Sam Kallis is a longtime Los Angeles local working in the animation industry. The Art Center alumni has been an artist at Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount Pictures, Disney Television Animation, and Penguin Random House. Currently she is an art director at Dreamworks. We are lucky to have Sam share her wisdom with us!
“People are way too preoccupied with feeling "ready" - being ready for something is overrated. Nothing that I've done that was of any consequence were things that I could ever fully prepare for. That's life. We work without a net here. And besides, failure is a friend and a teacher - one you'll never get to know it if you don't take any chances.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Sam Kallis: I actually grew up in a family of artists right here in Los Angeles. I was always surrounded by art and art supplies. It is something of a "family business" - my mom was a photographer, my dad a documentary film maker, my grandparents on both sides were painters, and my paternal grandfather and great-grandfather were art directors for film. So, when I declared at a relatively young age that I wanted to be an artist, I was taken very seriously in this dream. My family supported me, enrolled me in classes, nurtured my talent. No one ever questioned if becoming an artist were financially feasible, because they all had managed to make a living doing art and saw no reason why, with hard work, I couldn't also be successful.
MM: You have worked on countless TV shows, feature films, and books. Do you have a project you are particularly proud of?
SK: I love every project I've worked on for different reasons - some, like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, introduced me to some of my closest friends, some, like Gravity Falls or Spongebob Square Pants, challenged me artistically, some, like my time Art Directing Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh, challenged me to hone my skills as a manager. I would say, however, that the work I'm doing now as an Art Director in the development department at DreamWorks has been some of the most exciting of my career. And it has been the first time that I've gotten to really take the helm of a project and bring my personal vision to life. I'm really excited for what the future might bring here.
MM: What do you want people to take away from your art?
SK: My work is all about storytelling. I see my work as an extension of the writer's pen - my hope is that when people look at my work, they see the story.
MM: As an art director, what do you look for in a portfolio?
SK: Ah! The million dollar question... I am always, always looking for storytellers. I don't care about style or skill as much as I care about your ability to create a world and characters who are so undeniable that I can't ever question the premise of their reality. I want to feel that the world you've created exists beyond the borders of the page or screen. I can teach style, I can teach skill (to a certain extent), but I can't teach someone to have a unique point of view - to be a storyteller. Obviously I look for a certain level of quality and draftsmanship in the work, but what I'm really looking for is - are you creating work that tells a story, or are you just creating pretty pictures? I would rather hire the better storyteller than the better draftsperson.
MM: Is there anything we didn’t ask that you would like the audience to know?
SK: After I graduated from school, it took me almost a year and a half of constantly applying to studios before I got my first in-house gig (so don't give up!). During that time, I was debating moving from being close to school to being close to the general area where the studios are located, even though I didn't have a job yet. It was then that my mom told me something that has shaped my worldview and changed my life. She said: "Sometimes you have to shake up the universe."
This taught me that being in motion is better than being stagnant, that you have to move toward your dreams before being given permission to do so. Don't wait for someone to hand you what you want, start generating that forward momentum on your own. Always say "yes" to every opportunity and don't worry about whether or not you're "ready." People are way too preoccupied with feeling "ready" - being ready for something is overrated. Nothing that I've done that was of any consequence were things that I could ever fully prepare for. That's life. We work without a net here. And besides, failure is a friend and a teacher - one you'll never get to know it if you don't take any chances. Good luck!
Victoria Vincent is an animator-illustrator who creates worlds we wish we could live in. Her style and humor are unique and personal, and we can’t get enough of it. Also, we would love that cat to cut our hair.
“I currently don't know where my life is going, but I feel like I'll always be making art in one way or the other. I'm still learning and changing every day.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Victoria Vincent: I'm a girl from Southern California, and I like making movies and art. When I was a kid, I got into making and editing videos from the online game RuneScape. There was a community of RuneScape players who would record scenes from the game and edit them into videos for YouTube, and I was really involved with that for a while. When I got older, I got more serious about drawing, and animation became a way for me to combine two things I like doing.
MM: Can you discuss your latest animation? The one with the amazingly cute cat cutting hair?
VV: Cat City is a movie about a cat who runs away from home to start a new life in the city. The cat is trying to live on his own, but his life away from home isn't what he imagined it would be. Despite his initial success, he becomes disillusioned by the whole ordeal rather than finding fulfillment or happiness. He becomes depressed due to lack of sleep and the repetitive nature of his life, and he turns to alcohol to cope with the stress. It all goes downhill from there. I wanted to portray a world where a character's experience in the physical world is a reflection of their emotional turmoil. In a way, it parallels my own experience of growing up and leaving home to pursue what I thought was my dream, and then slowly realizing it wasn't what I thought it would be.
