I’m an industry veteran with over 12 years of experience.

I’ve worked in animation for film and television, VFX, Previs, and indie and AAA games.

I’ve been a mentor, a leader, and a pioneer of industry rigging techniques.

I’ve built numerous tools and optimized just as many pipelines. Those tools have allowed those pipelines to be more agile while extending reuse of materials from asset to asset, saving both artists’ time and studios’ money.

I’ve also worked extensively with outsource partner studios, documenting processes, reviewing assets, and communicating studio needs and changing toolsets. This includes responding to changing needs, challenges, and issues within those toolsets and their general maintenance.

In addition to these experiences I have a deep understanding of mechanical systems and human and creature anatomy that prepares me for even the most difficult and interesting challenges and troubleshooting.

 

STUDIOS

PROJECTS

RECOMMENDATIONS

 
 
 

Dani McCole

Senior Concept Artist

I've had the pleasure working alongside Michelle during my time at Fortis. She was always very clear and concise with communicating with the concept team in regards to any technical concerns and issues that rigging may have. Together we solved both technical and visual problems seamlessly. If you're looking for a sharp-eyed Tech Artist with a specialty in Rigging, Michelle is your person! She'd make an excellent addition to any team!

 

Brann Livesay

Game Artist II | Producer

For the entirety of her time at Fortis, I worked directly with Michelle as the Producer for the Character Art team. Right off the bat she provided proposals and documentation for ways to enhance our rigging pipeline. As our project advanced, she assembled all resources and materials necessary for us to take our first highly successful steps into outsourcing rigging from an external partner. She maintained an excellent relationship with the 3D artists and animators with whom she collaborated regularly, and always provided useful notes on concept art regarding how to improve the mobility of the character. If your project requires a highly skilled, technically advanced rigger, Michelle is too easy to recommend!

 

Tony Bonilla

Lead Animator

Michelle is a pleasure to work with. As the Animation Lead on the team, I worked with her to establish consistent rigging standards to streamline our animation process.
I relied on her technical knowledge to build robust rigs that would perform to industry standards. Once we established rigging norms, she constructed an auto-rigging pipeline for the tech artists to follow that sped the rigging process, and ensured consistent results across multiple rigs for the project.
My standards for rig quality are high. I pushed the envelope of what I wanted for a mobile game and she delivered rigs that surpassed many console game rigs I worked with in the past.
She will be greatly missed by me and the animation team.
If you are looking for a technical artist who is collaborative, enjoyable to work with, and has strong technical skills, I recommend Michelle.

 

Alfonso Salazar

Lead Character Concept Artist

Michelle skillfully optimized the rigs for our game, a project with MANY characters in different body types and purposes, enabling the animators to bring them to life without performing issues. She was able to tell me in advance the challenges we could face with each specific design, so we could solve them in the early stages of conception, and she provided suggestions and references to help the art department understand the limitations of our game pipeline and the ways to make the most out of it.

Mio Markovic

SVP of Production, TV at DreamWorks Animation

As Global Visual Effects Supervisor at DreamWorks Animation Television I supervised Michelle Swann in the capacity of Character TD for more than 3 years. During that time Michelle contributed greatly to the Character TD department. She was responsible for rigging some of the hero characters on Spirit: Riding Free, Voltron, Boss Baby: Back in Business, Kung Fu Panda: Paws of Destiny, Fast & Furious: Spy Racers, Dragons Rescue Riders and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Michelle also contributed to our tool development and RnD for the Character Rigging department. She is a strong character TD who can rig, code and troubleshoot effectively. I think any studio would be lucky to have her.

Wes Brock

Executive Producer

Michelle is a one-stop shop for rigging. She built out numerous advanced and complex rigs for our character focused game, partnering closely with the animation team to revise them to their specifications. She proposed and designed a robust system for rig controls that would provide immense power and flexibility to the animation team. Additionally, Michelle was a fantastic mentor to another technical artists who was branching out into rigging, and supported him closely so he could learn the craft and get up to speed in no time.

 

Nick Chamagua

Art Director

Michelle is an outstanding Senior Rig Artist whose work consistently set the bar for quality. As her Art Director, I relied on her technical precision and thoughtful problem-solving—she approached every rig with care, ensuring they were not only functional but elegant in their execution. Her deep understanding of anatomy and movement resulted in systems that animators loved working with.

What made Michelle invaluable was her ability to balance creativity with technical rigor. She could adapt to new styles or complex requests without compromising stability, and her solutions often became our new best practices. Teams looking for an artist who brings both expertise and a meticulous eye to their work would be lucky to have her.

 
 

Reberson Alves

Technical Artist

I cannot emphasize enough the positive impact Michelle has had on our team. Her expertise in defining workflows and managing all the tooling related to the project’s rigs has been invaluable. Beyond her technical skills, Michelle is always eager to share her knowledge and mentor others, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment. Her contributions have significantly improved our processes and efficiency. She would be an asset to any project or organization. I’ll never forget her lessons and the invaluable rigging tips that have had a lasting impact on my personal career growth.

 
 
 

Simon Kandah

Technical Art Director

Michelle is a superstar character rigger. Building complex rigs that produce amazing animations from animators is second nature to Michelle. Not only creating the end product, but tools and pipeline to get there efficiently. Michelle is also a kind and talented mentor to other tech artists building up their rigging skills.

 
 

Michael Christian

VP of Art

I had the pleasure of working with Michelle, and I can confidently say they are an exceptional rigger and pipeline developer. Their technical expertise in rigging, combined with their deep understanding of animation workflows, made a significant impact on our team.
Beyond their technical skills, Michelle was a consummate professional—communicative, easy to work with, and always willing to collaborate to find the best solutions. They also played a key role in working with our outsourcing partners, providing clear and constructive feedback that helped maintain consistency and quality across all assets.
Anyone looking for a skilled, reliable, and collaborative rigger would be lucky to have Michelle on their team. I highly recommend them!