This month’s “Tips and Tricks’ is being replaced by a tribute to Shawn in honor of his getting married last month. Congratulations Shawn!

“Shawn, for as long as I've known him, has been such an inspiration and one of the most talented people I've ever met.  He radiates happiness - you can't help but to smile when you're around him (or reading his ‘Tips and Tricks’ articles!)  When he sets out do something, he does it - and then some.  He's extremely ambitious and not only has a successful career doing what he loves - but has, along with his best friends, created a vehicle for others to do the same.  He has changed so many lives and helped people all over the world achieve their dreams - and in such a creative, entertaining way.  One of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney comes to mind: ‘All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.’”
-Jennifer Kelly

“Shawn and I sat next to each other the first day of our first art class in college. From that day forward I knew he was going to be someone very special in my life. My mom always told me that if I had only one true friend in life that I would be golden. Shawn Kelly is not only one of my very best friends, but one of the most talented and giving guys I know. He has always been one to share everything openly and willingly. I’m inspired by him as an animator and even more so as a person. He is truly a genuine, positive guy and I’m so happy and blessed to have him as a BIG part of my life.”
-Bobby Beck

"First memory I have of Bobby and Shawn in College – they thought my name was "Camouflage." Not making this up. From that moment on, I knew I was going to know both of them for a really long time. :) I honestly can't say enough amazing things about Shawn. All the way from the college days, to my ILM days and now as a friend/partner he's shown to me (and many people) he really is a very special friend you can always count on. In the good times and the bad times. And that means a lot to me as a friend/brother. Oh, and his emails/voicemails will have me almost rolling on the floor sometimes. I love Shawn."
-Carlos Baena

“My first experience on campus was a Live Q and A with Shawn Kelly to show all the staff what Animation Mentor was truly all about before the launch in 2005 (I think he met his now wife that night as well, hee hee).  I have never been so excited to work for a company in my life!  Here was Shawn with a huge smile bursting with enthusiasm.  It was so contagious.  Everyone that participated in the Live Q and A that night was so excited to be a part of Animation Mentor.  It really did feel like we were all going to change the Animation education world and I am happy to say, I feel like we have accomplished that goal.  Shawn has continued to inspire all of us with his continued positive energy and professionalism and I truly appreciate that.  Thanks Shawn!”
-Becky McDonald
Animation Mentor School Director

“Shawn Kelly’s body of work speaks for itself. His newsletter articles and lectures are overflowing with awesome tips, tricks, and passion for the art of animation. Someone with so much clout might seem intimidating and unapproachable but Shawn is the polar opposite. He is a really really really nice guy. Some people that appear to be nice might have ulterior motives but Shawn is a genuinely awesome person. My 8 year old son and I met Shawn at the Animation Mentor BBQ last summer and my son was really excited to meet someone who worked on the Star Wars films. After we introduced ourselves and Shawn asked me how school was going, my son asked him about his work on Episode 3. Shawn asked him "Well what’s your favorite scene?" My son said, "The part where Yoda throws his lightsaber at one of the Clonetroopers.” Shawn’s face lit up and went into detail about his work on that scene. He told my son, "You are making my day." That conversation made my son’s day and the interaction between those two totally made my day.  Shawn is the man!”
-Mark Paasche

“Three things come to me right off the bat. First of all Shawn’s ‘Tips and Tricks’ are fantastic. I’ve printed them all out and keep them near as a reminder of...well all the different things he’s written on! I love how every week he apologizes that it is so long, but I’m always wanting more! And the promises that next week won’t be so big, but they are usually even bigger!

Second, right when I started Animation Mentor Shawn had a live Q&A and talked about all sorts of things. It was so inspiring. Everything from showing the many items on his desk to talking about Transformers, and the story about coming up with the idea for Yoda throwing the lightsaber! I freaked out when he said that because just a few days earlier me and a fellow Star Wars fan were talking about how cool that very shot was!

Third super awesome thing is when I got to go to Siggraph this year. I was walking around and just happened to see Shawn and some other Animation Mentor employees walking past me on the first day. I waved to them and said “I’ll be seeing you around the booth!” I kept walking because I figured they all had somewhere to be, but as they were all walking past me Shawn stopped and came back over to me and shook my hand and asked my name saying thanks for being part of the school! This not only made my day, but it made my Siggraph!

