Meet Daniela Rodriguez De La Peña

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Rodriguez De La Peña.

Hi Daniela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in a small farming town in the outskirts of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. I showed interest in art from a very young age, drawing mostly Disney characters for my mom on a whiteboard I owned. Although I very much enjoyed drawing and being creative, I always found drawing to be more of a hobby. My mom would always talk to my brother and I about someday becoming engineers and that was the goal I continually strived for while in school. Growing up in Mexico, I could have never imagined a future where I’d be drawing for a living, so I focused all my energy in my academics during my early years as a student.

When I was in fourth grade, my mom made the difficult decision of bringing my brother and I to the United States to become permanent residents. It was somewhat of a culture shock, and I had to struggle with leaving my friends and family for a world completely unknown to me. Oddly enough, it was thanks to this sudden twist in my life that I picked up art again and made it a more important part of my life. During the struggles of learning a new language and adapting to life in another country, drawing came to be a bit of an escape for me. I found myself drawing anime and Disney characters half the time, and the other half I’d spend watching cartoons, which ultimately helped me learn English faster.

Even as I rediscovered my love for art, I found myself working towards potentially pursuing a career in STEM fields while in high school. My extracurricular activities often revolved around Math, Science, and robotics, which eventually led me to the conclusion that I wanted to become an Aeronautics Space Engineer someday. I made such a big effort ensuring that all my classes reflected that goal that I didn’t realize I was once again leaving art out of my life. However, everything changed when I did a career research paper in Animation while taking a high school English class. The moment I started my research it dawned on me just how big a role artists play in providing us with pretty much every aspect of entertainment in our lives. Art was never part of the plan, yet here I was learning about people actually making a living doing what they most enjoy. At that point, I abandoned any ideas I had about becoming an engineer and started looking for animation schools to apply to!

I enrolled in California State University, Fullerton’s Animation program having never taken a formal art class in my life, but excited to embark on that adventure. At first, it was a struggle letting go of that part of me that loved science and math. I found myself switching majors and minors multiple times and eventually came to terms with myself by getting a BFA in Animation and Illustration and a minor in Computer Science. After graduation, I moved back to San Diego to live with my parents. I found a job as an art instructor, all while working on my portfolio and applying to as many animation studios as I could. After hundreds of rejection emails, I was finally reached out by someone at Nickelodeon to test for an upcoming series. The test eventually led to my first industry job, and I have been at Nick artist ever since!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been an easy road. For the first couple of years in a new country, the language barrier was a real obstacle for both my parents and me. And because of my parents’ unfamiliarity with the US school system, I was very much on my own when it came to scholarships, financial aid, and applying to college.

In addition to that, my family often struggled adapting to life in the US, sometimes facing some financial hardships. My early years here consisted mostly of moving from one part of Southern California to another, and because of my parents’ unstable income we often found ourselves, a family of four, sharing a studio apartment with my cousin’s family of three.

Times were particularly hard during the 2008 recession, when we were evicted from the house we were renting and were forced to move back to Mexico while still being enrolled in high school in the US. For a whole winter, we would be crossing the border every day to get to school, waking up as early as 4 am and having to wait until 5 pm to get picked up from school.

I was constantly forced to adapt to new situations growing up, and although the transition from Mexico to the United States was a struggle, I’d definitely do it all over again. These experiences really taught me the meaning of perseverance and I’ve found that it’s perseverance that has gotten me to where I am today.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am currently a storyboard artist and my main task is to coordinate with a director and draw the shots that will make up a television show. Storyboards are basically the blueprints for animation and they are sent to overseas studios to be used for animating. As storyboard artists, we often find ourselves wearing different hats during the creative process by simultaneously playing the role of director, actor, artist, and writer to find the best way to tell a story through drawings.

In my personal storyboards, I tend to focus on action/comedy and mostly enjoy referencing anime and other action shows and movies. I pride myself in being able to draw and adapt to different styles, something that really comes in handy when boarding for different shows.

Because I’m somewhat intimidated by color, I often will just stick to grayscales and lineart for my illustrations. I do love playing with lighting and effects to make my illustrations more cinematic, so I’m constantly trying new brushes and blurs to really make my scenes come to life!

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I feel like what matters most to me is to leave a lasting impression on people and to inspire them to follow their dreams and be the best version of themselves. I want to make art that speaks to the masses, and I want to find a way to give people the opportunity to tell their stories even if they might not have the resources to do so. I hope that one day I can give back to the country I grew up in and help animation grow in Mexico so that more Mexican artists can share their stories.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: danirodart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danirodarts/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaniRodArt