Rising Stars: Meet Wesley Lin of Irvine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wesley Lin.

Wesley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Like a lot of artists, I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. I grew up binging a lot of ’90s cartoons—shows on Toonami, Dragon Ball Z, and I was absolutely obsessed with Batman: The Animated Series. I was always into action and fantasy, dragons and dinosaurs, superheroes and old kung fu flicks. I remember when I first saw Princess Mononoke and was blown away that animation could get this cool, epic, and also serious. A lot of that creative energy would store in my brain, sometimes on replay so much that it would cause insomnia, but I always found art to be the outlet. I wasn’t terribly great at academia when I was young, mostly struggling with staying still and paying attention in class, but art always had a way of grounding me to focus on details, but also let my mind play and bounce around freely. I’d always be sketching on paper or trying to make my own comic books, and on Sundays, my friends and I would even draw stick figures fighting each other on church bulletins during the sermon! Apologies in advance to our pastor.

By high school, I had been drawing for quite some time and I knew I wanted to pursue art seriously, specifically something in the route of concept art and illustration, so I started learning traditional media and Photoshop, and even got involved with the Ryman Arts program which helped give me a stronger foundation in fundamentals. In 2010, I applied and was admitted into ArtCenter College of Design for Entertainment Design, but later transferred to Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) for my Game Art degree. Along the way, I also had honor of interning at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2015, which was a huge highlight. Professionally, I spent a lot of my career working as a concept artist in mobile games and toy design, but recently I’ve found a stronger passion in storyboarding, which is another story in itself. Now the past several years, I’ve been back at LCAD as an instructor teaching storyboarding to the next generation of artists but also refining my skill set as a board artist myself.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Becoming an artist simply isn’t easy. Growing up, I often felt like I didn’t quite belong for the longest time. Looking back, those were probably just the growing pains of thinking differently and pouring myself into a solitary hobby. I’ve always had a ‘grind’ mindset which added on to some of that isolation, and I had to learn how to overcome my own self-doubt and toxic competitive nature. Once I started developing genuine confidence, that’s when my art really began to look and come out naturally. It’s also just a lot of hours of drawing and training your eye to study life and fundamentals, and the hope is that an artist doesn’t forget their love for the game / sport / craft of creating beautiful images, especiall in today’s age.

The professional side has its own hurdles too: the constant ghosting via job apps, the trap of comparing your work to the latest trending artist on Instagram, and just making the time to draw for yourself amidst the busy schedule of life. With the growing shifts in our industry right now, there are still so many questions about what the future landscape will look like. I don’t have a solid answer for where the industry is heading, but as for those personal struggles, I’m glad to say I’ve found peace with who I am and where I am through my faith as a Christian, which helped me take a step back from it all, and am blessed to have the support of friends and loved ones. Honestly, I’m just grateful.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Career-wise, my background is rooted in concept art, but over the years I’ve shifted my main focus to storyboarding and visual storytelling. That path naturally led me into teaching storyboarding as well. Because of this mixed foundation, I’ve developed a very adaptable style that lets me move comfortably between different genres and projects.

Out of everything I’ve done, I’m most proud of my personal project called Chow Time. It’s a fun action-comedy about a teenage pizza delivery girl in Toronto who gets ambushed by ninjas, only to reveal she’s a highly skilled ninja herself. The project started in Phil Langone’s Cinematic Storyboarding class at Concept Design Academy, and it really gave me the chance to lean into dynamic action, humor, and tight pacing.

I also really enjoy my Break Time series—short, silly animatics I make for my students during long classes. They’re a nice creative break for both them and me.

What sets me apart is my focus on storytelling, humor, and action directing. I’m pretty analytical. I constantly break down movies and shots to figure out what makes them work, and I’m not afraid to be honest with my own work, which forces me to keep growing.

On a personal level, I’m a laid-back guy who apparently has a very familiar face. I seem to end up in conversations with strangers at conventions who think they know me, or somehow bumping into familiar faces. I’m definitely not prolific but I’m glad to be making friends wherever I go. Outside of art, I stay active with martial arts, photography, traveling, biking, guitar, and tennis. All that real-world experience directly feeds into the movement, weight, and pacing in my boards.

Lastly, as an artist who basically carries his equipment on the go, I do a lot of my work from cafes. If you see me at a cafe, I take up quite the real estate with my laptop stand, my bluetooth keyboard, and my Intuos tablet and giant 87oz steel water bottle. Maybe that’s why people recognize me; I’m encumbering. Jokes aside, big shout-out to all the great spots that have let me camp out as my makeshift office, especially Roosevelt, Paris Baguette, Contra Coffee and Tea, and Moongoat Coffee Roasters, plus all the regulars who were unknowingly sniped as reference models for a quick sketch session.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’d have to say the parking… it’s so great. Kidding of course.
What I love most is the sheer variety and diversity here. I used to live in Pasadena, and as an artist, I was constantly inspired by the beautiful architecture and strong sense of history. LA just feels more creative overall — it really supports artists and the design community. The city is always evolving its public spaces and visual culture. We’ve got wild parrots squawking overhead, vibrant immigrant communities in dedicated pockets, and this constant kinetic energy of something happening. Beyond the surface, the community can be remarkably strong. During the recent fires, watching people come together with mutual aid and support was genuinely moving. And of course, I can’t forget the real goat: crispy tripa or cabeza mulitas from the taco trucks.
As for what I like least… did I mention the parking? Someone once told me LA isn’t really designed for walking, driving, or biking, and I can see why. Sidewalks can be a minefield if you want to keep your shoes clean, and with urban density comes areas where it’s smart to stay alert. Bike lanes are improving but still limited and can feel risky with the traffic. And the congestion is real — it can easily take 45 minutes to go 15 miles, especially when gas prices are high.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wesleywrks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wesleywrks/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleylin91/