Student Spotlight - Amber Ryan

"I decided to enroll because I knew some friends who have also completed iAnimate courses and had only positive things to say. I thought it sounded like an excellent opportunity for me to prioritize enhancing my skills and knowledge of animation."

Student Spotlight features Amber Ryan, an animator who studied Animation at University, where she learned a great deal about the basics and industry pipeline, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Amber has appreciated animation for as long as she can remember and spent much of her free time as a teenager creating art and short animations.

Amber is a 3D artist with various skills, particularly in animation. She graduated from Ravensbourne University with a degree in Animation. She’s currently working at Touch Surgery, working on multiple procedures for over five years.

Student Animation Journey

Amber took the following Feature Student Workshop at iAnimate with the instructors:

• Feature Workshop 2 with Mike Walling (Bungie Studios)
• Feature Workshop 3 with Mike Walling (Bungie Studios)
• Feature Workshop 4 with Angie Jones (Spicy Cricket)

Amber is extremely hard working and devoted to learning new skills and enhancing her abilities. She showed her passion for animation through iAnimate assignments. Doing the processes professionals do in the studio is a great way to become a great animator. Here are Amber’s creative processes:

1. The creative process for me involved finding or creating reference materials that I really enjoyed and felt passionate about using. I had to start with that initial excitement.
2. Then I would sketch out rough storyboards with a few key poses to also present to the instructor. I would think about the character I wanted to portray and search from one of iAnimate's many rigs to find the perfect match.
3. And then, it would be the process of translating my sketched key poses into the rig for the shot and working out the most dynamic or interesting stepped sequence before moving on to the polish.

A key part of the process that Amber took away was to really consider what the character's inner monologue was. It made so much difference to her shots when she focused on conveying what the character was thinking to the audience with the nuances of their body language and facial expressions. It's something Amber considered highly important when working on a shot.

Amber's Student Reel

You can reach Amber via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator Amber Ryan

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

Amber: My instructors were amazing. Their pure love and enthusiasm for animation were so contagious; they made me really excited to improve myself in the hopes of one day reaching their levels. I am truly grateful for their expertise and knowledge.

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

Amber: I took several workshops at IAnimate and noticed drastic improvements in myself as an animator. I learned many key skills from the instructors who taught me, including the perseverance needed to get through a difficult shot.

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

Amber:

“I am industry-ready as I believe I have acquired the necessary animation skills and discipline needed to be successful. I prioritized improving myself with iAnimate and knew I can continue to grow given the right opportunity.”

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

Amber: Feature and TV are where I am most interested