Today we’d like to introduce you to Madeleine “Maddie” Gee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Thank you for having me and allowing me to share my story. Growing up with parents in the animation industry, I was always inspired to create art and worlds I would want to live in. I was never great at academics and with dyscalculia, math was out of the question. So as far back as I can remember, I studied art. I studied at Sheldon’s Art Academy in Oak Park for ten years and eventually taught there as an art instructor before I went off to college at Otis College of Art and Design. I felt this enormous pressure to be an animator so for my first three years, I studied animation exclusively. Then I found out my true passion was concept art and visual development i.e., character design, background layout, prop design, etc. So I started my path to becoming a background designer. Truly I want nothing more than to draw and paint. I love working with colors and lighting and bringing characters to life. About a year after graduating, I was able to land my first freelance gig as a background designer for the animated short Amota and Nebson. In between looking for jobs, I’ve taken many personal and even a few commercial commissions, including my latest work for London Thor’s Cinematic Love EP. Now I work from home in production at CTN (Creative Talent Network). I’m thrilled to be working in an aspect of art education again, this time even more accessible with everything online.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had many health emergencies pop up in the last few years that make working or creating very hard. Then there is also the lack of inspiration or “art block.” Since I decided to change my focus last minute, from animation to concept/vis dev, I still have a lot more learning to do. I’m really excited to be taking some classes this summer to improve my skills. I’d say now that work is from home, it’s way easier for me to comfortable with my chronic health issues. It’s more flexible.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At the core, I just draw and paint. Most of my work is character-based, portraits, fan art, original art. Since I do commissions very regularly, it’s almost all character art or portraits. I have a few environment pieces-ironic for a background designer, I know- but I find myself more drawn to character design recently. I think the most important aspect of my work is making it authentic to myself. Since I’m half Chinese, I want to see myself in my work, I want others to see themselves in my work too. Growing up, I didn’t have much representation besides maybe Mulan? Now that I have this time in my life to make whatever I want, I have a craving to fill that gap. I draw A LOT of girls. I love girls and women, I’m bi so what can I say? I’m becoming more comfortable with that part of me as well. I love drawing tender moments between two people, subtle emotions held in private. Soft stuff. One of the pieces I’m most proud of is a painting of two water nymphs at their wedding. I wouldn’t say I specialize in it, but anatomy is definitely my strong suit. That comes from years of classical figure drawing training. You learn to appreciate how muscles connect together and form rhythms of the body. When I have time, I do gesture drawing practices just to keep my work loose. I have a keen sense for color as well, I’m always mixing colors on the side of my photoshop document the way you would with a traditional medium. I love using color to express moods and designing colors for characters and the worlds they live in. I’m a color theory nut you could say.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is a small thing. It feels like such a big daunting word. I prefer my small successes or victories. I don’t think it matters how successful you are to the world as long as you’re happy with yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.madeleineigeeart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t3t0bean/
