Meet Arie Guo of Burbank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arie Guo.

Hi Arie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Drawing has always been my passion, and I decided that I wanted to create art pieces for films when I was a child. I began my artistic journey as a student of visual communication design. After I finished my bachelor’s degree, I realized that I still have so many passions towards film and animation, and I wanted to pursue my childhood dream as an artist, so I decided to pursue my MFA degree in Visual Development at Academy of Art University.
Now I’m working as a visual development artist and character designer for some animation projects. I enjoy collaborating with talented people to create something that we are all passionate about. I want to explore my career possibilities, so I also work as a freelance illustrator for individual clients sometimes.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. My career goal was vague for a long time and I almost lost my passion at one point. As someone who has liked to draw since very young, I never imagined my life without drawing. But because of the bad experience I had in high school, I was doubting myself and often felt stressed when drawing. That was the first time I felt that I lost my life direction. I chose Visual Communication Design as my major to take a break from drawing, but can still learn something that is art-related. Even though I keep drawing as a hobby, I was going through some internal struggles: should I give up my childhood dream as an artist? Do I really have the talent for art? I’m thankful that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out at that time. The film showed me the new possibilities in animation with its groundbreaking visuals, and the artists who worked on this film showed their passion for art as well, which reignited my passion for pursuing artistic dreams in the animation industry.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a visual development artist and character designer, I often provide either vis dev work or character design based on my role in an animation project. I’m good at using colors to express the mood of stories, so I also provide illustrations for individual clients sometimes. I’m proud that I’m very open to challenges and new things. I believe that art style is also a part of storytelling. For me, changing art style for better visual storytelling is akin to an actor adjusting their performance to suit different roles; it was a fun process. As I adapt my art style based on the aesthetics of each project, I feel as though I’m taking on a new ‘role’ within the story itself, experiencing fresh possibilities in my career.
I think what sets me apart from some artists is that I’m an artist with a production mind. It’s my habit to keep things organized and always think a step further when preparing materials for others to avoid potential miscommunication. I talked about this topic with my artist friends and they were surprised that I actually enjoy the non-art part of the work. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Thanks to technological advancements, people can now create what they envision with just a small team. So I feel that indie studios will increase and become a major part of the animation and game industry. Also, I hope the industry can find a balance between human art and AI technology soon.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://arieguo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zekizekoo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arieguo/