Matt Boismier Interview

05/04/14 20:33 MATT BOISMIER INTERVIEW
Pagina 1 di 57 http://matt-boismier-interview.blogspot.it/
MATT BOISMIER
INTERVIEW
Tell me a little bit about
yourself, about your life?
Where did you go to school,
and what classes did you
study? What helped prepare
you to become the artist that
you are today?
My name is Matt Boismier or
more commonly known as
Tooninator online. The name is
silly, but it happened in college
when I was looking for a clever
website URL. It had a good ring
to it so Ive just gone with it ever
since.
Im thrilled to have the
opportunity to have my work
featured on your site. Its been
such a great resource for
inspiration and insight into the
lives and thinking of most of the
major character designers in our
industry. Im still trying to
compose myself.
I grew up just outside of
Windsor, Ontario (CANADA) in a
town called Tecumseh. Its not
exactly big city living, but my
father was an artist and thats
where my interest in drawing and
painting began. I used to watch
him work with all kinds of
materials and I would be so
amazed. It seemed so easy for
him. When I was in the 3rd
grade I remember my parents
getting me my first artist
coloured pencils. My dad put a
banana on the living room table
and told me to draw it. This was
my first experience of still life
drawing. When my dad put that
drawing in a frame with a custom
cut mat, I felt like a real artist
and never looked back. No one
would ever discourage me from
drawing after that point. I was
the go-to artist throughout
elementary and high school. I
was fortunate enough to be given
special credit in high school to
create content for the school each
year and was even hired by
teachers to paint murals in their
homes.
Although my dad was a very
experienced illustrator and
painter, he always just gave me
praise for anything I created. I
have to say that Im not sure I
would have developed (albeit
slowly) as much as an artist had I
been constantly told to do things
a certain way. There are a few
nuggets of advice he gave me in
passing (such as the importance
of contrast) that still stick with
me to this day, but overall, he
really just let me enjoy creating
and I think that goes a long way.
During high school I had already
figured out that I would go on to
study animation. Cartoons were
the only thing I ever drew. Of
course I had to try for Sheridan.
Unfortunately, I put together the
worst portfolio ever. I had never
even heard of life drawing before
I had to apply. My hometown
just wasnt that artsy. And so, I
didnt get accepted. It was a
bummer and my first taste of
inadequacy. But fortunately, St
Clair College in my hometown
was happy to accept me into their
Tradigital Animation program.
The program was 3 intensive
years of traditional and CG
animation taught
simultaneously. It was intense,
and a fairly new program with
not a lot of credibility yet. They
were just starting to make a
name in the industry as I was
passing through. I worked with
some amazing people on some
really fun projects and learned
the value of beating an idea to
death (or each other in the
process).
Though I was a good animator
and thought thats what I wanted
to do, by the time I graduated, I
had come to the realization that I
wanted to be an illustrator or
designer in the industry. Sadly, I
didnt have the chops to jump
into the industry as a designer
just yet. After my first round of
weak applications and gentle
rejections I held back from
applying to studios for quite
some time because I knew I
wasnt good enough.
I didnt stop making art or
pursuing the dream, but I
definitely took the slow road. I
spent half my time bartending
and half making art for whoever
would pay me. Eventually I got
the brilliant idea to try to go do
caricatures live at Canadas
Wonderland (an amusement
park near the Toronto area). The
experience was interesting and I
think it deserves much of the
credit for my confidence to this
day. Drawing live in front of an
audience was my thing. I loved
the attention and thrived off the
crowd. It forced me to be
decisive and fast as hell. When
youre being paid by the drawing,
you see the benefit in being fast.
I was addicted to caricatures and
would spend a few years focusing
on that because it seemed to be
what people wanted from me.
Later I became a member of the
International Society of
Caricature Artists (ISCA) and
even won an award for Best
Digital Style in 2009.
