An Interview with LAAFA Student and Professional 3D Artist Donna Bates

Donna Bates is one of the accomplished professional artists who are part of the student community at Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art.  Donna's well-rounded resume as a 3D entertainment artist features work on franchises including Planet of the Apes, Child's Play, Chronicles of Riddick, and Saw II.  Rather than resting on her 3D laurels, she keeps her skills in academic drawing and painting current by attending classes at LAAFA.

After studying Art at Cal State Fullerton, Donna was among the first illustrators to seize the chance to train for artistic work in the then-emerging field of computer animation.  She completed her training at Otis, Art Center, and Gnomon.  She studied Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3D modeling in Maya and other programs.  The expertise she developed in 3D modeling led to a stint teaching polygon modeling at the Gnomon School of VFX.

Image by Donna Bates

In her drawing and painting classes at LAAFA, Donna values the opportunity to learn from highly qualified instructors who help students gain a better handle on techniques that will enhance their work in figurative art in any media - whether in two or three dimensions.

With the same perspicacity that kept her ahead of the curve in her pursuit of artistic work in 3D modeling, Donna continues to look towards the future.  Her present ambitions include completing paintings for a solo show, as well as developing artwork and jewelery design using cutting-edge 3D printing technology.  You can see more of Donna's impressive work on her website: www.donnabates3d.com.

Interested in joining the vibrant artistic community at LAAFA?  Check out LAAFA's part-time summer class schedule here.  Click here for information on LAAFA's  full-time BFA and Atelier Certificate Programs in Fine Art and Entertainment Art.