Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
I’m an L.A.-based artist. I work in animation as an Art Director, Color Supervisor, and Background Painter with 14 years experience. I also have a fine art studio practice and teach painting and ceramics to kids and adults. I didn’t get into animation until my thirties, so it’s a bit of a second career for me after having been a fine artist and educator for a decade. I have a BFA from Otis and an MFA from San Francisco State University in painting. Animation background art was always an influence on my personal work which explores similar themes of landscape, movement, and cinema.
I tried to break into animation for a couple years and finally got a test for Futurama where I landed a job doing background paint and color. Since then I’ve had the honor of painting and supervising on shows like Adventure Time, Exploding Kittens, Summer Camp Island, Beavis and Butt-Head, and more. It’s been amazing world-building with so many talented people. I love running a team and talking shop with other designers.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
Obviously finding consistent work is a big one, especially in the last couple years. I’ve been lucky to find wonderful projects where I’m a stylistic fit, but it takes perseverance and really putting myself out there. I’ve worked at a lot of different studios, and often where I didn’t know anybody on the production. It’s been a great learning experience to work at multiple studios with different pipelines and to meet such a breadth of skilled artists along the way. I try to learn from everybody I work with.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
Mostly Background Painters and concept artists like Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, and Scott Wills. I’m a huge fan of Errol Le Cain who was a tremendous Illustrator and Background Designer/Painter.
Growing up in the ’80s, I loved Saturday morning cartoons like Scooby-Doo, She-Ra, ThunderCats, etc. And as a teenager in the ’90s, Liquid Television showed us all that cartoons could be arty and dumb and gorgeous and not just for kids. I love how that punk rock energy seeped into animation in the ’90s. Nowadays I’m inspired by my colleagues! There’s such a wealth of talent and ideas in our Union.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
I hope I can keep working on a team and continue to do work I feel passionate about. There’s nothing like sharing knowledge with your colleagues and coming up with better and more efficient ways of working together. Every project I work on grows my craft and skill set. As a manager, I hope to foster safe and inspiring spaces and bring people together.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
I’m so grateful to be a part of our Union and to the people who work and volunteer time for our benefit. The sense of community, the practical support, and the information available from the Union makes it possible to do this kind of work. I’m super proud to be in a Union with such a storied history.
Learn more about Holly on her website.
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