I signed up for this convention thinking that I would be out of place and undeserving. After all, I am not an animator, nor do I have any experience in the field. I do
want my series, Shelby and the Blooms, to ultimately get animated, so I thought maybe I could just see what I could learn from the pros. I learned that they are down-to-earth, extremely talented, humble, approachable, and cool people. I felt right at home among the storyboard artists, character designers, art directors, layout artists, etc. That's NOT to say that I that I am on the same playing field! I have a bit further to go (understatement!). What I mean is they were so welcoming and easy to talk to. Quite a few were genuinely interested in looking through my portfolio and giving me some great feedback. They all loved Chubicorn! I made sure to talk with as many animation industry people as I could, and every story or conversation with them rewarded me with really interesting insight and reinforced the fact that these people are just like me (except REALLY talented at animation).
One group of animators from the Bay area was really cool, and I did a zine trade with one of them (Abby Lee). I found myself hanging out and talking with them like we were all old friends.
I am so glad I went, and I am really motivated to keep on truckin' with my series. To whoever takes the time to read this, thank you for supporting me and my work, and I promise to make the series as awesome as I possibly can!
I've included some images from the show, including some great art and business cards I collected along the way.
Some CTNX swag!
Great people
Me trading with Abby
Hall B
A workshop on environment design
