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Animator
Tiger Aspect

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	MAXWELL O
00:02	My name is Maxwell O and my job title is animator, 2D character animator and animation director and illustrator as well.
00:14	So currently I’m a 2D character animator on the Mr Bean animated series, which means I’m responsible for bringing the character to life and so how that works is we’re given storyboards and an animatic and then from there we’re given scenes to work on and we have to meet a certain target at the end of the week and yeah, that’s pretty much, pretty much it.
00:41	One of the producers got in contact with me. She had seen my work somewhere online and from there she just sent me an email and asked whether I’d be interested in being part of the team. I came in for the interview just out of curiosity, cos I was freelance, I was a freelance animation director and animator beforehand and I was quite happy in that lifestyle, but then I thought well, for a change, you know, it might be, you know something good, so I came in and met the directors and the producers and everybody just seemed amazing, really, really nice and it was a great opportunity as well, so I accepted the position and here I am.
01:21	At school, primary school I was always drawing, even in classes that I wasn’t supposed to be and just always been like the loud kid, doing accents and stuff like that, but I loved sports, I loved anything to do with like, you know, performance and anything within the arts and, you know, I just liked to have a good time. I think I was a little bit of a prankster though, when I was in, you know, primary school.
01:52	I went to George Monoux College in East Ham and I studied there for about three years. In did a GNVQ advanced art and design course where I basically learned all the fundamentals of colour and lighting and things like that and then after that I studied at the same college again and did an Art Foundation Course and then applied to university. I went to the Glamorgan Centre of Art and Design in Wales and studied a traditional 2D animation course there for the next three years and it was amazing, it was a really, really amazing course. Got to meet so many other people who had the same interests as well and yeah, it was a really good experience, yeah.
02:41	My mum was a nurse and my dad, he had quite a few different job titles actually. He was a teacher at one stage, he was in the army also and then he was a parking attendant for a few years as well, Both my mum and my dad actually drew, so I remember like, you know, being a little kid and just watching my dad, you know, draw these figures and just being completely mesmerised by it and so I think it’s definitely something that’s like been passed down and coming from a Nigerian background as well and wanting to get into the arts, that could have been a difficult thing because in my culture, unless you’re, your parents kind of want you to be a doctor or a lawyer or something, you know, conventional, so getting into animation was a little bit unheard of but my parents, because of their background as well, they were really, really supportive and that played a huge, huge part in me getting to where I am today. If not for their support then I probably wouldn’t be doing this.
03:50	I like to dance. I was into street dance, a few years ago, like break dancing, body popping. I like cycling, Music is a really sort of big part of my life as well, just chilling out and listening to like some jazz or classical, you know, classic jazz and hip hop a little bit as well.
04:15	If you’ve got talent in that area and it’s something that you really want to do, then I would just say, yeah, just absolutely go for it. But the main thing is, yeah, just draw as much as you can, study a lot from other people that inspire you, other artists as well. I think one important thing that I learned as well is to surround yourself with positive people and just to weed out, you know, the negative, the nay-sayers really cos, yeah they really do hold you back and I’m talking from experience myself, so just create like a little bubble for yourself and just, yeah go for your dreams really.
04:51	End of Maxwell O

Maxwell loved drawing and performing at school. His passion for art took him on to a degree in Animation in Wales. From there he set up his own animation collective, working with colleagues on TV and cinema commercials. Being an Animator is his perfect job and he couldn’t see himself working in any other industry.

More information about Artists

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£35,880

average salary

The UK average salary is £29,813

average weekly hours

There are 37.5 hours in the average working week

65% male

35% female

The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male

Future employment

Future employment?

Description

? Artists create artistic works using appropriate techniques, materials and media; design artwork and illustrations; and restore damaged pieces of art.

Qualifications

No specific academic qualifications are required although a variety of vocational qualifications, degrees and postgraduate courses are available. Entry can be based upon portfolio work.

Tasks

Conceives and develops ideas and ways of working for artistic composition;
Selects appropriate materials, medium and method;
Prepares sketches, scale drawings or colour schemes;
Builds up composition into finished work by carving, sculpting, etching, painting, engraving, drawing, etc.;
Approaches managers of galleries and exhibitions in order to get finished work displayed;
Uses artistic skills to restore damaged artworks;
Liaises with writers and publishers to produce book illustrations;
Markets and sells finished work directly to customers;
Produces works on commission basis for clients.