Life & Work with Haley Rose of Burbank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Rose.

Hi Haley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from Sheridan College in 2016, with a degree in animation. I always wanted to be a character designer, and was working hard towards that goal even in school. One of my graduation requirements was an internship, and I got to work on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

On that show I learned how to use flash (now adobe animate), and that experience directly got me my first “real” job in animation, as a character posing artist on Fairly Odd Parents. I got to enjoy a stress-free last month of school, as I was lucky enough to be hired before graduation.

I was excited to work as a posing artist, since I was working directly with characters, and continued choosing roles that got me closer to my goal as a character designer. To be honest, I was on my grind, taking freelance character design roles on top of my day job. I worked in posing for 4 years, before I finally got my first fulltime gig as a character designer at Atomic Cartoons on Pinecone and Pony. At this studio I really grew into myself as a designer and professional, allowing me to climb to my most recent role as lead character designer on Disney TV’s Zombies: The Re-Animated series.

I was very lucky to graduate into a huge animation boom, and for the past 10 years of my career I was flush with work. The industry has slowed down, so I’m working on keeping my skills sharp by doing freelance work and taking commissions. I can always learn more and improve, so I’m taking this slower time in the industry to keep my skills up to date and stay disciplined, but I’m ready to hop right back in. Now, I’m working towards landing a role as a character designer or costume designer on an animated feature

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, it’s been pretty smooth sailing until now. The industry is in a really rough spot, and I moved to LA 3 years ago, when work in animation declined. It can be challenging to keep your spirits up after a few months of unemployment due to economic downturn and not skill set, but I’m so passionate about this industry. Maybe I’m naively optimistic, but I refuse to give up on a craft that I wholeheartedly love.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a character designer my favorite thing is designing with a story in mind for each of my characters. I particularly love diving into costume design, both current and historical — the details in the fabric, stitching and construction create a dynamic visual expression of a character’s nuances. Designing a costume that helps sell the personality of a character, while also considering the greater context of the story is an interesting puzzle to solve, especially when there are multiple right answers. That exploration is the part of the job I enjoy the most.

Playing with magical themes is the most fun: exploring designs for witches, fairies, creatures, girls with swords and fairy tale inspired characters are where my strengths lie.

Another special interest of mine is book covers. As a big reader, designing covers for books is a unique pleasure. I was honored with receiving a gold medal in 2019 at the Independent Publisher Book Awards for one of my covers.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I think the best advice I have is that good things take time. If you’re studying animation, in high school trying to get into an animation college, or even learning on your own, becoming an artist and developing your craft requires patience. It’s easy to compare yourself online to other artists, instead try to look back on yourself and see your own improvement first. Being inspired by other artists and seeing them as a goal to reach is great for pushing yourself, but those artists didn’t get there in a day! Being a skilled artist is simply hard work, practice, and time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://haleyroseportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleyrose_art/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-rose/

Image Credits
Haley Rose