Thanks Shawn! You’re everything every animator wants to be!”
-Chris Schmidt

“OMG! I've been enjoying Shawn's ‘Tips and Tricks’ since before I started going to Animation Mentor! Not only informative (which they always are) but hecka funny! Best tip was about Anejo and Coke. Tasty! Best trick had to be the one that we should constrain the hand of a character to a long object (like a lightsaber) rather than constraining the other way around...genius! It makes it so much easier to get little subtle movements. (Although the tip about hiding the legs and animating the character's hips first was pretty wizard, too.) Either way, thanks so much Shawn. We still have so much more to learn, keep up the great work!”
-Brian Sueyoshi

“Shawn's ‘Tips & Tricks’ are extremely helpful and insightful to all animation students, even those who are not part of the Animation Mentor family. I had subscribed to the newsletter for at least a year before joining Animation Mentor. Shawn's words of wisdom are one of the huge reasons I finally made the decision to apply.
Speaking of words, Shawn definitely never runs out of them. As much as he apologizes for "talking" too much it is honestly one of the reasons the "Tips & Tricks" section is so helpful. When reading, it feels less like a textbook and more like Shawn is talking directly to you, the student. In some way that tends to stick in my head more than most of the books I've read. Also, thanks to Shawn, the critiques I give other students tend to have the same feeling in the sense that I just my give thoughts in a straight-ahead manner, typing from the top of my head. One or two sentences turns into an essay that seemingly always ends with me apologizing for babbling too much. Thank you Shawn...for everything.”
-Anthony (Tony) Barty

“To be honest, Shawn Kelly has always been one of the reasons that I was, and still am, so thrilled about Animation Mentor - even before I started here. I read the newsletter months before I got into the program and Shawn’s ‘Tips and Tricks’ were the stuff that got me hooked on animation the most. These articles gave me a solid base of the technical terms of animation and sort of a head-start for the first term. But what is more important, with the way he writes, he showed me how much you can love animation and how passionate you can get about it. His articles gave me the last push I needed to persuade animation as a career. And I am very thankful for that!
Getting to see Shawn in the welcome Q & A in the first term was the best thing that could happen in terms of motivation - he is as energetic and enthusiastic as I imagined him to be, if not even more so. Thanks for keeping me motivated Shawn (your early clown-animation also helped with that...)!”
-Philip Rudolph

“I can't even begin to describe how amazing Shawn is! He embodies all the wonderful traits of an animator, let alone of a human being. I remember seeing him at SIGGRAPH 2005 and being supercharged about animation. I instantly saw the possibility of studying to be an animator. I was in tears before long. Shawn's enthusiasm and sheer love for animation convinced me that Animation Mentor was for me.
Aside from being an animator, Shawn is a genuine and outstanding human being! Witnessing his caring nature in San Diego (SIGGRAPH 2007 & Graduation), I was again convinced of another thing. I made the right choice to be part of Animation Mentor and the wonderful family created by everyone in it, especially Shawn, Bobby & Carlos. Your unending energy and hard work is appreciated beyond words.
Shawn, luv ya man! You are AWESOME!!!”
Much love and thanks
-Henry Santos

“’Tips and Tricks’ has taught me a lot and still keeps on teaching me. Everything he has written are gold nuggets to me and I keep on reminding myself those key points he has talked about. Like being the director's tool, I keep reminding myself that and applying it to my work in advertising (it’s the client's vision). All of the tips he has talked about like silhouette, weight, blinks, styles and more are really helpful and valuable information that I am applying in my animation.
I am super happy that he is always eager to share what he knows to everyone who is interested that for me is very inspiring. The positive energy that comes of the words Shawn has written, it becomes more fun and entertaining to read. Thanks for all the inspiration and valuable tips and tricks! Keep the tip and tricks coming!”
Regards,
Magnus

“Well, I saw Shawn Kelly standing in a circle of students, and I hadn't met him yet, so I moved over to join the group.  Shawn told a great story about how he animated Yoda throwing his light saber, which I think was the Light Saber throw in "Revenge of the Sith". After meeting him and having a great discussion, I went back over to Mom to check on her. If anyone who attended this BBQ remembers, it was a pretty hot day and by late afternoon, we were all starting to look like beets. Well, Mom and I decided it was time to leave and we were getting ready to pack up when I heard this familiar voice behind me. I turned around and it was Shawn! He had left the group and wandered over to where Mom and I were. Shawn introduced himself to my Mom and we had a nice visit, just the three of us.  As we were leaving, Shawn told us to go over to ILM where there was this back entrance that sometimes was unlocked on weekends to where some Star Wars memorabilia were displayed.
So naturally, we headed over to ILM. Well, when we got there, we ran right into Security. Enough of that idea! We did get to see some of the memorabilia through the reception area windows over near the Yoda statue. All in all, it was a great day. My Mom had a great time, and I appreciated Shawn coming over to talk to her. He didn't have to do that as he was already fully engaged with a lot of people that day. I think this story indicates his down-to-earth nature and his genuine interest in people. May the Force be with him.”
-Keith Johnston

“Hi Shawn!

