About Judith HERRERA

Judith Herrera is a stopmotion fabricator. She attributes her creativity, work ethic, and problem solving skills to her parents, her mother a freelance seamstress in her own right and her father a man of all trades. The Mexican MacGyver as she calls him.

The films and shows that have inspired her are Paranorman, Coraline, Boxtrolls, Gumby, Looney Tunes, 90’s Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network animation shows, The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, The Muppets, and most of the Disney movies. The people that have inspired her are Ray Harryhausen, Jim Henson, Glen Keane, and Tim Burton.

Judith creates because she has a need to get the pictures in her head into real life and sees herself as a craftsman and a storyteller. Every puppet, prop, and set she makes has a story and a meaning. She chose stop motion because it is a medium that lets her physically interact and touch what she creates.

Her long term goal is to become part of the puppet fabrication department for a full length film. Judith is skilled in mold making, casting, machining, animating, sculpting, and puppet fabrication. These skills were acquired during her time at the Academy of Art University where she was also part of a collaborative project called Frog Bar. She got to work as a puppet fabricator, prop maker, and sculptor under the guidance of the lead fabricator Dorthy Thielsen. The studios that she is interested in are LAIKA, Stoopid Buddy Studios, Starburns Industries, Shadowmachine, Bix Pix and Aardman.

She is a great believer of education and hopes that one day she will be able to give back to her community, by helping to inspire the unprivileged low income youths that want to pursue an art education. She also hopes to one day travel the world and have new adventures.