Meet Sabrina Sentoso | Concept & Character Artist

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

Hi Sabrina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Coming from a more conservative upbringing and community in my childhood, my whole career choice was often seen by others as a risk in itself. I didn’t even consider that being an artist was a real, viable profession until my high school years! When I made that leap into pursuing art, everyone was skeptical, including me.

I remember being so afraid and anxious, I was that one weirdo going to art school while all my relatives and classmates went for academics– I didn’t really have anyone who could give me advice either, since being an artist was such a rarity. What kept me going when everyone else doubted me was looking back at my artist inspirations and wanting to be like them, to be a storyteller, and to hopefully one day have my own work inspire somebody else to take up the pen and pencil too.

Now when I look back at it, I think that risk was one of the best I’ve ever chosen to take, though the anxiety of a career and finances still creep at me every now and then. If I had chosen academics back then, I’m sure many would think it’d be “safer”, but I don’t think I would be as happy or passionate about my work as I currently am. Since this is my only shot at life, I might as well live my best version of it! Risks may be scary, but I think they’re worth the pursuit of a dream and can often be a refreshing turn to things.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a visual storyteller at heart, I’ve always been attracted to designing characters and worlds in ways that support their stories. I love incorporating symbolism, motifs, and colors in my designs to reflect personalities, history, ways of dress, and life in these fictional worlds. I draw most of my art from my research (I’m a huge research nerd!), personal life experiences, and travels, be it through the people I meet, the places I see, and the different cultures I’ve gotten to experience. Coming from Southeast Asia, I also want to push for more of my own culture and people to be seen and represented in both the art industry and media– representation matters!

I think what especially drew me to concept art was that I was always intrigued by the thought process and intentional designs that concept artists put into their work. I would often crack open an artbook and read through the little notes and excerpts they would add to their sketches–it was so cool to think that so much subtlety and attention to detail was always present in my favorite shows or games, whether or not I realized them!

Since coming to art school and being around other artists as well as amazing teachers who’ve pursued the same profession, my appreciation for these details has grown. Since audiences only really get to see characters or scenes so quickly, every second counts! Designs have to quickly read while also having depth, being natural, and sticking to a consistent visual style. While all that is much harder to do than it sounds, I find myself so giddy and lost when I get to brainstorm on the possibilities for these designs, bonding with both the world and characters I get to visualize on a screen. I find the most satisfying moments to be when others notice these details and appreciate them-a triumph I’ve surely gotten addicted to.

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 think one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had since moving here from Indonesia has actually been the thrifting culture! I’d have to take them to some vintage thrift stores in the LA area, or the little stretch of shops at Pomona’s Antique Row. On a nice windy day, I would take them on a walk by the beaches nearby, or we could go on a picnic and stroll around Old town Pasadena’s parks. There are also plenty of museums and galleries to visit like the Huntington gardens, the Getty, and we’d definitely have to check out exhibitions at gallery nucleus. Of course, as a self-certified foodie, I would also scout out my favorite foods for them to try, and they’d have to try the famous in-n-out burgers and animal fries! Personal favorites for food would be the Chinese foods and Korean tofu houses at San Gabriel, Japanese food, Sunright tea studio’s boba teas, and Creme Brulee crepes at Little Tokyo’s Millet Crepes!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a lot of my current opportunities and fortune to the love and support my family has given me. My parents, who’ve worked hard to raise me and financially supported me to study abroad in the US, and my sisters, who were my initial inspirations to start drawing when I was younger! My eldest sister especially, who was the first in our family to leap into the world of art through fashion, inspired me to take that risk for myself too. I’ve also received tons of motivation from my friends, the art communities I’ve been a part of online, classmates through art schools whom I’ve trudged through loads of projects with, inspiring and wonderful educators, and roommates who keep me well-fed and make my days fun and entertaining.

Website: https://sabrinasentoso.myportfolio.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-sentoso-716868224

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Saerinn_

Image Credits
For the images with the logo “Abaddon” on them: Student game project Abaddon led by Clayton Bonura and Erin Shin