Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana Sanchez.
Hi Adriana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Pretty much anyone who knew me growing up knew I loved to draw. On my birthdays, I would always get those really crappy art sets with the markers that ran out of ink on the very first line, and I learned to draw by tracing all kinds of things (mostly anime characters don’t look at me) just holding up a thin sheet of printer paper up to the computer and thinking I was a genius.
Like a lot of other people, I didn’t think that being a professional artist was a real career. Then I realized in high school that yeah, there’s real people out there that draw for a living. And get paid real money!
So I packed my bags and moved my whole life from New Mexico to Los Angeles right after high school. I graduated with a BA in animation from USC in 2021, and since then I’ve been trying to force my way into the animation industry as a character designer. I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator and designer while taking other jobs as well to pay the bills, just trying my absolute hardest to establish myself as a professional artist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. I’ve struggled a lot financially while trying to make a career out of art. I held a lot of random jobs in college to fund my education, and I’ve held a lot of random jobs after graduating to fund my general survival.
The animation industry has not been the most stable in recent years, and it’s been really hard for a lot of people to make their way in, myself included. I applied for so many jobs and reworked my portfolio so many times, and after what seemed like an endless number of rejections, I finally landed a job as a character designer at Cartoon Network in late 2022. It was an incredible experience, and I absolutely loved the project I was working on. Unfortunately, not even three months later the project was canceled along with dozens of other shows, and I was suddenly unemployed again. I had finally clawed my way to a place as a professional artist in animation, only to have it ripped out of my hands almost immediately. It was a devastating moment for me.
I haven’t had much luck since and almost had to move out of LA because I couldn’t find another job. It’s taken a lot of mental fortitude to not just give up and walk away, but I’m still trying and don’t plan on giving in anytime soon.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in character design for animation, and as much as I would love to describe my style to you, I flip flop between styles constantly. I go through phases where I love doing simplified, color-blocked characters and others where realistic and detailed linework are my favorite thing to do. Experimenting with styles really tickles my brain.
I’m in somewhat of a more linework-heavy phase right now, and spending hours carefully drawing out detailed lines has been incredibly calming to me lately. Also, one of my favorite things to do is go around parks or coffee shops around LA and sketch people. Those observations often form the basis for my character designs and it’s one of my favorite ways to work.
What were you like growing up?
I was always a really shy, kinda nerdy kid. Talking to people felt awkward and being the hardcore people-pleaser that I’ve always been, I was always scared of coming off as weird or dorky. I loved playing video games, and board games, and puzzles, and watching cartoons for way too long on the weekends. Nothing all that wild, but as a kid I was absolutely convinced that I was the biggest nerd alive and if people knew I played video games and watched anime no one would ever like me.
I still love all those things, but I’m just a little bit less awkward about sharing those interests with people. I maybe sometimes still have a little moment of “oh my god they’re gonna think I’m weird” though.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://adrianasanc.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrisanchez.art/
Image Credits
Shutianyi Li
