I am an illustrator, animator, and educator. My goal is to share visions of alternate realities to create exciting emotional and imaginative experiences. Humor and playfulness are important aspects to my work. This is both a result of my need to counter the inherent serious of life and my belief that humor and play open us up to new ideas.

I am attracted to saturated colors that embody the vibrance of life. I relish the intensity of contrast. I am fascinated by the logic and intricacy of pattern. My consistent use of these elements reveals my desire for an existence filled with the new, exciting, and unusual.

As a naturally curious person, I am always looking to learn new techniques and explore new mediums. I enjoy combining my different interests and skillsets in my work and sharing that knowledge and experience with others. My belief is if you are not learning, you are not growing, and thus you are not living fully. My art is an expression of my journey and reflects my current state of thinking and being.

Adobe Certified Associate

Adobe Education Trainer
Visual Design Using Adobe Photoshop
Graphic Design and Illustration Using Adobe Illustrator
Print and Digital Publication Using Adobe InDesign
Professional Video Design Using Adobe Premiere pro
Web Authoring Using Adobe Dreamweaver

Education

Master of Fine Arts in Animation and Digital Arts – University of Southern California, 2011

Bachelor of Art in Communication: Film, TV, Video – Centenary College, 2008

Bossier Parish Community College

Assistant Professor of Communication Media

June 2014 – Present

Head of the Graphic Design & Computer Animation concentration in the Division of Communication and Performing Arts. Assisted in the production of BPCC Summer Movies, Suite Dreams and Z-TV. Proud to work with under-served populations including students who are minorities, veterans, learning or physically challenged, adult learners, working parents, and those below the poverty line.Promoted August 2018

COMM 135 | Design for Media: principles and elements of design, written and spoken critique, design justification
COMM 216 | Adobe Photoshop: layers, selections, masking, text, adjustments, file management
COMM 218 | Adobe Illustrator: color, shapes, pen tool, drawing tools, transformation, patterns, file types, artboards, blends, copyright, translating styles
COMM 219 | Applied Graphic Design: branding, identity systems, standards, research, analysis, process, presentation, client relations
COMM 222 | Photoshop Retouch & Restoration: Lightroom, Bridge, beauty retouching, damage restoration, black & white recoloring
COMM 223 | Publication Design: InDesign, layout, grids, type terminology, color, interactivity, printing, standards, clients, copyright
COMM 228 | Bridging Digital and Traditional Fine Art Techniques: various mediums, color theory, critique, Photoshop brushes (using, modifying, making), textures, blend modes, exporting, and printing
COMM 236 | 3D Modeling: history, polygonal modeling, NURBs, sculpting, shading, texturing, lighting, rendering
COMM 239 | Motion Graphics: video standards, motion graphics terminology, After Effects: keyframe animation, cut-out puppets, puppet tool, text, effects, 3D…
COMM 246 | 2D Animation: Toon Boom Harmony, history, 12 principles, pipeline, digital hand-drawn, cut-out
COMM 251 | 3D Animation: pipeline, animation principles, timeline, tangents, dope sheet, basic rigging, dialogue
COMM 258 | Media Portfolio: website, interviews, resumes, cover letters, social media, job search and application, professionalism

Howdy Ink

Artist Assistant

March 2021 – Present

Assist William Joyce, director and author, with image compositing and enhancement, mostly though Adobe Photoshop. I am currently working on illustrations for his next children’s book, Rocket Puppies.

Ark-La-Tex Gem & Mineral Society

Webmaster

Jan 2015 – Aug 2020

Maintain and update site. Worked as a volunteer to build the club a brand new WordPress website with image galleries, news blog, forums, and education and informational pages. Recorded video tutorials for new users to train them on the site’s functionality. Additionally, created digital billboard advertisements for 2015 show. Rebuilt website in 2020 for easier access by other club members.

Website: http://www.larockclub.com

Shreveport Regional Arts Council

Teaching Artist

Summer 2016

Developed and implemented curriculum for a stop-motion animation camp targeted at middle and high-schoolers. Animated in ipads in groups with objects, clay, cut-outs, and people. Ran 3 hours, once a week, for 6 weeks. Was the sole instructor for the 15 students and was responsible for set-up and tear-down.

Laika

Assistant Puppet Wrangler

April 2013 – March 2014

I collaborated with the Puppet Wrangler to ensure that puppets were ready for stage in a timely manner by facilitating and monitoring repairs and by addressing animator requests. This required intensive tracking, memorization, dialogue with artists and Production and an understanding of various processes. I worked on The Boxtrolls, Laika’s third feature film.Website: http://www.laika.com

ShadowMachine

Puppet Coordinator

June 2012 – October 2012

Responsible for ensuring effective daily production flow in the Puppet Fabrication Department of Hell & Back. Duties included scheduling puppets, prioritizing fixes, materials maintenance, document management, and mediation between the Puppet Department artists and staff and other departments, particularly Production.

Assistant Production Office Coordinator

December 2011 – June 2012

Responsible for the daily needs of the production offices such as creating purchase orders, intern hiring, reception and production document management.

Marymount California University

Adjunct Instructor

Spring 2012

AM 204 | Website Design 1Students learned to code HTML and CSS to create websites with Adobe Dreamweaver. Adobe Photoshop was used to prepare photography and create graphics for websites. Emphasis placed on technical proficiency, content development and design style. Basic Internet vocabulary and industry standards were covered.

Chiodo Bros.

Intern

May 2011 – June 2011

Worked on a project by (W)holesome Products for Disney. I did PA work such as pulling daily shots and organizing storyboards. I also worked in fabrication learning to cast, seam, and repair puppets. While there I created a comprehensive tutorial for the tasks done in the fabrication department.

Awards

The John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Award - The League for Innovation in the Community College - 2016
Official Selection - Paris International Lesiban and Feminist Film Festival - Nov 2012
Stiffy Award for Best Educational Film - STIFF Seattle True Independent Film Festival - May 2012
Best Educational Film at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival -
Official Selection - POW Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival - Mar 2012
Official Selection - SURGE Film Festival - Feb 2012

Associations

American Advertising Federation of Shreveport-Bossier
Adobe Education Trainer
United Federal College Teachers Union, Local 1130
SkillsUSA
Ark-La-Tex Gem and Mineral Society