fandom q+a Ward Jenkins Q&A

[wardomatic 370]

...What are your thoughts on Walrus'? :v

 

The only Walrus I know was Paul.  

 

Do you think Michelle Creber has a beautiful singing voice? And would you sing with her [given the opportunity]? 

Ha! Well, I'm not that much of a singer, so I would say...no? Might as well let her have her moment in the spotlight! 

 

What's your favorite food?

 

Pizza is my go-to food. But I do love any breakfast food and coffee. Bagels, pancakes, eggs....sounds good right about now! 

Is Lighting Dust coming back in a episode of season 6 anytime soon? ^^;

 

Sorry, can't say!  

 

 

Given the circumstances... Would you go to Equestria if you could?

 

Oh, heck yeah! That place looks like a lot of fun! 

[lablayers 35]

Which MLP characters would you love to invite to a dinner party and why?

[wardomatic 370]

How long do you intend to work on MLP, and where do you see yourself going in the future? 

 

That's really up to DHX - I do hope to work with them again, even if it's not for MLP. They were a dream to work with. 

 

Sorry for so many questions.

 

What was your favorite season 5 episode? The funniest? :grin2:

 

It's quite alright! I enjoy it. 

 

Hmm...I really enjoyed the season ender - some good stuff going on in that one. Funniest? I liked Party Pooped.  

Hello Mr Jenkins,

I don't have a question, all I wanted to say was, it is an honer that you have chosen to spend time on this wonderful forum, and talk so openly with some of the worlds biggest MLP FIM fans. I for one will not forget it, and I'm sure there will be plenty of buzz about this Q&A for some weeks to come.

It has been a pleasure meeting you and reading your reply's, thank you very much    

Oh, thank YOU! It's my pleasure! I'm really enjoying myself.  

 

Given Starlight Glimmer's massive magical power what is going to be her role besides being Twilight's student? will she be a forefront mane character now?

 

Ah, well, again...this is a spoiler-y question so I unfortunately cannot answer this. Sorry!

Have we given you carpal tunnel yet?

 

 

Since you worked on Pony remotely, I assume you need to use a drawing tablet of sorts (in fact digital production is probably standard regardless on location of the boarding crew). I'm curious as to what model and brand you use. Cinteq or something else?

 

Ha! Not yet, but I'll probably have carpal tunnel soon! haha

 

Yes, I have a Cintiq monitor - an older model, but works just as well: 21UX. At one point, though, my stylus wasn't working like it should, so the rest of the season I used my Wacom tablet (an Intuous 4, in case you're wondering). 

[Nightfall Gloam 18,258]

Hey Ward,

 

2 questions:

 

1. What is the process of storyboarding like?
2. If you have seen it, what is your opinion on the Equestria Girls movie series?

[Lunar Echo 10,335]

Do you choose if there is to be a song or not in a episode?

 

I love the songs, they cheer me up

[wardomatic 370]

@@wardomatic, thank you for the very detailed response to my first question, that's very cool to hear!  Very interesting to learn that the audio recordings are completed before any storyboarding or animating, since I know it varies from show-to-show (and if I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure that B:TAS did it the same way... oh yeah, if it's not apparent already, I'm a major Bat-fanatic, that show was my childhood!  )

 

Alright, let's see, what to ask next?  This next one's more related to writing, but I imagine anyone who works on the show probably cares about this to some extent: is there any aspect of the lore/world-building/mythos in Equestria that you particularly like, and is it still surprising to you how rich it is for this particular show given the nature of it, the very fact that we normally wouldn't see this type of detail or even potential for exploring this history and mythos for this setting in a show like this?

 

Also, another sillier question: not counting Twilight (since she is, after all, your best pony  ), who is your favorite princess?  :comeatus:   

 

Yeah, most of the audio is done before, and if there's any changes (like some stuff taken out or changed around), they'll go back and re-record some dialog later on. Totally up to the directors at that point. 

 

Wow. There's so much involved with Equestria and I had no idea just how extensive the world was! But honestly, it makes my job all that easier since all the info and background is right there. We have access to all the characters and locations/settings so all I have to do is do a search for whatever I'm looking for. Pretty cool. 

 

Oh gosh, I'm not sure about my favorite princess, but if I went with the same criteria as before, I'd pick Celestia. I guess!

Hey Ward! I've got a few questions.

