Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
Hi, I’m Kristal Babich. I’m a story artist currently working on an unannounced feature at Netflix animation. My past projects include Tumble Leaf, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Pantheon, We the People, and Maya and the Three.
Before that, I was double majoring in biology and education, since art wasn’t a career supported by my Chilean parents at first. But I had been drawing comics and characters since I was a kid, and I remember being desperate to get home to draw even while I was in my teaching internships at the local high school back in my hometown of Miami.
After a couple of breakdowns, a chronic illness diagnosis, and a lot of self-reflection, I decided to go for a degree in comics at SCAD because of my passion for drawing and storytelling. While at SCAD I got to know more about writing, pitching, and other options in animation—and the rest is history.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
I have a lot of people who have taught me so much and continue to be sources of inspiration and knowledge. Trisha Gum, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Sandra Equihua, Maggie Kang, and Jeff Ranjo are just a few of the many people I look up to.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
There has been a lot of progress, but there is still a great lack of diversity in the industry. As a woman, as a Latinx person, and as a queer person, it’s hard to find examples of myself reflected in leadership positions. That lack of visibility really hurts your confidence when you’re getting started.
I’ve also encountered a lot of micro- and macro-aggressions in regard to my abilities as an artist because of those identities and what I look like. It’s why I will forever be grateful to all the awesome people who have helped me along the way.
How has the animation industry helped give you representation, and how can it improve?
In the last few years I’ve started to see more and more on-screen representation. I was even luckier in that I got to work on Maya and the Three and draw so many amazing, quirky, powerful, funny, and weird Latina characters.
Now, I’d love to see that representation reflected even more behind the scenes, too. As an industry we all have to help provide the educational and emotional support and opportunities for incoming marginalized artists.
Currently, I’m a mentor for a WIA [Women in Animation] storyboarding circle, where I’m helping to mentor 10 artists all from very diverse backgrounds and identities. I hope this step helps accomplish that goal of a more inclusive industry.
What words of wisdom would you give to people in your community who would like to get into animation?
Be self-reflective. Really ask yourself why. Ask yourself what parts of the work you’re most drawn to. That’ll help you narrow what to be focusing on. Once you’ve chosen your main focus, it’s a lot easier to break down the things you need to practice into smaller, more digestible goals.
I can’t speak for all parts of the industry, but I’m sure they’re similar to storyboarding in that it takes a lot of both physical and emotional labor. Try your best to use your effort on things you love—so when you make portfolio pieces, make things about subjects you’re passionate about. This will help people get to know you better as an artist, and make the process way more fun and sustainable.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
I’m interested in directing and show running in the future. I want to tell stories that are thoughtful and fun. But my biggest goal is that I want to leave the industry in a better place than I found it.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
Advocating for myself has always been something that I find difficult. The Union’s guidelines have helped me be more confident in what I should be asking for when negotiating new contracts. I love all my friends who are board members and shop stewards. They’re always encouraging me to ask for the amount I deserve.
Discover more of Babich’s work at her website.
Follow her on Instagram at @pixiepunch and on Twitter at @pixie_punch.
.png)