Animation Guild

SPRING/SUMMER 2018 15 O N T H E J O B TARA BILLINGER / DISNEY TV ANIMATION Tara Billinger knew from early on that she wanted to pursue a career in animation, but didn't know exactly what part she would play. Now, the self-taught Billinger works as a character and props designer on the Mickey Mouse shorts. WHAT'S YOUR TYPICAL DAY? I start my morning with a crew coffee walk, which is my favorite since I get to stretch out and chat. Once I get to my desk, I go through my list of models for an episode. I review the animatic a few times and watch past episodes to see if the show has done something similar before. If there's a reference/pose or cameo needed, I'll watch the source material. Most of the day is [spent] sketching. WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF THE JOB? Having this opportunity to draw these well-known characters in a whole new light is a reward in itself, but the best part has to be my crew. I didn't get to study at a specific school, but I know I've become a better artist because of them. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR CHALLENGES? My personal challenge is to see how far I can push a design and impress my directors. I make sure to reference the storyboard too. The board artists are extremely talented and bring something different and unique. I put poses on models, but I try not to lose their essence. HOW DO YOU START? When I sketch out a pose I always think of silhouette and line of action. These characters have rubbery black limbs that could easily get lost if not positioned correctly. We have the freedom to exaggerate special poses on Mickey and get away with a lot, but we never break our style rules—unless it's for a joke. With Mickey there is a specific pen and ink look, everything is loose but constructed. Because of the inking style the designers do the cleanup as well. WHAT DETERMINES A SUCCESSFUL CHARACTER DESIGN? You should be able to look at a character and learn something about their personality—be it through their posture, their silhouette or their clothing. Subtle things on a character can speak volumes. Another thing to keep in mind is the animators—they're going to be making the character come to life and sometimes less is more with a design and makes it easier for them to animate. And you know, pie eyes always look good. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CHARACTER YOU'VE DESIGNED? Well, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks already designed this cast so I can't take credit for them, but I'm thrilled when an expression or exaggerated pose I've done is in the final version. PHILIPPE TILIKETE / ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT After studying at CFT Gobelins in Paris, Philippe Tilikete went on to become an assistant animator and then a key assistant animator for traditional animation. He had always wanted a professional career in character design and around 2001 he was able to realize that goal. Tilikete is currently working on Minions 2. WHAT'S YOUR TYPICAL DAY? It's pretty much designing 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. [I have] very few meetings, calls with the Paris team if needed, searching for references on the net, sometimes sketching at night if certain ideas come to mind—and they always come to me at unusual times! WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF THE JOB? Being creative, drawing all day long, seeing the work on screen and hearing people laugh at the movies I worked on in the theatre. WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES? Coming up with fun and original ideas if the subject matter has been exploited many times in the past—I try to always find a way to make it fresh, appealing and fun. DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS. It can go a couple of ways. I can start with tiny sketches on Post-It [notes]—my roughs are pretty messy—and sketch out a good dozen ideas for one character until I feel the shape is pushed the right way and going in the right direction, then scan them on Photoshop, clean them up and color them. Or designing directly on the Cintiq. Thinking of the overall feel, personality, [as well as] the voice of the character and situations the character could be involved in is very important. WHAT DETERMINES A SUCCESSFUL CHARACTER DESIGN? Personally I don't think there's an actual formula; it comes down to appeal and taste, depending on what style you are working with and what production you are designing for. It has to be the right idea for the right style. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CHARACTER THAT YOU'VE DESIGNED? I couldn't really pinpoint one in particular. I liked a lot of the ones I've done for Cartoon Network [Out of Jimmy's Head, My Gym Partner is a Monkey], but I really like the characters for the movie I am working on right now. Photo by Billy Skelly

• Cover
• PRESIDENT'S LETTER
• EDITOR'S NOTE
• ART & CRAFTAko Castuera's dynamic ceramics
• AFTER HOURS DWA's Abarcaon the sweet sideof animation
• IN PRODUCTION How Paradise, P.D.runs its show
• ON THE JOB Character Designers at different studios
• SPACE INVADERS Get lost in Ben Balistreri's home studio
• PERSPECTIVE Surviving pixel vision
• DIALOGUE Artists onthe show that inspired them
• THE LOCAL Color Stylists ask for your support, our convention delegates
• SOCIAL HOURT oasting our members around town
• MUSIC IN MOTION For Cosmo Segurson, his Nickelodeon short, The Prince and Mr. Whiskers, brings together influences from hispast. Inspired by hot jazz, 1930'scartoons and his father, he creates amusical battle in a stop-motion world.
• AND THE WINNER IS…We look back at eight Primetime Emmy winners over the last five decades, highlighting shows that impacted the industry. From The Flintstones to SpongeBob SquarePants, these unforgettable characters continue to live on.
• INTO THE NIGHT How do you design a summer vacation film without sunlight? That was one big challenge for the production of Hotel Transylvania 3.Learn how the artists behind the filmcreated a bright destination for Dracand his family.