Interview with Don Dixon
Of all of your artwork, which piece is your personal favorite and why?
 My favorite piece of artwork is what I make tomorrow, or 10 years from now, I can't fall in love with anything I do cause I always feel I could have done it better. I had an art teacher once that told us to never fall in love with one piece of art we create, to be able to have the boldness to destroy it if you had to. The idea being that putting one work on a pedestal can sometimes cripple and artist into thinking they cannot push it further next time, or try something new.
What are your hobbies and please describe your free time, if you have any?
My hobbies are, going to movies, hanging out at the bar, drawing, and spying on old girlfriends on myspace. LOL I try to play as hard as I work. You can't really animate life unless you go out and see it. Which after writing that last sentence makes me realize I need to be out there living life more!
How would you like to see your career evolve in the next few years?
That’s a tough question, I mean there is the obvious, I want to see myself grow and evolve as a strong animator, and I want to reach that level of animation that makes people so amazed and in awe! I want to sit in a theater and see a little kid laugh or cry or cheer for a character that I animated. Most importantly I just want to be respected among the entire talented artists that I see and that I have the most respect for.
Are you working on any projects currently and what projects can we expect from you in the future?
There is a dream project of mine, actually there are two, The Afronaut, and a story called, Darwin The Dreamer. The Afronaut is just your average hero type that is on a journey to find the golden afro sheen, which once sprayed over the locked gates of fourtune will unlock to a world of treasures and fortune. Darwin the Dreamer is an Idea I have had for years about a young boy who is blind, and uses his imagination to see creatures that he made himself, the idea being that even though Darwin is blind, by using his imagination he can see whatever he wants. It is suppose to teach young children that even though they can't see a goal in life or touch it, that if they use their imaginations, they can make it a reality. Both stories need to really be fleshed out, and I am dealing with my own fears of pushing through to try and get them done. The way I see them in my head doesn’t match my abilities yet as an artist and until that happens I can't see it through. I want to do right by these characters.
What is one piece of advice you would give to any artist looking to get into 3D and any special tip for good drawing?
Ok, this is the best advice I can give, if you want to draw,...just draw. Draw every day, don't think about how it looks or how pretty it is, do it because you love to do it, I swear if you do that you will pick up and go! Look at artist you admire, ask yourself why you like this person’s art? Then ask what would you do to make it better? Do this with tons of artist work, study and take the things you like. Find artist rough sketches, cause for me, it’s like a cheat sheet to a test. All those thinking lines are right in front of you to study and see the construction of the shapes, to see the volumes of the shapes, to really see how it works. As for 3d look at all the great forums out there! CGARENA has great forum to showcase your work and study other artist and get a constant feedback on projects and new ideas. It’s like going to college for free if you really think about it. Lastly, don't be afraid to fail or get rejected, none of this comes easy, I am just a baby in this industry and fall on my face alot, but I love it and if you love doing this stuff then nobody can stop you!
Related Links
Artists Blog - dondixon.blogspot.com
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