Animator and Artist

1. Tell us a little about who you are. Who do you work for? What job do you do?

I consider myself an artist. Animation is just one of the outlets that I have for my expression. At the present time, I am the lead animation instructor for the Art Institute of Houston. Previous to this, I worked in the entertainment industry doing animation for television programs, and commercials.

2. How long have you been working in the animation industry?

3. Name a few of the projects you've worked on in the past.

This is always a hard question for me to answer, mainly because I have worked on so many different productions, and it is weird for me to toot my horn when it comes to past jobs. A few that come to mind are, Mary Lou Rettons Flip Flop Shop, (PBS) Music videos and promotions for countless artists, including Willie Nelson, Clay Walker, Bee Gees, Styx, Queensryche, Korn, Brittney Spears, ect...the list is too long to continue. Basically if you watched MTV, VH1, or CMT you have seen my work.

4. Do you have any future projects planned?

I plan to do a couple of fine art animations, you know the weird intellectually challenging type of things.

5. What prompted you to move into a career in animation? How did you go about pursuing it?

During my high school years, I saw Star Wars in the theater. It was so cool, I knew that I wanted to do something like that. My first animation was done on 8mm film in a high school art class.

6. What kind of education did it take to get you where you are today? What's your alma mater?

I studied Fine Art at Morehead State University in Eastern Kentucky, and received an MFA in Computer Animation from Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton Florida.

7. What animation software packages do you prefer to use? What would you recommend to a beginner?

At this time I prefer 3D Studio Max, although, I like Maya an awful lot as well.

8. Apples or oranges, tea or coffee: do you prefer traditional animation, or computer animation?

I prefer oranges over apples, and coffee over tea. As for traditional or computer animation, there is no difference to me. It is all the same, only the tools are different. It's kind of like asking which type of drawing that you prefer, ones done with a 2b pencil, or ones done with charcoal. It depends on how well done the drawing is, not the medium chosen by the artist.

9. Are you currently working on, or have you worked on in the past, any independent animation projects? Tell us more.

Of course, although none were big film projects. Usually straight to video or for television. Literally every animation is an independent project at the beginning.

10. Can you offer any advice to those interested in producing their own independent animations?

Persevere, finish the project, and expect to spend some money trying to get it published or distributed. Most small productions companies fail after a year. It must be a labor of love. If you in it for the money or fame, forget it.

11. What about those just considering starting in animation? Any educational or career advice, memorable lessons, etc?

You need to be an artist not a computer geek. Get a Bachelors Degree that is heavy in the fine arts. Study art and draw all the time. Don't just look at computer art. You need to be as diverse as possible.

12. Do you ever appear at conferences? What animation events and conferences would you recommend?

I have never been very interested in conferences or conventions. As far as events that I would recommend, the big one would be Siggraph. (http://www.siggraph.org/)

13. Can we find you in print or on the web?

I have a website, http://www.normanengel.com/. Recently I worked on the illustrations for a childrens book, The Magical World of Wishes and Dreams by Ken McArdle, available at and most book vendors.

14. What, in your opinion, is the most important thing for an (aspiring) animator to remember?

You must love art so much that it is an obsession. Animation is a lifestyle as much as it is a career.

15. Tell us your best story about working in the animation industry.

I really don't have one. Its all just daily life. You meet interesting and famous people, you work late bizarre hours trying to meet deadlines, and you enjoy nearly every minute of it. There is nothing better than driving to the office and giggling because you cant believe that people actually pay you to do this! Animation is sooo cool!

Courtesy of about.com's Adrien-Luc Sanders