Drawn to the art of animation

In today’s growing, changing animation world, there’s no shortage of opportunities for forward-thinking, creative people to enter the industry. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to get a foot in the door, but at IU’s School of Fine Arts, a handful of motivated students are taking their futures in animation into their own hands. Meet four of them.

Torlando Hakes
“I always read comic books. I was really into X-Men,” Torlando Hakes said. Hakes is a senior fine arts major.

The colorful members of X-Men introduced Hakes to the world of animation. From this appreciation of comics, Hakes said he started drawing patterns from some of his favorites.

Now, as he prepares for his thesis next fall semester, Hakes said he has his future set on animation. While he said he wants to go directly into graduate school, he would also be okay with joining an animation firm or freelancing some of his work.  

As a student nearing the end of his undergraduate education, Hakes had some advice for prospective digital arts students. Hakes said it’s important to find an area of animation that is interesting and pursue it.

“You really have to be self-motivated,” Hakes said. “There’s such a broad depth of what you can do.”  

Taylor Bryant
“I think I really like being in control of a lot of the aspects, over what you want to be put on screen,” junior fine arts major Taylor Bryant said.  

An advocate for 3-D animation, Bryant said the medium affords creators many different outlets for their creativity, such as various environments and camera angles.

Bryant said he hopes to use his creativity as a freelance animator. However, Bryant discussed the important changes in the field of animation that he keeps in mind. Bryant said animators today have to be prepared to work harder and for less money because more people have the skills and resources needed to succeed.

His personal creed to succeed? Stay original and work hard. Bryant said the only way to be an animator is to make a compelling reel tape and make sure it is original work.

“Make cool shit on your own,” he said.  

Josh Tuthill
“I’ve always been interested in animation. It must have started with my love for cartoons when I was a kid and has just continued to grow,” senior digital arts major Josh Tuthill said.  

This cartoon admirer now dreams of being able to create his own work. While Tuthill admitted working for a big production studio would be fun, he is focused on being able to engage in his personal creative process.  

However, while Tuthill dreams of seeing his own work succeed one day, he also said the work of other animators can help those who are interested in this field of art.  

“Try to watch all different types of animation, see what other animators are doing and try to learn from them. YouTube and other video streaming sites have plenty of independent animations available that are awesome and worth checking out,” he said.  
Rachel Weaver
“I’ve been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil, and my dad showed me how to make flip books when I was about 3 years old,” third-year master’s in fine arts student Rachel Weaver said. “I destroyed so many stacks of my mom’s Post-it notes.”

However, as a teenager, Weaver planned to enter a science career — specifically a career in entomology.  

“Maybe I was interested in entomology for the same reasons I am interested in animation,” she said. “I find my animation continually references hidden stories, beauty and nightmares. Monsters, too, of course, often akin to the specimens and dissection lab projects that I busied myself with in my youth.”

After exchanging a life in the lab for a life in the studio, Weaver said she hopes to see her own work succeed outside of the endless cubicles of the large production studios.  
“The dream is to start my own production company,” Weaver said.