Meet Kevin Leal | Storyboard Artist

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

Hi Kevin, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I used to have zero work-life balance whatsoever. During college, I would just work around the clock to make my assignments and personal portfolio as great as they could possibly be which was a never-ending pursuit. Inevitably I burnt out hard and finally realized I had to start taking care of myself and give time to other facets of my life to be able to refuel that passion and energy to work again. Now I make sure to spend time away from work and look at it as a way to refill my creative tank.

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.

My art is mostly storyboards, which are really quick sketches that flesh out an idea for an animated show or film. It involves a ton of drawing and they don’t always turn out the prettiest but I couldn’t be happier getting to spend most of my day drawing.

I got to where I am professionally by constantly making new portfolio work and just trying to improve on each new piece. While I was in school I would just continue to work on my portfolio outside of my school assignments so I could then show it to animation studios. I just kept trying to improve and make new material until finally one day I received an email asking if I would like to interview for a storyboard artist position at Disney Television Animation.

It definitely wasn’t easy, that was a very summed-up version of my overall journey. I applied to dozens of positions online for a long time, whether it was an internship, trainee program, or full-time role, and I didn’t get anything. Also, trying to do portfolio work and class assignments was definitely a hard balance and usually led to a lot of late nights and working seven days a week. On top of that, facing brutal stress and burnout became very taxing on me mentally.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My two favorite places to visit are definitely Disneyland and the Academy Museum. The people-watching at Disneyland is always the best and if you get talking to someone in line chances are they have some really fun Disney stories to tell. I’d also bring them to a concert because there is such a vast music scene in LA. I’m honestly really bad about getting out and trying different spots to eat but I think Thai food or Poke Bowls would be my go-to!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people in my life deserve a shoutout! The biggest person I would like to shoutout is my fiancee Camryn Miller. She is my biggest inspiration to keep improving as a person. She is my creative partner and I wouldn’t even be in the animation industry if it wasn’t for her since she introduced me to the role of a storyboard artist in the first place. I also want to give a quick shoutout to my parents for being so supportive of me pursuing a creative career.

Website: https://kevinlealart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinlealart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinvleal/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinlealart