fandom q+a Ward Jenkins Q&A

[Simon 4,557]

 

Time for the Q&A we've all been waiting for!  Poniverse is extremely honored to have season 6 storyboard artist, Ward Jenkins, with us today!  A newcomer to the My Little Pony world, Ward Jenkins comes from a background in book illustration. I highly encourage everybody to get to know Ward Jenkins a bit by checking out his website and looking at some of his awesome work!  You can find him at http://wardjenkins.com/

 

Ward's with us today to answer some questions as part of our Making Christmas Merrier charity drive. Each year, Poniverse collects money to purchase toys for the children at the BC Children's Hospital during the holidays. It's a fantastic cause and a great way to make sure even during stressful times every child at the BC Children's Hospital has a fantastic holiday season. For those of you not familiar with Making Christmas Merrier, please take a moment to look over this worthwhile cause and consider making a donation today! You can read more about MCM here.

 

As Ward Jenkins is a staffer on season 6 of My Little Pony, I do want to take a brief moment to remind everybody that our guest will be unable to answer questions about specifics on season 6.  He will be able to talk about his background, his personal thoughts on the show and fandom in general, and answer questions about his general illustration and story boarding process. Please be respectful of these limitations when asking a question and understand that our guest may not be able to answer every question today both due to time limitations and contract restrictions.

 

All that aside, let's give a warm welcome and thank you to Ward Jenkins for taking some time for us out of his busy schedule!

 

---

 

To get things started:

 

How did you end up working on My Little Pony season 6?

[That One Pone 584]

Ohai Ward, pleasure to meet you!

 

It's only appropriate I ask this question: Do you sometimes play video games in your spare time? Which ones?

 

^{you're totally not invited to a PoniArcade game night too...}

 

But yeah. That's mine. 

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

Hey there Ward.

 

How was it working with the other staff members of the show?

[The Derpy Hooves 615]

hey ward!

 

how is it to be the one working on mlp season 6? i mean... having lots of people around that want to know things, knowing that every change can affects this awesome community, and stuffs like that?

Edited December 6, 2015 by The Derpy Hooves

[EnderColony2 1]

1 is this how i ask questions 2. if so, ward what do you think the future of mlp will hold?

[Simon 4,557]

Obligatory question since this is your first Q&A sort of event with the fandom:  Who is best pony?

 

[DwhitetheGamer 867]

Welcome, Ward!

 

For my question, was it an honor to work for Lauren Faust, assuming you worked with her before?

[Batbrony 16,088]

Afternoon, Mr. Jenkins, and to reiterate what Simon said, welcome to our lovely forums and thank you for taking the time to chat with us!

 

Got a serious and a silly question for ya.

 

Having heard some animators before (namely, Batman: The Animated Series directors, writers, and producers on commentary for certain episodes) discuss storyboard artists, I'm just curious about where storyboarding fits into the episode-making process and what kind of an influence it can have on the final product of an episode?

 

On a sillier note, who is your best pony (and why is it Derpy  )?

[Dark Horse 12,976]

Hello there Mr. Jenkins! It's fantastic to have you with us! I hope you're having a happy holiday season?

 

So, if I might ask, what is your background as a storyboard illustrator? Has it been your passion for a long time? What were some of the ups & downs of getting into this line of work?

[11th Doctor Whooves 794]

Hello Mr. Jenkins, fabulous to meet you darling.  I have a couple of questions for you today.

 

Who's been your favorite pony to draw?

 

What are some of your favorite cartoon, past and present, and are Alvin and the Chipmunks on that list?

 

Who's your favorite artist?

 

What's your favorite book?

[Jeric 46,890]

Welcome!

 

I'm curious as to what you feel is more challenging when plotting out a storyline from script to board - kinetic movement heavy scenes, or shots heavily focused on facial reactions? 

[wardomatic 370]

Hi Simon, and thank you for that nice intro! 

