{"id":121989,"date":"2025-07-30T23:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T03:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=121989"},"modified":"2025-07-31T09:33:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:33:34","slug":"getting-animated","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2025\/getting-animated\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Animated"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-image-to-text has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-primary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2350\" height=\"1000\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3.jpg 2350w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3-636x271.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3-1024x436.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3-768x327.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3-1536x654.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3-2048x871.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3-1628x693.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2350px) 100vw, 2350px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">One of Mai-Han Nguyen\u2019s personal story concepts imagines World War II in a sci-fi fantasy universe filled with airships shaped like giant fish. Images courtesy of Mai-Han Nguyen<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Visual Arts<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetting Animated\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Mai-Han Nguyen turned her love of drawing and printmaking into a career at Nickelodeon<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">July 30, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/bu-author\/abigail-cain\/\">Abigail Cain<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-dimensional has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-primary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>As a printmaking major at CFA, Mai-Han Nguyen began every new project the same way\u2014with a handwritten checklist outlining every step of the process. Not exactly glamorous, but precision was critical when it came to mixing pigments or concocting an acid bath to properly etch a metal plate.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-477x636.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-500x667.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-1000x1334.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot-600x800.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-HeadShot.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a routine Nguyen (\u201921) brought with her to Nickelodeon Animation Studio, where she is a full-time visual development artist. These days, instead of ink and acid baths, she\u2019s keeping track of file dimensions and organizing her layers in Photoshop. \u201cA lot of the habits that I have in my work now come from printmaking,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, printmaking and animation might not appear to have much in common. Printmaking goes back centuries, with some of the earliest examples of woodblock prints dating to Japan, circa 700. Animation, depending on who you ask, got its start in 1892 with \u00c9mile Reynaud\u2019s film <em>Pauvre Pierrot<\/em> or 1908 with \u00c9mile Cohl\u2019s <em>Fantasmagorie<\/em>. Printmaking is a physical, tactile process that can be done by a single artist, while 21st-century animation happens primarily in the digital realm and is almost always a team effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for Ngyuen, printmaking was key to unlocking the skills that she uses daily at Nickelodeon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an exactness to both,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s the throughline that I really like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-background-dim\" style=\"background-image:url(\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_3.jpg)\"><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container\">\n<h1 class=\"has-tertiary-color has-text-color has-text-align-center\">THE DRAW OF ART<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Growing up, Nguyen was made to understand that art was a hobby, not a career. \u201cI always remembered my grandparents and everyone in my family talking about how there\u2019s this artistic inclination that runs in the family, in every generation,\u201d she says. \u201cMy grandfather had it before he came to the US\u2014even back when he was in Vietnam. But because we weren\u2019t wealthy, he couldn\u2019t give art much of his attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nguyen didn\u2019t take her first art class\u2014introduction to drawing\u2014until high school. Her work drew the attention of the head of the department, Michelle Cobb, who asked her whether she\u2019d considered pursuing art professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Nguyen told her she planned on majoring in environmental science, Cobb urged her to think about it. \u201cYou can go down this path that you think is right, or you can take a chance,\u201d Nguyen recalls her saying. And suddenly, Nguyen was crying. \u201cI broke down in the middle of the art studios,\u201d she says. \u201cAnyone could have walked in, and I\u2019d be sobbing hysterically. That almost emotional breakdown solidified that there was this lingering regret inside me that I was trying not to acknowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She made up her mind: she would study art in college, a choice her family greeted with some resistance. \u201cI just bulldozed ahead through that,\u201d she says. \u201cI made the decision that there will always be time to redirect my path if I need to. But at least in this moment, this is what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-tall-1-1\">\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"679\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-679x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-679x1024.png 679w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-422x636.png 422w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-768x1158.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-1018x1536.png 1018w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-1358x2048.png 1358w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_3-663x1000.png 663w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"765\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2-765x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2-765x1024.jpg 765w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2-475x636.jpg 475w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2-768x1028.