---

Angela Haynes:

Growing up, I was always doodling in class and sketching in notebooks. I had a lot of encouragement from family and friends to keep at it and I always hoped I'd end up doing something in a creative field. I've been a huge Disney fan since I was little, and I remember The Little Mermaid really sparking an interest in drawing characters. I would try to mimic how the characters in that movie were drawn. But it was Beauty and the Beast that had the most impact on my interest in animation. There was a "making of" featurette about the movie that helped me to understand that it was a collection of drawings and creating movement that brought the characters to life. After seeing the featurette, I knew that animation was something that I would love to do. Of course, then came Toy Story, and there was another "wow!" moment for me. I was so impressed that the animation had been done with computers, and it just reinforced the desire to work in the animation field.

---

Angela Haynes:

When I attended my local university, there was no animation program at that time. I wavered a bit about animation, not knowing where to start or how to get the training so I ended up taking general art classes instead. A few years in, I noticed that another college in my area had an animation/graphics program. I gave that a try, but it turned out to be a very generalized program, where you got a little bit of everything and nothing specific to focus on. I took a class with a guest teacher who worked in the video game industry and learned more about animation from him in one class than I had in all the years plugging away in those generalized programs. He showed us student work from Animation Mentor and I was just blown away! The quality of the student work and the opportunity to learn from people working in the industry were the two main reasons I decided to attend Animation Mentor.

---

Angela Haynes:

It's great! The online format is wonderful for people who work full-time (like me) and find it difficult to schedule classes on campus around their work schedules. You can log on whenever it's convenient for you. It also allows people who live farther away to attend, as they don't have to live within commuting distance of the school itself. There are also lots of resources, tools and knowledge available on the website.

---

Angela Haynes:

Right now, any job in the industry would be a dream job! I'd be happy just to get my foot in the door. Although, if I have to choose, being such a big Disney fan growing up (and I still am), I always thought it would be my dream job to work there. There are some great video game companies in my area, and Valve is one that I've heard great things about. So that would be another dream job.

---

Angela Haynes:

Fantastic! I've learned so much already! The student community and staff are wonderful, and it's a great privilege to be learning from mentors who work in the industry! The Q&As are fun and the lectures are really well done. The progression of classes makes sense, with new skills being introduced that build upon previous ones. The format and curriculum are the best I've experienced, and I feel fortunate to be attending this school!

---

Angela Haynes:

The Animation Mentor community is made up of a bunch of the nicest and most supportive people I have ever met. Everyone wants to be here and you can totally feel the high energy level that people bring to the table. We all want each other to succeed and it really shows in the feedback and compliments that people leave daily on their fellow students' workspaces. I have no doubt that everyone will reach the end of the program with lots of great experiences and friendships made.

---

Angela Haynes:

There has been so much great advice! One piece of advice given by a couple of my mentors was to keep a to-do list. Watch your animation with a notebook handy, and jot down all the things you see that need adjusting. Do the same with your eCritique, jotting down the notes your mentor gives you. This helps to keep track of what needs fixing, and also can give you a sense of accomplishment as you check the items off. Prioritize your list, starting with the major fixes first, then continue down to the smaller details. This advice has really helped me in staying organized and making sure I don't forget to fix something in my animation.

---

Angela Haynes:

There was a moment during Class 2 when I was super frustrated with my animation, and I was having trouble translating the idea in my head to the character on my computer. No matter what I did, the animation was just not quite what I wanted it to be. I was chatting with a student in the next class ahead of mine, and he was very supportive. He gave me some suggestions to improve my animation, and he also let me know that he had experienced the same frustration and assured that it would get better. It was that simple reassurance that meant so much, knowing he had been there. I implemented his suggestions, and lo and behold, my animation worked much better! I think I got my sanity back in that moment, haha!

---

Angela Haynes:

There is so much great animation and so many animators whose names I do not know! When I first read this question, I immediately thought of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. They are obviously very well-known, but they worked on so many of the animated films that I grew up watching and that I love.

---

Angela Haynes:

It is impossible to choose! I've always loved the forest scene in Sleeping Beauty where Aurora is singing to the animals. More recently, I love watching the scene in Wall-E where he meets Mo for the first time. Mo goes a little nuts over all the dirt Wall-E tracks around, and it just makes me laugh! Then there's the Pixar short Presto, which is freaking hysterical! I could keep going on and on.

---

Angela Haynes:

I always find it difficult to answer these questions about myself. I guess I would say that I'm uniquely upbeat, always smiling and trying to find the bright side. I can be very silly and random at times, which is no surprise to my family, as they can be that way as well! Also, I love using emoticons. Don't know why. I just always seem to be smiling in cyberspace. And I love to sing, although I do not consider myself to be American Idol worthy. :D

---

Angela Haynes:

I think planning your week in advance and managing your time well is a great step towards posting your work early so others can give you feedback. Because I work a full time job, this is a constant challenge for me. But when I accomplish this, I feel that my assignments are that much better for it. Give feedback to others in a constructive manner, and they will hopefully return the favor. You can learn by helping others improve their animation and by having more eyes on your work as well. Most of all, keep yourself motivated and have fun! Happy animating!