3D Animation Alumni Highlight: Yukari Akaba

April 7, 2016

yukariAfter graduating from New York Film Academy’s One-Year 3D Animation & Visual FX Conservatory, Yukari Akaba created a reel to showcase her talent and capabilities in the craft. From her reel, which NYFA Animation and Game Design Chair Phoebe Elefante says is “excellent,” Akaba was able to secure a position at a New York based production company called The Brigade.

The project she’s currently working on, Hair Guitar, is a short animated film created by the digital artists at The Brigade for the purpose of refining their craft as storytellers and promoting their technical abilities in the space of advertising and entertainment.

“We have taken the story from inception to completion, involving every step of the character animation pipeline from character development to motion capture and post production,” said Akaba. “We are excited to finish in early summer, and grateful for all of the help from our talented team!”

Akaba admits she didn’t have any art background prior to attending NYFA, and learned everything she knows from the Animation program at NYFA.

Her goal is to become a senior modeler and texture artist at a studio and work on feature films and high-end commercials. Though, she is also considering working with major game companies such as Blur or Blizzard studios, particularly on game cinematics.

You too can see Yukari’s talent by having a look at her animation reel below!

Yukari Akaba CG Artist Demo Reel 2016 from Yukari Akaba on Vimeo.