Student Spotlight - Don Kim

I was learning animation from school, but I felt that I needed additional training that would help me improve my skills… So that led me to enroll in iAnimate class for the first time. It helped me enter the VFX industry as a visualization/animation artist.

Student Spotlight features Don Mcgrew, a 3D character animator from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. In his free time, when he’s not animating, Don watches an animation or works on his car.

Don is a full-time 3D Character Animation student, and he is currently honing his skills to become a successful animator. He chooses iAnimate because he believes that working with industry professionals will be the key to his animation dream. Don is open to working in a remote or hybrid setup for any related 3D character animation roles.

Student Animation Journey

Don took the following Feature Student Workshop here at iAnimate:

• Feature Workshop 4 with Tal Shwarzman (Pixar Animation)

Don is very passionate about doing excellent shots in his animations. He used all the learnings he gained from iAnimate workshops. He believes that with the help of professionals, their feedback, and insights, he can accelerate his career. Don showed his creative way of doing his iAnimate assignments and improving now and then. Here is Don’s professional process that he used:

1. I usually spent a decent amount of time coming up with ideas however to never stick with them, especially the first idea.
2. When receiving any feedback or better ideas from the instructors, I always try to apply them to my shot. The goal is to always make a better shot for myself. Thinking it has a similar aspect that we can find from industry experience. When receiving feedback from supervisors or directors. After we have to deliver the shots with good quality and timely manner.

Taking a body mechanic class with Mike helped Don a lot to understand not only how our human body moves but also understanding animation principles. Mike would sometimes go frame by frame with his shot and would show him what things he was missing in terms of animation principles.

With acting class he took with Tal was also very helpful for Don. He would say that this class cared more about human emotion that left like performing class rather than actual animation class. In class, Don said that Tal showed a lot of live-acting videos and taught them why this is a good acting choice. During that time frame, it changed Don’s mindset when starting to plan out the shot.

Don's Student Reel

You can reach Don via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator Don Kim

iAnimate: What do you think of your Online Animation Instructor(s), and how did they help you?

Don: Most of the instructors here at iAnimate are very honest, especially when they give us feedback without sugarcoating it. Which helps the student grow to become a better artist. That is the reason why I like iAnimate. "No pain, no gain."

iAnimate: How did iAnimate help you to evolve as a character animator?

Don: iAnimate taught me from solid basic body mechanics to advance acting skills. Also, learned how to work together by giving each other feedback to help improve our acting choices. By using the skills, I acquired, I was able to apply them to my working environment.

iAnimate: What kind of animator do you consider yourself after taking your workshop?

Don:

“Throughout the classes, I became an animator whose skills have become competent. Which helped further my career in the industry.”

iAnimate: What kind of animation project do you want to work on?

Don: As much as one does love animated media, I had loved live-action-based films or shows since when I was a kid. Especially Spiderman, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and so on. I have always wanted to dedicate myself as an artist to those franchises. I am interested in cinematic projects such as live-action films, game cinematic, and animated films.