Well, it's off to Laika for Ryan Woodward, a fantastic artist and teacher here at BYU. It's been my privilege to be his teaching assistant over the last six months and I've learned so much.I had the opportunity to help him with his booth this past November at the CTN Animation eXpo. It was amazing to see so many of his fans turn out in droves just to talk to him for a little bit and maybe have him sign a drawing or two. It made me realize how lucky I am to work with this man on a regular basis. While I'm sad to see him go, I'm really happy for him. He'll be Head of Story on an upcoming feature at Laika, which is a huge opportunity.
To commemorate his leaving, I decided to give him a framed copy of a caricature (left) that I drew of him. I'll admit I was pretty nervous handing it over. But he got a good laugh and mentioned that it's one of the better caricatures he's received which was really kind of him to say.
Best of luck, Ryan! Keep Portland Weird.