Student showcase: Aviance Whitman
Second-year, animation
Interviewed by John Warner
Portrait by Regina Vera
Why did you choose to pursue a career in 2D animation?
I chose to pursue a career in animation because drawing cartoons and telling stories has been my passion since I was a little kid. You would always see me either reading a book, or drawing a character, but I never knew it was something I could professionally do for the rest of my life. When I did discover this knowledge at SCAD I felt like I finally figured out the missing puzzle piece in my life, and I knew animation/story and concept development was the career for me. Literally nothing makes me happier than achieving the look I had in mind after hours of sketching.
Do your designs carry any cultural context?
Definitely. Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of people that looked like me on TV, especially in cartoons, and that has shaped my artistic narrative a lot, driving me to draw a lot of characters that are people of color. Pop culture also influences my art. You’ll often find a character of mine wearing a pair of popular sneakers or rocking a hairstyle that many people know and love. I try to create characters that are relevant to the things going on around us today, ranging from fashion and comedy to financial freedom and Black pride.
If you had to animate any teacher/ professor you’ve had, who would you choose?
If I had to design a character of one of my teachers/professors, I would hands down choose my old DIGI 130 professor, Dennis Robinson. During my first year at SCAD I attended the Savannah campus and it was daunting for me not having any Black teachers and little to no Black classmates, but Dennis changed that by being my first Black professor at SCAD. It was so comforting having someone else that could better relate to me. Not only that, Professor Robinson was insanely talented and has influenced the direction of my art with his expert advice and knowledge. He also has very beautiful, kinky hair that would be so fun to draw and exaggerate on a character.
What limitations do you find to be challenging during your creative process?
Overcoming art block and finding inspiration. After producing a lot of work on a weekly basis, it’s very easy to hit a road bump and become clueless as to what your next piece should be. That’s when it’s time to either introspect and remind yourself of the things you love to create and or branch out and try something new.
What project are you currently working on and do you hope to achieve with it?
I’m currently working on a few different character design commissions right now. With these commissions, I hope to create a combined space in both the art community and the Black community. In middle and high school, I didn’t know a lot of other people that were interested in or appreciated art, but with my growing platform, I’m hoping to show others how fun and relatable art really is.
