Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Untoria.
Hi Alex, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in New Jersey in a family of Puerto Rican and Cuban roots. From a young age, I was enamored by cartoons and drawing. I drew lots of dragons, aliens, animals, and superheroes. I created a lot of stories to accompany all the things I was drawing.
When it came time to figure out what I needed to spend the rest of my life doing, art was the only thing that made sense. I went to school for illustration despite the judgment of family and friends. After graduating, I found myself working in graphic design for marketing, apparel, and products. Something itched inside me, and I decided to move across the country to Los Angeles, where I started a career in entertainment art, animation, and illustration. For the past few years, I have found myself doing freelance illustration, comic books, and tattoos!
Currently, I work out of a tattoo studio in Hollywood, California, and work remotely as a freelance artist for all types of media (comics, animation, murals, illustration).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is any road truly smooth? Not in my experience. During school, it didn’t really click for me that finding work might be difficult. Oh boy, was it. Graphic design was never really my passion, so I knew after a few years working as one that I would need to switch things up. My true love is illustration and animation. Which is why I took the risk of moving out to Los Angeles. I left everything I knew on the East Coast and started brand new on the West Coast without any leads or prospects in the job department. I moved around the back half of 2019, and we all know how 2020 went.
Global pandemic aside, I was able to get a footing in the animation industry. For a few years, I worked consistently as a character designer for Timouse, Bento Box Entertainment, ShadowMachine, and Disney TV Animation. I love working in animation, but the last couple of years have been challenging in the entertainment industry. Contracts grow shorter, fewer shows are being greenlit, many jobs are being outsourced, and generative ai has become a massive elephant in the room. I still work freelance gigs, but I also started supplementing that freelance work by studying a new medium, becoming a tattoo artist! This allows me to utilize what I love about design and illustration and create art for people who truly appreciate it. It has been a bumpy and swervey road. However, I absolutely love what I do, and I am happy to be able to continue making art!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an artist who wears many hats! I do character design, animation, concept art, illustration, graphic design, comics, and tattoos!
I am known for my character design and illustration skills. Most people know me as a designer for animation, and when I started tattooing, many people were interested because of my extensive art background. Especially in character art, as it translates nicely into tattoo design.
I am most proud of my resilience as an artist. Life is tough, especially for an artist trying to make a living in Los Angeles. My resilience and determination as an artist help me push through the tough times, and my art continues to grow and improve because of it. I adapt to whatever the universe throws at me.
Along with my relentless determination and knack for adaptation, what truly sets me apart is my ability to put a unique perspective into my art. Art is always a collaboration, whether it’s a client and an artist or multiple artists or a whole production team. I love the collaborative process, and when I work on a project, such as a tattoo, I really want to make sure I understand the vision so I can bring forward a unique piece of art that we are both proud of.
How do you think about luck?
Luck has definitely played a role in my life as an artist. Both good and bad. It was great luck that the producers fished my application out of a sea of hungry artists and gave me my first opportunity in animation. Applying online might not have the best track record, but it IS possible. It was also great luck that I was able to meet such talented and hard-working artists who want to continue to work with me. I was able to become a tattoo apprentice because I reached out to a fellow artist, and they were willing to chat with me and eventually bring me into the fold.
It was really bad luck that both the writers’ and actors’ guilds went on strike at the same time, leaving a pretty brutal dent in the entertainment job market. It is awful luck that tech billionaires started to shovel ai into everyday people’s lives.
Although I believe in the saying, “Luck is skill and timing,” it does have a role to play in this. I work hard. I am constantly striving to elevate my skills and add to my toolbox to become a better artist. The timing isn’t always great, but I put in the work, so when these opportunities do present themselves, I can seize them.
Pricing:
- Tattoo Flash Designs start at $100
- Custom Tattoos start at $150
- Reach out for a quote and hourly rates for illustration and animation!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexuntoria.com/about-1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.inks.u/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexuntoria/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/alexuntoriaart/
