Meet Jaylen Tate-lucas | Storyboard Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaylen Tate-lucas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaylen, how do you think about risk?
Getting your foot into the door of the animation industry requires more faith than you might think. While it is important to maintain a consistent practice in your art, it is also easy to get lost in that practice in an attempt to achieve some sense of satisfaction or perfection in your portfolio.

For a while I compared myself to professionals and wasn’t seeing the same qualities in my work, and so I didn’t apply for jobs for a long time. The truth is, most of the knowledge you require to do the work of the industry is going to be acquired on the job itself. You do want to make sure your work is meeting at least the minimum requirements of your potential employer, but once you hit that mark, just start applying.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What I most like to focus on in my art is using spectacle in order to metaphorically represent the things we go through in our day to day lives. I draw a lot of inspiration from live action film, cartoons, and anime, and I find that I am most enamored with the kinds of stories that combine beauty and entertainment with strong themes.

It’s my honest opinion that most of life’s lessons should come through hands on experience, so while I do like to tell stories that reflect life, I mostly aim to create new and fun experiences that draw out peoples emotions.

I’d say the trait of mine i’m most proud of is my willingness to learn through submission and respect. I had a very aggressive phase of self enlightenment when I was in high school where I began to think I knew everything there was to know. During that time I lost a lot of passion in my work and struggled developing relationships with people, but somewhere along the way I started to realize the importance of trust and faith. I began to step away from my cynical view of the world and approach both people and experiences with a sense of wonder, and since then I’ve been far more inspired in my work and social experiences.

I am only just beginning the process of telling my own visual stories and sharing them with the world, but as I continue to work on shows like Teen Titans Go! and The Casagrandes, I am always reminding myself to be present, and approach my work with that same sense of passion and wonder.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a huge fan of horror films so I often frequent The Mystic Museum in Burbank. This place has all kinds of cool horror related paraphernalia as well as a rotating series of cool exhibits that I’ve had the pleasure of submitting my art work to.

I’d start there and make my way to Venice Beach for swimming and Volleyball. Forman’s Whiskey Tavern has amazing drinks and really good food, but after a weekend of Volleyball in North Hollywood, I’ll either go to the bar El Tejano, or it’s neighbor Fat Dog.

A really cool event I like to attend once a month is the Black Flea Market which is a big celebration of black culture, music, food and fashion.

Other than all that I like to go for a good hike, but I haven’t done much hiking in LA so if you know any good spots let me know.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a special shoutout to my college mentor Tim Flattery. Tim is a highly acclaimed concept artist with design credits across many blockbuster features including Avengers: Infinity War, Transformers, and much more. Tim came on as the department head of my entertainment arts program during my freshman year of college.

What he brought with him was a thorough understanding of the entertainment and design world, and using that experience he created an environment that allowed my peers and I to study in ways that specifically benefited our journey’s toward long successful careers.

Best of all I’d like to thank Tim for his very human approach to teaching and mentoring. He’s the type of person that will be tough on you when necessary, but not at the expensive a compassion and empathy.

Website: jtatelucas.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaylen-tate-lucas-759b20a0/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JTeaLucas