We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Francis Boncales a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Francis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Just like other artist origin stories, I grew up being obsessed with drawing but didn’t take art seriously until junior year of high school. It was my girlfriend at the time who reignited my obsession. She always encouraged me to draw, especially when I didn’t take it seriously. One time, she planned a date to go to a gallery in the arts district in downtown Dallas. I thought it was a fun activity but little did I know how influential it was going to be for me. I wish I could remember the artist but I was in awe. It was then that I decided to pursue a career as an artist. I spent the next two years of high school developing my craft and figuring out what type of artist I wanted to be. I had bad grades and people knew me as someone who didn’t take things seriously. I was motivated to not only prove to them but also to myself that I could make something of myself. I had to play catch up so I could graduate and go to a good art college. I ultimately had to take one year of community college before applying to the Rhode Island School of Design, which was my dream school. It was the only college I applied to and funny enough had no idea that it was an Ivy League school. After being accepted and transferring, I spent the next three years working the hardest I’ve ever worked to get good and keep up with my talented peers. It was tough but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Francis, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a Visual Development Artist currently working for Paramount Animation and the problems I solve for my job is to help figure out the visual language of a movie or tv show. I focus mostly on capturing mood and feel through color & light, along with environment design. It was a goal of mine since college to work in the entertainment industry as I was highly inspired by Ghibli, Disney/Pixar and DreamWorks growing up. After graduating RISD, I had a rude awakening that my skills were not where it needed to be. I applied to many studios, big and small, but had no luck. I ultimately had to take a detour when I was offered a job to work in casino games. It wasn’t the most ideal path but I did learn a lot from working at High 5 Games in New York City. I made life long friends and learned a ton as a Production Artist. After eight hours of work, I would go home and spend another 3-4 hours on my portfolio for animation. I did this everyday for about three years. I was determined to move to LA and get a job at an animation studio that I sacrificed many weekends and weeknights on improving my skills. After three years of living and working in NYC, I decided to take a leap of faith and leave my job to move out to LA. I had no prospects when I moved and friends and family were weary of me leaving a stable job to pursue this dream. There was support but I could tell some of them were worried. It was definitely tough at first. I luckily had good friends in LA to help me out along the way. I remember sleeping on an air mattress at my friend’s apartment for a month. I would go to coffee shops everyday looking for job postings online, attending events and networking as much as possible. Long story…long, I met the right people at the right time and eventually got my foot in the door! My resilience over the years of hustle is what I’m most proud of.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to self express and illustrate what I see in my head onto paper, canvas, screen. And when I can connect with others through my art on a deeper level, it brings me so much joy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There were so many moments in my journey that illustrate my resilience. But the one that comes to mind and I’m most proud of was when I finally got my first full-time animation job. I took about a four-year detour to get there but to me, those days were crucial in my character building. I always had it in my mind that I would work in animation even though I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Many times I wanted to give up but I kept pushing. I moved out to LA from NYC with no prospects at all. You could imagine how nervous I was. Through networking and building my portfolio, I was finally given the opportunity to do freelance work for Warner Bros. Animation within months of arriving in LA. Even though it was freelance, I got my foot in the door and from there, many doors opened up for me since then. One thing led to another, and I found my way to my first full-time job at Hasbro Studios. I remember hanging out at Aroma Cafe doing some personal work and I got a call from an unknown number from Burbank, CA. I wasn’t sure who it was but I immediately bolted from my chair and ran outside the front street to find a quieter place to talk. It was Hasbro Studios offering me a job. I had an out of body experience. I couldn’t believe it. After the call, all I wanted to do was yell with excitement. I immediately called my mom and told her the good news. It was a great day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artstation.com/francisboncales
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francisboncales/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisboncales/
• Twitter: https://x.com/francisboncales
• Other: https://www.shannonassociates.com/francisBoncales/portfolio?image=1