 

1. Did you know what MLP was before you started working on it?

2. Any favorite episodes?

3. Favorite TV shows?

 

1. Oh yes! I was well aware of the show and its fandom.  

2. I've got several, but mostly the ones that have the bigger story arcs to them like the most recent S5 season-ender. That was a pretty good way to end an episode. I might do a more extensive list of episodes that I liked. 

3. Seinfeld, The Office, Parks & Rec, Friends (on a good day), Adventure Time, Steven Universe, The Regular Show, Powerpuff Girls, Sym-Biotic Titan, Samurai Jack, and others. 

 

Hello Mr. Jenkins!!

 

So a couple of things

 

First off, what is your favorite art on the show that you are able to work with? Whether it be the characters or the background, or houses or anything really.

 

Secondly what do you think of Bob Ross? Or who was your inspiration to start doing art?

 

I really had a great time going over some of the background artwork that some of the artists did for the show - I was able to see some early, black & white versions of the locations for the episodes I worked on and I loved looking at all that artwork. There's some amazingly talented people working on that show. I also loved checking out some other storyboard artists' work. Cory Toomey comes to mind. Loved how he depicted the ponies! He's a natural. 

 

Bob Ross was a great man. I used to watch him back in the day. I've always been drawing - from an early age - so some of my early influences would be Mad Magazine artist Jack Davis. He was king to me. Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Jim Davis (Garfield) - loved those cartoon strips. 

[Jeric 46,851]

Say Ward,

 

I know this is not a Pony question, but how hyped are you for The Force Awakens?

 

[wardomatic 370]

Hey there, Ward! Do you have any tips for someone who wants to become a storyboard artist?

 

Yes - like I mentioned before about being an artist: keep drawing. Keep drawing and also watch movies and tv shows that you enjoy. But - don't just watch them, REALLY watch them. Like, why do you like them, what is it about the show that you enjoy? Take notes on this as well as watch how each shot is made. Make notes on the compositions, the timing, the poses of each character. Be aware of the terms used in that industry: 2-shot, full-shot, the 180 degree rule, truck in, truck out, pan, fade in, fade out, etc. Study up on all of that. Take film classes in school. Learn all about the industry as well as take figure drawing classes. Hope this is enough! 

[RainCode 61]

It's great to see you here.

 

What were the hardest thing(s) you had to draw as an illustrator / storyboard artist overall?

[Simon 4,557]

Sadly, all good things must come to an end (for real this time ^^). Ward has let us know that he'll be unable to take any more questions, so this thread has been locked. I want to take a moment to thank Ward and also thank everybody who participated in the Q&A! He will be taking a short break, but will come back to answer the questions that he has not gotten to yet. If you asked your question before the thread was locked and it hasn't been answered, check back later today or tomorrow and there should be an answer in the thread for you!

 

And if you enjoyed this Q&A be sure to check back in the coming days for our next Q&A announcement!

 

Also remember that this Q&A was part of our annual Making Christmas Merrier charity drive in support of the BC Children's Hospital.  Please take a few moments if you haven't to check out our charity drive and consider donating!  https://mlpforums.com/topic/142299-making-christmas-merrier-iv-bc-childrens-hospital-charity/

 

And another giant thank you to Ward for spending his afternoon with us!

[wardomatic 370]

Ward, any deadline panic stories you would like to share? How important would you say organization and time management are for a storyboard artist? Also, how many revisions do you tend to go through in general before your piece of the pie is approved. 

 

 

Great questions! Time and keeping on schedule is very important when we're doing storyboards - each episode is given a certain amount of time for each stage of production, with the storyboards taking up about 5 to 5 1/2 weeks (this includes roughs then clean ups). If I miss my deadline for the final clean-up stage, then it makes it harder for me to stay up to date as the next episode is already getting ramped up. I have to say, there's SO much drawing for each episode - i wasn't expecting just how much. And I noticed that I would have drawn more with each following episode - the last ep I worked on, I was JUST under 1,000 drawings! It was crazy, but totally worth it. 

 

We do rough thumbnail drawings for the first stage of boards, then have a meeting and then revisions. From there, we work on the cleaned-up panels for the final stage. My part would be done at that stage. After that, there's usually revisions again, and the storyboard revisionists will add/change/fix any issues that might arise for that episode - a final animatic is made at this stage. From there, animation. 

