Rick Blankenship
rick@drasticgraphics.com
713-480-6748
www.DrasticGraphics.com

profile
4+ year character animator experienced with Max and Maya, highly adept at hand keyed animation and rigging techniques.

work experience

DISNEY INTERACTIVE / JUNCTION POINT STUDIOS, Animator - Environments June 2010- Present

Responsibilities include animations for environment props and objects.
- Animate environments and props for "Disney's Epic Mickey".

PANIC BUTTON GAMES, Lead Animator / Animator Aug 2009 – May 2010

Responsibilities include animations and rigging for current console development. Worked on 3 titles, 2 titles from start to finish.
- Animated and rigged quadrupedal, bipedal, robotic and undersea characters for "Attack of the Movies 3-D".
- Animated enemy characters for "Swords".
- Animated, rigged and helped lead designer lay out all boss encounters for “Attack of the Movies 3-D”.
- Worked as primary animator on “Attack of the Movies 3-D”.

EDGE OF REALITY, Animator Nov 2007 – Nov 2008

Responsible for key-frame animations on hyper-realistic human characters for the Xbox 360 and PS3 title Cipher Complex.
- Choreographed and animated complex melee attacks involving multiple in-game characters.
- Animated player package and non playable characters.
- Animated 1st and 3rd Person weapon animations.
- Worked closely with designers and programmers on all aspects of the project.

ARCHANGEL STUDIOS, Animator/Producer/Sound Designer March 2003 – March 2005

Earned successive promotions from original artist role to managing 13-person team to produce Relic: Game of the Ancients, an online strategy board game. Also designed original concept game. Led the team which developed Aardvark Aadventures.
- Animated players and modeled stadiums for original game idea. Wrote design document detailing storyline, game play, controls, technology, and AI. Designed UI, and created Flash movie highlighting game.
- Created all sound effects and wrote original music for Aardvark Aadventures.

education
ANIMATION MENTOR, Advanced Studies in Character Animation, Graduated Sept. 2006

- Conceived, developed story and animated a 1 minute short film in a 6 month time frame.
- Performed advanced multi-character acting tests.
- Built a solid animation foundation based on the principles.

LEE COLLEGE, Design Drafting Technology 1992 – 1997

- Learned free-hand drafting, multiple computer-aided design (CAD) programs, 3-D modeling, mathematical concepts and problem solving.

additional work experience
DRASTIC GRAPHICS, Owner/Artist (www.drasticgraphics.com) 1999 – 2005
Co-founded independent consultancy to build websites, create corporate logos, and develop 3D art for a variety of clients including a site for Outdoor Polymers Systems and the Gallery Furniture Bowl website (NCAA football). Also created sound and art assets for video games.

LYONDELL CHEMICAL, Instrument & Electrical Designer 2000 – 2007
EQUISTAR CHEMICAL, Cad Draftsman 1997 – 1999
CDI ENGINEERING, Cad Draftsman 1996 – 1997

skills
- Character Animation - Rigging - 3D Environments - Story/Script Writing
- Maya - 3DS Max - Photoshop - Flash
- Texture Mapping - Project Management - UI Design - Sound Design
- Premiere - AutoCAD - FL Studio - MS Project/Office