João Pedro Bernardo da Rocha, known as JP, is a Brazilian artist who is doing his best to work in the animation field. João has this to say about what inspired him to study Animation and why he chose to attend Max the Mutt:
“I am only 20 years old and I can say with confidence that I have always been interested in art. Always watching cartoons as a kid and drawing my favorite characters from games and tv shows. It was only when I was 10 years old that I really started to learn how to draw. By then I was not really sure what I wanted to have as my career, but I always knew that I wanted to work with something related to drawing and art. It was only halfway through middle school that my mother suggested animation as my career, since I have always been watching animations and studying all those art styles and characters. I didn’t even know that animation could be a career. I instantly got excited and since then I have been working towards this dream.
Back in my country the animation field is not as big as in the USA and Canada, and I knew that if I wanted to pursue animation I would have to seek in other places of the globe. After months of seeking, me and my family found Max the Mutt, which got my attention. A college where the classes are small enough so everyone could get instant feedback in their studies, which for me, is the most important aspect of learning art, feedback !
I know that I am quite young, and that makes me more excited to start working in the animation industry. I want to learn and grow in the industry, climbing the big ladder of being a great artist. I want to work in really renowned studios and make a living of my artistic skills, and I am doing my best so in 5 years, I will be working in studios, learning from all the great professionals in the field and growing as an artist and human being.”