MM: What are you into right now? Inspiration?
VV: I've been reading books and watching a lot of documentaries lately. I recently read the book "selected unpublished blog posts of a Mexican panda express employee" by Megan Boyle, which I loved. Like the title says, it's a collection of blog posts that are deeply honest and personal. The book delivers bits of the author's thoughts and experiences in a way that I found to be resonant and relevant to my own life. As for inspiration for my art, I've been drawing stuff that happens to me in the dreams I've been having lately. My dreams are often very convoluted and strange but also reflect personal aspects of my life, which is what I want my artwork to feel like. I write down my dreams when I wake up, and later when I feel like drawing something, I refer to them for ideas.
MM: Is there anything you want readers to know about you, as an artist and as a person?
VV: I'm just trying to make art that is authentic and honest. When I make stuff, I don't really feel like I know what I'm doing; I just try to do whatever feels right in that moment. I currently don't know where my life is going, but I feel like I'll always be making art in one way or the other. I'm still learning and changing every day.
Wenting Li lives in Toronto where she illustrates vibrant pieces that are thick with layers of color and expansive, solid figures. She has also been known to work in ceramics, and bakes extravagant cakes, too! We were invited to have a slice- we'd have invited you too, but it’s hard to share...
“I’ve heard art school isn’t necessary, but I think it really shaped me into who I am today. So go to art school if you can, but be realistic and cautious because it can be a big investment, especially if you go to school in America, and even commercial art is not necessarily a route that offers return on investment. But also don’t feel chained to a school once you get there – my first school was not for me, and art school isn’t for everyone either. “
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Wenting Li: When I was younger my favourite things were drawing elaborate imaginary scenes onto scrap computer paper, and reading novels nonstop. I didn’t pursue art actively (my immigrant parents thought being an artist was about on par with my early ambition of growing up and becoming a cat), but once I found out what illustration was in college I dropped out to go to art school & haven’t looked back. I’m still discovering things about images & the world in general, and being surprised all the time which can be unsettling but is never boring.
MM: Is there a "dream project" you would like to work on?
WL: My career has barely begun, there are so many! There are a lot of editorial clients I’d love to work with in future (I have a spreadsheet), and personal projects I want to make time for, and skills I didn’t pick up in art school but want to learn... And I want to make sure I follow the work, in an increasingly digital world. If younger me were to answer this question though, it would 100% be to illustrate a book cover. And I would add, particularly something by Rebecca Stead, or a short story collection, or for Tor.com!
MM: What do you want people to know about you, as an artist and as a person?
WL: I’m still figuring out how to be an artist & a person – I’m very curious about everything, and worried about how we’re collectively destroying our planet & also how unkind we are to one another but especially to those who are different from ourselves, and I make a lot of mistakes all the time. I also love baking elaborate cakes! You should come over & have a slice.
MM: Do you have advice for readers aspiring to be freelance illustrators? Where do you begin?
WL: This is probably very different for everyone – I’ve heard art school isn’t necessary, but I think it really shaped me into who I am today. So go to art school if you can, but be realistic and cautious because it can be a big investment, especially if you go to school in America, and even commercial art is not necessarily a route that offers return on investment. But also don’t feel chained to a school once you get there – my first school was not for me, and art school isn’t for everyone either.
Don’t be complacent. Take advantage of the resources, your peers, the diversity of classes across disciplines, your instructors. Go to talks, go to gallery openings and talk to people even if it’s a little bit hard to leave the house or open your mouth, explore widely, start cold emailing art directors before you graduate, take strangers whose work you love out to coffee (illustrators/ creatives tend to be incredibly open & generous with their time), be nice, be hungry, ask questions, do research, make spreadsheets. When I was just starting to learn about illustration I also found Sam Weber’s podcast, Your Dreams My Nightmares a good place to start though this is by no means the only/authoritative illustration podcast out there.
MM: Can you say what you are working on now?
WL: Right now I’m working on a few editorial jobs, and waiting to hear back from some bigger clients – fingers crossed. If they don’t get back I’ll be using any extra time to pack for a move into the damp mouth of hell (tiny sliver-windowed basement in the city – thanks to a horror-obsessed childhood friend I can't get it out of my head that basements are the devil's doorway).