 

 

It's a pleasure to share some words with you Mr. Jenkins, thank you for giving us the chance. Do you have any specific advice to share with animation first-timers? Any priorities that should be taken into account before adventuring in the field? And how does it feel to witness the successful completion of a project/episode/etc? Thank you once again for giving us this opportunity.

 

Some of the advice I mentioned before when it comes to young artists and storyboard artists is the same with animators - keep drawing. That's the first and upmost important bit of advice I'd give to anyone venturing into the field. Even if you feel that you'd get into CG animation, that's fine - the drawing aspect allows you to look at things differently and to gain knowledge of the subject that you're wanting to animate. Keep drawing, and be very observant - look at everything around you. Take figure drawing classes, gesture drawings, go to the zoo and draw all the animals you can. Watch the classics - Disney, Looney Tunes, the Golden Era of Animation back in the day - watch and take note on what the animators were doing. Be aware of what has come before you! That's very important. And also be aware of what's going on in the industry today. That's a given. 

 

I know it's a lot to take in, but you can do it. It'll be worth all the effort, believe me. 

 

Animation is a very exhaustive field of work to get into - a lot of long hours, revisions, re-dos, etc. - but very rewarding. Nothing beats the feeling you get when you see a commercial you worked hard on air on television. It's so awesome. Since this is the first time I've done any tv show, I cannot wait to see the episodes I worked on air! And to see the reaction from fans. That makes it double the awesome. Really, it does. Even if fans might not like episode, I'll be happy if they're even talking about it.

 

 

Which brings me to another question: What's your fav show? If MLP then besides MLP. Favorite musical instrument? Fav food? Whaddya want for Hearth's Warming Eve?

 

 

I believe I answered some of these questions earlier, but that's okay. Big fan of Seinfeld, The Office, Parks & Rec, as well as Breaking Bad (forgot to mention that one earlier!), Mad Men - as well as Adventure Time, The Regular Show, Steven Universe, Powerpuff Girls, Sym-Biotic Titan, Samurai Jack, among others. I do like MLP as well!

 

Musical instrument: I dig the piano, but also the bass guitar. Always love the bass. 

 

Food: Love pizza, but am a big, big fan of breakfast foods! Pancakes, waffles, eggs, coffee. Not sure what says about me. haha

 

I want peace to everyone. A little hippy-dippy (Tree Hugger would appreciate, of course!), but I don't care. I'm tired of all the fighting and shooting. So tired of it.

 

 

Also ... I now have a mental image with a bookshelf of yours featuring children's illustrated books like these. 

 

 

Ha! Well, I had big IKEA bookshelves filled with vintage books when I was living in Portland. Sadly, we had to give away those bookshelves before the big move back east. I still have all those books, but they're all in boxes right now. I'll get them out some day. SOME DAY!

 

 

I know you haven't answered my second question yet, but I just have to ask this since I am such a big Batman: The Animated Series fan.  Since you're primarily trained as a 2D artist, what do you think the 90s meant for animation in general, be it state-side or foreign, and what was it like as a growing/aspiring artist and animator to watch the 90s animation era unfold in film and television?  What do you think was lost when that era came to an end with the advent of CGI and quicker computer animation? (I should note that I am not a visual artist in any sense of the word whatsoever and may not have all of these facts straight since I'm not close to the industry, this is largely based on my own personal perceptions of the directions animation has taken through the 90s and 00s).

 

 

Great question. The 90s was an interesting time for animation - considered the 2nd Golden Age in certain circles, mostly having to do with the resurgence of the great Disney features - and I'm so glad that I was able to watch it unfold as I was just getting into the industry. In fact, it was because of several factors that solidified my desire to go into animation at the end of the 80s and right into the 90s: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Little Mermaid, and me borrowing this great book from a friend, The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. Once I saw those movies and pored through that book, I was hooked (I already loved cartoons when I was a kid and kept watching them when I was a teenager). So, throughout the 90s, it was great to see shows like the Animated Batman series coming up - Bruce Timm and company made sure that they were taking this show seriously, not just for kids. And I loved that. In fact, the art of book for that show became another big influence for me when I was working on some various projects later on in the late-90s. Great character design by Timm and Shane Glines. 

 

Great shows on CN like Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, and Samurai Jack really started to get the ball rolling with tv shows being creative and not just kiddie fluff. These shows were funny, creative, original and made CN realize they had something going on here. That was awesome to witness. 