 

I received an email from a person in the HR department (human resources) from DHX Media, way back in April of this year, asking me if I was available to do some storyboards - my name was given to them from a friend of mine who I've known for a long time - he was a recruiter for artists for some animation studios, and he knew that I would probably be a good fit for the studio. 

 

Besides saying yes, I am available, I had to do a test - which was interesting in and of itself because I had never done a storyboard test. I did that over a weekend (and probably a few extra days) and then submitted the test to DHX. The waiting was excruciating! I had to wait about a week or two - can't remember - but when I got the call, I was out with my family eating pizza and suddenly turned to them all and said, "guess who's going to be the next storyboard artist for My Little Pony!" Everyone was thrilled. That was a great moment for me!

[cmarston1 5,965]

What do you like most about being a storyboard artist?

[CheeryFox 23,827]

Muffins or cupcakes? Which one? 

[LiraCrown 1,807]

Hay Mr. Jenkins. I'm currently going to school for graphic design. However I'd ultimately I'd like to do most of my work in illustration and/or as a concept artist.

 

That said, any encouraging words or tips for anyone planning a progress down this career path?

Anything you wish someone had told you when you had started out perhaps?

[4april 374]

Hi Ward. There are many art lovers in this forums, many of whom aspire to become storyboard artists, illustrators etc. Based on your experience, what advice would you give them?

[Aleh 481]

Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or one horse sized duck?

[Megas 28,427]

Hi Mr Jenkins! What other interests do you have besides cartoons and animation?

[StormBolt 8]

I think the mane thing on everypony's mind here is the following

1. Whats up with Starlight Glimmer?(Second biggest ques

2. Starswirl the breaded

3. Elements of harmony origins

4.Equestrian History beyond Canterlot Ponyville & the Crystal Empire

5. WILL SUNSET SHIMMER COME HOME?!(My personal biggest question)

 

Cant wait for season 6...Bring it on! But till then...

 

TASTE THE RAINBOOM MOTHERBUCKER!

[The Derpy Hooves 615]

hey ward, one more question, why have you accepted this work? and what are your expectation? also what do you think will be the reaction of the community will be when the first episode will be out?

[LiraCrown 1,807]

Besides saying yes, I am available, I had to do a test - which was interesting in and of itself because I had never done a storyboard test.

Alright, too curious not to ask a third question when I read this one. What was that test like?

[wardomatic 370]

Ohai Ward, pleasure to meet you!

 

It's only appropriate I ask this question: Do you sometimes play video games in your spare time? Which ones?

 

^{you're totally not invited to a PoniArcade game night too...}

 

But yeah. That's mine. 

 

I do play, but not as much as I'd like to! My son has an XBox, so we have our share of games on that platform - Minecraft, Lego LOTR, Lego Star Wars, Lego Harry Potter, Titanfall, Halo 4 and now Portal 2. I don't really play that much, but when I do, I'm playing after watching my son play a lot. Haha

[J.R. 3,183]

I got a few: Will Starlight Glimmer play a prominent role?

Will her friend (what's his name... ) from her flashback return?
What race/gender will Shining Armor and Cadence's foal be?

What are your personal interests?

Favorite pony?

And...how are you?

[wardomatic 370]

Hey there Ward.

 

How was it working with the other staff members of the show?

 

It was great! I really enjoyed working with the directors, the storyboard supervisors, and co-storyboard artists (most of whom I interacted with the most) - they were all incredibly fun and energetic! I only wished that I had the chance to work with them in person (we did a lot of Skype conference calls, etc.).

 

 

hey ward!

 

how is it to be the one working on mlp season 6? i mean... having lots of people around that want to know things, knowing that every change can affects this awesome community, and stuffs like that?

 

It's pretty daunting, to tell you the truth, but I tried to not worry too much about it. All I had to do was stay focused on the story at hand and make sure I was doing the best job I could do and to make it entertaining. 

[Melon Blitz 423]

Mr Jenkins! \o/

 

1) Do you have any beard growing tips?

2) When you do work for DHX, did you actually have to move and go to their studio, or could you do most of the work from home?