Shari was born in Texas, grew up in Southeast Asia, and currently resides in Colorado. Shari has two undergraduate degrees: Graphic Design and English Literature & Biology. She has two M.A. degrees: Writing, Literature & Film (Graduated with Honors) and Leadership + Emerging Technologies, Summa Cum Laude. She has worked in the animation industry for over 30 years as an art director, color designer, character and EFX animator, assistant animator, clean-up artist, and production designer. She has worked on projects at Warner Bros., Disney Interactive, FOX Feature Animation, and her own studio, Little Wolf Pictures. Shari has worked on commercials, TV specials, feature films, and online game animation. She was a studio producer at Little Wolf Pictures on the “Villain’s Revenge” game for Disney Interactive, winner of the 2000 AAIS award for Excellence in Animation. She specializes in animation pre-production with a special emphasis on storytelling, worldbuilding, character development, and project design.
Shari uses a mentoring teaching philosophy. Her goal is to encourage and inspire all students to achieve their personal best, believe in themselves, and take on new challenges that will broaden their understanding and knowledge in their chosen fields of study. She loves observing the creative lives of her students in courses such as Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and The Art of Villainy (Character Creation). She enjoys teaching and mentoring her students in their creative processes, as well as challenging them towards higher accomplishments. Outside of the classroom, she is an avid hiker, gardener, explorer, Thai food cook, and writer. She loves worldbuilding, novel writing, good coffee, and chocolates.
Course Credentialing
AG 1070 – Digital Painting for Film + Games (formerly AN 2270 – Digital Painting for Film + Games), AG 1110 – Introduction to Animated Storytelling (formerly AN 1110 – Introduction to Animated Storytelling), AG 2300 – Animation + Game Art Sophomore Portfolio Review, AG 3131 – Business Ethics + Copyright, AG 3590 – Special Topics, AG 4991 – Senior Project II: Portfolio Delivery + Review, AN 2310 – Creative Visualization, AN 2320 – The Art of Villainy, AN 2335 – Worldbuilding, AN 2350 – Scriptwriting for Animation, AN 3001 – Animation Junior Portfolio Review, AN 3601 – Animation Internship Part I, AN 3602 – Animation Internship Part II, AN2D 3360 – Animation Layout + Production Design, AH 2020 – History of International Animation.
