Meet Samuel Shin | Illustrator & Storyboard Artist

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

Hi Samuel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I knew at a young age I would make a career out of drawing. It really began with my admiration for comic-book superheroes (both Marvel and DC). My drawing spree kicked-off from reading comics and watching cartoons and movies about superheroes. I typically like to call it my “awakening.” From then on it was just non-stop. I would constantly draw Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Hulk, Fantastic 4, Wonder Woman, X-Men, Captain America, Iron Man, etc. Basically everyone and anyone in Marvel and DC.

As I grew older it was just something I really wanted to do and I could not see myself working in another field. I enrolled in a lot of classes prior to college and took it very seriously. Thankfully I had parents that were supportive of my interests and helped me pursue it. It has been a long and difficult road, but I’m extremely fortunate to say I can make a living doing what I enjoy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In the beginning, my career wasn’t exactly steady. There were a lot of struggles and the unfortunate reality is not everyone will get a job right out of college and I certainly didn’t work in the art field immediately.

It took a while, but after one application to another I happened to get picked up by a couple of agencies who helped me find work as a storyboard artist for commercials and film. Through my agents I had the opportunity to work on commercials for car brands like Honda, Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet. I’ve also worked on spots for Allstate, Target, Credit Karma and Oakley. As for film, I had the privilege to work on the Ed Helms and Jeremy Renner comedy Tag released in 2018. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with Nick Cannon on his independent film She Ball. As huge Jaws fan, I got to fulfill a checklist by working on a shark film that has not yet been released called Tiburon.

Now, while I was certainly getting experience through my agencies, it wasn’t consistent all the time. I absolutely need to work a day job to have some form of consistent income. In the art field and due to the nature of freelancing you’re always competing with everyone else looking for work. The workload eventually picked up the longer I stayed with my agents, but I still needed to take it upon myself to look for more work. Persistence is key.

As a lover comics and superheroes I also got to fulfill another checklist by working on sketch cards for Upper Deck and Marvel. I also specialize in using copic markers. I’ve been using them since high school and I can assure you that they are one of the best brands out there. They blend very effortlessly and are refillable if it runs out of ink. I typically use them for fun on my spare time or for commissions.

As of now, I work for the NFL as an illustrator in the social media/marketing department. I’m part of a small team of illustrators and the artwork I produce includes player portraits, plays/highlights, and conceptualized story-telling. You may or may not have seen some of my work, as well as my co-workers’ paintings go up on all of NFL’s social media.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m in-between a city and suburbs kind of guy, somewhere that isn’t too low-key, but busy enough that it feels lively as opposed to feeling too crowded, so I would probably go somewhere like Old Town Pasadena. There are a lot of restaurants to check out, from casual to fine dining. There are plenty of spots to just have a casual hangout. When I feel like making my wallet bleed, I would probably take them out to one of the best steakhouses I’ve ever eaten at called Alexander’s. They’re on another level compared to most steakhouses around Pasadena. The steaks are cooked to perfection, but the real winner is the Fried Rice with the Wagyu & Crab combo. It does not disappoint.

Assuming they’re into geeky things, and because I’m still a child and into a lot of geeky things I would take them to CoreTCG which is one of the best stores around So. Cal that provide goods for basically any trading card game. I still play Yu-Gi-Oh competitively and casually and Core TCG has no shortage of Yu-Gi-Oh products. It’s also a great place to duel and compete in tournaments or just for casual play. There’s another store called Gameology in Pasadena that is also a great place to play.

There’s also a trade show called Frank & Sons every Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays at the City of Industry. It’s a huge warehouse that has vendors who sell collectibles and toys of anything and everything. You’ll fine no shortage of high-end statues or figures, Funko Pops, action figures and dolls, vintage toys, sports memorabilia, comics and trading cards. For many, Frank & Sons is the closest thing to a Comic-Con experience you’ll have if you’ve never been to one and it is a sight to see.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my parents. They 100% supported my pursuit of an art career knowing that it’s not exactly the most stable. Without their help I definitely would not have been able to get the schooling that I needed to make it into the competitive job market.

My professors at the Academy Of Art University also kept it real. Not only did I learn a lot from them, but they also did not pull any punches in class and it absolutely helped me develop a thick skin, and it is very important to have thick skin in the art field. Since they’ve been there and done that, they were honest in their journey and it helped me push through the hard times.

My former boss Ruth Wels has a lot to do with where I am today. She gave me what I like to call my “break.” I firmly believe that more often than not, to really get your foot in the door of any kind of career, somebody just needs to take a chance on your abilities and cut you a break and she gave me that with my current job at the NFL.

Website: https://www.samuelshin.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelshin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/smlshin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smlshin/

Other: https://www.artstation.com/smlshin

Image Credits
All NFL work is credited to the NFL.