Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrinna Bautista.
Hi Sabrinna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Sabrinna Bautista. I grew up in Los Angeles, California all my life, and became an animator, illustrator, designer… an artist, really!
When I was younger, I had an articulation disorder and had to visit speech therapy often. I was prone to ear infections, which might’ve had a role in my need to correct my speech. In lieu of “proper” speech, I was able to draw and recreate comics to communicate and express how I feel or illustrate how my day went. When I was younger, I had a whole stack of comic books I clumsily drew and wrote and learned how to make flipbook animations by myself using books from my school library. Waking up to cartoons to get ready for school was always a treat. For a long time, my single mom and I lived in apartments where we had to share one bedroom, with our separate twin-sized beds on opposite walls; I remember turning on the TV in the center of the room and brushing my teeth to either Cartoon Network or Kids WB… but I definitely grew up a Cartoon Network kid.
I loved cartoons, writing, and drawing on my tests at school, but I had no idea there was an industry where you can combine the two arts – animation! I went to high school and was enrolled in an Advanced Animation class, where I learned to flourish and better the craft from individuals from Nickelodeon Animation. When I went to college and then university, I was fully immersed – I was trained by veteran animators and freelancers alike, who worked on a variety of properties from “The Iron Giant” to “The Little Mermaid,” even animators who worked on the original “Heavy Metal” movie from the 80’s! Learning how to compile these images to make the illusion of movement helped me gain confidence in what I can do.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I had some struggles, but many people are surprised to hear that my family was receptive to me pursuing animation. One of the bigger struggles was to learn to master the digital aspect of art.
My family was never tech-savvy. In fact, I remember when my mom got the first family computer for the two of us. It was a clunky block with Tetris and a CD-ROM slot built into it, which I remember my mom installing “Richard Scarry’s Busytown” onto it, and I’d play on it as a treat. When my mom got upgraded to a “newer” computer during my elementary years, it had no sound, the screen was in grayscale, and the frames per second were as slow as a turtle. One day, I went over to the local library to play some flash games, and I was floored by how quick the computer was and how crisp the sound was! I did have to teach my mom, grandma, and older aunts what I thought were simple computer tricks, like how to scan a document, or how to navigate the Internet, or how to discern online scams, but I had to remember that I didn’t know how to do any of this at one point either, and it’s better to share the knowledge instead of shame people.
I realized I didn’t clarify when and where I learned about all of this stuff. I’d like to mention that, I learned how to do a lot of these computer tricks in the public library and computer classes at school, and the moments when I had a little too much free time online. I had to learn to adjust to what would be the dawn of ever changing technology.
Then, finally, when I went to high school and decided to pursue animation, I couldn’t grasp Adobe Animate *or* ToonBoom Harmony for anything. My line art in Photoshop was abysmally crooked, and I had to resort to traditional means of animation, such as puppet making and acrylic background painting. I told my family I was going to pursue animation professionally, and my family couldn’t conceptualize what exactly happens behind the scenes of cartoon making. I knew I had to go to school and seek lots of help to digitally animate because I didn’t have an internal resource or a “connection,” so I had to go out and find some, but I’m ecstatic to say my mom and grandma were fully on board with me pursuing animation, even though they didn’t understand the industry.
Even though I’ve embraced digital art and animation, I still love the traditional methods of art (i.e. acrylic paint, watercolor) and still execute such pieces on occasion.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In the animation industry, I’m a visual development artist, which is a creative professional who works with many different departments of a studio to develop the style of a series or feature. When discussing the “looks” of an animation project, the backgrounds, color theory, props, and even lighting (among many other elements of design and setting) need to be considered in order to set the mood, time period, time of day in each scene, to name a few… There’s lots of drawing involved, but it’s much more complex than that. It requires constant communication and drafting material.
With my visual development experience and enthusiasm, I apply this skill into graphic design and illustration work. My tools of the trade include Adobe Animate, Adobe Photoshop, and ToonBoom Harmony, but I also love Krita, Clip Studio Paint, and Rough Animator. I animate as well, but animating takes so much work that it turns away impatient clients; my last animation took four months to animate four minutes! There are moments where I miss making traditional art and still paint with my Prismacolors, markers, and watercolors; I’m always excited to share my traditional art when I’m done, whether at an art show or an Etsy shop.
My designs are a mash-up of cartoons, horror stories, fantasy fiction, and visual storytelling. I used to be a monochrome, black-and-white art kind of gal, but I broke out of that and learned to embrace a more eclectic, colorful palette. Salvadoran representation has always been important to me, so I incorporate the culture into my art as well. This bizarre blend of horror, fantasy, cartoons, and the occasional homage to Salvadoran culture is my Frankenstein’s monster that sets me apart from others.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
My definition of success is somewhat labyrinthine. I know I’m an oddball, and my style isn’t conventional, so I enjoy making strange art. But for each of my art, visual development pieces, and animations, there’s always a story or deeper meaning; I want to make sure my art ignites a ghoulish yet curious aesthetic and encourages viewers on the “how” and “why” behind my art. It’s a work in progress to show off your art in a saturated market, but my definition of success is a state where I carve a space for monstrous, hauntingly beautiful art that can possibly cause perturbance and be admired at the same time.
When I make art or animations, I conduct thorough research and give myself “homework” to do to help myself execute. Whether it’s Dungeons and Dragons fan art, a short humorous web animation, or original pieces, I have to talk myself into why I want to make this. Is this art supposed to be funny or serious? Is it meant to convey a deeper political message? Or is this piece meant to be an homage or tribute to something I like? I love incorporating symbolism and iconography into my work. I go through multiple rough drafts, anatomy references, and pictures of backgrounds I’ve taken on my devices. I have to consider which audience this is for.
I also want to bring Salvadoran representation into my art. I believe El Salvador and its culture is underrepresented in both the art world and the animation world, so I’d love to pay homage to El Salvador in a dark fantasy setting. It’s somewhat hard because I have to make absolutely sure my material is accurate and honors both written and verbal accounts of the history. I do want to somehow uplift the Salvadoran community with my art, but I understand that’s a lengthy process in itself. However, I know I’ll be successful by reviving an eerie, whimsically macabre space into the art world as well as get involved with the Salvadoran community through my art, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sabrinna-bautista.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abrinnasay/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinna-bautista/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@abrinnasay?lang=en
