ABOUT ME
Hello, my name is Kelly! I'm a digital story and character artist who's aiming to design for animation or games one day. As a student, I learned the ins and outs of concept design, animation, life drawing, storyboarding and screenplay. And as a professional, I've worked on a few independent animated projects, primarily as a character designer and storyboard artist.
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My desire to create was fueled by the various works of fiction I became hooked on over the years, including action-packed animation, fantastical video games, and painstakingly-crafted manga. Admiring the designs and exploring the potential that lay outside the stories' bounds is what lead me to taking art more seriously, because I wanted to see the products of my imagination realized myself.
More recently, I've taken to channeling my inspirations into my own stories/concepts, exploring themes such as relationships, identity, and the supernatural.
Digital Art Experience (remote)
STORY ARTIST – Creative Collective Studio – Los Angeles, California (Jul. - Aug. 2023)
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Workshopped character designs and created style frames for upcoming animated short, "Rain"
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Made wardrobe variations for background characters; helped brainstorm main character designs
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Collaborated with and provided feedback to other artists and the director
ILLUSTRATOR – Readeezy – Parsippany, New Jersey (Mar. - May 2023)
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Created character designs, thumbnails, and lineart for interactive storybook for challenged YA readers, with input and key details from organization president
DIGITAL ARTIST INTERN – The Mista Pat Project – Riverside, California (Sept. 2022 - present)
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Creating digital assets, including 2D props, backgrounds, reference sheets, and stylized text, for animated educational web series
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Developing storyboards from episode script and making an animatic for new intro sequence
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Presenting progress and brainstorming during weekly remote meetings
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT INTERN – The DreamArc Company – Los Angeles, California (Jun. - Aug. 2022)
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Designed main characters, props, and promotional poster for 2D animated short “Songbirds,” according to director’s vision and set deadlines
FREELANCE DIGITAL ARTIST – Cupertino, California (Aug. 2019 - present)
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Creating digital artwork (incl. digital fan zine illustrations and livestream assets) for individual clients
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Discussing composition, style, proof of progress, and pricing via direct messages
Story Experience
WRITER AND PRODUCER – WIA Mentorship Program – Cupertino, California (Oct. 2023 - Jan. 2024)
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Completed the pre-production phase for proposed animated short, "Monster In The Halls"
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Performed the roles of lead writer, co-producer, and production designer on a team of 10 artists
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Created additional character designs and storyboard scenes
Other Experience (seasonal)
TEAM LEADER – Galileo Innovation Camp – Palo Alto, California (Jun. - Aug. 2019)
STUDENT AMBASSADOR – Otis College – Los Angeles, California (Nov. 2018 - Nov. 2019)
TEACHER ASSISTANT – Cupertino Union School District – Cupertino, California (Jun. - Jul. 2017)
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Skills
SOFTWARE – Clip Studio PAINT; Adobe Illustrator, Premiere, AfterEffects, and Photoshop; Autodesk Maya; Toonboom Storyboard Pro; iMovie; Zoom; Google Suite
TECHNICAL – Traditional art, including graphite, charcoal, pen and ink, watercolor
LANGUAGE – Japanese (Santa Clara County Seal of Biliteracy recipient)
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Education
OTIS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN – Los Angeles, California (May 2022)
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Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Media (emphasis in animation/concept; with honors)
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Awards and Scholarships
OTIS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN – Presidential Scholarship (2018); Dean’s List Honoree (2019 - 2022)
MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL – Art Boosters Scholarship (2018); Purple and Gold Awards (2018)
FREMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT – Community Service Award (2017)