WHO am I? Many things, including a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s M.F.A. WHERE do I work? Wherever the work takes me. Or Bill Plympton.
computer animation program, an active member of the Toronto Animated Image Society, the current Membership Coordinator for ASIFA/Central, and part of the 30% of men who belong to the organization 'Women in Animation.'
WHAT do I work on? My body of work is primarily Forensic Animation for court cases and animation/video for museums and private clients who work in the field of historic reproduction
s. I'm based in East Lansing, Michigan, but my job has taken me from California, Michigan, Massachusetts, and New York, to as far away as England. WHY ‘Smudge Animation?’
Well, basically because I'm not John Lasseter. Or Walt Disney. Or Chuck Jones, Don Hertzfeldt, Mamoru Oshi, J.J. Seidelmeier, PES, BLU, or Peter Chung—pick just about any famous animator and it’ll fit. I don’t have their talent or filmography under my belt. And as most of my forensic animations get sealed by the courts, they are never seen by anyone outside of a few attorneys, clients, and a judge or two. Only recently have I started doing work for a broader viewing audience (museums, historical reproductions, etc). So I think it’s rather pretentious of me to bill myself as ‘Chuck Wilson Animation’ or something like that. If I had a fraction of the talent found in the previous list of titans, maybe I’d consider it. But for now… no, ‘Smudge Animation’ works. It’s cute, gets a little laugh when people see it on my business card, and they remember it. As to why the name ‘Smudge,’ well, when I was thinking up names back in 2000, my brother brought home a stray cat that was covered in fluffy, silky white fur—all except for this streak of grey fur that made it look like she walked under a car and got some axle grease on her forehead. So, we called her ‘Smudge.’ At the time, I thought it was serendipity—or at the very least, a funny story to tell people when they asked me about the name of my company. HOW do I produce my animations? Depends on the job. Though I love working old-school with the mark one pencil and paper, I'm an Adobe zealot. So most of my work uses Adobe's Production Premium suite of products (After Effects, Audition, Encore, Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere and Soundbooth) but for the forensic work--when a level of scientific precision is required--I use Visual Statement's FX software.
08/11/2026
A rather unique exhibit opened on June 6th at the Muskegon Museum of Art. Titled "HerStory of Animation", this exhibit covers the oft neglected history of women who work (or have worked) in the field of animation. Curated by filmmaker, author, and animation historian Mindy Johnson, the women on display ranged from animators (both independant and corporate), ink-and-paint girls, concept artists, inbetweeners, directors, and producers, among others.
"There are certain moments where, when you call them up from your memory, they arrive with such a measure of clarity it's as if you were right back there in that moment. The first meeting we had with Erik on our first day of grad school at R.I.T. was one such moment."
Animated People: Erik Timmerman
There are certain moments where, when you call them up from your memory, they arrive with a such a measure of clarity it's as if you were ri...
04/29/2026
Coming soon to the Muskegeon Museum of Art... June 6 to September 27.
HerStory of Animation - Muskegon Museum of Art
Home Calendar HerStory of Animation HerStory of Animation The groundbreaking exhibition, HerStory of Animation: Mary Blair & Beyond, re-defines our collected animated past by revealing the story of unsung forces of animation: women. In a first-of-its-kind exhibition, women’s contributions to the a...
Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in East Lansing?
08/11/2026
07/01/2026
04/29/2026