Meet Noor Rasoul of Marvel Studios in Burbank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Noor Rasoul.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
At a glance, any form of art may seem like a talent, but I believe it’s simply a tool of expression. Creating art is sharing your own perception, your own feelings and channeling to your audience. As a child, that concept is what captivated me, despite not quite understanding it. I felt a lot, and through drawing, I found an outlet for it.

Getting to Marvel and working as a story artist was not something I could have dreamed up. When I was about 14, living in the Middle East, becoming an artist was a pipe dream. I’m originally from Iraq but my family resides in Dubai, UAE. Most Arab parents equate anything artistic to drawing on the streets- so it took a bit of time to convince my family- but they’re on board now! By the time I had to go to college, they agreed to send me to the California Institute of the Arts for an education in Character Animation in the US.

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?
I had just turned 17 when I started college, and I’m not gonna lie, it was HARD. I was in a foreign country with a different culture too, so it took time to feel comfortable and actually make close friends, I felt lonely all the time at the start, which also conflicted with my expectations, isn’t this my dream? Slowly though, I grew accustomed to my surroundings, and even thrived. I made many mistakes during school, but I’m so grateful I even got to make them. My biggest of which, I think was becoming too scared to even draw, I got so overwhelmed by the great work around me that I shut myself from drawing out of insecurity. It’s not easy but you gotta take a moment and just look at your own progress, and instead of feeling incompetent, feel inspired by other artists.

The school was rigorous, but it brought me some of the best people I know, we’d sit in the labs till dawn exchanging stories as we drew, dreaming of the days we’ll be out in the world living it up. Finally, in fourth year, I got an internship at Disney TV, my first taste of the animation industry. A few months go by and I get a call from Marvel out of the blue!

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m currently working on an animated project at Marvel Studios as a Storyboard Artist. You get a script and break down a few scenes by drawing them out. It’s been a very humbling job, I’ve been learning so much about filmmaking from my team. Plus, I get paid to draw superheroes!!

On the side, I like to share life vignettes on my Instagram, as well as sharing characters and story ideas. There’s a great community for storytellers, especially if you have a story you want to tell that is unique to your own experiences and taste, you can just simply post it.

Eventually, I’d like to expand on the themes I like to showcase in my comics, dealing with depression, simple moments in life that can be so defining, and how acts of kindness from the ones you love can make you feel like you’ve found a home. All those sappy things, and a touch of the sad stuff.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.noorrasoul.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/noorrasoull

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