Student Spotlight - André Warnsley

"The best part about enrolling in iAnimate is that they decided to take a chance on me regardless of what my current skill level was at the time. The fact that they were willing to accept me and help me grow as an Animator meant everything!!!"

Student Spotlight features André Warnsley, an animator whose Animation is his passion, and becoming a professional Artist/Animator has always been his lifelong dream! André puts his heart and soul into what he does, and he hopes that it is reflected in his Animation work.

André has expert experience in using Maya, along with having received thorough animation training from amazing professional mentors like iAnimate instructors. He also has a very solid traditional fine arts background, specializing in drawing and illustration design.

André has been working as a professional Animator since December 2020, and he is currently working as a Character Animator at an Animation studio called "Atomic Cartoons", located in Vancouver BC, Canada.

André had previously been enrolled at a different online Animation school but he felt that it was not worth it to unleash his full potential as an animator. He also felt like he had failed miserably before he had really even got started and that’s when he found iAnimate.

He was already somewhat familiar with iAnimate, just based on all of the great things that he heard about the school. Not to mention all of the amazing student work that was being created and showcased online. So, instead of trying to convince the other school that he was good enough for their program, André decided to give iAnimate a shot and submitted his application. To his surprise, not only was he accepted into iAnimate’s feature program, but he was also given very valuable feedback from Jason Ryan himself on what areas to work on in his Animation to help him improve moving forward!

Student Animation Journey

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

• Feature Workshop 4 with Tal Shwarzman (Pixar Animation Studio)
• Feature Workshop 5 with Jacob Gardner (Agora Studio)
• Feature Workshop 6 with Tal Shwarzman (Pixar Animation Studio)
• Feature Workshop 7 with Tal Shwarzman (Pixar Animation Studio)

1. It should always start with the planning process, by building and developing an idea using various forms of reference. This is by far the most important part of Animating a shot in my opinion! ALWAYS plan out your shots BEFORE you start Animating! It will save a lot of time and confusion if you know exactly how you're going to approach a shot before you actually start to Animate.
2. Once I have a solid plan for my shot or whatever project I'm working on, I then proceed to jump into Maya to start creating a layout pass based on my references. This layout pass really helps to start playing with the overall timing, and general ideas of the shot before I actually start Animating anything just to see what might work.
3. I then proceed to go through the typical stages of blocking, blocking (plus), polish, polish, polish, polish, and more polish. Obtaining feedback from my instructors and/or peers also played a very critical part in my journey of learning and improving greatly as an Animator. Feedback on your work is SUPER important when it comes to growing your skill level in Animation, so always be open to receiving "constructive criticism". Receiving good feedback on your work can be priceless, and will only help you grow as an Artist.

The most impactful thing that changed André and really helped during his time as a student was how he approached blocking out a shot and his workflow process in its entirety. Over time, he has developed what he likes to call more of a “Hybrid Workflow”, which is a direct result of combining different techniques that he picked up from his instructors and peers to develop a process that works for him. His personal workflow allows him to work a lot faster and more efficiently, while still being able to polish shots at a very high-quality level.

André's Student Reel

You can reach André via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator André Warnsley

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

André: All of my Animation instructors are hands down AMAZING professional Animators in their own right! Not to mention they were all super knowledgeable when it comes to teaching the technical part of Animation, along with helping you grow as a student Animator based on your current skill level. Every single instructor/mentor has years of professional Animation industry experience, which they are always happy to share firsthand when it comes to working in the industry and at the top Animation studios!

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

André: Overall, I would say that my time as a student at iAnimate really helped me to think “outside” of the box when it ultimately comes to approaching Animation. I was always taught to go beyond my reference in order to really push my work and try to take it to the next level!!! After completing the entire feature program at iAnimate, I would say that I’m more of a well-rounded Animator, as opposed to being a “specific” kind of Animator. Even though I concentrated more on the feature side of the workshops, I feel overly confident that I can apply my Animation skills to any part of the industry whether it’s Feature, Television, or Games. iAnimate most definitely prepped me to become industry ready by graduation time, and I’m proud to say that I landed my first job as a professional Animator just 6 months after completing the program!!! However, if I were to really box myself in, I’ve definitely started to become more of a "cartoony style" Animator just based on what I love to Animate!

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

André:

“I feel overly confident that I can apply my Animation skills to any part of the industry whether it’s Feature, Television, or Games. iAnimate most definitely prepped me to become industry ready by graduation time, and I’m proud to say that I landed my first job as a professional Animator just 6 months after completing the program!!!”

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

André: Feature and TV are where I am most interested.