Marika Makaroff is the producer and the founder of Gutsy Media, a media group dedicated to creating meaningful content (but, you know, in fun ways). Under the leadership of Makaroff, who is the acting Executive Producer/Creative Director, Gutsy is creating an adaptation of Tove Jansson's cherished Moomin series, and we can't wait to see it!
“I wanted to work with a company that has the same values that I have - after working with the biggest media houses in the world I felt that this was just the right time to create my own company.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Marika Makaroff: I started my career in media working with radio documentaries in Finnish public Broadcaster YLE. I have always loved to tell stories that have a true impact to the audience, so for the last 20 years I have worked both in high class entertainment and drama, producing and creating new shows for international broadcasters.
I also love to work with creative teams and find the right people for each production. Right now I have a privilege to work with a wonderful Moomin team that includes the Oscar winning director Steve Box, and Bafta- and Emmy winning producer John Woolley among others.
For me the creative challenge is always to think new, be true to the story and produce with the highest quality.
I love the whole creative process from idea to the execution, so that the promise we make to the channels at early stage is kept all the way.
MM: How did you decide to create your own studio?
Marika: I wanted to work with a company that has the same values that I have - after working with the biggest media houses in the world I felt that this was just the right time to create my own company. Now we have actually 3 companies; Gutsy Media that is working with a global peace movement, Gutsy Animations working with the Moomin series, and Gutsy UK in Bristol, working with our British team.
MM: Congratulations on your upcoming Moomin adaption! How true to the original do you plan to be? What unexpected challenges, if any, have you had to overcome?
Marika: Thank you! It is amazing production and we have a huge responsibility since we have the rights to produce Moomin TV series for the next 20 years! The biggest challenge for us is to honour Tove Jansson´s original spirit in the Moomin stories and still bring the stories up to date. Our ambition is to do a prime time drama animation that is targeted to the wide co-viewing family audience - that is a true challenge but I have been really happy about what we have done so far.
MM: Do you have advice for emerging artists?
Marika: I think that you have to be really true to yourself - do what is right for your mind and heart.
MM: Is there anything you want the audience to know about you?
Marika: One weird detail, every now and then I have taken my guitar during summertime and played as a street musician. It is a good way to meet new people and it keeps you really humble…
This is Muse’s Milk’s second interview done in collaboration with Laurence King Publishing. Here we speak to textile designer Leila Duly, creator of the stunning colouring book sensations Floribunda and The Flower Year.
“I used to enjoy seeing someone wearing one of my fashion prints in the street [...] With the colouring books, it is more of collaboration, they aren’t just wearing it- they are creating the artwork too. I know from emails I receive and Instagram and Facebook posts that colouring brings a real happiness and fulfillment to all kinds of people.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Leila Duly: I grew up in Cambridge, England, as a child I was always drawing, painting and making things. I moved to London at 19 to study at Chelsea College of Art, and then onto Brighton University where I specialized in Fashion and Textile design. I have mainly worked in the fashion textile industry, in design Studios, as part of in-house design teams and now from my own studio.
I live in East London with my partner and our 2 children, right next
to a huge park and near the weekly flower market at Columbia Road.
MM: How did you get into floral and nature inspired art work?
LD: I enjoy drawing from life and the natural world around me, I love the incredible shapes and colours of different flowers and plants in nature, a never ending source of inspiration- and I’m like a kid in a sweet shop when I go to the flower markets!
I have always included flower blooms in my textile fashion prints. I guess this is something I have refined as I have got older and love to include more detail and learn about the flowers and plants that I draw.
MM: What do you want readers to know about you as an artist and as a person?
LD: That I’m really passionate about what I do, I hand draw all my book illustrations on paper, I work in the studio on my own a lot, as I need to concentrate… but I love people. Being in touch with Colourists from around the world and sharing in all this love for the Flowers has been pretty special! It has brought a whole new side to my work.
I really enjoyed creating my first colouring book- Floribunda, and am blown away by its success. It has been in shops all over the world, and the best part of it all is seeing all the unique interpretations of my drawings and I love that interaction creating colouring books has brought.
I used to enjoy seeing someone wearing one of my fashion prints in the street, I would tap them on the shoulder and ask for a photo and think they would have chosen to wear it to make them feel good. With the colouring books, it is more of collaboration, they aren’t just wearing it- they are creating the artwork too. I know from emails I receive and Instagram and Facebook posts that colouring brings a real happiness and fulfillment to all kinds of people.
MM: What is your process like?