I never stopped freelancing and it
never got any easier. It was a
constant struggle and although I
was becoming a stronger artist,
business never got busier and I
found it hard to make a living. At
this point, I eventually gave in to
a 9 to 5 gig working for a small
studio making Facebook games.
While I wasnt thrilled to be
moving away from what I saw as
pure art at first, I couldnt have
made a better decision. It was
quickly apparent that I worked
much better and more efficiently
in a studio. I helped the studio
develop and release a few games
within a year before I started to
feel the itch for a bigger studio.
That one year of focused
character design and visual
development was all I needed to
build a portfolio strong enough to
compete in the big leagues.
I took a trip in 2011 to CTN-X
where I showed my work to some
of the major players in the
industry. I was so overwhelmed
with the experience and positive
feedback that I felt I could finally
make a big jump. So without
hesitation, as soon as I got back I
applied to every studio I could
and landed my current job across
the country at Nerd Corps
Entertainment as a Character
Designer. I can honestly say that
Im the most artistically satisfied
Ive ever been.
How do you go about
designing, and what goes
through your mind, from
start to end?
This is a good question because
Im not sure Ive ever tried to
fully dissect my process.
While Ive always loved
animation and telling stories,
what Ive always really been
hooked on is just learning to be a
better draftsman. Making the
leap from making pretty
pictures to building characters
to tell a story is something that
Ive had to work hard at. Since I
work in a studio that does
television animation, the first
thing I have to do is read a
script. I take in all the
information I can about whatever
it is Im supposed to design. This
usually answers just about all of
the questions I might have.
Secondly, theres always a client
of some sort, so Ill have a
discussion with him or her about
their vision. The more
information I can gather ahead of
time, the clearer my direction is
and the fewer revisions I will
likely do down the line. In the
end, I am a production artist
right now and its not always
about what I want. My task is to
bring someone elses ideas to
fruition.
After I think Ive got enough
information from the client, its
time to start doodling. I work on
a Wacom Cintiq, so thats what I
sketch with. Ill just start moving
my hand around letting things
happen naturally. I doodle for a
few minutes without any
reference on screen. At this point
I want to see if I come up with
anything genius as a gut
reaction. That is rarely the case,
but you never know! I like to give
myself that chance before getting
influenced by outside sources.
Of course, this technique most
likely doesnt take me anywhere,
so the next step is to hit up the
Google machine on my second
monitor and start compiling
reference images of whatever it is
Im creating. Most of the
research I do will be of real life
photos. However, if Im really
stuck on breaking something
down into its essence (ie,
alligator), I might actually try to
find childrens drawings of
whatever it is Im researching. I
find that kids have the most
honest approach to design. They
will only draw the important
details. Its actually an amazing
trick to use. I try my hardest not
to look at what other professional
designers have done, but of
course thats really hard to do
these days. The goal is to be as
original as possible, but theres
just so much amazing work being
thrown in your face all the time
that its hard to remove those
influences.
So now that Ive compiled a
whole lot of references, I start
drawing again. Depending on
how new the subject is that Im
working on, I might start by
drawing realistically from the
references. I do this very fast,
but it helps my hand learn the
shapes so later I can rely on
muscle memory to take over. I
also learn the shapes so I can
dissect and enhance it. Im
making this sound really
methodic, but the reality is that
Im just moving my hand and
hoping for the best. And this is
true.
I also do a ton of thumbnail
sketches. I blast these little
suckers out fast and most likely
throw them away. Theyre just
for me and its just a process for
thinking. No one really needs to
see them. Its just a matter of
eliminating options. If you do 10
thumbnails for everything you
design, hopefully youve figured
out 9 ways of not drawing that
thing. This is very important. Be
okay with throwing away
designs. You dont have to be
married to your first attempt.
Your drawings dont have
feelings. Take what you need to
from it and kick it to the curb.