 

At the turn of the century, the big change was Flash, and I wasn't a big fan of it. Flash was largely considered an internet animation tool. Nothing else. When some artists (like John K) started using it and working around with it, others took note, especially studios since now they could keep a lot of the animation stateside, which was a MAJOR big deal for artist and animators like us. However, it took a while for the tool to be worthy of anything worth airing. That's when Foster's Imaginary Friends came along and I was like, okay - there ya go. It was only a matter of time. 

 

To see how Flash has evolved to where you can do shows like MLP:FIM on Flash-based tools, is amazing. I'm always amazed to see what they can do on the show now.

 

And I still can't animate on Flash! Never learned it. Oh, well!

 

 

What's it also been like getting to see 2D animation, especially in formats such as MLP's own Flash 8, make a rebound in recent years after the initial dominance that CGI appears to have had in so much animation in film and television after studios figured out how to make cheap CGI productions?  Is it heartening to see that 2D is still very much alive and has a very bright future ahead of it, despite the obvious differences between how it is produced now and was before?

 

Another great question! Yes, I'm very happy to see more 2D animation being produced - even though I'm not a big fan of Flash. It's very counter-intuitive for animators, since, like I mentioned before, it was primarily for internet animation. (I know that they've updated the program, calling it Adobe Animate, but I'm willing to bet that it really hasn't fixed some of the more irritating aspects of the program for animators, but I digress...) I'm always happy to see more 2D work being done - I know that Toon Boom Harmony is becoming more and more the program of choice for some tv animation productions - a program that's more intuitive for animators, since it was primarily created for and by 2D animators. With Harmony being more readily available to tv production, I'm happy to see more and more great hand-drawn animation being produced out there. Can't wait to see what's in store, really!

 

 

Ward, since you seem to read several childrens books, have you ever read the famous german children book "struwwelpeter"?

 

Yes! I'm very aware of that one! A fellow children's book illustrator I know, Bob Staake, did his own version of the book several years ago: 

http://www.bobstaake.com/struwwelpeter/background.shtml

 

 

Okay so, sorry to be cramming a ton of questions but I promise them to be legitimate.

1. What episode have made you the most emotional (cry)? Do you enjoy those kind of episodes?

2. What episode have made you the happiest (smile with glee)? Do you prefer these kind of episodes over the prior, or do you like the sad ones more? (I ask this because I'm a sucker for episodes that tear me up, though I still love all kinds emotions I get from the show) 3. What pony do you feel is closest to your own personality? Or, do you rather see yourself as a mix of 2 or 3? 

4. I know it was a long time ago but... What was your opinion on:

Spoiler Derpygate (Such politics, hehe)

5. What's your favorite sister pairing? (This one always gets me, since I'm an AJ fan, but truth is, I like RD and Scoots pairing most)

6. What side of a tree does moss grow? (Trick question)

7. Lastly, is Twilight growing and/or will she grow taller?   

~ Miles

 

 

1. I haven't cried at any episode, but that's not to say that I have a stone heart. I've been known to get emotional from time to time over a show - it's usually over family and kids. I'm a big softie when it comes to children and knowing how important parenting is. I did enjoy watching when the CMC finally got their cutie marks. I actually knew beforehand from seeing an animatic of the episode, but it was totally different seeing it with full sound and color and all the emotions going. Knowing that this had been a long time coming, well, that was really special. I also loved watching reaction videos fans were posting on YouTube of that episode. Reminds me just how much this show means to a lot of people out there. That's very cool. 

 

2. I love the funny episodes, too! It's hard to say which I like more.

 

3. Hmm. Good question. Even though I've mentioned that I like Twilight more - it's probably because I'd like to think of myself as a leader, when in reality I probably am not. Ha! But there's a bit of Pinkie Pie in me, as well. Gotta be the silliness. 

 

4. Derpygate? Was that a big deal? Sorry, I might've missed it. 

 

5. Rainbow Dash and Scooterloo are pretty cute together. But I really like seeing how Rarity is as an older sister to Sweetie Belle. A nice thing to see.

 

6. Hmm, I was going to give a scientific answer (north side), but since it's a trick question, I'd say the OUTside!

 

7. Yes, Twilight is slightly larger/taller than the rest of the Mane 6 because she's now an alicorn. I think that was an official reasoning. It was mentioned to the board artists so that we wouldn't draw her the same size as the rest. I don't know if she'll grow any more, though. That's not up to me.