Your ‘Tips and Tricks’ articles are always very useful to me. They keep reminding and teaching me a lot of animation related topics as well as not animation related topics, such as: "We are a tool!
I am very pleased to remember one of your lectures— you were looking for an Animation Teacher to mentor you when you were just about starting your animation career, then you found Wayne Gilbert and you felt very fortunate.
Today you are mentoring a great number of animators around the world; you are giving us so much.  We are very fortunate!
Congratulations to you and your wife.”
-Mario Pochat

“I have never found the kind of knowledge anywhere else that I have found in the ‘Tips and Tricks’ articles. I think that the articles are the rare and very very valuable source of in-depth animation knowledge and they are just great. There are lots of tutorials available, but those articles are right from the great animator of the industry himself.
And one of the nice things about the Tips and Tricks articles is that they are filled with Shawn’s humor, which I love a lot. Not only the articles help me, but Shawn is so great that he also gives his valuable time to answer my questions about animation even beyond his ‘Tips and Tricks.’ I want to say to Shawn thank you, you are the best.
I pray to God to bless the couple and I hope they live happily ever after and they never face any hardship. Shawn, keep spreading the art of animation. Congratulations!”
-Muhammad Zohaib

“One thing that is absolutely essential and that cannot be bypassed in any way is humility. It is the greatest of all virtues. If you hadn't been as humble as you are Shawn, giving us away tips and tricks that you've figured out in a lifetime of observation and analysis, we wouldn't know as much as we do today. Sure…we have a real long road to keep walking, but you give us the strength to carry on. So although I don't really know you personally, I must say in a way, you are a part of me. So thank you for your open arms, open mind, and open heart. I hope the best for you, and sincerely wish the best for your couple.
Don't change a thing ;)
Thank you profoundly for your humanity.”
-NutZ

“I´m very thankful to Shawn Kelly for all his Tips & Tricks articles and mainly, his wonderful lectures at Animation Mentor! For sure, his effort has helped a lot of people to become better animators.
Thanks a lot, Shawn, and keep going helping all of us to achieve the best in our work!”
  -Wagner de Freitas

“The thing with Shawn is that he sets the example right away for the first class students with his trademark Q and A personality, he's an example of unlimited enthusiasm and energy that everyone that does animation should have, but beyond that and the way he treats people, he's a great example of a professional animator that focuses passionately on his work and thinks of ways to always make it better. He's a great part of Animation Mentor.
I'll always remember him laughing at my chameleon hand puppet :D
Hehehehehe!! WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHH!!”
Thanks,
Santiago Arellano

“Thanks for your ‘Tips & Tricks’ columns, they have always been fun to read and have been a huge help in learning new techniques. One of my all time favorites is where you talk about 'hiding body parts when getting into the spline mode from the blocking mode.' I thought that was a great idea. I have tried that several times both in my school assignments and at work and found that to be really effective. You Rock, Shawn!”
-Anand

“I had heard about Shawn and Animation Mentor through the Animation Mentor newsletter which was forwarded to me regularly by one of my animation profs at the previous school I attended. 
Later, when I decided I had had enough of the curriculum at this school I began to weigh my options.  I sought the opinion of a few friends who worked in the Industry.  They only had good things to say about Shawn and Animation Mentor.  I had a tough decision to make: stay in an MFA program that hardly had an emphasis in animation or forgo that and continue my studies at Animation Mentor.
One day I decided to write Shawn through his Tips and Tricks e-mail.  To my surprise he responded rather quickly.  His email spoke directly to what I was experiencing. 
The thing that I appreciated the most was his infectious enthusiasm for animation.  I knew that I had that same enthusiasm within myself but a couple of years of lectures in dark rooms pouring over the intricacies of shader networks sure had done a number on me.  He reminded me that although animation is hard work, it can be challenging and fun.  It has really made me want to share this enthusiasm with my friends and family. 
I thank Shawn and everyone at Animation Mentor for being an advocate for us (students) and providing us with the tools we need to realize our dreams.  We are all better animators and better people for it :)”
Sincerely,
-Glenn Hernandez

“What I like about Shawn’s monthly ‘Tips and Tricks’ is how they come across in a natural and passionate way towards animation. And somehow that seems to seep into you and really inspire you. He’s very honest too, like in the “Style First” newsletter. He was saying how he came off one movie then went onto the next and yet he jumped right into this new movie and didn't study much footage, he just watched it rather than study it...  He then goes into what he should have done and explains to you how to study the footage....
Its nice to see that even pros or animation Ninjas make mistakes and he’s willing to admit to them.
If I ever land a job in animation, I hope the person I'm sitting next to is someone like Shawn – he beams enthusiasm and amazing passion for animation. And from watching the lectures and reading the newsletters it really seems to rub off onto you and keeps your passion and interest for animation alive.”
-Chris Page

“Shawn, here’s to you! Congratulations on your marriage and thanks for all the years of ‘Tips and Tricks’, colorful Q and As, and excellent partnership.
We love you Shawn!”
-The Animation Mentor Staff