This year our festive card animation has been developed and designed by Chrissy Wang who graduated from Emily Carr University with a Bachelor of Media Arts, majoring in Animation. Originally from Shanghai, Chrissy immigrated to Canada at the age of 10 and we are thrilled to celebrate her recent Canadian citizenship. “Hooray!” she says.

Chrissy explains that she started as an artist from a very early age, interested in drawing for as long as she an remember. “I loved to watch cartoons and read picture books when I was young, but what I loved more was sketching imaginary creatures of my own on paper. I took drawing classes, entered art contests, and basically just improved on my own until university. I felt like I should learn something that's hard to self-teach in school, so I picked the animation major and focused on 3D animation.”

The feature image on this page is a screenshot of alumna Chrissy Wang's graduation film, Above the Clouds, an official selection of Australia's Dragon Dreaming Film Festival, 2015

More of Chrissy’s work can be found in our Showcase and online:

• Portfolio Site
• Deviant Art page

1. Why did you choose to attend Emily Carr University of Art + Design?

I chose to go to Emily Carr because it has a very good reputation here in Vancouver and I like the 4 year bachelor system in comparison to a lot of local animation schools with intensive, one~two year training. I believe in order to fully learn and enjoy something, you have to take the necessary time and pace.

2. What have you found to be most inspiring during your time at Emily Carr?

I came into Emily Carr with zero animation knowledge, so knowing that I am learning from professors who’ve worked in the industry (Disney and feature films) is the most exciting and inspiring experience for me.

3. How has your practice changed since you began your studies here?

Ever since university, I've work more on computers than on paper; I've gotten used to multi-tasking all the time; and I've gradually pushed myself to create bigger projects that require weeks or even months to finish.

4. What memorable responses have you had to your work?

I've always adored hand-painted textures such as the ones seen in World of Warcraft. I tried to create a similar look in my grad film, hand-painting all of my textures and applying them to (relatively) low-poly models. When people saw my film and commented that it reminds them of 3D games, I was very pleased because that is exactly what I wanted them to see.

5. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given while studying at Emily Carr?

Don't compare yourself with the best artist in school, compare yourself with the best artist in the industry.

6. What is your professional goal after graduation?

Profession-wise, I plan to work in the tv/movie industry as a 3D character animator. I also plan to work a bit as a concept artist if I want a break from animation.

View the 2015 holiday animation card created by Chrissy.