Madwire Media Illustration Project and Notes on Life

Here are a few vector illustrations I did for a motion graphics ad promoting a local publishing house's re-launch of a Sunday School Curriculum. The client wanted very simple stick figures that would communicate their ad script in a fun way. Although these are just still images, I wanted to draw the figures in an animated way using expressive poses. I then vectorized the drawings and sent them on to the motion graphics artist who is now in the process of creating the final ad. I'll hopefully be able to post the final video once it is complete.

2011 Madwire Media

Other notes: 
Oddly enough, my current job as a marketing account executive at a marketing and webdesign firm isn't closely related to animation or illustration. If you've read my previous posts, you'll discover that I went to school for animation and that one of my life goals is to run my own animation studio. I've come to the conclusion everything you do in life can be significant step toward your goals, no matter how insignificant.

Let me show you what I mean. I want to own my own animation studio, right? Ok. Now think about some of the skills that an animation studio executive needs to have.

• Work ethic (anyone can work hard, but not everyone can persist or persevere)
• Sales skills (the ability to convince)
• Business knowledge (how to structure, form, and maintain a business effectively and profitably)
• Management skills (this is more than a one-man show)
• Networking skills (how one finds the best employees, advisers, and investors)
• I could keep going, but you get the idea.

Over the course of my working career I have learned a lot of these things from jobs seemingly unrelated to animation, from pizza boy to retail clerk to office assistant to salesman to the job I have now. Although I've worked on a number of animation projects while I worked at those jobs, including an internship at a major studio and working as a shortfilm producer, the skills that I learned from those seemingly unrelated jobs propel me toward my goals. I often remind myself of this: A mountain isn't conquered in a solitary step.

Until next time...