Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Duran.
Angie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a proud Salvadoran and Chinese artist based in Los Angeles, California. I focus on background and concept designing for TV and feature animation. Growing up all I ever wanted to do was draw! My parents are both dentists so naturally it would be assumed that I would follow suit, but my love for art kept me far away from that.
I am a child of immigrants who worked hard all their life, and I am very fortunate that they allowed me to dream and pushed me towards my goal of being an artist. I grew up with the stylized and real storytelling of cartoons from the early 2000s that really taught me life lessons, but also how to be a kid and have fun. Animation had a way of taking me away and allowing me to escape and to just have fun or feel something meaningful.
As a kid, I understood the feeling that these shows and movies could have an impact on a person’s life, whether they be young or old, and could be something that they laughed or cried at and something that they would cherish. I have always wanted to be a part of that. I also want to add that I grew up loving manga and anime. I do not think I would be where I am today without my love for it.
While animation allowed me to be creative and have fun, manga was what drove me to create stories. I remember when I was in middle school, and my friend showed me my first manga and all I wanted to do was start writing my own. I have so many fond memories of creating manga with my friends and all of us laughing.
A lot of the times artists are discouraged from having a Japanese influenced style, and I just wanted to share that I work in animation and there are so many artists who love and have been influenced by it and if you love it do not let anyone take that away from you!
With all of these influences in my mind, I worked hard to create my portfolio and was accepted into art school. I am very grateful for it because it helped mold me and my art into what it is today! After three crazy years, I graduated and worked a string of freelance jobs over the year and eventually I have had the wonderful opportunity to now be working at Nickelodeon Animation!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My life is not without its constant potholes and bumps in the road, but for my art career, I would say I am very blessed. As I said earlier, my parents are both dentists and immigrants, so it is very common that these types of parents push their children towards stability and more “successful” futures.
Fortunately, my mother’s sister is an artist, and my mom said that when they graduated my aunt made more money than she did out of college, so my mom knew that I would be able to make money from my art. I would say the bumpiest time in my art career was when I started art school. I had never been an environment where everyone was pursuing the exact same thing as me, and on top of that, they were all so amazingly talented.
For a while, I felt pretty inferior, but this was something I really loved, and I was not going to let that go. I had to push myself to ask more questions and to learn and practice as much as I could to improve. There was a lot of pressure for me to succeed as well because my parents had trust and sacrificed a great deal for me to put me through school.
All I wanted to do was to work hard and become successful to do what I love and to be able to one day give back to them. I really cherish the struggle I went through during my time at school because I learned so much and met some lifelong friends along the way that pushed me to be great and who have helped me through my career. I am so thankful to be able to have a career in art and to do something I love with so many amazing people believing in me.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I work as a background designer and a concept artist. My job is to create environments where the characters live and play in. Currently, I work as a background designer at Nickelodeon Animation on “The Casagrandes.” It is such a wonderful and diverse show, and I cannot wait for it to come out and inspire kids everywhere!
In my free time, I tend to work more sketchy and free, and I have a soft spot for paying an ode to women. Recently, I had done a series of drawings where I used a simple ballpoint pen to test myself to draw without an initial sketch.
My focus was on a diverse range of women in both race and shape. I had not seen a lot of art out there in animation that focused on diversity in women that didn’t have some undertones of sexualizing them, and I really wanted to pay tribute to them, even if it was something as simple as some sketches of beautiful and fashionable women just smiling and having fun.
I like to think that what sets me apart from others is my work ethic and also my personality. When it comes to my work, I put all of me into it. When I get a project, I tend to immerse myself into it and think about what makes the character think and what their world is like.
I spend a lot of time researching, and it helps give me a better starting point and gives my work more thought than simply design off of what I think I know, it makes my work more personal. I also tend to have a very fun a childlike personality, and I feel that gives a playfulness to my work. With everything I do, I hope I can make one person’s day a little better.
What were you like growing up?
If you ever see me, I’m always smiling. Through thick and thin you can always find a smile on my face. I work in animation. I work to make children happy and how can I work and live if I’m always sad or stressed? But other than that I strive to live happily so that I can have fun.
I like to say I am tiny but mighty. I am a small girl who is full of energy. Growing up I was a very strong-willed and playful kid. I grew up going to a lot of parties with loud music and a lot of laughs. My family culture has taught me to be confident and humble.
My Hispanic side made me loud and proud and to embrace all of me and my Asian side taught me how to be respectful and to think smart. I was raised surrounded by so much love and the occasional tiger mom moments all my life, and I am very grateful for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: angieduranart.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Photographer: Jordan Ortiz
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