Art & Life with Rachel Elese Morales

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Elese Morales.

Rachel, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Well, like most artists, I began starting my artistic journey when I was about four years old. When I was five years old, my father and I were casually walking through our city’s town center. There we happened upon the local art studio—where their front window displayed a beautiful study of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.” I immediately stopped, pointed towards the painting, and proclaimed, “I want to do that.” From that day on, I was enrolled in that studio’s art classes—learning the basics and foundational skills. Van Gogh’s work was so moving and beautiful that it could influence even the youngest of children, myself included. I hope to one day create art or be a part of an art project that brings light and inspiration to all. As I became older, all I really knew was that I wanted to do something—anything art related. One day, I expressed my indecisiveness to my parents, so we called up an old client who happened to be an artist in the animation industry. At that time that artist was working on the animated television series, “Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends,” and he encouraged me to maybe look into his industry—the magical realm of animation. I was pretty ignorant about the animation industry back then, so he prompted me to try and create animated characters that would have fit into the world of his current television show. Creating these characters and establishing their backstories was a completely new but wonderful experience! From that moment, I knew I wanted to not only be an artist but also a storyteller. A storyteller who could inspire imagination and create worlds for audiences to get lost in. Now, I’m finishing up my studies at ArtCenter College of Design while freelancing part-time as an illustrator and character designer. I am also interning at NBCUniversal this summer as a Character Artist.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
The art that I create is mostly digital paintings that focus on combining painterly textures and methods onto a photoshopped canvas. I tend to mostly design characters or story moments because those aspects are what always draws me in closer. I’m also fascinated with color–color harmonies and how one can utilize them to push the story forward. Some things that inspire my art are my trips metro trips through LA (the vast variety of characters throughout LA is an incredible reference for me!), my recent travels or travel photography ( I love to study architecture and different kinds of lighting), and personal stories (I try to really capture the emotional aspects of things that have happened to me in the past–the giddy of a first date, sorrows of heartbreak, or a sense of determination or excitement when starting a new chapter in life). So the thing I really want people to take away from my art is character–whether that would be a richness or depth of a certain person I designed.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
There is no right or wrong path to take. For me, I was a kid who had my life plan set when I was super little–I thought I would graduate high school, finish college in four years and then get a job! Oh, was I wrong? Ha! To keep it short, I bounced around from college to community college and then to ArtCenter. I was super anxious about being “behind” or “off-schedule” but what I learned was that I really needed that extra time to get my bearings straight–figure out what I truly wanted to do in the animation field and gain more drawing mileage. Also, another piece of advice is to not be afraid to put yourself out there–whether that would be on social media or other artists. Try to be active on social media platforms with other artists–don’t be too shy to direct message them for advice or portfolio reviews. Because of that I met some of the nicest people and made some really good friends. Lastly, do not forget to be genuine. Be genuine with your art and yourself–try and create what inspires you and genuinely makes you excited to create. Be genuine with people–a good impression can go a long way. I apologize, this will be my last piece of advice, ha! Keep going–don’t give up! Draw with intention and remember to have a critical eye while you work.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am most active on Instagram. My handle is @rachel.elese

Also, I table at most of the LA conventions. So people can support or chat with me there. People can also check out my online store where people can find prints, https://www.inprnt.com/profile/rachel.elese/.

I am a huge advocate for building a strong and supportive artist community here in LA so every month or so I will host a “Sketch Party” where any artist is welcomed to join! People can find updates for that through Instagram announcements.

Lastly, they can check out my portfolio and resume at https://www.rachelelese.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachelelese.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel.elese/
• Other: https://www.inprnt.com/profile/rachel.elese/

Image Credit:
Brandon Morales

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