Austen Payne
Storyboard Artist / Teacher / Creator. +DnD + Transformers+ Critter + TMNT + They/Them
animation career advice
Hey all you new animation career sprouts just remember that while people mean well a lot of mentors/teachers/leaders in the industry are wrapped up in a culture of a career that centers around propping up jobs and companies instead of community and art. The animation culture puts the idea of a job, and a job at certain STUDIOS up on a pedestal and (albeit unintentionally) conditions us to accept less because of this. People leave school ready to put their workers rights aside because they are told thats how to make it.
Separate your love of the art with this idea of ‘cool job’ early and remove the rose colored glasses as soon as someone tries to put them on your face, it will keep you stronger and safer. The real people you admire are in your community ,not the company that fronts the project.
WIP of the colours for vesper!!
Vesper’s lines are done!! Can’t wait to do colour on this
lil doodle from last year!
Little doodle of an NPC the players met named Tiffany! She ran a little dice game at the winter festival! Her uncle owns a little magic shop in the market and gave her some very low level magic items to give out as prizes!!
So a little update post since I don’t do this often!
I’m a full board artist now!! I’ve been working on a few shows for the last few years and honestly it’s amazing getting to finally do the thing I love.
I’ve also been continuing to work on a secret project, and if things happen in the next year or so maybe you’ll hear about it 😉
And lastly, I’m a teacher now???? I teach at Seneca College in the Animation program! It kind of happened suddenly and unexpectedly, but I’d always wanted to teach. So that’s been extremely cool! And honestly I’ve always loved helping students even before this so getting paid to do it is even better. I love showing people how fun and amazing Storyboarding can be and every time a student tells me they wanna do boards after taking my class fills me with the most intense joy 🥹
As for this blog, I’m going to keep trying to post work! I never fully left before and kept posting even after the purge, but I want to post more. It’s hard with all the stuff I do but maybe I can post some stuff from shows I’ve worked in soon!!
Also maybe if there’s interest I’ll post some more dnd related stuff? Like not just art but also my DMing process, world building stuff, etc? I dunno I just love running dnd and I wanna talk about it more!!
Anyway that’s all!
Been working on a lineup of the party I’m DMing!!
L-R: Blight, Vesper, and DERK!