LD: I rough sketch in pencil first, working out layouts and composition. I do end up putting in quite a lot of detail, just to get the angles of everything right before I draw the final lines in ink. I love to draw from the real flowers and leaves in front of me, that way, when the drawing is coloured it really comes to life. I always erase the pencil lines after. If I make a mistake I start again on a new sheet of paper, but using pencil first allows me to work out most problems and not make too many mistakes.I send the drawings off to be scanned and then if there are any dirty marks or splodges left over I clean them off in Photoshop on the computer.
MM: Can you tell us what you are working on now?
LD: It’s been a busy few months, with the release of my second colouring book, The Flower Year. This is a nature study of English wild flowers and plants and countryside scenes through the seasons, all hand drawn for colouring. The Floribunda Journal was just released and Floribunda 2018 colouring calendar is out this July.
I am just easing back into some illustration work in the studio, my baby boy is nearly one and my daughter is starting school in September.
My next goal is to bring out a brand new stationary and fabric print collection, and yes, I’m starting with drawing some Flowers...!
Natasha Sharpe is a senior in animation at RISD. In addition to being an active member of on campus groups like POSE (Pre-Orientation Service Experience), she boasts the largest collection of Lisa Frank stickers known to man. Most importantly, she’s agreed to participate in our first ever comic interview!
For more of Natasha’s work, check out her tumblr @natasharpie, her vimeo, and her portfolio.
Visual development artist Chrystin Garland (@ladygarland) is an extraordinary painter and a wonderfully creative storyteller well worth your time! Currently, Garland is working for Dreamworks Television Animation.
“I really enjoy creating playlists of songs that I feel match the mood of a particular piece I'm working on. Even if it's a germ of an idea, listening to themed music really helps me visualize what direction I could take a particular project. When all else fails, though, I just listen to the Hamilton cast recording on repeat.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Chrystin Garland: I'm a California based visual development artist, currently working at Dreamworks Television Animation. In the past, I've had the pleasure of working on several comics such as BOOM! Studio's Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems and Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series.
MM: Where do you find your inspiration? Is there a place you go or something you do to get into a creative headspace?
CG: It really varies from project to project. I really enjoy creating playlists of songs that I feel match the mood of a particular piece I'm working on. Even if it's a germ of an idea, listening to themed music really helps me visualize what direction I could take a particular project. When all else fails, though, I just listen to the Hamilton cast recording on repeat.
MM: Can you speak a bit about your Alice in Wonderland project?
CG: The Alice in Wonderland pieces were a part of Center Stage Gallery's Curiouser and Curiouser showcase. Curated by fellow artists Casey Robin and Alishea Gibson, each participant was asked to create pieces inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic children's book.
While approaching this series, I was really inspired by the dazzling 1978 film, The Wiz, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. This film took such incredibly bold strokes in their retelling of The Wizard of Oz. From the all black cast, to the disco themed Emerald City, nothing felt like a regurgitation of the 1939 classic with Judy Garland, which was quite refreshing. Despite these changes, The Wiz, at it's heart, was still a tale about Dorothy trying to find her way home in a strange new world. This concept really gave me permission to push the boundaries of what Wonderland could look like, and who Alice could be.
MM: What are you working on now?
CG: I've been painting backgrounds for a couple of upcoming Netflix series, She-Ra and Harvey Street Kids. Please look forward to it!
MM: Is there anything you would like to add?
CG: If you're an artist, don't forget to take breaks and do some stretches! Your back and joints will thank you later.
Mylissa Fitzsimmons is a writer, director, and producer working in LA. After her youth as a feral child, sneaking into horror movies and scrambling through creek beds, she found her way to photography and then to film. Her recent short film That Party That One Night just won the Audience Choice award at the Film Invasion LA festival!
“I started shooting super 8 movies when a teacher taught a class about filmmaking using super 8 . That is pretty much my extent of film school. The same teacher also really encouraged me to stay behind the camera and make documentaries and short film. It’s true what they say about good teachers, they change your life. This one changed mine. I shot my first short films and short documentaries in High school and pretty much my love of all things film started then.”
Muse’s Milk: Tell us your story.
