About Mel Miller
Mel Miller is a 28 year old classic rock fan, modern hippie and unapologetic nerd, with a zealous work ethic and an astute love affair for all manner of creative meddling, penguins, and the great outdoors. An animator and illustrator by trade, she is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from the College for Creative Studies, with a BFA in Fine Arts with a focus on traditional animation and creative design.
Mel currently works as a freelance animator and illustrator through her own devices, as well as through local studios such as Thunderbean Animation, Alpha Omega Animation Design, and Speedshape. She is also in the midst of producing a short film, Caravan, and actively contributing to Alpha Omega’s exciting new creative endeavor, the ArMSmasters Project.
Mel carries a wide range of skill sets, including traditional and 3D animation, prop and character design, storyboarding, and 3D Stereo conversion. Her program knowledge includes Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, Maya, Nuke, and Final Cut Pro.
Passionate for wherever her creative career may lead her, Mel is available for commercial and non-commercial freelance, as well as opportunities to work in creative, collaborative studio environments.
Download Mel Miller's resume in PDF format.
Education
College for Creative Studies
2006 - 2010
BFA, majoring in Entertainment Arts with a focus on traditional hand-drawn animation, character and concept design illustration.
Experience
The ArMSmasters Project
2010- Present
Concept Art and Clean-Up animation for Michigan-based Alpha Omega Animation Design’s ARMSmaster’s traditionally animated project trailer and pitch bible. View The ArMSmasters Project's production blog.
Mel Miller Art
2003 - Present
Freelance animation, concept/character/prop design, illustration, storyboards and 3D stereo conversion for both companies and individual clients.
Caravan
2009 - Present
Short film in production. Animated traditionally, colored in Photoshop, composited in Adobe After Effects. View Caravan's Official Trailer.
Concept Artist (Title TBA)
2011
Assisted in finalizing Matte Painting previs concept art for a television commercial for Speedshape Inc in Bingham Farms, Mi.
Contract Character Designer (Title TBA)
2011
Created a series of character designs for a pitch book for Great Highway co. of Los Angeles, Ca.
Mobibo Commercial
2011
Created a 50-second long animated commercial utilizing Photoshop and Adobe After Effects for www.mobibo.com, for Speedshape Inc in Bingham Farms, Mi.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
2011
3D Stereoscopic Conversion, rotoscoping and compositing on Spy Kids 4, utilizing Nuke software, for Speedshape Inc in Bingham Farms, Mi.
Contract Character Designer (Title TBA)
2011
Independently contracted Concept Artist and Character Designer for a children's 3D animated show for Great Highway co. of Los Angeles, Ca.
The Littlest Angel
2010
Lead storyboard artist on a 3D animated feature film. Visit www.thelittlestangelmovie.com/.
Private SNAFU Golden Classics
2010
DVD cover background illustration for Thunderbean Animation's Private SNAFU Golden Classics 2010 release. Available on Amazon.com.
Raya Sunshine
2009 - 2010
Created a series of character design concepts for "Raya Sunshine," a pitch for a children's television show created by Michigan-based Tickle Entertainment.
Vito's Pizza Commercials
2009
Digitally enhanced and painted a series of 3 backgrounds for two Vito's Pizza television commercials produced by Michigan's Thunderbean Animation.
CodeMonkey
2008 - 2009
Digitally rendered color for 30 illustrated backgrounds in Adobe Photoshop CS3 for this three and a half minute long independently animated music video.
Biore Daily Recharging Moments
2008
A series of web adds for Biore.com, through Thunderbean Animation Studio. Roles in production include concept art, asset creation, traditional animation, storyboarding, and frame-by-frame watercolor painting.
Accomplishments
Gallery Shows
2007-Present
"The Art of Mel Miller & Niles Bontrager" Hosted by the Stratton Foundation (Coming January 2012)
Senior Select Runner-Up for the 2010 College for Creative Studies Student Exibition.
The 2009 College for Creative Studies Student Exibition.
The 2008 College for Creative Studies Student Exibition.
The 2007 College for Creative Studies Student Exibition.
KAFI 2009 Cartoon Challenge
May 2009
A member of the 5-animator team selected to represent the College for Creative Studies at the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International's 2009 Cartoon Challenge.
Scholarships & Collegiate Honors
2006 - 2010
Graduated with High Honors from the College for Creative Studies 2010 with a 3.974 Cumulative GPA
The CCS Scholarship of $24,000.
The 1st place 2010 Stratton Foundation Scholarship of $1,500 for Caravan.
The Alumni Scholarship of $1,500 awarded to students with the highest GPA in their major.