Animator Interview with Mentor Chad Stewart
Freelance Animator/ Animation Freelance Network
Colbert, Washington
Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to learn character animation?
Chad Stewart:
I can still remember sitting in my neighbor's house before school seeing my first Chuck Jones short. The only thing more thrilling than what I saw on the screen was what he told me after: "There are a lot more of these."
Animation Mentor:
What were the most important steps in your animation training?
Chad Stewart:
This might sound like a cliché, but the things that have shaped me the most are my failures. Whether it was an ambitious student film left unfinished or knowing that my animation didn't measure up on a film or just getting laid off, it has been the humbling moments that have pressed me to change. This prompted me to really get serious and figure out what I was doing wrong and how to improve.
Animation Mentor:
If you could do one thing differently on your journey to becoming an animator what would it be?
Chad Stewart:
It would have been great to learn to take criticism earlier in my career. I was an animator that would hold onto my work really tight before I would let anyone see it, afraid that people would think poorly of me and my work if I showed them something less than perfect. I was looking at it all wrong, though. It wasn't until I began to accept other viewpoints and opinions into my work that I began to succeed.
Animation Mentor:
Where do you currently work and what are the projects you've worked on in the past?
Chad Stewart:
Currently I work for my company, Animation Freelance Network as a fulltime freelance animator. I contract with such companies as Sony Pictures Animation, Reel FX, and various game and commercial houses around the US. Before that I worked in traditional animation at Walt Disney Feature Animation on Tarzan, Fantasia 2000 and The Emperor's New Groove as an animator on each of those projects. I worked at Sony Pictures Imageworks as an animator on The Chubb Chubbs, and Open Season, a lead animator on Stuart Little II and The Polar Express, an animation supervisor on Surf's Up.
Animation Mentor:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated?
Chad Stewart:
It's really hard to pick just one. I loved working on Cats Don't Dance because the style is so similar to the Warner Bros. shorts, but for CG I think I would pick Stuart Little. It was so much fun to learn animation on the computer as well as acting alongside live actors. Also, the fact that Stuart is such a great character, trying to come to terms with living his life in a "giant-sized" world.
Animation Mentor:
What was your first animation job?
Chad Stewart:
My first job was as a background layout artist for the second season of The Simpsons. I consider it a real privilege to have been a part of that franchise.
Animation Mentor:
Who would you consider your mentor to be in animation?
Chad Stewart:
I don't really have anyone that I could say, "That is my mentor." But one name does come to mind as I think through that question.
While I was never able to actually meet him and considering him a mentor is a huge stretch, I was able to work with my childhood hero, Chuck Jones on an internet serial, Thomas Timberwolf. During that process, he responded to my work and wrote me a small note to "keep drawing." Just to know that he enjoyed my work has meant a great deal to me and helped me through some of the harder times.
Animation Mentor:
Describe a typical day at your current job.
Chad Stewart:
Working as a freelancer for me is very similar to a studio job. I sit down at my desk in a home office at around 8:00 and begin animating. Depending on the company I'm working with, I'll usually make some sort of contact, either by email, Skype, phone, etc., get notes and continue animating. Usually I cut out a little early in the afternoon to spend time with my family and then get back to it in the evening to finish out the day.
Animation Mentor:
What do you enjoy the most about teaching at Animation Mentor?
Chad Stewart:
Without a doubt, it is seeing the excitement in the students. I remember how much fun it was to pursue animation as a career and the thrill of understanding a concept or principle for the first time. Now I get to do it all over again through the eyes of my class.
Animation Mentor:
What do you like best about your job?
Chad Stewart:
I love the fact that not only do I get to learn about animation, but also so many other things, like how a penguin's leg is constructed, or how a gorilla eats, or what a dancer does to make their body move so fluidly. Each and every project brings a new set of research and questions that as an animator I get to discover. That never gets old!