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Meet Junior 2D Artist Darren Murray! #Interview





Meet our Junior 2D Artist Darren Murray! Darren started with us as a work experience student and dazzled us with his zest for drawing! We grabbed him for a few minutes to chat about the advice he'd pass on to aspiring animators and what he loves about animation.

How did you get into animation?

The animation industry can be pretty hard to get into, you need lots of patience and persistence. Looking back on it, it was both a tough and fun experience for me. After graduating from Ballyfermot College where I studied animation for 3 years, I just kept trying to improve my skills, continuing on from what I had learned in college. I spent some time building my portfolio and upskilling and then I tried to find work experience in an animation studio. I emailed animation studio's all over Ireland looking for any type of work experience, anything to get my foot in the door and with a lot of luck Brown Bag Films got back to me!

I got the opportunity to do several weeks work experience which involved all sorts of studio day-to-day activities including the occasional coffee run, but I also got a chance to meet some of the staff and got some great industry experience. I made a great impression with the production work and colour work I did and so one day I was called up with the proposition of a short term contract as production assistant! It was the best thing that happened to me because it led me to apply for and get my current role as a junior 2d artist! Once I proved I could do it, the job was mine!

How long have you worked in the animation industry?

About 9 months total now - 2 months as a Production Assistant and 7 months as a Junior 2D Artist.

What's your current role and what does it involve?

I'm currently a junior 2d artist and day to day I get to design props and characters, concepts through to turnarounds. I read through the scripts and look at the animatics to guide me with what I have to do. I then talk to the 3d artists, modellers, animators and R&D to help me understand what it is I have to design and how it will translate from my 2d world into the 3d world.

Understanding how everything is done in 3d helps a lot when it comes to designing not only the look to the asset but the technical side of things, how it functions etc, which is also very important when it comes to animating what is stated in the script. So my job is not just doodling at my desk, I’m very much involved in a lot of the pipeline and I’m a problem solver, helping to save time for the CG Modellers who have to model what I design in 3d.

What are your biggest influences/inspirations?

I really realised how much I loved animation when I started in Ballyfermot College. The likes of Pixar and Disney were definitely inspirations for me, but I’m also inspired by small, subtle things. A song, Phil Collins – Son of man, from Disney’s Tarzan, is a very big reason for why I'm doing what I do today. Any time my confidence was low and I felt like giving up I would listen to that song and it would lift me right back up again, put me back at my desk and push me to keep drawing, reminding me why I’m doing this.

What’s your favourite tool to use and why?

My favourite tool to date is the Wacom Tablet I use hooked up to Photoshop. It’s what I’ve used from day one as a 2d artist in Brown Bag Films, it’s now my most comfortable tool to use. I was given the option at the start to choose pencil and paper or the tablet and while nothing beats the feel of traditional pencil drawings, the ease of digital art via a tablet and Photoshop - the ease of fixing things, replicating things quickly - just makes more sense in the long run!

What advice would you give someone considering getting into animation?

My advice to those who want to be a 2d artist, which I’m sure has been uttered time and time again is practice, practice, practice!

Generally speaking, character designs, prop designs, sets, turnarounds of characters and props, animation poses and expressions and lots and lots of life drawing, are a good start to get you on the right path!

You don’t need to be out of this world talented, you just need to be able to do what the company you’re applying for needs you to do, with a smile on your face.

You may not be the best in your class, I wasn’t! There will always be people that are technically better than you but it's worth putting in the time and effort to go after what you really want especially when you can say ‘I did it’ and be proud to say you work in animation, you work in what you love.

What do you like most about working in animation?

Animation is something I love, I genuinely can't wait for Monday mornings! You get tough days and very busy days but it’s rewarding in so many ways, in obvious ways and personal ways. You also get to stick toys all over your desk which is pretty fun too.

What’s been the most challenging thing about working in animation?

The most challenging thing is getting into the industry. And having patience! Just wait and keep trying, that’s all. That’s the hard part because if you love it enough you will get there and work hard to progress. I set out to make it into the industry by 30, I'm now 26, so it happens when you least expect it. Just don’t give up!

You will always come across different issues throughout your day, designs that you have never done before, technical issues etc. There’s always going to be tweaks needed to adjust your work here and there, that’s why we have directors! Without criticism and guidance you won’t learn or improve, so be happy when someone is criticising your work and learn from it.

Outside of animation what are you most passionate about?

It’s quite hard to think outside of it because almost everything I like to do is involved in animation! From drawing, painting (digitally and classically), to writing my own shorts.

I’m really interested in music. When I listen to songs they spark off short ideas that I think might be great as animations.

I like to travel around, sightsee, go to movies, shows, gigs and everything outdoors except for sports! I’m not really into sports except for perhaps golf which I may have found an interest in recently.

Are you interested in getting into animation? Keep an eye on our Behind-the-Scenes and Tutorials pages for more interviews and #TopTips!


Anahita Tabarsi

Anahita is Brown Bag Films' Marketing Director, Digital & Social and drinks more than five coffees a day...

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