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2-1147x1536.jpg 1147w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2-747x1000.jpg 747w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Print_2.jpg 1195w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background has-normal-font-size has-tertiary-background-color\">As a printmaking major at CFA, Nguyen experimented with wood cut prints, watercolor monotype, lithography, etching, and other disciplines.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As a compromise, she enrolled in a dual degree program in painting and environmental science at BU. Sophomore year, she studied abroad in Venice, where she took her first printmaking course, at the local Academy of Fine Arts. \u201cIt blew me away,\u201d she says. \u201cThe studio equipment is too expensive not to be shared, creating an extremely collaborative environment. Everyone\u2019s constantly sharing knowledge about how to use certain tools or certain chemicals. I really fell for that atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For most people, freedom means fewer rules. But for Ngyuen, the strict guidelines around the printmaking process unlocked her creativity in ways that a more open-ended artistic practice wasn\u2019t able to do. \u201cI loved learning about the restrictions within certain materials,\u201d she says. \u201cHaving these limitations made me feel like I was more able to come up with my own ideas and concepts. It really suited me really well. I found a lot of freedom in that guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon her return to campus, she officially switched from painting to printmaking\u2014and dropped environmental science. She likely would have sought an internship at a printmaking studio after graduation, if it hadn\u2019t been for the pandemic. The lockdown gave her time to consider what she wanted to do next. \u201cThe printmaking studio itself was collaborative,\u201d she says, \u201cand that was great. But I kept thinking that I wanted to work with more people\u00ad \u2014not just from the US, but from around the world\u2014on projects that were bigger than just what was in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She explored other artistic disciplines and&nbsp;found the Creative Talent Network (CTN), an animation organization that hosts an annual expo. In 2021, the event offered online-only tickets, allowing her a convenient way to dip her toe into the world of animation. And what she discovered fascinated her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-background-dim\" style=\"background-image:url(\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01.jpg)\"><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container\">\n<h1 class=\"has-secondary-color has-text-color has-text-align-center\">THE ANIMATION PIPELINE<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Animation is a hugely complex undertaking, with dozens or even hundreds of artists working on a single project\u2014from character design to color palettes to storyboarding. Visual development artists (also referred to as \u201cconcept artists\u201d) are one link in that chain. Their job is typically to bring the world to life based on the animatics\u2014a story-board in motion, essentially\u2014by filling in the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re helping someone else visualize that idea in their head that they can\u2019t really see yet,\u201d Nguyen explains. \u201cSo it\u2019s all these abstract ideas, and it\u2019s your job to take those ideas and make them into a tangible reality. You have to convince an audience that this is something that can exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where research comes in. References are critical to understand how everything works, even the more fantastical elements. \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to draw a car, but in order to make that car look specific to the world, you have to know which parts you can manipulate and which you can take out,\u201d says Nguyen. \u201cAnd that theory is applied to everything in the world\u2014you have to know how it works in order to take it apart and make it into something that fits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-full-f\">\n<div class=\"photo-f\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121995\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1628x916.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01-854x480.jpg 854w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Cowabunga_MN_01.jpg 1778w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Through CTN, she found out about a real-world production pipeline class run by James Lopez, a veteran animator at Disney. The project the class would be working on was <em>Cowabunga<\/em>, a four-minute short chronicling an alien ship\u2019s madcap attempt to abduct a feisty bovine. Nguyen applied for the production stage, and spent six months filling in the details of the world that had already been storyboarded by the previous cohort\u2014from the shape of the grass to the style of fencing used on the farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Cowabunga<\/em> \u201chas a special place in my heart,\u201d Nguyen says. \u201cAll of us were so new to the industry at that point. It was the first time I got to work with other people on anything similar to an animation pipeline. I realized how much effort it took. It was definitely stressful, but seeing it come together was kind of like my test. Being a part of that production was trying to see if this was something that I wanted to do as a career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer was clear. Now, she just needed to find a job. After completing <em>Cowabunga<\/em>, she freelanced on two more projects\u2014one with a studio in Singapore, on a film set in 1941 during Japanese occupation; another with a studio based in Germany, about a baby Loch Ness monster\u2014and participated in a mentorship program through the nonprofit Women in Animation with an animator from Dreamworks. She worked on her own concepts too, like an alternate version of World War II, where humankind has bioengineered airships out of gigantic fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In late 2023, she learned that she\u2019d been accepted into the visual development track of Nickelodeon\u2019s 2024 artist program for emerging talent\u2014a highly competitive \u200b\u200brole. \u201cIt\u2019s always been the timing for me,\u201d she says, of landing the gig. \u201cA lot of it is being able to