Hi! I'm Ari Trejo, a passionate 2D Artist and Animator with experience in both film and video game animation. I've worked remotely with various studios, collaborating with directors and designers to bring characters and stories to life. I'm comfortable with both rough animations and final clean-ups, and I love being part of a creative team where my skills in animation and acting bring unique physicality to my work. I have a solid foundation from my BFA in Digital Art & Animation from DigiPen Institute of Technology, and have contributed to award-winning projects. When I'm not animating, I enjoy teaching and helping others develop their animation skills. I'm always eager to learn and grow, and I look forward to new creative challenges!

Ari Trejo

Hi! I'm Ari Trejo, a passionate 2D Artist and Animator with experience in both film and video game animation. I've worked remotely with various studios, collaborating with directors and designers to bring characters and stories to life. I'm comfortable with both rough animations and final clean-ups, and I love being part of a creative team where my skills in animation and acting bring unique physicality to my work. I have a solid foundation from my BFA in Digital Art & Animation from DigiPen Institute of Technology, and have contributed to award-winning projects. When I'm not animating, I enjoy teaching and helping others develop their animation skills. I'm always eager to learn and grow, and I look forward to new creative challenges!

Available to hire

Hi! I’m Ari Trejo, a passionate 2D Artist and Animator with experience in both film and video game animation. I’ve worked remotely with various studios, collaborating with directors and designers to bring characters and stories to life. I’m comfortable with both rough animations and final clean-ups, and I love being part of a creative team where my skills in animation and acting bring unique physicality to my work.

I have a solid foundation from my BFA in Digital Art & Animation from DigiPen Institute of Technology, and have contributed to award-winning projects. When I’m not animating, I enjoy teaching and helping others develop their animation skills. I’m always eager to learn and grow, and I look forward to new creative challenges!

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Work Experience

Game Animator, Enemy Design – Remote at Studio Kumiho
March 1, 2023 - Present
Attended daily meetings to discuss work progress and plan for future assignments. Participated in bi-weekly critique sessions and applied feedback accordingly. Worked closely with the director and game designers to determine how to time and set up the animations. Responsible for battle and overworld animations of a variety of characters. Took animations from the thumbnail stage to final lines and color. Exported sprite sheets to be implemented in game.
Rough Animation, Clean Up & Color – Remote at Power Surge Pro.
December 31, 2023 - July 11, 2025
Partook in weekly meetings to discuss the film’s progress and what needs to be done next. Kept in close contact with the art director to receive daily feedback. Followed storyboards and model sheets carefully for rough animation to pass to clean-up. When the rough stage was completed, assisted in finishing clean-up and color. Wrote weekly invoices to my boss to get paid on time and correctly.
Flash Animator – Remote at Studio Zmei
January 31, 2023 - July 11, 2025
Blocked out scenes based on the animatics given. Once blocking was approved, animated the characters based on animation reference. Utilized rigs provided to keep the characters on model. Reported to supervisors for advice or critique.
2D Assistant Animator – Remote at Studio Zmei
October 31, 2022 - July 11, 2025
Given work from rough animators to be cleaned up and inked. Took extra care to make sure all characters were on-model and charts were followed correctly. Kept in close contact with supervisors whenever assistance or critique was needed. Created my own schedule to determine the best workflow for completing work on time.
2D Animator, Character Artist at PrePAWsterous Film Project
April 30, 2020 - July 11, 2025
Collaborated with a team of 7 others to bring an award-winning short film to life. Researched animation styles the film would reference. Worked closely with the director to develop their ideal project. Animated and cleaned 10 scenes of animation.
Teaching Assistant at DigiPen Institute of Technology
January 31, 2020 - July 11, 2025
Assisted teachers in introduction to animation classes, 2D Animation production classes, 3D Animation, and character design. Helped students in and out of the classroom. Established my own work hours for students to reach out to me for assistance.

Education

BFA at DigiPen Institute of Technology
January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2020

Qualifications

2021 KINO Short Film Festival Winner, Best PNW Student Film
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
PRIX ROYAL Paris Animation Awards Winner, Best Student Animation
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
2021 TAAFI – Toronto Animation Arts Festival International
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Education, Software & Internet