 

-----------------------------

Edited December 9, 2015 by wardomatic

[wardomatic 370]

Hullo!   I'm a first year Illustration student, and I was wondering if you'd have any words of wisdom for someone hoping to get into the industry?   I'd actually love to design toys for Hasbro!

 

 

Hi! Congrats on starting out as an illustration major! I've mentioned in some of my earlier comments about what it's like working in the field of animation and I'd say it's the same as for illustration. The main thing is: DRAW! Draw a lot! Keep drawing everything you see! Be observant and look around you. Be open to new ideas and look at lots of cool things to inspire you. Have lots of influences - mostly from areas of art that you'd probably not be normally influenced by.

 

Since you're wanting to go into designing toys, I'd suggest that you study up on toy design, especially with what Hasbro does (but don't limit yourself to just Hasbro - open it up to all toy companies). See how they make the toys, plushes, action figures, etc. Be observant in how toys are made and manufactured because that'll give you a good idea of how to draw your designs. If you can find designers' sketches for Hasbro toys, study them. Pay attention to them so that you can hone in your skills for that industry. 

 

Good luck to you! 

 

 

Which MLP characters would you love to invite to a dinner party and why?

 

Hmmm...I'd say that it'd be cool to have Twilight over for a dinner party because I'm sure she'd talk your ear off about magic. And along with Celestia and Luna - I'm sure they'd have some interesting stories to tell, right?  

 

 

Hey Ward,   2 questions:  

What is the process of storyboarding like?

If you have seen it, what is your opinion on the Equestria Girls movie series?

 

 

1. I mentioned in an earlier comment some of the process, but I can go through it again for you. There's 2 storyboard artists to each episode. We are given the script, along with the recorded dialog along with artwork to help us with our boarding: characters, backgrounds, props. From there the director and storyboard supervisors will meet up with us and they'll give us the amount of scenes each of us will do for the episode. We'll then do rough sketches and meet up again. From there, there'll be some revisions to those roughs, and then we'll do the cleaned up storyboards. All of this takes about 5 to 5 1/2 weeks. Give or take a day or two. Depends on the schedule. There's a lot of going back and forth with everyone involved because we all want to make sure there's enough for the animators to work with when the boards are turned into animatics. I'm pretty sure there's some other things involved, but this is the main gist of it! 

 

2. I've only watched a little bit of the first movie, mainly because I was curious about the how and why - why are they in the human world, etc. It looks pretty interesting! Just haven't gotten too much into it yet.

 

 

Do you choose if there is to be a song or not in a episode?   I love the songs, they cheer me up

 

 

I like the songs! They do a great job in keeping the story moving along. And the music director/composer does some amazing work! 

 

 

Say Ward, I know this is not a Pony question, but how hyped are you for The Force Awakens?

 

Oh man....I'M SO EXCITED for The Force Awakens! I won't be seeing it on the early screenings, but I'll be watching it with my family on that Saturday in a packed theater. It'll be the first time that all of us will be watching a BRAND NEW Star Wars movie together at once! Cannot wait for that! 

 

 

It's great to see you here.   What were the hardest thing(s) you had to draw as an illustrator / storyboard artist overall?

 

 

Hmm...good question! As an illustrator, the hardest thing I've had to draw is drawing a specific person and making sure that it looks like them. Otherwise, they might not like it! It can be tricky to get someone's likeness just right - just one line can make all the difference! I'm not a caricaturist, so it'll take me a lot longer to get a caricature of someone - just a lot more drawing and a lot more erasing.

 

For storyboards, I'd say that the hardest thing is drawing a sequence that requires a LOT of characters, like in the background and such. Sometimes you can get away with just drawing shapes and legs, etc. but sometimes you'd need to move them and that's a lot of work. Especially crowd scenes! Lots of hooves and manes and tails! 

 

 

And another giant thank you to Ward for spending his afternoon with us!

 

 

To Simon and Mesme and everyone here on MLP Forums, THANK YOU SO MUCH for having me! I had a FANTASTIC time here! I do hope to do this again soon. Maybe once my episodes air next year? That'll be fun! Once they start airing, I can answer questions relating to those particular episodes. Should make for a great Q&A, I hope! 

 

Thanks again everyone and Happy Holidays! 

 

-----------------------------------

FYI, I just updated my profile here on the forums, with a few links for you to check out! Yay! 

 

Thanks again for a great Q&A, guys! 

Edited December 9, 2015 by wardomatic