I'm Tessa Hartmann, an animator and artist based in New York. I specialize in 2D animation and work on storyboards, animatics and roughs. I enjoy digital painting and playing video games in my spare time. Toon Boom Harmony 22 and Clip Studio paint are my main workhorses for animation and illustration respectively- I'm also familiar with working in Autodesk Maya and the Adobe suite of programs.
How did I get here?
I grew up as a shut-in in southwest LI, having picked up drawing as a hobby from my older sister. My first love was the Archie Sonic comic, whose style was my gospel as a burgeoning preteen artist. There's definitely still a lot of Blue Blur in how I approach angles and curves.
I kept at it with my art all throughout my adolescence, but never seriously considered it as a career until 2022. Burnt out and going nowhere with a Communications degree, I transferred to Alfred State College's DGMA program and started making art my life. Up there, I got more intimately associated with the expansive then and infinite now of art, and found myself with the technique, practice and environment to channel my passion. Two years and counting, I haven't looked back.
Nowadays, I can't imagine a day without creating. With no shortage of ideas and assistance from my peers, (not to mention formal training), I like to think the kid who obsessed those comics would be amazed by what she can do now. My greatest inspirations are now and always my friends and fellow artists.