Animation Guild

Fall 2022

Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine

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14 KEYFRAME O N T H E J O B LIVING COLOR COLOR DESIGNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SUBSTANTIAL VICTORIES IN RECENT YEARS, FROM MOVING OUT OF INK AND PAINT TO TRADING THEIR OLD JOB TITLE OF "COLOR STYLIST" FOR ONE THAT RECOGNIZES THEIR ROLE IN THE PIPELINE. HERE, THREE TAG MEMBERS EXPLAIN THE COMPLEXITIES OF THEIR CRAFT AND WHY THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO. NANCY ULENE COLOR DESIGNER, BUGS BUNNY BUILDERS AND MERRY LITTLE BATMAN When Nancy Ulene got her start in animation in the 1980s, she worked various jobs with traditional tools doing inking, painting, airbrushing, rotoscoping, and inbetweening. In 1991, she joined Disney T VA as what was then called a Color Stylist. Along with the rest of the industry, she transitioned from hybrid techniques to all digital. She was thankful for the opportunity to train on the job, and she then trained others. Although leaving Disney T VA full-time (but still freelancing) in late 2014 , she has continued to work as a Color Designer/ Art Director at many studios including Netflix T VA , Warner Bros. T VA , Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, and Splash Entertainment. She also teaches and mentors regularly. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB? I add color to the black-and-white line art of any characters, props, or effects that animate in the show. It sounds so simple, but it is a puzzle of color. Depending on the style of the show, it can be flat local color with black lines or flat local color with added highlights, shadows, and self-color ink lines. The latter takes a great deal of time and thought to make the model look like it lives in the colored environment painted for the scene. WHAT DOES YOUR WORK DAY LOOK LIKE? I get my assignments on a new show and gather the elements needed for the episode so I can color models. Using the Background Color Keys, I add them behind the line art of my scanned models in Photoshop, and then I create a palette from scratch that works in the environment that was painted. Many versions may be necessary to get to the final approved model, but that is part of the process. This is repeated for all characters, props, and effects until each of the models is complete. It is very tedious work and takes a great deal of time to make sure all the pieces work together in a color setup. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST WORK CHALLENGE YOU'VE FACED? My biggest challenge has been finding work as the jobs now are on shorter terms, and technology is constantly changing. Contacts are the main way I find work. My experience has helped as I can adapt to many styles and know the pipeline well. Although I used Toon Boom OPUS and Harmony for years at Disney, staying on Photoshop and getting more efficient and knowledgeable has really helped me stay employed. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? My favorite parts are the crew and creating a finished product. It is rewarding to work in a pipeline that is so talented and diverse. I am always learning new things and meeting new people. To stay in this business for so long has been something I will never take for granted. Every time I start a new job, it always feels like my first day in the animation business.

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