Study Task 3 - Creative Report

Initially, I intended to interview Tomm Moore for my creative report contact, creative director of Cartoon Saloon, but as I received no reply I found another contact who I think suits my interests within animation better. I chose Steve McCarthy, who I found while researching the background design on Cartoon Saloons 'Song of the Sea.' I am very interested in background design myself and loved the backgrounds in the film, so I thought this may be a good way to find out more about how they were created. I also explored more of Steves work, and I love the illustrative animation style he has developed, which I am keen to learn more about.
The following are the questions I intend to ask:

How did you get into animation/illustration and when did you decide on it as a career?

Do you prefer to work as part of a studio (like Cartoon Saloon) or freelance?

Which technologies do you use?

What inspired your art style?

How do you deal with criticism on your work?

What advice would you give to someone trying to get into the industry and what skills do you think are essential to succeed?

Steve replied to my interview request email, but took a while with the answers, so i sent a prompt email and eventually got my reply. I found the answers he gave really helpful and insightful, and i also saw a lot of what i recognise in myself in the answers. In one of his answers he told me how he didnt even realise being an illustrator was a job until after he had already left college, and thats something that resonated with me because i always feel as though I have to have figured out exactly what i want to do before im even sure what area that might be in. I also found it interesting that he said he prefered freelance work over working in a studio, because i always assumed most artists would prefer a somewhat 'safe' job like a studio provides. The fact that he articulated that his main skill set evolved solely around drawing was encouraging to me, as drawing skill is something i am always trying to improve. I have had to summarise most of his answer in order to make a succint creative report.

Issuu link: https://issuu.com/nicolemeehan/docs/creative_report.pptx