Conversations with Isaac Rubio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Rubio.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Since my childhood, I have loved stories. When I read the comics and watched the movies of the big animation studios, I knew immediately that I wanted to be part of these media. All my school notebooks ended up full of drawings, and so I practiced every day to be a better artist. My main goal in my teens was to become a comic artist and create my own stories.

Unfortunately, in my country Colombia, there was no established animation industry so I decided to expand my knowledge in painting at the local art school. At the same time, I got my first job as a storyboard artist for advertising agencies in Panama, it was a perfect opportunity to explore my narrative art.

Soon I began to study animation on my own and practice a lot (This became a temporary obsession in my life). Books like “The Animator’s Survival Kit” by Richard Williams and “The Illusion of Life” by Disney” were inspirational in my first steps as an animator.

Advertising companies started assigning me animations for various projects. I gave everything of myself in each assignment to meet the demands and expectations, I also learned different drawing styles to quickly adapt to each production and be more and more agile. Thanks to this, I was recommended by several companies to work on animated projects such as “Gemini8’ from TV PinGuim in Brazil, “Les Sisters” from Studio Redfrog, France, and “Royal Defenders” from Dena, Chile. I was also hired as an animation professor at Universidad del Norte.

When I met my future wife, Michelle, I finally had support and someone to share my love of stories with, since then we have created some stories, including the comic “The Shadow of Kaia” and the picture books “My Little Piggy”, Of which we are currently developing an animated short.

In 2018 I moved to Los Angeles to work with an animation studio and have had the opportunity to work on projects like “Sonic Mania Adventures”, “Sonic Racing”, “Barbie”, “Monster High”, and “Facebook”. In each project, I have been able to share my skills and experience of more than 15 years in various fields, from design, storyboard, and animation.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have always been aware that a creative and constantly changing medium is not easy. You must be willing to constantly learn and have the discipline to practice hard and adapt quickly. Securities do not exist in art, film, and animation, and constantly questioning your ideas is the biggest challenge of every day.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist who specialized in 2d animation. Throughout my professional career, I have worked in different fields in the animation, advertising, and video game industry. I’ve storyboarded TV commercials for Pepsi, Colgate, and Johnson & Johnson. Animated projects such as “Sonic Mania adventures”, “Sonic racing’, and “Ask Dr. Ruth’, also animated for video games such as “Spidersaurs” and “Royal Defenders” and designed for Facebook applications.

My greatest pride is those projects that I have worked on with my wife, the writer Michelle Giraldo, our “My Little Piggy” books, and the various stories that we have in development, these projects always keep my inner child motivated and inspired.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I believe that living and fighting for your dreams is always a risk that you have to take. Nothing is ever guaranteed. Art is no exception, and you must always carve your path with work and discipline. Coming to a foreign country with my wife and daughter to continue my professional career has been one of the biggest risks I’ve taken so far.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isaacrubioc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaacrubioart/