ARTIST GETS DISNEY JOB AT 23 : SIMI VALLEY MAN ACHIEVES GOAL HE ADOPTED AS 3-YEAR-OLD BOY.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

While his elementary school friends were busy drawing stick figures, Jeff Plamenig used his crayons to create elaborate monsters, creatures and creepy pictures of Dracula.

``I was a strange kid,'' Plamenig recalled.

Though his choice of subjects worried some of his childhood teachers, his imagination and style have landed 23-year-old Plamenig a permanent job after his internship at Turner Feature Animation last year.

Weeks ago, he signed a contract with Disney Animation.

``I wasn't very daring or bold,'' he said about his years of growing up in Simi Valley. ``Just the things I drew set me apart from other people.''

His job often entails 12-hour work days to meticulously create the mood of a cartoon scene. As an artist in the effects-animation department, Plamenig draws anything but the characters - from fire to lightning, explosions to splashing liquids.

He is working on scenes for ``Cats Don't Dance,'' a cartoon scheduled for release in the spring of 1997.

He has a high-profile job title, an office cubicle and a regular paycheck ``not bad for a beginning salary,'' Plamenig said. But his greatest job satisfaction is in doing what he has wanted to do since early childhood.

He remembers wanting to be an artist at 3, when he saw his first cartoon, ``Wally Gator.''

``I sat there spellbound, watching images walking and talking before my eyes,'' he recalled.

At 8, he took a field trip to a museum with his classmates from White Oak Elementary School. There he discovered work by the artist who has remained his favorite: Rembrandt.

``His mastery of light and shadow astonished me,'' Plamenig said. ``It was amazing to me that he could do that with a paintbrush.''

Throughout his years in elementary school and Valley View Junior High, Plamenig was known as the quiet kid who drew outlandish and sometimes disturbing pictures. His talent got him noticed and earned him friends along the way.

Still, he felt his work was misdirected.

It wasn't until Plamenig started taking art classes at Simi Valley High that his skill moved in a new direction. His art teacher, Bruce Kanegai, exposed him to a world of creative imagery he never knew existed.

The curriculum was basic: classes in design, drawing perspective and color theory. But Kanegai pushed students to their full potential, Plamenig said.

``Bruce taught me to be a flying artist,'' said Plamenig, who admits the pressure was sometimes frustrating. ``He sees you for who you are and provides you with the basic tools to make you the best you can be.''

After graduation, with a portfolio stuffed with his best work, Plamenig was accepted into the Cal Arts program to major in character animation. During a job fair, he hooked up with representatives from the Turner company and later got a six-month internship. Pleased with his work, the company hired him full-time.

At work he wears hiking boots, comfortable pants and T-shirts with slogans such as, ``I like hate, and I hate everything.''

Behind this image is an artist seeking new ways to move others with his art.

``I've always had these images running around in my head to create something that has never been seen before,'' Plamenig said. ``I want to influence people and provoke reaction. That's the main goal of any artist.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (color) Jeff Plamenig of Simi Valley decided at 3 th at he wanted to help create animated cartoons, and now that's the job of the artist, 23.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News