Meet Danny Reyes | Animator & Cartoonist

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

Hi Danny, why did you pursue a creative career?
I would draw daily as a kid because the act of drawing was fundamentally enjoyable to me. The moment I realized that drawing cartoons could be my job as an adult, I started to draw cartoons religiously. Every little margin on my homework would be filled to the brim with doodles.

Describing it, the way I feel about drawing is almost similar to people getting a rush from exercise or roller coasters. To me, the act of drawing is satisfying, even if the end result isn’t contributing to a larger project or anything I’d want to show off. I’d say the way I draw revolves around how gratifying it feels to put my own twist on something anyone can do. For example, my ideal way to line includes bold, thick lines– exaggerating curves and emphasizing line weight in this way just scratches an itch in my brain that doesn’t compare to more delicate linework.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When you’re working in animation, a lot of the projects vary in styles and aesthetics. It’s a collaborative art form so I’m fairly used to adapting to what’s needed, but whenever I get to cut loose and really indulge, I love it. Whenever I look back on my own portfolio, the work I’m the most fond of are shots where I’m given the opportunity to put a little of myself in there.

It’s important to emphasize that if you are doing any kind of collaborative creative work, you gotta find time to be creative independently and get really self indulgent. Make stuff purely for you without the worry of showing other people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Theres a good handful of shops that I like to go to with friends– QPOP Shop is a big one for me. They have a bunch of local and imported art, toys and trinkets that I feel like isn’t too common around other shops in the area. Despite being a bit of a trek to go to Torrance, the store Stuart NG is a treasure trove of out of print zines and art books from the animation scene that has trickled down from Burbank over the years. As for food, I would show them one of my new favorite’s, Monty’s Good Burger; great shakes and amazing impossible burgers.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There a good handful of people in my life that I would love to shoutout. The first being my partner Melora, who has been a source of support and whom I adore with my whole heart. I also want to acknowledge and show my appreciation for friends like Allie Mehner, Jeremey Chinshue, Zach Hadel, and Kyra Kupetsky, who have each helped me keep my head afloat and given me opportunities to keep working in the animation. There are many more people I owe my gratitude, but to summarize I’m just extremely thankful to work alongside such talented peers in this industry.

Website: https://www.dannyareyes.com/

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