Interview with Eric Farrar

Recently I have had the opportunity to interview another accomplished artist, Eric Farrar. Eric Farrar is currently an assistant professor of Arts and Technology at The University of Texas at Dallas. He has completed a degree in musical performance at Ohio University and an MFA in Computer Animation and Visualization at The Ohio State University. He has worked as a freelance drummer, and as a character rigger at Rhythm & Hughes, where he worked on films such as Night at the Museum and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

Here he shares with us his knowledge and experience about animation and learning on your own.

1. What made you decide to go into 3D animation?

"I started my professional career as a musician, but always had an interest in cartoons and animation in general.  After 10 years or so, I went back to school to study graphic design and computer programming. It was then that I discovered 3D animation and was intrigued by the possibilities for combining my music background with this specific visual art form."

2. What do you like about animation?

"My favorite aspect of 3D animation is Rigging...creating underlying structures and control systems to make 3D models animatable.  My favorite part of rigging is the problem solving that's involved."

3. As you are learning things on your own, what techniques have helped you the most?

"Knowing a little bit about programming has been very beneficial in furthering my understanding of how 3D software does what it does.  The more that I'm able to really try to figure out how certain tools and operations work within a software package, like Maya for example, the easier it becomes for me to use those tools in creative and innovative ways.  When I figure out what's going on behind the scenes from a programming perspective, I retain that information for a much longer time than if I just read about it in a manual or through a tutorial and as a result I'm much more likely to make use of it."

4. What mistakes do you see people make when they are learning animation in general (inside or outside of the classroom).

"Probably the biggest misconception that students make when learning about all the ins and outs of animation is that it's going to be easy, and that after 2 classes or watching a series of videos, etc., they'll know everything they need to know.  Animation is an extremely complex and laborious art form and it takes years and years of practice to perfect.  Students need to be prepared to put in a ton of time and energy just to get the basics and then understand that even when they get their first (and second and third) job they will constantly be learning and honing their craft."

I would like to thank Eric Farrar once more for his time and for the valuable information he has shared.