Channel Frederator Blog

What are some projects you have been a part of?

Ice Age 1, Robots, Currently on Horton Hears A Who, Graphic Novel Anthology Out of Picture

Can you describe your technique?

I’m a natural oil painter but a lot of my commercial work is done on
Photoshop. I don’t really use any special custom brush. But I have
experimented using both oil and photoshop in my recent graphic novel, Noche Y Dia.

What do you do to help fight creative blocks?

Have my own project. Never rely on your job to feed you 100%. That’s how I got into graphic novels.

Do you have a favorite type of project to work on?

Anything where I can tell my story. —-That has to be my own project.

Anything where I can learn. —- At Blue Sky Studios, as a concept designer, I get to learn a lot about storytelling.

Is there a different part of the animation production process you have always wanted to try?

I’m sure everyone once dreamed of directing.. But I also secretly fancied the idea of animating. To me, animation is magic. I respect animators who can bring life to the characters.

What is your favorite cartoon, animated film, or animated commercial SEQUENCE (not the movie or piece itself, but specific sequence of animation)?

I have to say Hayao Miyazaki’s films have been my inspiration. I can think of dozens of sequences from his movies such as Spirited Away, Totoro, Porco Rosso etc…

What was one of the worst jobs you had before you got into animation?

Haha, I did a lot of awful student jobs. One of them was to fill a
gigantic truck container with truck tires in the middle of steamy summer in Japan. My teeth used to get black by the end of the day from melted tire fumes.

To see more of Dice’s work, be sure to visit his website.

-Floyd