Student Spotlight - Chien Yu Kuo

Character animation is my passion. At iAnimate, I can focus on animating with the rigs they provided and get the reviews from the professionals.

Student Spotlight features Chien Yu Kuo, an animator from Taiwan. Animation brought her to the US and she studied Computer Animation at Ringling College of Art and Design. Currently, Chien is seeking opportunities in the animation field, as she believes there are many ways to tell stories and characters in her future work.

Student Animation Journey

Chien took the following Feature Student Workshop here at iAnimate:

• Feature Workshop 2 with Alexis Wanneroy (Fortiche Production)
• Feature Workshop 3 with Mike Walling (Bungie)
• Feature Workshop 4 with Alexis Wanneroy (Fortiche Production)
• Feature Workshop 5 with Patrick Giusiano (Dreamworks Animation)

Chien believes in the power of animation references and their importance in every successful animation. She also prepares everything before doing her iAnimate assignments. It is what she has learned from her instructors. Here is Chien’s creative process in doing her animation while at iAnimate:

1. I always think about acting while watching movies and TV shows. When I saw a good scene or interesting lines, I used the audio to tell a story.
2. And I think about the situation, the background, the environment, and the characters. Then I can shoot some references, I usually do it lots of times to really get the acting I want.
3. After that, I block out the scene and get it similar to the reference. I remove the reference when it's close enough, then I start animating it, making the acting alive.

Chien learned to work cleanly on every shot and not to rush to her ideas because she wanted to tell the stories and bring her animation to the next level. Chien is willing to learn different things about animation. She is continuously crafting her skills and acquiring techniques to become a successful animator someday.

Chien's Student Reel

You can reach Chien via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator Chien Yu Kuo

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

Chien: I took lots of classes with Alexis Wanneroy, and I had fun! He is honest and tells me whatever he sees, good or bad. I appreciate that he changed my workflow, and made it clean and professional. I learned how to animate, not just copy the reference. The principles he taught me to make me think more while animating, every detail can make a difference.

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

Chien: I worked on different kinds of performances and learned from my experiences. Now I know how to tell a story with my characters, and I'm ready to do more.

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

Chien:

“After taking classes, I feel like I have the skills and experiences, and I'm ready to join the industry. I'm excited to start the journey and work on different kinds of projects and performances with a team!”

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

Chien: I'm interested in feature animation and cartoons.