cartooning. A good grounding in the
fundamentals of real bodies and forms will give you the best start for a
career in animation.
When I applied to Disney, animation skill/experience was not required.
Not even an education was required... all that they wanted was an
exceptional artist. Someone who commits every spare minute to nurturing
their talent and learning, improving, refining. You have to make it your
life, and if you love to draw, you won't find this difficult at all.
9. What do you hope for Brackenwood in the future?
Global saturation hahah!
- - The Daily Crumb
It looks like 12 is meant to be quite an old age. Maybe here in the UK children are adults at 12, smoking and gambling.
