Today we’d like to introduce you to Joyce Lee.
Joyce, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Growing up, I had fluctuating interests in different types of art. At first, I wanted to be a fashion illustrator. By the time I got to Art Center College of Design, I entered school wanting to be a fine artist. During my second year of Art Center, I was drawn to Animation and actively pursued becoming a Visual Development Artist. The idea of being able to design more than a single aspect in a production drew me to this profession.
After graduating from college, I interned at Disney Animation Feature and House Special. I have also had the opportunities to work on Mary Poppins Returns and other Disney Jr shows. I freelanced on projects for Warner Bros, Cartoon Network, and Mattel. Now, I’m currently a Visual Development Artist at DreamWorks for an Apple Tv show. Although my main profession is a Visual Development Artist, I also work as a fashion illustrator, freelance illustrator, and fine artist.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a Visual Development Artist in Animation, with the team, I work on creating the look of the show. I have mainly worked on junior shows in animation, so I try to produce work that is friendly, wholesome, approachable, and cute for the kids. I remember when I was growing up, I watched animations like Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and Powerpuff Girls. I was really inspired by them. In hindsight, they definitely acted as a catalyst for my interest in animation. I am hoping that the work I produce now will influence kids in the same way.
When I do my fashion illustrations, I try to do something new that I think this field hasn’t done yet. I try to simulate the feelings of the textiles and try to put more emphasis on the models. I try to mix different types of inspirations into my pieces. From photography and Japanese textiles to old masters like Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Overall, my goal is to bring back the demand for this medium and show people that there’s more than one way you can execute this type of work.
I recently rekindled my interest in fine art, and I’m trying to dive deeper into this field. I mainly focus on working with pastels and oils, and I’m secretly painting in the basement of my home. It’s still early, and I’m trying to figure out the direction I want to head in this part of my career.
I want to send a message to other artists that you can do multiple things and mix things up. My goal is to able to excel at more than one aspect of art.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I cannot stress this enough, but networking is so important in this field. You need others to help you display and pass your art around. It’s been something I’ve always struggled with and wish I was better at. Secondly, you can be multiple things! It sounds rather obvious, but I learned this somewhat recently. I always felt that I had to focus on one specialty because that was expected of artists in our field.
Then not too long ago, I went to a presentation by Brigette Barrager. She said something in the lines of “don’t let anyone tell you, you can be only one thing only because it is convenient for them. You can be multiple things!”. This was groundbreaking to me, and it internally allowed me to accept that I can do everything I wanted to do. This empowered me to recognize myself as a visual development artist, a fashion illustrator, an illustrator, and a fine artist. So, I want to pass on the wisdom and say, you can be everything you want to be!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can see my work on my website or my social media. Follow me on social media to support and keep up with my latest work and updates. Also, catch the animation I worked on tv or on new media. Watch it with friends and family!
Contact Info:
- Website: joyceklee.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: jyckl
Image Credit:
Bio photography, shot by Lisa Chen
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