Meet Errol Petgrave | Character Designer

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

Hi Errol, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
When I was a kid, I loved Saturday morning cartoons on FoxKids and WB, UPN, all of the dope cartoons. I’d hang with my older cousins and they would be playing Street Fighter, Marvel Vs Capcom, etc. and watching other anime at that time. One of them drew all the time and I was inspired by him to do so as well. I kept going and haven’t stopped since! As I was nearing the end of high school, I was going to go to school for architecture because I wanted to draw and didn’t know what else I could do. Then I got a letter from SCAD and I realized I could go to school for animation. I haven’t been able to see myself doing anything else fully since.

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 like to draw monsters, muscles, and fashion. I think my artwork is fun, dark, and sharp as I do my best to show solid anatomy and draftsmanship.  I try to keep an attention to detail, sometimes too much. lol  Getting to where I am today hasn’t been easy and the journey isn’t over. I’ve developed my skills to the point where I can freelance but the goal is to do design work on studio projects. I think the biggest hurdle was learning to be content drawing for myself and not for the attention of others.  Social media can trick you into drawing what everyone likes for validation.  It’s important to draw the things you like, because then that’s what you can get hired for.  If not, then you still have to make sure to keep drawing.  I’ve been on a journey to create a story that can help inspire people to be their best and at peace with themselves with dope visuals like the work that’s inspired me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d show them the Galleria and Americana in Glendale. The vibe over there is so peaceful, calming, and hasn’t gotten old to me. My favorite breakfast spot is the Toasted Bun! For activities, hiking over by the Griffith Observatory and Runyon Canyon is a great workout and I also love going to yoga at the park with WalkGood LA. It’s cool to see Santa Monica Pier and the beach though I’m not much of a swimmer but I love me some Bubba Gump’s Shrimp. Big highlights would be going to Universal and Warner Brother Studios and going on those tours. Another one of my favorites is the downtown area in Burbank, and seeing Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network studios had been surreal experiences. I’m honestly still exploring and there’s so much more to see still.

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?
Growing up drawing my parents have supported my path and done what they could to help me along the way.  I’ve gained a ton of supportive friends throughout the years from high school, college, my time in the Air Force and now living in LA.  The online art communities (FB, IG, Clubhouse, Discord) have been a big help in inspiring me and informing the direction I’ve been journeying on as an artist.  My time in the Air Force was especially nurturing because I had started exploring different avenues of my creativity with the love and support of a number of my family and best friends throughout good and bad times.  So shoutout to my friends and family from all these different chapters of my life!

Website: www.epetgrave3.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/errol-petgrave-64b9bb82/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/eros_ares_III