Rising Stars: Meet Angela Rico

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Rico. 

Hi Angela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The moment I knew that I wanted to be a 3D artist was while playing the original God of War series back on PS2. I completely fell in love with the art style, the story, and the characters and creatures of the game. It was really inspiring to me, to the point that I gave up the idea of studying veterinary as a career and started looking into 3D schools. I really wanted to be one of those people that brought these types of experiences and worlds to life. My dream then became to be able to work at Sony Santa Monica Studio on a God of War game. To achieve this, I ended up going to school at Gnomon School of Visual Effects and Animation back in 2016. During my time there, I met so many friends who were so eager to constantly learn, improve and really make the most out of their time at Gnomon. The environment there was one of passion, creativity, and peer support. Having these friends was absolute key to working hard in school. I also met amazing teachers who guided me and helped me succeed not only as an artist but also grow as a person. One of these teachers was the Character Lead at Sony Santa Monica Studio, Eric Valdes. In moments of doubt about my career, he really pushed me to never give up my dream of being a character artist in the industry and inspired me to keep working for it. After graduating Gnomon, I worked at Blur Studio for a year and a half, when Eric reached out to me about applying at Sony Santa Monica. This was when I got my dream job, to work alongside the amazing team that brought God of War to life. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am from Colombia, and growing up there; I know how constricting it can feel to be limited by where you live. This doesn’t have to be a roadblock to your dreams though. There is so much information online now and so many ways to improve on your skills, that anyone anywhere can and should pursue it. In my case, I was looking for schools to attend since I am not the greatest at self-teaching, but the industry wasn’t as present back home as it is now. Even though I went to school, the programs weren’t structured in a way that teaches you to focus in a specific area of the pipeline and really excel at it, as Gnomon does. Instead, they were teaching me about everything in too little time, and this method of teaching didn’t work for me. After graduating there, I studied more, but I wasn’t able to reach the quality that studios might be looking for. At this point, I deviated from my dream and worked as an English teacher. After a couple years away from art, I decided to go back to school and try again. This time around, I was more serious about it and really worked hard. I worked on school projects 7 days a week during each school term. Social life was almost nonexistent during this time, but this is why having friends that support you through this is so important. Specially when you share the same passion and goals. Then you work together and push each other. The hard work and the time you put into improving your skills really pays off. After 3 years of this, I was able to get a job in the industry, and at that point, you don’t even think back about all those parties you missed during school. More parties will come haha! 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Senior Character Artist at Sony Santa Monica Studio. We just released God of War Ragnarök, and that has been the biggest accomplishment in my career. I specialize on sculpting and texturing characters. What I am most proud of is my eye for detail, my ability to polish assets, and being able to carefully listen to feedback to refine my work. Along the way, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to never be afraid to seek help and ask questions. I did it at school, and I do it at work. Don’t think you have to know it all to get the job, people are always willing to help you and share their knowledge. So having a positive attitude and staying humble, and always willing to learn will get you far in life. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite memory was playing God of War I for the first time. I had played a few video games before that, and I thought they were fun, but it never crossed my mind to make game development into a career. When I played this game, I was in awe. The characters and creatures were the coolest things I had ever seen, and the environments were really inspiring to me. I then played God of War II and III, and each game just confirmed my passion for this type of art. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.angelarico.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ange_rico/
• Other: https://www.artstation.com/angela_rico

Image Credits
Blur Studio