Mylissa Fitzsimmons: I grew up in Moab, Utah till the age of 13. Growing up in Moab allowed me to be a feral child who spent most of her days swimming in creek beds and scrambling over large red rocks. There was this amazing drive in theater where we could sit atop the the trailer and watch a movie at night, the sound coming through all the car radios . There was this little movie theater that would play movies all day. During the 80’s they would show horror films all day and I would sneak in the back door and hide behind the curtain till the movies would start . It would be night time by the time I left. Watching horror films all day was simultaneously the best and worst thing a 10 year old could do. I saw E.T. , Empire Strikes Back, Nightmare On Elm Street at that theater. Years later when I went back and the theater was being turned into some persons house and they had ripped out the whole inside and all the movie chairs where sitting in the sun being thrown out. I was walking amongst them and I found the chair where I had carved my name into, “Mylissa was here.I watched ET.” It had all the carving marks for each time I saw it...22 times! I asked the man if I could have the chair since it was being thrown out. It’s one of my most favorite things I own. Years later the drive in was torn down to make way for some Condo’s. Every time I go back a house or trailer park I lived in is gone to make way for more condo’s or hotels. It breaks my heart that my childhood is disappearing. But I still love the creeks and red rock beauty on Moab.
After Utah we moved to Salem, Oregon and I remember thinking at the time that this was the big city. Anyone who has been to Salem know this to be the exact opposite. In high school I got more into photography after my grandpa encouraged me to pick up a camera to document life. I started out by shooting what I knew, which was skateboarding and punk rock bands. I used to sell the photos to make money to buy more film. I started shooting super 8 movies when a teacher taught a class about filmmaking using super 8 . That is pretty much my extent of film school. The same teacher also really encouraged me to stay behind the camera and make documentaries and short film. It’s true what they say about good teachers, they change your life. This one changed mine. I shot my first short films and short documentaries in High school and pretty much my love of all things film started then. I didn’t realize that it could be a job.It was just something I did as an outlet to express myself when I had something to say or to tell stories I thought were interesting. I still think the same way.
MM: What was the process of making That Party That One Night? Can you speak about your process conceptually as well as the logistical planning aspect?
MF: That Party That One Night is inspired by my love of growing up on John Hughes films. Molly Ringwald was my Queen and I had always wanted to make a coming age story. The short is a proof of concept film for a feature that is loosely based on me and my friends in High School. Its about that last week of school and every seems to have a plan for their future except this girl. She has always been this socially awkward girl who didn’t quite fit in and just really wants it all to be over with. She gets pressured into going to a party where she gets ditched by her friends but ends up in a parking lot with the boy she’s had a crush on for years. I basically had this scene in the feature that I couldn’t get to work within the context of the film but I kept going back to this memory and this night . So I sat down and wrote it as a short because I felt that it must be something if I keep thinking about it.
I ended up getting this micro budget grant from The Bureau of Creative Works to make it. Since I had just finished the script days before I got the grant I hadn’t really thought about making it. But I had this grant so I just went for it. The budget was super small and I basically begged friends to work for lower rates and borrowed whatever props and locations I could. I'm also part of the Los Angeles Women’s Film Collective so I leaned on all these wonderful ladies to help me find talent and crew and resources. Along with some funds from a good friend that I’ve known since age 14 who saw something in the film he liked and kicked in the extra funding to make it work. I only had 2 days to shoot it and a bare bones crew. But we all came together really fast and were able to get it done.
The whole film from start (writing it) to finish (festival premiere) took 3 1/2 weeks. It is kind of insane to do to work at that speed. I wouldn’t do it again. I mean we edited this film in 4 days editor, Jaffe Zinn and myself got real sick and we had 102 fevers and chills and were up till 4 am editing for 3 nights straight in my back studio. Then I'd get up and help my kids get ready for school, sleep for a few hours and then get back to work. Part of the reason we did it that way was because we went to edit the film and had to get a trial editing program and only had free use for 5 days. So we just said fuck it and went for it. We made it work and we only sacrificed our health for a week, HA! I also tend to work really fast on projects. I just don’t think you need to spend months or have big budgets on a short films.
MM: What are you working on now?
MF: I recently won the Sun Valley Short Film Lab with a short film script I wrote called , Who Decides, about who decides when its your time to die. I just finished shooting that film.
MM: Is there anything else you would like to add? Advice for women in the arts? Festival tips?
MF: I’m not sure I have any advice that hasn’t already been said already, especially for women. Female artists are amazing,we’re killing it everyday and its inspiring. I like to ask myself, Who am I? What do I have to say? How do I want to say it? And then I just go out and do that.If you’re doing it for any other reasons then whatever you produce won’t be authentic and you’re doing yourself and others a great disservice.
As far as festivals go…know that festivals are just one of many tools in your toolshed.There are many ways to get a film seen. Research, make a plan, don’t spend all your money on submissions and know that rejections and acceptances don’t mean what you think they mean. Also,just go to a festival as an audience person, watch movies. This might be your only chance to see all these amazing films being made that you might not see otherwise…especially short films.
