Hello! My name is Riley Roberts. I’m an Animation and Visual Effects student with a Culinary minor. Growing up drawing characters and making up stories for them pushed me towards a way to showcase those stories. While I am studying at Drexel to become a 3D animator, I also have an interest in 2D. Animation is such an interesting way to showcase the skills of an artist. Not only is it beautiful art, but also remarkable storytelling. The older I got, the more I’ve started to appreciate certain movies and cartoons, such movies like “The Princess and the Frog”, “Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, and certain Anime like “Love Live: School Idol Project” have a special place in my heart. They give me solace when choosing animation as my art form and to be able to showcase my stories so I can reach a wider audience.

Drexel specializes in Autodesk Maya and making textures in Substance Painter. However, Drexel is preparing us to be able to use any programs similar to Maya. Certain classes require other Adobe programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. I do come from fine arts, such as sketching, painting, and charcoal. While I consider myself a 3D Generalist, I do have a focus on 3D character design and character animation. As of right now, I’m working on a personal goal of mine, which is practicing my illustration and digital art skills using Clip Studio Paint. I’m also entering my second Co-op in UPenn Football as a graphic designer, where I’ll be working on my graphic design skills.

My biggest goal after college is to be able to make my own animation company, to become my own businesswoman and have the control to create the stories and characters and be able to inspire many artists to create what they want. This dream will take quite a lot of time and resources, so I’ll work as a character artist and animator for other industries for the time being.

I want people to see my art with an open mind. To be able to look deeper under the surface and learn to experience layers of work that were probably never seen from the first look. Every piece of art has a deeper meaning, and every artist has a story to tell. While yes, I cannot control people’s first impressions of my art, my goal is to have them think right off the bat. That to me makes it a success. In my portfolio are pieces I have made during my time at Drexel, my most recent pieces, future visions and passion, and maybe some personal stuff like some crochet, knitting projects, and even my digital and sketching process.