We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cathleen Abalos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cathleen below.

Cathleen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I work as an illustrator and visual development artist. I have worked on projects ranging from children’s books and party games to trading cards and animation. When I’m not working on various projects, I’m building my art brand, selling my artwork at comic and anime conventions as well as selling online through my website.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up in Long Beach, California and got my bachelor’s degree in art at the California State University of Long Beach. I originally was working in the service industry when I began to sell my artwork at events. I was part of a few gallery shows throughout the LA area and I also volunteered as a board member for the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. Then I started to do more in-person events and I picked up more projects along the way. I am currently juggling a couple of projects and working several in-person events a year.

When working on a project, my goal is to create illustrations and assets that adhere to the client’s vision. My passion is concept art and visual development: I love creating backgrounds, characters, and props that fit a specific world; and I love creating concepts that evoke specific story moments. Some of the work I’ve done was a children’s book about a family day at the beach, some concept art for a sci-fi show about a person living on Mars, and character designs for an indie film about a girl dealing with grief and loss.

When I’m not working on projects, I’m creating personal art for my brand. I try to illustrate moments in life, sometimes adding a little bit of whimsy and fantasy in the illustrations. I love using color and lighting to depict the emotion in a painting or scene, and my goal is that this translates well to the client or customer. Some of the inspiration for my work is drawn from personal travels, experiences, and my culture as a Filipino-American. Because of this, some pieces range from beaches and seascapes, paintings of people walking along a city street, or even a scene of a Filipino grandma making lumpia (Filipino egg rolls) with her granddaughter.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have a couple goals for my creative journey. My goal as a visual development artist would be to eventually work on a Disney animated feature film. One of my earliest memories was my dad taking me and my sister to see The Little Mermaid. It was my first film in theaters and it was really inspiring! I remember wanting to draw Ariel and trying really hard to draw her and then getting frustrated about not drawing her like the picture. But I think that sparked something in me to eventually get into drawing later on.

Since I promote and sell my art too, my second goal would be to grow my art business through wholesale opportunities and establish a bigger online presence. I sell a lot of my work at in-person events, and even though I love meeting fans and customers in person, I would love to grow my art business through my online shop.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is getting to meet customers and fans of my work. I work at a lot of in-person events, and sometimes the hours are long. But what makes it worth it is that I get to do what I love and then meet people that love and appreciate the work I create. Sometimes I get to geek out with customers about various fandoms. And sometimes we trade stories about cat parent experiences. No matter what the subject is, the fun conversations with fans and customers makes all the long hours and late nights worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cathleenabalos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystafett/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathleenabalosart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleenabalos
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cathleenabalos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cathleenabalos8513/featured