Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lynn Reynolds.
Sarah Lynn, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I can’t remember a time in my life that I wasn’t creating art. Before college, it was usually drawing or painting. While studying Game Art and Design at Ringling College, I became fascinated with digital sculpting in Zbrush and transitioned from creating in 2D to 3D.
My interest in sculpting and nostalgia for the Game of Thrones style political dramas I’d put my toys through as a kid led me to apply to a workshop Hasbro ran in partnership with my College. The goal was to design and create your own action figure. Following the workshop, I was offered an in house position at Hasbro’s headquarters in Rhode Island where I learned the ins and outs of creating articulation for action figures and sculpting for 3D printing.
After I completed my contract in Rhode Island, I moved to LA, and then to Orange County and continued working with Hasbro on a freelance basis. Four years later, I’ve picked up a few more clients on the way and am enjoying growing my small sculpting/design business.
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?
As someone who considers themself an artist first and never had a particular interest in engineering, designing toys to be functional was a challenge. I’m responsible for not only the art of a toy but how it moves.
It took time and a lot of practice before I was comfortable with some of the technical aspects of creating a product for manufacturing or engineering articulation for an action figure. However, I think that struggle makes it more rewarding today when I can complete complex tasks that were once incredibly difficult for me with relative ease.
Today I struggle most with work-life balance. I’m lucky to have a lot of clients, but that also means that sometimes I sometimes take on too much and have to be cautious about overworking.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I love being able to walk into any department store where toys are sold in the country and see my work on the shelves. I’ve created toys for some of the biggest intellectual properties on the planet like Star Wars, Marvel, Disney Animation, to name just a few. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a small part of stories that so many people feel passionately about.
It’s also interesting to see all of the hobbies other people pick up as a result of their interest in the art of toys. There are countless YouTube videos reviewing toys, people who create custom figures, and photographers who use action figures as subjects. I’m really lucky that there’s a community for toys as I get to see what my own work inspires in others.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
A big goal of mine is completing an illustrated novel I’ve been working on in my free time for the past few years. Finding time outside of my normal work is difficult, but any small amount of progress I’ve made has been deeply satisfying. Client work is great, but creating an intellectual property myself has always been my ultimate goal.
I hope to overtime switch my income from primarily client-based to driven by work I do for myself. I have a long road ahead before I get to that point but I’m looking forward to the journey.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4371 Spectrum Irvine California 92618
- Website: https://www.artstation.com/bearrrs
- Phone: 724-584-0587
- Email: sarahlynnreynolds429@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_lynn_reynolds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.l.reynolds2
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bearrrs
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/sarahlynnreynolds/
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
