Meet Brian Duran | Visual Development Artist

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

Hi Brian, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
For a long time, I really did believe that devoting all of my time to creating and working was the only way to grow as an artist. When you are just starting out and see so many amazing artists in the industry, it’s easy to fall victim to that mindset and think that constantly working will get you there. It wasn’t until my later years in college that I realized that this lack of balance in my life was really effecting my art and was ultimately what caused my art blocks. In order to create good art, you need to carve time out in your life to just go out and live. The more I allowed myself the freedom to do something as simple as walk outside, the more I was able to create ideas and art that I was much prouder of. Working hard is essential in this industry, but if you don’t have a life outside of art to draw inspiration from then there’s no way you can make work that resonates with people.

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.
Like I mentioned earlier, my art journey started very early, since I was always drawing with my older sister. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in art so all throughout my early schooling, and I was very fortunate to have parents that supported me in my endeavors. After high school I was lucky enough to get into Art Center College of Design where I continued my studies and discovered my love for visual development.

Now, as a graduate, I specialize in visual development and illustration! As a visual development artist, you are responsible for getting to the essence of a story and developing the look of a project. At my core, I like to think of myself as a storyteller. Whether I’m focusing on set design, color keys, or character design, I am constantly driven by the heart of a story. In a lot of my work, I like to explore complex, mature themes and tell them through the eyes of a younger protagonist. Growing up, I didn’t have a very sunshine and rainbow type of childhood, so I found myself drawn to more gritty and genuine stories like Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children and Ender’s Game. I always try to weave parts of my culture and who I am into the foundation of my work. Ever since I started working this way, it has made me more excited to create and to share my work because it has a level of authenticity that is personal to me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a big fan of just listening to music and walking around random neighborhoods, so I would definitely force my friends to join me in some of my favorite places while listening to Noah Kahan haha. For me West Hollywood is just an amazing area to explore. It’s filled with such iconic buildings and vibrant people to talk to. The Troubadour is an amazing music venue that I have visited for concerts multiple times and it’s right in the heart of West Hollywood. There are always amazing artists doing shows there for relatively cheap tickets so it would have to be on my itinerary. Burbank is also one of my favorite cities to visit because of how walkable it is. I have spent many hours just walking in circles and looking at the wonderful array of houses.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would definitely have to dedicate my shoutout to my sister, Angie. Growing up, she was always drawing and she was really the person who first introduced me to art. Our childhood was filled with a lot of trials and tribulations, but she persevered through it all and was able to become an established artist in our industry. All throughout my life I have been following in her very big footsteps, and she has been nothing but supportive as I’ve tried to find my own unique voice. Whenever I was struggling with classes, she would always make time in her busy schedule to help me out and put me at ease. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am without her kindness and occasional brutal honesty.

Website: https://www.brianduranillustrates.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian.duranduran/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-duran-3681b4208/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianDuranDuran

Image Credits
All work is my own.