Interviews and Art From the Right Cheeky Monkey: Moonbot Animator David Wilson

Moonbot Studios

David Wilson Moonbot Studios is a fun and hard working Animator and illustrator extraordinaire! He has worked on many projects such as: How To Train your Dragon game:Dragons Adventure, Bob the Builder, Max Steel, Disney Infinity, is an animation teacher and winner of "Best Undeveloped Game" for his Club Dino concept and so much more. We are very excited and honored to hear his thoughts and insights.

Thanks for interviewing today! We're really excited.
Kim: Why did you become an artist?

David: The choice for me was to become an actor or an artist. I’d always loved creating a story- in narrative illustrations and in an actor’s character development. I felt that being a visual artist would allow me to provide a better family environment. I’ve evolved into something that is a mix of the two, an animator. I get to shape a personality and performance, then translate that onto screen.

To be honest I struggled a lot with my identity as an artist and still do sometimes. Industries prefer to have people with clearly defined labels, but that’s because it makes their jobs easier that way. I’ve flip-flopped from illustration, concept art, and animation. At times I want to define myself with one clear label and fit into those molds- but I’m always feel more satisfied when I let myself create what my intuition tells me to- painting, animation, game, garden planter boxes, sketches, whatever. IN the end, I just want to make cool stuff that makes people enjoy life as a result. I’m currently at Moonbot Studios, a studio that give me latitude to try new things and motivates me to get better at what I do.

Kim: What inspires you as an artist?

David: Life is my greatest source of inspiration. Because I'm an animator I am a people watcher- I look at the gesture of someone's posture and the quirks that make them unique. Hearing people tell their personal stories in podcasts and story events (ex. StoryCorps, The Moth, All Y'all). I love roaming around and seeing details in life- cracks, seeds, rust, patterns, light reflections and color relationships). Most of all, I'm inspired by my family; with 4 kids, there is so much to observe and be inspired by- they show me the full range of life.

Kim: What is your favorite thing to draw?

David: Lately I have loved drawing caricatures -not because I’m good at it, but because I used to draw forms in a very strict, representational fashion. Caricature combines form analysis with hyperbole and line gesture. Those things are essential in an animator’s quiver. It’s also exciting to redraw the same person over and over again using different solutions.

Kim: What makes a good teacher?

David: A good teacher is a good learner, willing to recognize new truths and abilities outside of his/her own. Effective teachers can also see and explain the world from a variety of perspectives- we’ve all studied with teachers we don’t connect with well.

Teachers also don’t give all the answers (this can be really hard) but encourages students to reach out, experiment, and problem solve for themselves.

I’m grateful for my teachers, particularly - Leon Parson, Scott Franson, Aaron Hartline, and Mike Walling. They helped shape the way I think and work.

Kim: Are there any projects that you are working on that you are excited about right now?

David: Most of all I’m excited to be raising my 4 kids and dating my dedicated wife.

My personal projects include IP development for Club Dino, an animated game/ webisodes, with ShawnBoyles. It’s a project that has taken years and will probably take a few more- but I’ve been excited about these crazy dinosaurs every step of the way. It’s been a learning experience with each part of the process and managing an entire project.

I’m on curriculum development committees for AnimSchool and DMI. I’m also working on an autobiographical mini-comic.

At Moonbot Studios we’re currently working on a short for Gatorade (it was announced earlier this week). There are several projects I’m excited about but can’t discuss due to NDA agreements.

Thank you David for your time! This was amazing and informative. It's great to get to the source of your creativity and to know more about your career. Thank you again and wish you all the best. You can see David's demo reels and animations here on his blogs and links below.

David Blogs:
http://wilsonanimation.blogspot.com/

http://wilsonanimation.blogspot.com/p/demo-reel.html