Meet Cassandra Bellomo | Storyboard Artist and Teacher

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

Hi Cassandra, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I had always loved art and drawing for myself growing up, but it was
not until my junior year of high school that I finally decided to give my
passion an honest shot. Around the time most kids have to start
thinking about higher education and applying to colleges, I was in a
bad place mentally and emotionally as many teenagers can be in
when uncertain about the future. I was so concerned about what was
a sensible and high earning career path, but I knew I would be
miserable in most office jobs. So one day I stopped and asked myself,
“What can I do for myself, to make me happy, that no one can take
from me?” and that was when I decided that I wanted to work in the
Animation Industry. It was like a light bulb went off, nothing else made
sense for me but to pursue my passion. I started taking art classes the
last year of high school and then community college following that, to
see if I was up for the challenge and dedication it would take to pursue
my goals. Once I learned more about the Animation Industry as a
whole, I focused on storyboarding, the planning, and pre production
designing of scenes in animation and film. Storyboarding combines so
many of my favorite things; acting, drawing, problem solving and, of
course drawing. Today I am teaching storyboarding to young Artists at
Orange County School of the Arts while freelance boarding on my own
time, and keeping in touch with all the wonderful people I met to get
me where I am today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

As a Storyboard Artist, I enjoy creating new stories and scenarios for
all different kinds of characters and worlds. That’s the beauty of

Animation for me, the medium allows you to create limitless stories
and possibilities without breaking the believability. I could be a cowboy
seeking revenge one day, and a mermaid learning to be a pirate the
next. I want to inspire awe and capture my audience into my scenes
through my careful staging and acting. In a way, I am my own director
when creating my own boards. Teaching is also like directing in a a
way, you guide your students to come to their own conclusions so they
can create and express themselves within their own unique stories.
Storyboarding is a great class for my high school students to help
break up the intense observational studies they have in their
foundational art classes. They use the skills they have gained from
their foundational classes like figure drawing, composition, and
perspective, but once they learn the language of storyboarding, I focus
on making my class a chance for them to explore their own ideas.
Everyone has a story brewing in the back of their minds, and I aim to
encourage my students to explore and share those stories through
storyboards.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have been lucky enough to have grown up in San Juan Capistrano
and see the city grow over the years. The city has become a real
foodie hotspot, especially downtown by the train station. We have
Trevor’s at the Tracks and Cedar Creek have great classic American
style dining, Ricardo’s Place and El Maguey are my family’s favorite
Mexican restaurants, and Bad to the Bone and Heritage Barbecue are
easily some of the best barbecue places in Orange County. The town
has become a melting pot of food cultures, not just Mexican and
American, but also Lebanese in Olives Branch, Japanese in Ramen

Shack and Oeeshi Japanese Grill, and Indian in Basanti. When my
family moved here in the early 90’s, almost none of these restaurants
were here, and we have been so grateful to see our town grow and
become more than just a tourist site for the Mission.

While I would recommend a trip to the Capistrano Mission for its
beautiful gardens and historical significance to the founding of the city,
it does also have the baggage of religious colonialism and slavery of
indigenous peoples. I enjoyed the times I have gone to the Mission,
but I also think it’s important to understand and recognize the harsher
parts of our history.

I always look for places to go out sketching and other places that I
enjoy going to in Orange County include classics like the Irvine
Spectrum and Disneyland are great for sketching. Lesser-visited
places like the Dana Point Harbor, and the galleries along PCH in
Laguna Beach are not only closer to home, but provide just as much
sketching opportunity and inspiration. Thinking of Dana Point and
Laguna Beach, I am reminded of all the times I have spent on
Southern California beaches with friends and family, and how nothing
truly beats a day out with them.

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 want to throw a shout out to my old college art club, The Pencil
Mileage Club! When I was still new to Cal State Fullerton, PMC
provided artistic and academic resources, hosted events, and kept a
welcoming environment to meet like minded people. My time there as
a member and later officer was what made my college experience so

special. I met so many wonderful people, toured studios, and learned
how to work with and organize for a large group of people. Some of
the Professors that were heavily involved with the club were; Chuck
Grieb, Wendy Grieb, Cliff Cramp, and Garrett Kaida, all of whom and
so many more were wonderful influences and inspirations to their
students. The Pencil Mileage Club has been lifting up aspiring
Animators from Cal State Fullerton since 1996, and they continue to
keep up the wonderful work today!

Website: https://cassandrabellomo.wixsite.com/mysite

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-bellomo-23a86313a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NotCasandwich