We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jacqueline Mains a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacqueline, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

It was May of 2020, the day of my college graduation from Laguna College of Art and Design. Due to Covid my college was forced to zoom our graduation and all of my class was unable to walk. I sat there surrounded by my loved ones in front of a computer, wondering where I was suppose to go or what I was suppose to do now that college was over. Before my name was called, I received an email out of the blue. A company called Cartuna had messaged me asking if I was available to do character animation for a new show coming out on the SyFy channel. I was completely speachless. A company I’ve never seen before coming to me on my graduation asking to have me on their team? My family was all jumping for joy and so excited for me, it was truley a magical moment. As an artist, you always worry if you will be successful or if you will find work. That fear had been squashed for me right out of school thanks to this company. To this day, I still work with Cartuna, freelancing many different projects. They have been the catalyst to my career as an animator and I am so greatful to them. It takes hard work and focus in your craft for others to notice, so to all the artists out there: keep the ideas flowing, keep practicing, and keep posting! Because you never know who’s checking out your work.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Jacqueline Mains and I’m a 2D Animator! My start into the industry was being offered a job through a company I was unfamiliar with. I thrived with them and really honed my skills as an animator with rigs. My main area of focus has recently been 2D animation on Adobe Animate with rigged characters, but my skills reach far beyond a rig. I’ve done hand drawn animation as my thesis and have implemented elements of handdrawn in some of the shows I’ve worked in to make it feel more alive and fluid. The animation I create reaches a wide range of audiences, from children to adults I’ve done it all. Being an animator for multiple different projects means you have to adapt and change your style of work to match what your client wants, somethjng I pride myself in being able to do. It required someone to look deeply at the movement of characters, the look of them, even just simple things like how big are there pupils. Im proud to have worked in the industry as long as I have and I plan to keep this train on track for as long as it will allow me aboard.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

In college I was taught only about hand drawn, paper animation. This was great to really feel the character and get personal with your drawings. But the fact of the matter is that the industry does not use paper. I had to learn about digital animation all on my own and through peers. I wish I would have expanded my knowledge sooner about digital animation using industry programs like Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate and After Effects. I know that if I had learned these early, I would much more versatile in projects.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In order to support artists, the simplest answer is to buy their merchandise. This is typically their only source of income and a big source of their happiness. They create so they can share, these are the dreamers who refuse to settle for any mediocre desk or retail job. They are taking the risk and if you enjoy their product then please show your support in buying their things. I understand some things can be expensive and it’s understandable that some can’t buy these things. So another great way to show support is by sharing them on social media. Allow them to get more views by your family and friends so it may bring them more revinue.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jcmains-art.com
• Instagram: Jackie_mains_art
• Linkedin: Jacqueline Mains

Image Credits
Wolfboy and the Everything Factory rights reserved with Apple TV. Fanart images, rights reserved with Pokémon.