Another trick I use when Im
stuck on a design challenge is to
switch up my medium. In this
case, its digital so its just a
matter of changing brushes in
Photoshop. I have no one way of
creating designs. Its like I have
artistic ADD - I just need to
switch things up. This helps
because each brush has a
different feel which forces me to
draw in a slightly different way
and in turn changes my designs.
Approaching design this way
means that I have to redraw the
subject later to fit show-style but
by then the design questions
have been answered so the
process is pretty quick.
Next Im trying to infuse
character into what Im
designing. I can never design my
characters in upright T-poses in
the first stage of designs as is
often required in the world of CG
animation. I find it much too
stifling and restrictive. So, no
matter what, Ill start drawing
poses that allows that character
to create itself. Based on the
pose the character is pushing me
towards, the design sense will
come out of that. Im always
concentrating on the flow of a
pose or even a prop. The viewers
eye has to move around a design
in a pleasing manner and not get
held up with anything
extraneous.
Those steps have served me
pretty well over the last few
years. However, Im always
evolving my process in order to
stay fresh, learning new things,
and simply not becoming
complacent.
What is a typical day for
you, and who are the people
you work with?
A typical day for me is pretty
busy. I have a tendency to bite
off more than I can chew.
My morning begins with a good
breakfast. Thats key. I wouldnt
make it an hour if I didnt eat
every morning. While Im eating
Im also checking all my social
networking sites. Im finding it
harder and harder to be as active
on these sites, but I certainly
enjoy checking out what other
people do. I respond to emails
that are probably long overdue as
well. I love the fact that I get so
many inquiries and emails, but it
so easily becomes overwhelming
and then gets put off for far too
long.
I try to be in the office before the
crowd so I can get a little bit of
time to ease into designing
without any interruptions.
Unfortunately, the more
responsibility you have, the less
drawing time you get. I spend
my time at work sitting through
meetings, dealing with different
departments and approving and
giving notes for designs coming
through the pipeline from our
team. By the end of the day Ill
realize that I only got to sit for
about two hours to produce any
artwork. Its great to be so
collaborative though. I wouldnt
trade it.
I work with some amazing
people. Guys and gals like Andy
Poon, Derek Toye, Edison Yan,
Jimmy Ly, Peach Mork, Jack Yu,
Bulat Irayliv, Francisco Avalos,
Roland Sanchez, Tom Galvin,
Byron Leboe, Benjamin Hayte,
Jonathan Tiong, Shyh Chai, Tyler
Bradley, Michael Michell and
many others. I dont always get
to work with them closely but the
work they deliver is nothing short
of inspiring.
Once Ive put in all my time at
work, I head home, but only on
certain days of the week. Most
nights Im heading out to play
volleyball or maybe hit the gym.
I need my daily fix of exercise or I
go stir crazy. After that, Im most
likely working on side projects
from home. For the last little
while I was working on putting
together my first art book.
What are some of the things
that you have worked on?
I cant say that Ive had the most
glamorous of careers up until this
point. It was a really slow start
and there was a really slow
learning process while I was a
freelancer. Being a freelancer
pulls you in so many different
directions. You pretty much take
whatever project comes your
way. At that point in my career,
with no real studio experience, I
wasnt getting the good gigs. I
would accept just about any
project someone was willing to
pay me for.
I had a great opportunity to work
on a series of illustrated
childrens books starting back in
2007 when I was just a rookie. I
was super pumped to get a
chance to see my work in print
for once. Ive illustrated three
books to date for that project.
Its rather amazing to see how
Ive grown since then.
Another really neat project I was
a part of was for a 10 vinyl
Barack Obama piggy bank. I
designed a caricatured version of
Obama behind a podium that
would then be sculpted and cast
as vinyl piggy banks. Theres
nothing like seeing your work in
toy form.
Somewhere around 2010 I had
an opportunity to work in a small
studio in my hometown called
iDream Interactive which is
where I first got to focus on
designing for animation. We
created Facebook flash games
and that was pretty exciting.
