Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
As a kid I loved to draw. I would have competitions with my grandpa, who also enjoyed drawing, and would spend all of my free time creating characters and stories. I have always had a love of animation, but at the time didn’t realize that it could be a potential career path. It wasn’t until my first year of college at the University of Oregon as an art major that realized I had a bit of a dilemma. I wanted to do art, but I wasn’t happy with the traditional art path.
It wasn’t until after I saw Frozen that everything changed. I was so obsessed with the music (thanks to the theater kid in me) and the snow animation that I began to research the movie and found out everything that went into making animated films. From that research, I found out about storyboarding, and the next day I applied to the Digital Arts program, and the rest was history. I spent countless hours practicing drawing, going to expos, and taking storyboarding classes. At those expos I talked with many professional artists about their recommendations for improving, and I went to portfolio reviews. In 2021, I got my first freelance storyboarding job at ShadowMachine, then as a freelance Revisionist at Titmouse, and finally as a Storyboard Artist at Warner Bros.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
It was definitely hard to get my first job in the industry. I graduated in 2016 and didn’t get my first job until 2021. I loved my college, but there were not many animation courses to chose from and no storyboarding courses whatsoever. So everything I learned was on my own and through researching, taking a few online courses and talking with other artist in the industry at expos. It was absolutely amazing to finally get hired and then be able to have two amazing years at Warner Bros. So when I rolled off in 2023, I wasn’t expecting to go back to that feeling again. Aside from one short gig, I have been unemployed for over a year now. It is impossibly difficult for the imposter syndrome not to win during times like this. I know that it will get better, not only for me but all my fellow animation homies out there looking for work! We are all extremely talented, and we all lend our voices and experiences to creating so many inspired stories and characters that connect with people.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
I have so many!! I love Teny Issakhanian. Her expressions and her overall boarding style are absolutely stunning. Natalie Nourigat with her sketching and showing how she would push the posing really helped me think about that in my sketching. Not to mention her book I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation helped me get an understanding of the industry. Daniel Tal was one of the first Story Artist I followed, and I learned a lot about storyboarding from his sketches and posts. Luis Gadea and Alexis Page inspired me to really work on my characters and what goes into telling a story through posing and costuming. Celine Kim and her Phantom of the Opera vis-dev made me want to improve my understanding of color theory and painting in general. Again, there are so many more, but thinking back, these artists were definitely the ones who helped inspire me to be the artist I am today.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
I hope to be able to work on and create more shows and movies with POC women as the main protagonists and antagonists in a wide variety of genres. As a little girl, it would have done so much for me to see more people who looked like me in animation. Especially in more sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories. Representation matters, and it would be a dream to inspire other POC to go into animation and tell the stories they want to see.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
I love being a part of this Union. The sense of community and knowing that nine times out of ten there are others in the Union who have gone through or are going through the same thing you are and have the same questions as you is so comforting. Even better, knowing that the Union is actively working to help answer your questions, provide advice, and help educate you about knowing your rights is amazing. I always feel like we are looking out for each other, and especially as an artist early in my career, I know all my questions and concerns will be looked at by people who care about us.
Learn more about Alycia at her website.
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