We love featuring unique programs and organizations on campus, and we are so excited to tell you a little bit more about the Entertainment Arts and Engineering program (EAE) here at the University of Utah. We were lucky enough to sit down with Jared, a technical artist in the program. Jared is completing his final year in the masters program after an undergrad in animation.
Jared said he “found his passion for drawing at a young age and found it developed more and more throughout college once I took my first animation class and realized I could take a drawing and make it 3D, I was excited because it was an extension of my pen and paper”. After finishing his undergrad, Jared went on to work in the entertainment industry, working for  Sony Online Entertainment, Certain Affinity and 343 Industrie before coming to the University of Utah. Since entering the program one of the best parts is how driven and motivated teachers and fellow classmates are, “this program really encourages students to take on internships and network”.
If you are looking to enter into animation or game design one of the biggest things you need is a passion to always be better. Although it’s important to have a well-rounded life you really have to love what you’re doing because this job takes a lot of time and practice.
After learning a little bit more about the EAE program, Jared showed us a bit of his process in creating a new character. One of the most important parts in this process is bringing that character to life on a digital screen, and the only way to do this is with a drawing tablet. You can’t create these images with just a mouse. The Wacom Bamboo Intuos tablet we used has great pressure sensitivity and one of the best features is that this is something that can travel with you.
We were so excited to talk to Jared and gift a free Wacom Bamboo Intuos tablet this week. Check out more of Jared’s work here and more Wacom products here!