Meet Rose Kang | Color Designer & Freelance Artist

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

Hi Rose, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to pursue an artistic career because it was a passion that I’ve had since I was a kid. There were definitely moments growing up where I gave up on becoming an artist and thought about being a doctor or a lawyer, but when I tried to pursue those careers I just wasn’t good at it. So I decided that I would just go with my original plan and try to make it into animation and do something that I could genuinely be happy with doing as a career. Even if I felt like my artistic skill level wasn’t up to par to make it in the industry, art was still something that I was passionate in investing the time in to get better. Now after starting my professional journey, I’m still really enjoying learning my craft and super proud that I stuck to that childhood dream.

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 have been extremely lucky to have been able to get my foot in the door so quickly. I started of with an internship my spring semester of my senior year which lead to my first full-time gig on a show for Adult Swim. I then hopped around for some freelance jobs until I got a message from my old professor about a show he was art directing for and that’s how I got my current job as a Color Designer for Titmouse.

I would definitely say one of the biggest challenges so far would be working into the pandemic and remote work. I personally do enjoy the freedom and safety of work-from-home, however as someone who is very green, it has been really difficult to make connections with co-workers and feel like an established member of the studio. It still something that I’m trying to figure out but I just try to make it to the in-person events that I can and remember that it’s not only me who is going through this as well.

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 would definitely say that NYC has some of the best museums in the world. The MET and The Museum of Natural History are always a good time and a great place to hangout regardless of the weather. Prospect Park in Brooklyn is also great to escape the city and get some time in the chunks of nature that the city has to offer. I would also recommend checking out flushing for some great eats!

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 definitely want to shout out some of my old professors from college. Stephen Gaffney, Frank Gresham, Niko Guardia, Courtney Vonada, my thesis advisors Deena Beck and Angela Devito, and the list could go on and on. These professors were all people who helped prepare me for my leap into the animation industry and without them, I would have never got my foot in the door. Also and extra special thanks to Stephen Gaffney, who teaches Life Drawing at SVA, who really provided an amazing space of growth and learning and was one of the biggest reasons I didn’t give up.

Also, of course my Mom, Dad, and Sister who continue to support me. They may have not always wanted me to be an artist, but they still supported me nevertheless.

Website: https://kangrose.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-kang-43b087195/