After working on Facebook
games, I made the leap into
television animation and landed
a job at Nerd Corps
Entertainment in Vancouver
(Canada) working as a character
designer on the TV series
Slugterra. That was exciting
because the preliminary designs
were being done by some folks I
have looked up to for years. Im
currently still with Nerd Corps
Entertainment, and absolutely
loving my role there!
Right now, Im also creating a
mobile game\app with a small
crew in my spare time. Its been
a pretty slow process but is
looking pretty neat so Im excited
to see that make its debut.
Is there a design you have
done that you are most
happy with?
I would love to point out a design
Ive done that has been released
already, but my favourite design
work to date is actually currently
underway and of course cant be
shown. Ive never been so
fulfilled with a project as the one
Im currently working on. Its
frustrating that in this industry
you cant show anything for such
a long time, when all you want to
do is show everyone what youre
so excited about!
What projects are you
working on now? (if you can
tell us)
Well, you know the nature of the
beast! Im under NDA, but I can
say that Im working on a pre-
school show that Im super
excited about. It is amazingly
written and fantastically
storyboarded and I have to say
the arts looking pretty swell too.
Its a super charming CG show
that pays respect to great
characters and story.
Who are some of your
favorite artists out there?
This question is so daunting. I
feel like everyone has something
great to contribute and you can
learn a little something from
each artist. Of course there are
some favorites: Guys and gals
like Singer-Sargent, Gil Elvgren,
Erich Sokol, Kiraz, Layendecker,
Norman Rockwell, Glen Keane,
Milt Kahl, Juanjo Guarnido, Bill
Cone, Brittney Lee, Dice
Tsutsumi, Devin Crane, Cory
Loftis, Creature Box (Greg and
Dave), Dean Yeagle, Paul
Lasaine, Willie Real, Armand
Serrano, Paul Felix, Robin
Joseph, Nicolas Marlet, Bill
Scwabb, Bobby Pontillas... The
list could keep going and going. I
cant imagine being where I am
now without having the internet
and all the amazing wealth of
talent available at my fingertips.
Could you talk about your
process in coloring your art,
as well as the types of tools
or media that you use?
Ill basically draw with whatever
is available at the time. I go
through phases of using certain
mediums. If youve ever checked
out my blog youll see that Im all
over the place with content and
styles. When Im not creating for
clients or projects, Im mostly
working on becoming a better
draftsman. I like the technical
aspect of the industry as much as
the creative - always a student.
That being said, Ill try to give
you some insight into how I work
with the tools I use most often.
Photoshop is the major player in
this industry. I know it like the
back of my hand and its my best
friend for anything commercial.
If Im designing digitally I use a
21UX Cintiq. I find every design
requires a different approach so
that each has a freshness and
newness to it. Generally I work
on very few layers in Photoshop.
I do this for speed and sanity. I
love to paint in a seemingly
traditional way...on one layer if
possible. I get too confused if
there are too many layers. If I
have to concentrate on what layer
Im painting what, its most likely
pulling my brain away from
concentrating on any design
questions. Also, painting on one
layer allows me to paint at way
faster speeds. Of course there is
always a place for layers,
especially in production, but I do
my best to minimize it to only
what is necessary. This also
means that Im making decisions
and I know whats doing what.
Too many times I see fifty layers
for a simple design and its
impossible to decipher what
adjustment layer is doing what
and where a color is coming
from. You might have a great
effect happening, but if you dont
know why, it could be pointless.
When it comes to brushes,
theres no secret. You have to
just try out a bunch of stuff. I
can say with certainty that I
rarely use just one brush. Even if
its just for the tiniest portion of a
painting, adding a slight texture
or different brush stroke will add
depth to an otherwise flat piece.
Unfortunately, nothing I do is
formulaic. Sometimes Ill sketch
out a drawing first. Sometimes
Ill jump right to colour.
Sometimes Ill use a straight
lasso tool. Sometimes Ill paint
freehand. Im all about doing
whatever is needed to get the job
done.
