Introduction

Hey guys! I’m Ivanna Liittschwager and I come from Monterey, California. I am a 3D Environment Artist for games living in Los Angeles. I’m currently studying at Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games + Animation. I actually come from an illustration/concept art background. Before Gnomon, I was getting my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Animation at California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. I had absolutely no experience in 3D artwork, I was only a traditional artist at the time, but I had heard about Gnomon from expos and their tutorial videos that they produce.

Gnomon

After getting my BFA, I knew I was going to relocate to Los Angeles even if I didn’t have an industry job. So I moved here to Los Angeles by myself without knowing anyone or even knowing the city as I had never visited here before. I thought I would give Gnomon a try by taking a simple Intro to Maya class because I wasn’t sure if I would like working in 3D. It made me nervous because programs are hard to learn and I wasn’t sure if I would be any good at them.

I took the class and felt quite comfortable in the software we were using, so I ended up applying to the full-time 2-year program and getting in with my 2D portfolio.

I’ve finished 5 out of 8 terms at Gnomon, so I’ve been working in 3D for a little over a year. Gnomon is an awesome school if you are serious about getting into the film or game industry as a 3D artist. I feel as if the school is kind of like a bootcamp for artists because they throw a lot of intensive classes at you all at once and the quality of work you need to produce for these classes is set very high. However, it’s extremely rewarding coming out of a class with an awesome portfolio piece. What I like most about the school is the student body is supportive of each other and are always helpful if the critique is needed on their work.