Meet Suzanne Tumbos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Tumbos.

Suzanne, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
Growing up, I was always characterized as the “quiet kid” who always had their head stuck in a sketchbook filled with doodles of obscure anime characters. Oftentimes, drawing was the only solace I had when I had seven other cousins and a younger brother constantly causing havoc. I grew into the quiet, responsible child whose family had high hopes of becoming a successful embodiment of the Filipino-American Dream; but in the back of my mind, I was always unsure if that was what I actually wanted. One day, my aunt and my mom confronted me with what I wanted to do for my career; I confessed that I wanted to pursue art and animation. To my surprise, my aunt pulled out a drawing I had made for her when I was a child of my “dream house,” complete with a wheelchair elevator for my aunt and my parents, a studio art workshop, and a giant fountain in the front yard that spewed out orange Fanta. Apparently, I had promised as a kid that I would build her that house in the future- and so she kept it. They encouraged me to pursue my dream but warned that they wouldn’t be able to help much with the high cost of art school. 

I took jobs in the food industry, from a sushi chef to working on a food truck, all to be able to afford classes and tuition at a more affordable state college. I graduated in the middle of the pandemic, and although discouraged and desperate, I persevered- taking classes online to strengthen my skills. I was able to land a volunteer gig as a bg artist on an indie film called “The Legend of Pipi” on YouTube, and from there, I have landed a couple freelance roles in other indie short films, but I hope to break into the animation industry to work on new, amazing projects and inspire other artists like myself as a child. 

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?
Artists working in the animation industry often have their own tales of how they fought to land their first gig- from months of constant applications every day to never hearing back from studios and to only receiving countless automated rejection emails, I’ve liked to say I too have had my fair share of rejections. Couple that with strict expectations from an immigrant Filipino household, it’s hard to convince my own family at times that art is a viable career. However, they eventually warmed up to the idea and are some of my greatest support through all the rejections. I still have yet to get my first lucky break and land my first dream gig at a major studio, but I remain hopeful that I can make it one day and work on something exciting and inspiring. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a background and visual development artist in animation, with a focus on TV productions! I mainly design and paint backgrounds that’ll you see in TV shows or short films- but I eventually hope to make my way into feature animation and work as a visual development artist. A visual development artist basically comes up with the look of a film, from making props to designing whole worlds! I eventually hope to help create stories based on my own experiences growing up in a Filipino-American household in LA and how I’ve been influenced by the many cultures around me. I’m also a plein-air painter, illustrator, and hobbyist photographer/videographer! In my free time, I enjoy exploring SoCal and memorializing the scenery through paintings or photos- I often have my painting kit handy on hikes to paint on-site during breaks or take landscape pictures of beautiful SoCal- which further inspires my work as a background artist. 

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty quiet and nerdy kid. I loved watching anime, playing video games like Pokémon, and had a really strong hyper-fixation on all things animals. Of course, this only contributed to my love of art as I always had pages of doodles like Pokémon characters and dogs. I was always working on something creative as a kid, and I guess not much has changed since then haha. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.suzannetumbos.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sugoizy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-tumbos?trk=contact-info
• Other: www.instagram.com/saanriise