Tell us a little about yourself and your career
Hi, I’m Erin Eng. Originally from New York City, I moved to California where I went to Academy of Arts University in San Francisco for grad school. It took me a while to “break into” the animation industry after graduation. When I moved to L.A. in 2016, I worked as a Visual Designer/Graphic Designer in marketing for start-ups, fashion companies, and mobile gaming. At the end of 2019, I got hired as a Color Designer for Bento Box’s then new show Duncanville. It was a great first show to work on with an amazing color team: Color Supervisor Teri Cusumano and Background Painters Randolph Williams and Alex Miller. At Duncanville, I was able to learn TV pipeline and move onto The Great North as a Color Designer. From there, I was given the opportunity to be a Background Painter for both shows until now where I am still a BG Painter for Season 4 of The Great North!
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
My main challenge was breaking into the animation industry in the first place. I felt like art school taught you technique and foundation—how to do the work—but not a lot of how to get the work. In my experience, I wouldn’t have gotten a job without the help of others. Friends, who vouched for my ability and work ethic, opened the gates for me to even have a career in animation. Once I was given the chance, I am fortunate enough to be on a show with some longevity like The Great North. It is hard to constantly have to worry about where the next contract will come from or if your show will get cancelled.
A new challenge is now balancing motherhood and my fairly new animation career. My daughter was born at the end of last year, and I hope that when I go back to work, I’ll be able to successfully balance work and being a parent. Thankfully, my production is supportive and understanding which helps when navigating these new work/life changes! Working from home has been a major help, too.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
My answer to this question always changes at certain stages in my life. When I first graduated and was looking for a painting job, my inspirations were different artists (graphic, fine, and animation) like Landscape Painter Mark Boedges or Graphic Designer and Illustrator Jennifer Hom. It varied with my interests of mixing graphic art with painterly influences—artists who I’ve never met but admired their talent and their style. Now that I have four years in the industry, my inspirations are the people I’ve met and worked with. Having worked in different creative fields, both positive and negative experiences, I feel lucky to work with very supportive and inspiring people at Bento Box. Seeing how each person balances their life goals with their career goals, especially the working moms in the industry! To constantly give their best to whatever show they’re on and to raise humans as well; as a new mom, it blows my mind.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
My goals are longevity and growth. Seeing artists like John Nevarez and Pete Oswald have a long, lucrative careers is an accomplishment I hope to gain. I know how unstable this industry can be with layoffs and the outside world constantly undermining the medium. It can be scary. My aim is to have a long career and to grow as an artist! I want to learn new styles and techniques, and hopefully still be just as excited about the industry as I was when I first heard about visual development in art school.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
Being in the Union has meant security and community. Coming from various start-ups and mobile gaming, I struggled with negotiating for adequate pay, PTO, and even health insurance coverage. It was a relief coming into the Union and knowing that there was a strong community behind me. I’m not saying that the Union is perfect (nothing is), but it’s nice to know that someone’s got my back in a career that is ever-changing.
More of Erin’s art can be found on her website.
Follow her in Instagram.
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