Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Hanson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I originally moved to Los Angeles from Minnesota to pursue a career in 3D animation. I eventually became a production artist at Disney Interactive. While I mostly worked in 3D programs texturing and modeling at this job, I began to work on my 2D illustration skills on my own time outside of work. This made it possible to move to Dreamworks animation where I worked as a 2D production artist. I had an amazing boss/art director at this particular job who encouraged both me and my coworkers to work on our traditional illustration skills and to develop a unique and recognizable style. My personal illustration portfolio eventually led to finding an illustration agent and starting work on my first children’s book. While I had always considered illustration side-work, it snowballed so quickly that I realized I needed to make a choice whether this should be a career. I decided to go with it and here I am!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
While there have been smaller specific struggles related to deadlines and the usual job stress, to be completely honest, it’s been a fairly smooth road. I deserve none of the credit for making it so – I have been extremely fortunate to have a family that supports me 200% in my endeavors and the most amazing coworkers and peers a person could ask for.
Sydney Hanson Illustration – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I mainly illustrate children’s books, but I also create personal work that I use to make cards, stationary and prints. I’m definitely most well-known for cute, fluffy animals. What sets me apart in this genre is that I like to pick animals that are usually considered creepy or gross (bats, bees, spiders, etc.) and I try and make them cute. This all started with a bat that I drew years ago that I thought would be one of those drawings that I loved but everyone else thought was creepy(there are a lot of those) but people really responded to it! I realized that there’s a whole bunch of under-represented “cute” animals out there.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When I was in 11th grade, I entered two pieces into the school’s end of the year art fair. One was a photo-realistic colored pencil drawing of a squash and one was an original detailed pen and ink illustration I had created completely from my own head. I had worked on this piece for days and it was very close to my heart. The squash ended up winning best in show while the original didn’t win anything. That was the day that I realized success for me is that feeling of working on a piece of art and knowing that I’m using all of my skill and originality to create something new and beautiful. It has absolutely nothing to do with what awards it receives or whether a judge or reviewer decides it’s good.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shannonassociates.com/sydneyhanson
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydwiki
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