What part of designing is
most fun and easy, and what
is most difficult?
Everything about designing is
fun. Its why I do it. I really love
building the character and the
world they live in. When its
being driven by story I find that
almost all the answers are
already given to you, you just
have to move your hand and let
the character design itself. I have
started to really enjoy digging
deep into the details that create a
world for the characters.
I would say the hardest part
about designing is not being
influenced too heavily by other
artists. Now that I dont have as
much time to sit and look at
blogs and other art sites as I used
to, it seems to keep my head free
from too much influence which is
helpful in the design process
when youre trying to bring a
fresh approach to something .
Its great to see what other people
are creating, but it can become
daunting if you start questioning
your own design sense or if you
start putting unnecessary stress
on yourself.
What are some of the things
that you do to keep yourself
creative?
In order to stay creative and
sane, I make sure that I give
myself a break and get some good
old fashion exercise. I sit at a
computer all day so I have to get
out and do something physical as
soon as I can.
Im always taking on projects
outside of my day-to-day gig. If I
didnt do that, Id just draw sexy
girls allllll the time.
What are some of your
favorite designs which you
have seen?
There is so much great stuff out
there and its all great for
different reasons, its tough to
choose. But I would have to say
that when I first learned of Erich
Sokol and the other Playboy
illustrators from the good ol
days, I was floored. Those
illustrations have so much
character. Im still hoping that
one day Ill create something as
cool.
Juan Guarnidos character
designs in the Black Sad series
are some of the best Ive ever
seen. Its definitely what I strive
for. Rapunzel is my favorite
Disney heroin. Glen Keane is a
legend and the tiny nuances to
her personality and expressions
are what I hope to achieve in
anything I create.
I think we can all agree that Nico
Marlet has magic in his pencils.
The designs for How to Train
Your Dragon are pure gold.
What is your most favorite
subject to draw? And why?
Women. No explanation needed.
What inspired you to
become an Artist?
Id have to say my father
originally,but I think somewhere
down the road I realized that
being an artist was going to be a
never ending journey and
something about that seemed
appealing. I couldnt imagine a
better life choice than creating
art. It has given me every
opportunity to fail and every
reason to succeed.
What are some of the neat
things you have learned
from other artists that you
have worked with or seen?
Its tough to pinpoint anything in
particular that Ive learned from
any one artist. Its more of a
constant learning atmosphere in
a studio where if youre open to
it, each and every person can
teach you something - whether
its to do with technique or how
to just be an awesome co-
worker. The reality is that you
can be the most talented
individual but if you dont mesh
with a team, youll quickly be
passed over for the next artist.
Theres so much more about
working in this industry than raw
talent.
What wisdom could you give
us, about being an Artist? Do
you have any tips you could
give?
The only broad advice I really
know how to give is to work as
hard as you can. Draw every
day. If you want get better, study
from life. I heard someone wise
once say Practice doesnt make
perfect. Perfect practice makes
perfect. Take the right steps and
practice them even when it gets
hard. There is no substitute for
the time spent doing. Theres no
book that has all the secrets, no
brush that holds the talent, and
no school that can teach you
everything. Just love the
process. Art wouldnt be fun if
you ever actually got as good as
you wanted.
If people would like to
contact you, how would you
like to be contacted?
My blog
www.tooninator.blogspot.com
Website www.tooninator.com
Tumblr
www.tooninator.tumblr.com
Or even follow me on Instagram
where Im most active
@thetooninator
Finally, do you have any of
your art work for sale
(sketchbook, prints, or
anything) for people that
like your work can know
where and when to buy it?
Funny you should ask. My first
art book is actually currently
being printed. Its for sale over at
my blog,
www.tooninator.blogspot.com.
Its a relatively small run and
going fast and Id certainly
appreciate any support. With
this books success, I will be
starting to plan out my second
book with all original content
and theme. Its been a really fun
process.

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05/04/14 20:33 MATT BOISMIER INTERVIEW

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