Education

BFA, Illustration and Animation / School of Visual Arts, New York City

Siggraph Conference / Los Angeles, San Diego.  Annual international computer graphics conference; professional workshops and seminars.

Internship  /  Walt Disney Feature Animation  / Orlando, FL

Focus: Learning the 12 principles of animation, and film production.

Created in-betweens for The Lion King.

Illustrator, Digital Artist, Designer, Art Director, Instructor   

Illustration and art direction for print and film. Award-winning illustrator and animation artist with decades of experience and numerous credits. Animation instructor; urban sketching workshop instructor.

Strengths

Superior creative skills. Unique perspective. Strong work ethic. Collaborative attitude. Project leadership: consistently successful team management under tight deadlines and budgets. Excellent communication skills with peers, clients and community leaders. Committed to teaching and inspiring the next generation of illustrators and animation artists.

Experience

Illustrative Journalist

Analog Artist Digital World / Orlando, FL / 2009-current

  • Founded this daily online site about Central Florida’s arts scene. Writes daily blog content and creates sketches daily promoting the arts and local news.
  • Pulse Nightclub Coverage: Aftermath of the Tragedy / Orlando, FL / June 2016-current.
    • Curator & Artist, 49 Portraits Curated 18 local artists to paint portraits of all 49 victims in one session. Exhibited multiple locations.
    • Artist, interview portraits (survivors, 1st responders, families, friends), Orange County Regional History Center  /  2016-ongoing  /  Featured in “One Year Later” remembrance exhibition and in permanent One Orlando Collection.
    • Producer & Director, Finger on the Pulse / Aug. 2016 / Film incorporating sketches done at vigils and fundraisers plus the 49 Portraits; screened at 2016 Global Film Festival.
    • Artist, Pulse solo exhibition  /  City Arts Factory  /  Dec. 2016

Author

Urban Sketching: The Complete Guide to Techniques  /  Barron’s Press, 2014

  • Wrote and illustrated an inspirational, easy-to-follow book for art students and working artists. Fully illustrated instructional text; translated into multiple languages; available worldwide.

Contributing Illustrator  

Drawing Perspective  /  Matthew Brehm; Page One Publishing, 2010

  • Contributed stages of a finished sketch to show process, as well as the book’s 30-page workbook of instructional text with illustration examples in various stages.

Illustrator, Freelance  /  Orlando, FL  / 2004-current.

  • Clients include Kessler Collection Hotels, Orlando Opera, Orlando Science Center, Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Weekly; individual clients; private events.
  • New York Daily News weekly column, “Undiscovered Manhattan.” New York City, 1984-1989:
  • Other publications: Business Week, Circa 86, Consumer Electronics, Corporate Finance, Fame, Home Office Computing, The American Journal of  Nursing, The Scientist. Publishers: Harper and Row, Holt Reinhardt and Winston, Paragon House, Scholastic Publications.

Mural Artist, Freelance

Mennello Museum of American Art / Orlando, FL / 2012

  • Commissioned to design, and paint the museum’s 35’x7′ mural. Invited 50 local residents to pose for the mural sketch.

Key Assistant Animator, Freelance / Orlando, FL / 2005-2007

Cecropia, React Entertainment: Created final animation drawings. Screen credit: The Act ( iPhone/iPad video game).

Project Firefly: Created final animation drawings. Film credits: Curious George; Princess and the Frog.

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Animation Artist / / Orlando, FL / 1994-2004

Films: The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Emperor’s New Groove,  John Henry, Lilo and Stitch, Brother Bear.

Department Head, Clean-up Department  /  2004  /  Pocahontas DVD (additional scenes)

  • Managed a team of 20 artists. Responsible for scheduling and delivering new scenes created for and added to the director’s cut. Worked closely with both the producer and director in Disney’s California animation studio.

Key Assistant Animator  / 2000-2004  /

Film credits: Brother Bear, Lilo and Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove, Tarzan, John Henry.

  • Created key drawings for final approval by the Lead Key and Lead Animator.
  • Supervised the drawings of other artists to ensure consistent quality. Led and inspired team artists to meet tight weekly deadlines. Defined the look of “Cobra Bubbles” (Lilo and Stitch) throughout the film.
  • Sculpted character maquettes of “John Henry” and “Polly” as reference for animators.

Breakdown Artist  /  1996-1999  /  Film credit: Mulan.

  • Created drawings that keep the action flowing smoothly.
  • Successfully inspired the crew and accelerated production to meet consistently tight deadlines.
  • Designed and created a hands-free glass platen (the Thorspectron 2000) for the digital cameras, reducing shooting time. Produced at no materials cost; saved the department 33% in production time and costs. In use through 2004.

In-betweener  /  1994-1996  /  Film credit: Pocahontas.

  • Created drawings that smooth out the action at 24 fps.

Art Director  /  1984-1986 / Oui, Video Games magazine, Wrestling

  • Created and art-directed the design for Exercise for Men at start-up; design remained unchanged  for 14 years.

Instructor

10×10  /  Orlando, FL  /  2017  /  Developed and teaching the first-ever urban sketching course locally: 10 on-location workshops on core values for sketchers.

Elite Animation Academy  /  Orlando, FL  /  2015-ongoing (part-time).

  • Courses: Drawing Fundamentals, Life Drawing, Digital Painting, and Character Design in Photoshop for middle and high school students. Created syllabus, lesson plans and prep; provide reference material.
  • Teach these same courses online to students nationwide via Skype.

ODD (Orlando Drink & Draw) / 2015-ongoing.  Creator, organizer and moderator of  monthly artists’ gathering  to sketch at a different venue each month; advise  and coach as requested.

3rd International Urban Sketching Symposium  /  Santo Domingo  /  2015.  Developed and taught “Capturing the Event” workshops.

Full Sail University / Orlando, FL  /  2010-2015 (part-time). Course: Traditional Animation. Taught the 12 principles of hand-drawn animation. Lectured; graded students’ animation work. Taught and coached students navigating pencil-test software used to shoot scenes.

Disney Institute / Orlando, FL  /  2003 (periodic).  Guest lecturer. Taught Character Design to Disney Institute enrollees (corporate guests, visitors).

Awards and Distinctions

“Best of ” Multiple Award Winner, Orlando Weekly

Best Blog (2 years), Best Local Artist, Best Mural, Best Urban Sketcher

“Best of ” Award for Best Blogger,  Orlando Sentinel

Academy Award-nominations: Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King,Pocahontas, Brother Bear as a Film Animation Team member

Digital Proficiencies

Adobe Premier Pro (video editing), Photoshop and ProCreate (CGI drawing/painting, Adobe Suite of Digital Creation (including After Effects,  Premiere, Encore and Audition), Maya (modeling, rigging, light, texturing), SAI (CGI painting), Z Brush (modeling, texturing), Procreate (Digital Sketching).