Tag Archives: Animation/Illustration

Spartans at Work: At The Walt Disney Family Museum, I’m “Inspired to Keep Pursuing My Own Goals”

By Sarah Kyo, Web Communications Specialist

(This summer, SJSU Today hits the road, visiting students and recent grads on the job across the country and around the world. Our Spartans at Work series continues with animation/illustration major Alex Turner.)

Where will an SJSU degree take you? How about to a place that celebrates one of the most influential people in your field? Alex Turner, ’14, Animation/Illustration major is an education intern at The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco.

From the outside, the museum’s building matches the surrounding red-brick structures not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. Inside, it contains historic artifacts from Disney’s life and the classic Disney animations, films and television programs.

Turner said he feels inspired to come to work, drawing in his sketchbook as he commutes on the Caltrain every weekday. At the museum, he helps inspire a younger generation’s creativity and imagination at the museum’s Disney Discovery Summer Camp. Each week-long session revolves around a different topic, such as animation, comics books and designing theme park rides.

Once camp wraps up in early August, Turner will apply his skills in helping the museum redesign its website. The SJSU animation/illustration program gave him a great foundation for his internship.

“I feel like I have pretty strong fundamentals in art and animation,” he said, “and what we’re doing at the camp at The Walt Disney Family Museum, I’ve been able to apply a lot of those skills like either design or painting, you know, or just being organized.”

Spartans at Work: At Nickelodeon, “I’m Learning How To Move Artwork Through The Pipeline”

Animation student wearing a pink jacket and black-and-white checkered shirt is standing in fron of the Nickelodeon sign in Burbank California

Hillary Bradfield, '13 Animation, has the opportunity to turn her love for cartoons into a summer internship at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank (Hillary Bradfield photo).

By Amanda Holst, Public Affairs Assistant

(This summer, SJSU Today hits the road, visiting students and recent grads on the job across the country and around the world. Our Spartans at Work series continues with the Class of 2013′s Hillary Bradfield.)

Hillary Bradfield, ’13 Animation/Illustration, has turned her love for cartoons into a summer internship at Nickelodeon Animation Studios.

“You are surrounded by all of this art; you learn just by being around it,” she said.

Bradfield is one of 30 intern production assistants this summer working on the “Spongebob Square Pants” cartoon. Nickelodeon is a children’s network known for popular TV shows such as “Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesomeness,” “T.U.F.F. Puppy” and “The Legend of Korra.”

She has spent the last six weeks learning how to make cartoons from beginning to end, including putting together storyboards and preparing to send them out to studios that animate them.

Even though her internship is a non-art one, Bradfield has learned valuable behind-the-scenes skills in the industry.

“It’s more important to really prepare yourself for making your work good enough to pass off to the next person in the pipeline, and being a person who could be useful on a team,” she said.

Bradfield says the most rewarding aspect of her internship is that she’s been able to set up meetings with artists and other production assistants to get her artwork critiqued.

“Right now, I am working on a revision for artwork I showed a story artist,” Bradfield said. “It’s really great to get tips from them.”