“iAnimate made the transition from school to a job pretty smooth.”

Meet iAnimate Student Iselin Davø Fredriksen

Student Spotlight features Iselin Davø Fredriksen, a Norwegian 3D animator at Framestore in London. After five years of studying psychology, she found her true passion in animation, proving it's never too late to pursue what excites you. Outside of work, Iselin enjoys sculpting with clay, drawing, and even embroidery—embracing creativity in every form! and expertise makes her a valuable asset to any animation team, and she is sure to continue creating stunning work for years to come. 

At iAnimate, we love hearing stories of how our students found their way to us. Take Iselin, for example. While volunteering at the Norwegian animation festival "Frame by Frame," she was introduced to iAnimate by one of the event organizers. At that time, Iselin was in her first year of studying 3D design and animation and had just discovered her passion for the art. The organizer suggested that if she was serious about becoming an animator, iAnimate would provide the knowledge and skills she needed to succeed.

Iselin took that advice to heart. After completing her first year, she joined Alexis Wanneroy's Workshop 2 class in the fall, a decision that she says was the best of her life. At iAnimate, we're proud to have been part of her journey.

Student Animation Journey

Iselin Davø Fredriksen took the following Feature Workshops at iAnimate:

• Feature Animation 2 with Alexis Wanneroy (Fortiche Productions)
• Feature Animation 3 with Alexis Wanneroy (Fortiche Productions)
• Feature Animation 4 with Alexis Wanneroy (Fortiche Productions)

At iAnimate, the creative process of Iselin Davø Fredriksen in working on her assignments begins with an idea and unfolds into a polished animation through the following steps:

1. Idea Formation
   • Start with the brief: assignments are broad, allowing your creativity to take the lead.
   • Develop the idea by finding the perfect audio, sketching golden poses, or simply jotting down concepts.
   • Experiment with the rig: sometimes, playing with poses reveals the character’s personality, helping the story naturally emerge.
2. Fleshing Out the Idea
   • With a rough idea in mind, it's time to gather references.
   • Film yourself acting out the scenes or search for references online.
   • Create a rough layout of the timing for dynamic shots or key poses for the overall feel.
   • Plan meticulously: consider what happens in the shot, anticipate challenges, and think about setup, rotation orders, and rig positioning.
3. Blocking
   • Dive into Maya and begin animating, relying on your planning to guide the first pass.
   • While many animators use stepped keys for blocking, if you prefer spline, like me, you can transition to splined keys early in the process.
4. Refining
   • Enter the back-and-forth phase: seek feedback, apply revisions, and fine-tune your shot until it truly shines!

“At iAnimate I got to learn from people who have been doing this for years and years! I got to learn how to skip the mistakes it took them years to fix and understand. The biggest cheat code there is.  I also discovered that I was pretty good at animating animals, which sort of sparked a new interest and a career path for me. iAnimate gave me a solid understanding of a professional working environment and made the transition from school to a job pretty smooth. You learn how to work as if in a studio and that makes you productive from day one.” Iselin responds to what she learned from iAnimate.

You can reach Iselin's via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator Iselin Davø Fredriksen

iAnimate: What do you think of your Online Animation Instructor(s), and how do they help you?

Iselin: I only had one Instructor for my classes at iAnimate. Alexis Wanneroy was the best teacher I could ever ask for, so I saw no point in messing with a good thing.  He’s such an amazing artist and such a kind soul.  His teaching style was perfect for me, and I can’t believe how much he taught me. I still have his voice in my head telling me what to do when I get stuck at work.  Alexis helped my skills grow and without his encouragement, I don’t think I would be where I am today.

iAnimate: How did iAnimate help you to evolve your animation skills as a character animator?

Iselin: The creature work I did at iAnimate sparked an interest that I didn’t know I had.  I love creature work.

I got encouraged to continue my skills and it eventually landed me a job at one of the best VFX studios. The fundamentals are so important, and I keep going back to everything Alexis taught me.

I’ve always struggled a lot with not feeling good enough at what I do, and having teachers and people who have your back is what’s going to make the difference for people such as myself.

iAnimate: What kind of animator do you consider after taking your student workshop/s?

Iselin:  I’m currently in my third year working in VFX, but my dream is to do feature animation one day.

iAnimate: What kind of project do you want to work on?

Iselin: I worked on Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and that kind of animation is the perfect one for me.

Animating rocket and his friends was the highlight of my career. Humanistic creature animation? That’s a big YES from me.