We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Sornig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, how do you think about risk?
There have been a lot of big life decisions that impacted where I am presently. It’s only in hindsight looking back that I see the crazy choices for what they were. When you’re in the moment it’s difficult to see where the path will lead. You have hopes. You have aspirations what could happen. Surely you’re praying for the best-case scenario to occur. When I was 18 years old and made the major life decision at that young age to enlist in the United States Marine Corps – that was as significant a lifetime defining risk as I could have made. You think you know what you’re getting into and then the reality runs right over the expectation. Everything I experienced during my Marine Corps service evolved who I was as a person. It honed my work ethic, mental toughness to endure hardships, and instilled in me a higher level of self-discipline and respect. I acclimated very well to operating in an environment where the whole team is focused on a singular goal. It’s about the needs of the unit more than your individual success. One feeds the other. You do the best you possibly can at all times for the organization and in turn the success of that organization becomes your success. Selflessness is the name of the game. Do what you can for the good of the institution. The next major risk taken was rediscovering who I was immediately after my Marine Corps service ended. The challenges of transitioning from the Marine Corps where you’re surrounded within a like-minded community and inserted back into a society of individualism is a jolt. It’s been 8 years since I left active service and I’m still transitioning. It’s far easier now than it was those first couple of years post-service, but a continuous effort nonetheless. So you have a career Marine who is now in search of a new path. I had to find who I was again. Who was I without a uniform and rank insignia on my collars. I had to ask myself was I going to use my education benefits on a safe choice toward the expected second career path, or risk this opportunity for something that seemed unstable yet the path I would enjoy more. I could have gone for the more logical business type degree. I could very well be wearing business attire sitting in a cubicle in a professional office building making a safe comfortable wage and slugging along with the rest of the commuting world – but would I have been content and happy? Surely not. I did try that for about 6 months and I was miserable. With the support of my wife I risked it all and pursued a college degree in Creative Imaging and Illustration. That one decision in my now later adulthood led to many pleasant and unexpected opportunities. Had I not opted to pursue art I would have never rekindled my love of cartoons which would have prevented me from applying for an internship with Nickelodeon Animation Studio and I would never have ended up working in the fantastically fun TV animation industry for 2 years. That risk was the most personally gratifying and professionally rewarding experience for my post-service life. I am sincerely grateful for all the professional relationships I made, the experience of being immersed in a world-class creative animation studio I was able to enjoy, and all the wonderful friends who helped me grow as an artist. Now another risk came up. I was a Production Assistant (P.A.) (a non-artistic role), but my goal is to become a Prop/Character Designer. As the last crew I was a part of wrapped production (i.e. the show ended) I was offered more work as a P.A. but I knew if I stayed on that path I wouldn’t get closer to the art side. So when my P.A. contract ended I left the studio, and Burbank, returning to southeastern Michigan to be with my family and complete my art education. I earned two degrees (I finally finished my Creative Imaging and Illustration plan) and completed a secondary degree in Motion Design in December 2019. My plan was to really get cracking in 2020. We all know how everyone’s plans went into the trash by March. Presently I’m perfectly happy remotely working as a freelance artist and doing my own personal artwork until things start opening back up again. The goal remains returning to a TV animation studio. I’m looking forward to the next challenge and risk seeing where it takes me day by day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m definitely a by-product of the art that inspires me. I’m forever a Hanna Barbera/Looney Tunes fan, so that clean character art with the marvelously painted environments just makes me happy. I also love the old Mid-Century Modern/UPA animation era. All the classics like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Pink Panther, and the old industrial animation shorts have a charm to them that I could watch all day. Nothing worthwhile is easy, right. If it were – then everyone would do it. So being a Marine veteran working in an artistic field is just me being insane, but I wouldn’t change a thing. One of the things I am most proud of was the opportunity to volunteer and contribute with the Nickelodeon Community outreach program. Going out and drawing with and for kids at schools, shelters, and public events was the most enjoyable and fun experiences I’ve ever had. There’s a lot of art in the world. The main thing I’ve learned is that I’m just going to do what I like. What appeals to me. Then hopefully somewhere out there it connects with others who enjoy it and it leads to new opportunities. The biggest challenge with freelance art is deciding which projects I want to take on. What you see is what you get with me. I have a pretty diverse skill set but at the end of the day I’m all about cartoony cartoons. I’m generally open to accepting some individual commission work, but depends on my availability in between other projects. Traditional artwork for things like comic book sketch covers, artist trading cards are usually what I get asked for. Digital illustrations for social media icons are also pretty accessible too. When you see my website (https://www.jefftoons.com) it’s evident my brand is all about a fun, colorful stylized cartoon world. I believe in making cartoons just for the sake of being cartoons and entertaining folks. I also love to make t-shirt designs and heavy metal logos. The stuff I’ve been designing lately are things I actually want to wear myself. So I make a design, post it to my TeePublic storefront and I buy my own shirts. I need a bigger dresser now. Haha

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh, I’ve done this. My dream cruise throughout L.A. when friends visited was easy. We start out by hitting some of the best record shops around (I’m a major vinyl addict). We’d hit Jacknife Records in Glendale, Cosmic Vinyl in Echo Park and (sobs) Amoeba Records (yeah, the loss of that legendary spot near Cinerama Dome still stings). Then we’d bounce over to Golden Apple Comics. Feeling a little parched, we’d head on over to West Hollywood to enjoy some beverages on Lemmy’s Lounge at the famous metalhead hangout – the Rainbow Bar and Grill. If planned accordingly we’d totally catch a concert at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go. From there a quick jump down the 101 to Barnham Blvd and get over to Burbank where we’d hit House of Secrets comics and collectibles. Love that shop. Continuing down Olive Ave, park the car on San Fernando Blvd and visit Story Tavern, sit on the sun-soaked patio for a cold beer and a bowl of Jalapeño Mac and Cheese! That’s just a day in heaven right there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I met so many amazing people while working at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Every single person was a pleasure to see every day. Across the animation industry I am forever indebted to many folks for their friendship and guidance. Especially my friends Kris Wimberly, Amy Wu, Louis Cuck, Carl Faruolo, Shawn Bryant, Ray & Roxy Morelli, Nic Gregory, Jordan Koch, David Depasquale and Scott Gandell. They’re all the best.

Website: https://www.jefftoons.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sornigrafix/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sornigrafix
Other: https://vimeo.com/sornigrafix https://www.teepublic.com/user/sornigrafix

Image Credits
Jeff Sornig

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