I graduated in May of 2007 from the University of Missouri with a BS in Information Technology and a minor in art (mostly drawing). I took a few classes working with Maya that only taught me enough to peak my interest in this wonderful thing called animation. After graduating, I moved back to my extremely small home town of Kelso, Missouri where I began learning character animation online at AnimationMentor.com It's really been one of the best experiences I could ever have. I never thought I could learn so much so quickly. In October of 2009, I graduated with a diploma in Advanced Studies in Character Animation from Animation Mentor. I've even gone back to take an additional course in October of 2010.
I am currently looking for work.
This is how I usually look...
I think the most important thing that Animation Mentor taught me is that you never stop learning. There's always room to improve and grow as an artist. Great animators, even veterans, are always hungry to know more about their craft.
I had an art teacher tell me once that an artist isn't born with the talent to make good art, he's born with the desire to. I think that's really the case for just about anything. The more you like something, the more you do it, the better you get at it. The secret's not in the talent, it's in the trying.
...oh, one more thing. My last name is pronounced like the British term "sire" with a long i sound. Don't worry though, almost everyone seems to mispronounce it the first try. Now my parents won't think I've disowned the family name when they come visit :)
