AboutGianina L. Expertise I can answer questions concerning most traditional mediums such as acrylics, watercolor, colored pencils, collage/cut paper, graphite, charcoal, and pen and ink. I also have strong, advanced knowledge of Photoshop, Powerpoint and Publisher; and beginner to immediate level knowledge in Illustrator, Freehand, After Effects, and Flash. In addition, I can cover miscellaneous subjects such as portfolio preparation, applying to art schools, art school study skills, color theory, basic design and drawing principles, basic animation techniques, working on personal art styles and exploring new artistic techniques. Topics such as the detailed legal aspects of art, web programming and Flash action scripting do not fall under my area of expertise.
Experience
Experience
in the Area
I graduated summa cum laude with a double BFA in Illustration and Computer Art
(specializing in 2-dimensional animation) from the Savannah College of Art and
Design, where as a student, I happily tutored fellow peers in all aspects of art
and created numerous illustrations for the school newspaper. For the past
several years, I have been illustrating seminar books, designing numerous
graphics, and creating short animation sequences for use in video. In addition,
I work as a private tutor and am co-director / co-owner of a company that
focuses on and promotes the local music industry. I assist with all the
day-to-day operations of this company as well as manage all art direction and
design.
Education/Credentials
Savannah College of Art and Design
BFA Computer Art, Illustration
Summa Cum Laude
Dean's List, GPA 4.0
Awards and Honors
Induction into Alpha Pi Beta honor society for art and design, 2002
Outstanding Achievement in Computer Art, 2002
Outstanding Student for the academic year 2001-2002
Awarded "Most Dependable" for District, the student newspaper, 2002
Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, May 2001
Better Business Bureau Honesty in Advertising Essay Competition, Merit
Award, November 1998
Mary Renee Whelan Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design
Exhibitions and Festivals:
Embodiement; Myths in Animal Form, www.postpicasso.com, December 10 - January
10, 2005
SCAD Alumni Show, Stardust Café, Orlando, FL; December 2004
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May
2004 - April 2005
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May
2003 - April 2004
Senior Showcase, SCAD Pei Ling Chan Gallery, Savannah, GA; May 2002
2D or not 2D, SCAD Trustees Theatre, Savannah, GA; April 2002
Small Works, SCAD Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah, GA; November 7 - December 31,
2001; art was purchased
Magnanimata Animation Festival, May 1999
Publications
Quoted briefly in Animation World Magazine, "Predicting the Future of
Futurama" (April 1999) and "Ed, Edd, n Eddy: A Unique Approach"
(June 1999)
Question QUESTION: How well do i have to draw? Apps are coming up and idk if i'm ready/?
i'm a senior year and i'm 17 and i'm in ap art> i'm an ok drawer but i'm not like woah you have talent you know. i'm really scared. I want to go into character design in animation but idk how well i have to draw. I want to go into an art institute. I know i have to send a portfolio but if it sucks, then they can deny me right. not take me serious. Animation is something i want to do. Its my passion i'm a nerd when it comes to characters. I want to be somewhat similiar to walt disney. Can anyone give me some information about art institutes and drawing> what to do what to expect? etc. I would really appreciate people that have beem invovled or is enduring art as a career.
ANSWER: Dear Paul,
Take a deep breath. You will be just fine. I remember feeling just as frightened before taking my AP art classes in high school and before attending a private arts college. Turns out, everybody has a different experience and different ability levels going into these classes. Nothing is wrong with that. If you already were a perfect artist, you wouldn't need classes to begin with. Also remember that natural ability is only a part of the process. Determination, perseverance, and responding to good criticism counts for so much more. Don't let your fear get in the way, and really try to believe in yourself.
If you want to do animation, learn everything you can about it. Study the characters and how they are drawn. But, most importantly, really pay attention to your classes. Learning the basics of art and drawing is important no matter what field of art you go into. Carry a sketchbook around and draw whatever you can. Practice, practice, practice. If you keep at it, you will get better, guaranteed. Most likely, you are not the only person worried about their art skills.
A lot of school options exist. I don't know where you live, but checking locally would be the first step. Do you have any local schools available to you? The art institute has a website to request information: www.artinstitutes.edu
You can use the internet easily to find a listing of all art schools. Request materials to be sent to you. Talk to admissions representatives. Look for online reviews of the school. I personally went to the Savannah College of Art and Design (www.scad.edu) and truly enjoyed my experience. I carefully chose the school that best matched my needs and personality. In school, I had a good number of basic courses in design, drawing, color theory before going into more specific classes involved with my majors.
Art is not an easy way to go. Schooling can take a good amount of effort, and finding your place afterwards in a career often takes time and determination, but as a person who works full-time as an artist, every step is worth it if you love it.
If this is your passion, you are on the right path. Keep believing in that passion and everything will fall into place. Work hard to improve your drawing skills (Just like an athlete would keep running around the track) and good luck!
If you have any other questions, just let me know.
Sincerely,
Gianina
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you so much. I feel like you related to me so much. I have looked and SCAD. That was actually my first choice, my mom Wants me to stay in California. I live in a small town called temecula. I decided to go for laguna college of art and design and some calstates. ALthough they aren't art colleges, it doesn't matter where you learn art does it? I had a topic about animation and character design. I was told they both involve the same general knowledge but they're two different branches of fields. I want to make charaters for game companys and television. I;m not sure how it works. Will i just be drawing the characters or will i draw and animate. If i'm only going to be drawing them, then i should go into animation right?
Answer You're very welcome! Seems like you have found something close to home and that's fantastic. At the end of the day, as long as you follow through on what you learn, then you are right, it doesn't matter where you learn art just as long as it works for you. Yes, character design and animation are different but related. Large studios have a team dedicated to character design and a team dedicated to different parts of animation. A tiny studio might have someone working on both. All parts of art, not just animation, use the same basic principles. It's the tools and processes that differ from career to career. I'm not aware of any character design majors, so yes, you would go for animation. It's important to learn the basics of all parts of animation if you are going to design characters for it. To make a good character, you have to fully understand how it will be used, how it will move, how it will help tell a story.
