Art has always been my passion.​



  I started drawing and sculpting at a very early age.  Once it was time to go to college I knew what direction I wanted to go in.   I attended the Academy of Art and received a bachelor’s degree in sculpture.  From there I eventually landed in the California Institute of the Arts' Character Animation program.  2D was fun, but I knew the future was in 3D so I enrolled in a Master's program at the University of Southern California.  I was a member of the first graduating class in the USC Computer Animation program.  Interwoven in my studies I had the pleasure of working at Gumby Studios, Hannah Berbera and a premiere cartoon art gallery on Melrose.After graduating from USC I had many options.  It was the Golden Age of computer animation.  I was courted by a video game company in Laguna Beach, CA and quickly started my animation career.  Since that time I have worked at a few different companies and have many games such as MDK, Giants Citizen Kabuto, Alien Syndrome, and even a Dora the Explorer Game.  I have been in the animation industry for a long time. I used Wavefront before it was Maya and 3D studio before it was Max.  Software packages may change but the drive to animate stays the same.  It's all about passion. I started teaching in 2004 for that reason; to teach others who are just as passionate about animation as I am.  I truly enjoy teaching.

 

Shawn Nelson