Today we’d like to introduce you to Cobra Yu.
Hi Cobra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with passion. “Storytellers lead the world forward.” When we were children, we used to say that we wanted to be astronauts, soldiers, or painters, all because of the different stories we read, animations, or movies we watched that inspired us. That was when I decided that I wanted to be someone who could tell a good story. Like many artists, I have loved to draw and create from a very young age. I was inspired by the movies and TV shows of my childhood, from the excellent Japanese animation Astro Boy in 2D to the premier Beast Wars in 3D. At the same time, Michael Jackson’s MV set my aesthetic at an early age.
All the intertwined passions grew with my age until I reached the university, and I never gave up painting and creating while studying software engineering. Then, I realized it was a waste of talent to be a coder in front of a computer. While pursuing graduate school, I majored in animation because “storytellers lead the world forward.” At the same time, I also want to challenge myself in the 3D field. My 2D Commercial Illustration level is outstanding, but I need to master the technical software to let my inspiration be expressed in more ways.
Now, I’m continuing to study and create at one of the top 3 animation schools in the US, which is fortunate!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
How to get to the top level and make more money in less time (laughs). Just kidding. Currently, it’s supposed to be my bottleneck as I’m even more eager to further my animation skills with my thesis coming up, but it’s a skill that comes with experience, and you can’t skip a lot of practicing to have mastery of body mechanics and game-animated striking motions in a short period of time. So, I’m practicing deliberately.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve positioned myself as a 2D3D generalist. I have a strong background in the direction of Commercial Illustration and thick paint, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that I’m good with my hands. After coming to SCAD, I became proficient in software such as MAYA, Unreal, etc. Meanwhile, I am better at voice-over and sound effects production. I love creating all kinds of sound effects for my short films. One of the things I’m most proud of is that I’ve always had the passion to create a full-fledged process, and I’ve created my own short movie with the next one in the works. I think my strength is that I am not afraid of any level of difficulty or challenge, and I can do what seems impossible to others if I want to.
I studied animation for a year with the animation guru who used to be at Sony DreamWorks. He was a very talented professor but a little bit strict because he wanted everyone to reach their maximum potential. So many people were afraid of him, but I saw something in him that ignited my creative passion, so I kept learning from him. If you want to be the best learn from the best, that’s my motto.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Don’t spend tons of money, and there are great resources all around you. Look for professors and famous teachers around you or help from your classmates. No one will turn down someone who is hardworking and humble. Just come there to say” Hi!” If not, then go to YouTube University! There are tons of genius and free video tutorials there. If you’re humble enough to watch a lot of them, it’ll be twice as easy to pay to book some fantastic YouTube animation gurus to help guide you through your portfolio at that point.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.astrocobra.com/animation
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_astro_cobra_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hang-cobra-yu/
