Jon Vener

Meet Jon Vener

Chief Creative Officer, Vener Studios
Jon Vener

About Jon

About Jon

Mentor of 3D Animation

Jon Vener has been in Animation, VFX, Games and VR for 13 years, and has been a digital creative professional for over twenty years.

He draws on a broad background, including Bachelor's degrees in animation and music performance, martial arts, nuclear engineering, technical writing, and scripting filmmaking tools. This diversity of interests and aptitudes has brought him success as an artist, developer, and educator.

  

Jon's work

Credits include Halo 4, Bioshock 2, Dark Souls II, Dante's Inferno, The Amazing Spiderman, The Walking Dead, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, to name a few.

Halo 4
Bioshock 2
Dark Souls II
Dante's Inferno

Q&A with Jon

Which city are you currently based in?

Denver, Colorado, USA

What did your pathway into the industry look like?
I fell into a job doing graphic design at an architecture firm. While I was there, I started doing interactive and motion design, which led me to look for programs where I could learn more about that. Unable to find any explicitly motion design oriented training programs, I ended up in a character animation program run by old school Disney people because I figured the principles would be the same. One of my instructors there hooked me up with a junior animator position doing cinematics on the first Uncharted.
What has been the best experience of your career so far?
Seeing the reactions people had to our Star Wars: The Old Republic trailers.
What’s your advice for your students?

Focus on the art because the technology is constantly changing.

Learn 3D Animation from industry pros 

3D Animation Essentials

3D Animation Essentials

12 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Learn 3D animation basics with this fun short course - perfect for beginners! Using Maya software, you'll start with the fundamentals, including the 12 Principles of Animation, character rigs and posing, then animate your first walk cycle!
2D Animator Specialization

2D Animator Specialization

36 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Get ready for more advanced aspects of 2D: creating appealing characters, solid drawings, expressive acting and FX animation. Increase your technical skills, gain confidence in Toon Boom, and finish the course by polishing your portfolio and exploring career options with your mentor.
3D Animation Foundations

3D Animation Foundations

24 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Build on 3D foundations and gain speed and confidence using Maya. Experiment with force and weight, and create a believable fight scene, while picking up critical job skills.

3D Animator Specialization

3D Animator Specialization

36 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Master more complex creature and character animation techniques and create compelling scenes. In your final term you and your mentor focus on portfolio preparation and career development to ensure your work is polished and you graduate job-ready.
2D Animation Essentials

2D Animation Essentials

12 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Learn 2D animation basics from Disney animators! Focusing on hand-drawn animation style, this online animation course covers the 12 Principles of Animation and classic exercises like the bouncing ball, walk cycle, and character take using industry software Toon Boom Harmony.
2D Animation Foundations

2D Animation Foundations

24 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Further your character animation skills by creating more complex scenes for your portfolio. Learn body mechanics and anatomy, Toon Boom shortcuts, and other job skills to speed up your workflow.

3D Animation Foundations

3D Animation Foundations

24 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Build on 3D foundations and gain speed and confidence using Maya. Experiment with force and weight, and create a believable fight scene, while picking up critical job skills.
2D Animation Foundations

2D Animation Foundations

24 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Further your character animation skills by creating more complex scenes for your portfolio. Learn body mechanics and anatomy, Toon Boom shortcuts, and other job skills to speed up your workflow.

Foundations 2D Animation (Anime Style)

Foundations 2D Animation (Anime Style)

36 weeks - 20hrs weekly

Learn the fundamentals of 2D animation using Toon Boom focusing on anime style. Be mentored by Tokyo-based 2D artist Misu Yamaneko, who has worked on popular anime productions like Pokemon Sun & Moon, Vinland Saga, Overlord II, and Bleach Brave Souls.
Bachelor of Digital Art (2D Animation)

Bachelor of Digital Art (2D Animation)

2 weeks - 40hrs weekly

Master the industry tools and techniques to pursue a successful career in 2D animation. Breathe life and personality into 2D characters using Toon Boom Harmony and delve deep into production pipelines and creative workflows.
Diploma of Animation & VFX (2D Animation)

Diploma of Animation & VFX (2D Animation)

0 weeks - 40hrs weekly

Learn the tools and techniques to start your journey as a 2D animator.
Bachelor of Animation & VFX (3D Animation)

Bachelor of Animation & VFX (3D Animation)

2 weeks - 40hrs weekly

Discover how to inject life into digital characters and creatures for film, TV, virtual production, and games. Develop advanced 3D animation skills using Autodesk Maya and build your knowledge in the VFX pipeline and production processes.

Diploma of Animation & VFX (3D Animation)

Diploma of Animation & VFX (3D Animation)

0 weeks - 40hrs weekly

Learn fundamental 3D animation tools and techniques with training from industry pros. Animate simple props and characters in Autodesk Maya and develop an understanding of essential industry concepts, principles, and workflows.
What do you enjoy most about being a CG Spectrum mentor?
Getting to nerd-out about animation.
How do you stay creative outside of work?
Currently, I’m writing a novel.
What excites you most about the future of 3D Animation?
When I started out, the tools were getting good enough where you could focus on being an artist instead of a technician. Now, the tools are getting so good than anyone with a computer (and the right know-how) can do extremely high quality content.

Learn more about Jon's experience or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Your mentor is ready, are you?

New intakes at the beginning of the month, every month. Enquire today to secure your seat.
Enquire now
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