Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Pajak.
Joseph, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Like almost all children, I loved watching cartoons. I would wake up hours before school started just to watch my favorite shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. After school I’d get home and what would I do? I’d watch even more cartoons. I was always sort of amazed by the idea that hand drawn images could move, or even come to life. I enjoyed animation so much that watching them on TV wasn’t enough; I began to draw the characters I’d see, or sometimes create some original character designs by myself. I’d even sculpt them using some Play-Doh we had around the house.
In high school, on a whim I took pottery class. However, I always found making pots, cups, and bowls pretty boring, so I didn’t follow the standard curriculum. I started sculpting what I wanted to sculpt and what I was already sort of good at. I resurrected my Play-Doh skills and would sculpt the cartoon characters I remembered growing up with. I was sort of… independent I’d say and for the best now that I look back. My teacher eventually and quickly threw in the towel and allowed me to use pottery class as an opportunity to use the time to be creative in my own ways. At the end of the semester, my teacher recommended that I look into an animation career post high school. That was the turning point for me. It was the first time I truly believed that my artistic talents were something I could turn into a career.
Talking it over with my family and with their support, I made the decision to pursue a degree in traditional animation at Columbia College in Chicago. Shortly after graduating I started a freelance career in 2D animation. Freelance work was both a challenge personally and professionally, but I was fairly successful at it. I regularly took on jobs from various different commercial/animation studios here in Chicago, California and Canada and got to work on commercials including Trix Cereal, Angry Birds, My Little Pony, Nintendo, and McDonalds. Today, I’m a full time artist/animator in the Loop and I regularly do additional freelance animation and illustration work.
To reflect back and acknowledge that my fascination of animation as a child has grown into a career is unbelievable. I’m incredibly fortunate that I am able to work in a field that I am so passionate about.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m an animator/artist with my primary concentration being character animation, but I’ve done a lot of storyboards and illustration work as well.
When I first started in the industry, I found a lot of freelance work in traditional animation using paper and pencil. Today the majority of my work is drawn digitally using a Wacom Cintiq, which allows me to draw directly into the computer. Outside of my commercial work I regularly create a lot of illustrations, which are a mix of fan art and my own personal designs. Mainly I’m just trying to expand my personal skill set, while exploring some more creative freedom since I’m not tied down to any client demands.
“Having fun” is probably the biggest take away behind my art. When I draw I get lost in the drawing I’m creating, sort of like when someone gets lost in a book. It’s a step out of the stress filled world into something fun and relaxing. And like anything else the more you practice the better you get, so every day I practice my skill I get a little better, which results in having more fun. In a way I’m still the kid trying to draw the cartoon characters I watched on T.V., and I think that shows up in my art.
How can artists connect with other artists?
I do know that when doing freelance work, you are often working long hours alone with little to no interaction with others so I can empathize completely. My first recommendation would be look to see who your current closest artist contacts are and strive to build stronger personal relationships with them. Encourage group meet ups to grab a drink, see art, show off your art and/or draw together. Knowing other artists personally, gives you a completely different perspective and appreciation for their work. Most of my greatest inspirations come from the artists I socialize with and know personally. That’s usually not a feeling I get when I see a Hollywood artist post a piece of art online. It just doesn’t have the same impact.
If you don’t have that type of network, I do want to acknowledge that a social presence can get you out there, noticed, and keep you aware of others too. Through social media, your friends open you up to their friends which makes your pool of contacts that much bigger. It’s a simply ask then of saying, “Who wants to grab a beer and draw?” I’m always down for that!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can see my full professional portfolio by visiting my website cupojoeanimation.com. It has my best work on it, including my illustrations and animation reel. You can also follow me on Instagram or check out my blog, cupojoestuff.blogspot.com, which is where I post all my latest work in real time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cupojoeanimation.com
- Email: cupojoe252@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cupojoe252
Image Credit:
Fan Art: Beetlejuice: The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros.
Fan Art: Punch-Out!!: Nintendo
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