CHICAGO — Calabash Animation (http://calabashanimation.com) has added animator Jeff Mika to its full-time staff. A native of Chicago, Mika graduated Columbia College, Chicago in 2000 with a degree in animation. He began freelancing at Calabash in May 2001 and worked on and off with the studio for the next 12 years.
Although he studied computer animation in college, it was his hand-drawing 2D cel animation skills that brought him demand as a freelancer.
“I was fortunate to join Calabash early in my career and work alongside [creative director Wayne Brejcha and executive producer Sean Henry], and learn every aspect of the animation process, from early sketches through shadowing to main character development and final touch-ups,” Mika says. “There are things you can’t learn in school about how animation works on a professional level, and Calabash has been a great place for me to grow as an artist. This is a fun place to work, and I look forward to contributing to Calabash’s great creative reputation for years to come.”