Chris Battle is a character design artist, and was interviewed last year by Animation Insider. he work on many of the cartoons I watched during my formative years of my childhood, such as Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory on Cartoon Network.
"I’m a typical night owl artist, and often stay up late drawing, so I usually roll into work around 10 AM, grab some coffee, and settle in. Sometimes I need to read a new script, but most often I’m busy attacking already in-progress designs for the latest script or storyboard. The day moves pretty swiftly once the drawing begins, but I always take time to walk around and see what everyone else is doing (It helps to get an idea of what the entire show is looking like instead of just your one little area), and usually try to get outside for lunch with friends– it’s important to actually see some sunlight and get fresh air to recharge your batteries. Usually by 7 PM I call it a day, unless I’m in the middle of a drawing and in “The Zone”; Sometimes you can’t stop while the drawings are flowing!"Chris describes the process by which he works; he will do initial sketches on paper then scan them into photoshop and go over them digitally with a wacom cintiq.
"Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
1) It may sound cliché, but you should just draw like crazy. Draw plenty from real life. Study from everyone and everything that’s come before you. Draw what you love, but also make sure you draw what’s most difficult for you– push yourself to grow outside of your comfort zone. Always keep growing as an artist; Always keep moving forward creatively.
2) Keep your digital skills up to date– Photoshop is as essential as paper and pencil these days; Illustrator’s a close second. A Cintiq is a must– But if it’s too pricey for you, a Wacom tablet will do.
3) Get your work out there… You HAVE to maintain a web presence these days, be it on your own website, a free blog or portfolio site like Deviant Art/Flickr, or your own YouTube channel. Make it easy for industry people to find your work."
