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Roche Staats

Junior

ZBrush
Maya
Adobe Substance 3D Painter

Biography

Dedicated and skilled 3D Artist with over 5 years of combined industry and lecturing experience, specializing in character and creature creation. Currently I am at The Animation School, where I supervise and mentor students in character-focused projects, providing comprehensive feedback and solving both technical and creative challenges.


My industry experience includes serving as Lead Character Artist at Chocolate Tribe, where I contributed to Disney’s Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (Surf Sangoma). In this role, I was responsible for designing and modelling the main characters and guiding the team in achieving the desired stylization.


I possess advanced proficiency in industry-standard software, including Zbrush, Autodesk Maya, Adobe Substance Painter, Photoshop and Marvelous Designer. My educational background from The Animation School, has equipped me with a solid foundation in animation and digital art.


I aspire to become a full-time character artist. I am passionate about creating immersive characters and creatures that captivate audiences.

Skills

Technical Skills

  • Basic

Software

  • Advanced
  • Advanced
  • Advanced

Work Experience

2022 – Present day

2nd Year Assistant Lecturer

The Animation School (Johannesburg)
Supervision of two classes a day. Provision of feedback on student work. Working with students to solve technical and creative problems. Creating course work and tutorials. Guiding students through a

2022 – 2022

Lead - Character Artist

Chocolate Tribe (Johannesburg)
Disney’s Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, namely Surf Sangoma. Creation of main two characters as well as the child version of the lead character. Developing a unique style approach. Team training

2020 – 2022

3D Generalist

Chocolate Tribe (Johannesburg)
Worked on a wide variety of film and commercial projects. Designing, modelling, texturing, surfacing, and rendering of hyper-realistic and stylized animals, creatures, robots and assets.

Education

2017 – 2019

Diploma in Digital Animation

The Animation School

Animation

Best Technical Artistry at 2020 Cape Town International Animation Festival. Gold Medal at the 2020 New York Festivals: TV & Film Awards.