We love this weeks featured artist, she is just so talented. We also love that she is a teacher and that she is using our tools so incredibly well and showing them to her students! We love seeing DoInk in schools. She is incredibly talented as an artist and as an animator. We have also loved some of her amazing props that she has created for the DoInk community. For example her awesome lava lamp was used in a recent props theme for DoInks Friday Night DoInking Contest. We really appreciate that participates in the DoInk contests and she is an inspiration to our entire DoInk community! This weeks featured artist is: geyzagui, [link]

Tell us about yourself, what is a typical day like?

My name is Gaby Eyzaguirre and I’m originally from Lima, Peru.  I am married and have two grown up children (17 and 20). I am a educational technology specialist and last year I moved to Marquette, Michigan after 15 years of working at Colegio F. D. R. the American School of Lima.  Back in Lima, I loved my job; I got to work with teachers and students integrating technology in their learning and also coached our lego robotics team. I would get up every day at 6:00 am and stay at school until 6:00 pm every day, and sometimes work on weekends with my robotics students. Then last year we moved to Marquette, MI and it feels like I’ve entered a different dimension, life has slowed down tremendously and I now have a lot more time to enjoy life, family and nature, I’m surrounded by beauty, I love the UP! I still work with teachers but not full time, I conduct workshops and professional development. I also teach at NMU as an adjunct faculty and I paint when I’m at home.

How old were you when you started drawing?

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember! I got serious for a while and I studied in an art atelier under a great artist for a while; I did a lot of oil painting and watercolors. My parents wanted me to have a career besides painting, so I studied to be a teacher, which was another passion of mine, as strong as painting.  Ever animated anything before? Animations are a great way to add meaning to an image. I taught my students how to make animations for their projects, and websites using different tools like fireworks, flash and animationish.  We’ve done cell animations for science and map animations for social studies, among others.

Do you have a favorite artist or animator?

I can’t name a particular one but as a child I had a Disney encyclopedia that explained the process of making animation feature movies and included beautiful art, I read that book so many times that the pages were falling apart. I wanted to be a Disney animation artist.

What inspires you?

Real people and places, I love nature and am amazed by its beauty.

Do you have a favorite cartoon and/or anime character?

I’m too old for anime characters, I grew up with Looney Toons and Disney characters! My favorite character is Wile E. Coyote, deep down I rooted for him to catch the Roadrunner.

What is your favorite musician or band, what are you listening to?

I love pop music, songs I can sing to; if you ride in my car you have to be willing to sing along with me or listen to my singing.

What are your Favorite websites, outside of DoInk?

I have many favorite sites; most of them are online applications. A few them include Prezi, Sumopaint, Print What you Like and all google tools.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are drawing, painting and riding horses.

What are your favorite Computer Games?

I don’t play many computer games, I don’t have time! I hate killing games, but I do love puzzle type games and creative games (like Minecraft!). I don’t have time to play them though, so I play simple games like mahjong.

How did you find DoInk and what is your experience so far?

I heard about Doink in one of the Educational Technology Newsletters I subscribe to.  I am constantly looking for applications that could be used by teachers and students to create and construct meaning. I LOVE Doink! I had been looking for an application that would allow me to create Flash animations that I could use to improve my Prezi presentations and voila!  It is simple yet powerful, it is easy to use and very friendly. The community is very supportive and there are a lot of amazing artists that inspire you to do your best. I love how Doinkers share their knowledge and creations, I’ve learned so much thanks to this.

If you could add any features to DoInk, what would they be?

I would like to be able to group some of  the pieces of a creation (i.e parts of the face) so it would be easier to animate (tilt the face without moving the neck or body) .

Any advice for other DoInk users?

Oh boy! Keep posting your work, and definitely participate of the Friday Night DoInking challenge, it is so much fun!

What is your favorite clip that you have done?

Rex is my favorite. I learned a lot while doing it, but more importantly it means a lot to me and my family. Rex was our baby, we had him since he was a puppy and it was sad to say goodbye to him. He was such a happy dog, a sweet dog, always wanting to please. He was having health problems, and it was hard but last year before moving to the US we had to let him go. I miss him so much.  After I finished the animation I was so happy to see him there, not just a dog but... my Rex.

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