have your skills up to where they need to be at the time that that job needs them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-background-dim\" style=\"background-image:url(\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated_Digital_1.jpg)\"><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container\">\n<h1 class=\"has-primary-color has-text-color has-text-align-center\">THE NICKELODEON EXPERIENCE<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The six-month artist program at Nickelodeon is more than an internship. Everyone accepted is embedded with an existing team of full-time staff, working on a real-life animation project. In Nguyen\u2019s case, that was <em>Avatar: Seven Havens<\/em>, a highly-anticipated sequel series to the beloved 2000s cult classic <em>Avatar: The Last Airbender<\/em>, helmed by the original creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. When the program ended in June 2024, Nguyen was offered a full-time job as a background design artist with the team, working remotely from her hometown of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She works long days, often close to eight hours of uninterrupted drawing. \u201cThere are a bunch of people that have to review that shot and make sure it aligns with what they\u2019re imagining for it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignwide wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"570\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated_Digital_1-1024x570.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated_Digital_1-1024x570.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated_Digital_1-636x354.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated_Digital_1-768x428.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated_Digital_1.jpg 1436w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"436\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-1024x436.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121997\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-1024x436.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-636x271.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-768x327.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-1536x654.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-2048x871.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2025\/06\/Mai-Han-Nguyen-Getting-Animated-Digital_4-1628x693.jpg 1628w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background has-normal-font-size has-primary-background-color\">As a visual development artist, Nguyen creates detailed reference works that help bring the story concepts to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">The process doesn\u2019t faze Nguyen, though. \u201cI come from a fine arts background, and so we get a lot of critiques\u2014really, really hard critiques,\u201d she says. \u201cYou have to be able to take any notes that you\u2019re given and translate it into what you think they want, which is tricky, but also it\u2019s my favorite part about the job. I think the back-and-forth is what makes it so interesting. It feels like a challenge.\u201d For Nguyen, it\u2019s a dream job. \u201cI have everything I want,\u201d she says. \u201cI get to work in art and make a living at it. High-school me would not have thought this would be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-three magazine-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/05\/Super-Animator-WAMESTER-006-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>CFA Alumni<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2023\/comics-animator-jeff-wamester\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Super Animator<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">June 28, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat.jpeg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-636x425.jpeg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-1024x684.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-1498x1000.jpeg 1498w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-900x600.jpeg 900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-450x300.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/02\/Joel-Christian-Gill-22-1673-VISUAL-032-feat-600x400.jpeg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Visual Arts<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2023\/comics-artist-joel-christian-gill-launches-bus-new-visual-narrative-mfa-degree\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Comics Artist Joel Christian Gill Launches BU\u2019s New Visual Narrative MFA Degree<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">February 27, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share wp-prepress-component-article-share-sharedby-news\"><span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-label\">Shared from<\/span> <span class=\"wp-prepress-component-article-share-source\"><div class=\"editorial-branding editorial-branding-news bu-prepress-branding-type-text\"><div class=\"editorial-branding-wrap\">News<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-scaled.jpg 1707w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-424x636.jpg 424w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2022\/08\/22-1043-CFAHEINRICHS-001-667x1000.jpg 667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>CFA Alumni<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2022\/rick-heinrichs-magical-worlds\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Rick Heinrichs\u2019 Magical Worlds<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">June 14, 2022<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a routine Nguyen (\u201921) brought with her to Nickelodeon Animation Studio, where she is a full-time visual development artist. These days, instead of ink and acid baths, she\u2019s keeping track of file dimensions and organizing her layers in Photoshop. \u201cA lot of the habits that I have in my work now come from printmaking,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14125,"featured_media":121991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,379],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[446],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/121989"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121989"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/121989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122289,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/121989\/revisions\/122289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=121989"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=121989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}