About Joanie

About the Artist

Anything and everything animated - that’s my passion!

Who am I? I’m Joanie Rich, a rookie animator making her way into the industry. During my childhood, my favorite characters shaped me into who I am today.
No matter how bad a day I had at school, no matter how stressed out or upset I felt, all I had to do was sneak into my room, curl up on my bed, and switch on my favorite shows and instantly I escaped into my own brilliant unreality. By seeing into their lives and sharing their laughter and their sorrow, I learned to see my life differently.

Sometimes I would sit on the floor with a sketchbook in my lap just inches from my old TV screen and excitedly advanced forward and backward by a couple frames by hurriedly tapping the FF and PAUSE buttons on the VCR to study the characters’ movements and copy it onto my paper. Then I would hold up the sketches and flip them in imitation of the Disney animators I had seen on TV during the “Behind the Scenes” segments.

The seeds of animation had surely been planted in my heart.

As I grew older, I rediscovered Animation as a stunning way to express ideas, dreams and emotions. I studied it first as a hobby and that quickly ignited into a passionate profession, as I migrated North and earned my diploma in Classical 2D Animation from the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I’ve found friends all over the globe, including my best friend April, who is also pursing an animation job.
Currently I’m a fresh-faced Rookie trying to break into the Animation business. I will be journaling about my experiences and displaying my creative works including my demo reel, life drawing, character designs, and anything else I’m sketching at the moment that I want to share with the world.

Use the menu at the left to navigate around and if you see a piece you like or have any questions, email me at: joaniegecko at gmail.com.

Enjoy and thanks for visiting! You can also visit my personal Flash website here 8th Wonder Animation.

And remember to STAY TOONED! It’s the only way to live.

- Joanie Michelle Rich /^>