Read the interview below to get to know Anthony Hurd a little more. CGShelf : Hi Anthony, could you tell us a bit about yourself? Anthony Hurd: Well I'm a 32 year old artist/illustrator/designer/animator.. sort of jack of all trades. I live in the desert area of Palm Springs California. I've been in a wide range of positions over the years. I was part owner and vp of creative of both exopolis.com and enjoygreenergrass.com. Currently I'm represented by acme film works for my commercial work. CGShelf: What led to your interest in Computer Graphics? Anthony Hurd: Actually I was forced to take a computer corse in high school.. which I was dreading. Ended up being one of the best things for me. I started in fine arts and at the time had pretty much considered computers as "cheeting".. haha. Within a month of working on a old mac performa I was hooked and ran out shortly after and bought my own. That was in 1994 and I haven't stopped since. CGShelf: You?ve got a wide range of skills in terms of Computer Graphics, but which genere in this field is close to your heart and why? Anthony Hurd: Most definitely my digital illustration work. I tend to try and work it into most any type of project in some way these days. Though I'd say it's hard to separate out one specific thing knowing how closely tied each genere is to each other. CGShelf: Which software packages do you usually use to create your magic? Anthony Hurd: I mainly work with Photoshop, illustrator, after effects, and cinema 4d. Illustrator is by far my most used application.
An often overlooked feature of Illustrator is the ability to create Flash animations (without needing Flash). We are going to make a fireworks display to celebrate the 4th of July. Basic Illustrator knowledge is assumed for this tutorial.