Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Soto.
Charlene, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Like many artists, I started drawing when I was young. It was a hobby that I enjoyed and it was a way that I could be creative and tell stories. I was really drawn to animation in particular. I remember watching Sleeping Beauty one morning before school and drawing a frame of the final battle between Maleficent and prince Phillip, I remember thinking how amazing it would be to bring my own characters to life using this medium. It certainly paved the way in what I wanted to do as an artist and where I wanted to go. Once I became a freshman in high school, I learned that our art department offered an animation course.
During that semester, I created my first short film about a girl too scared to jump off a diving board. While the video has been lost years ago it still helped me understand what the process is like beginning to end. It also helped me realize that I didn’t want to be an animator but I still wanted to be a part of animation. I went to community college for a while to focus on getting a degree in fine arts as an illustrator. While there, I created my own business in freelance illustration and design. I picked up jobs from creating logos, pamphlets, personalized commissions etc. for just about every occasion. From my business I picked up where I left off in high school rejoining the animation community. With the advent of social media, it was easier than ever to see what artists where up to creatively. It also opened up a new door that I hadn’t previously noticed which was storyboarding. For me it was the perfect middle ground that I had been searching for. I could tell a sequential story without having to do the task of animating it. This also opened up the possibility of being a comic artist as well. Which I was able to do just this past year for Ascend Comics with the short story “Silent Waves”.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art is a mix of silly thoughts and the good things in life. I like to portray that in the work that I do. People in their everyday lives are just so interesting that I feel that it sometimes gets missed if you aren’t looking. Capturing that essence of living or existing is exciting to me. I try to add those same elements into my pieces and work. First and foremost, I am a storyteller and so when I am creating a piece I always try to ask “what story am I telling?”. Then it’s a process of how I get there using body language, visual cues, and composition. Being a mixed-race person, I try to add in elements from my Mexican background with bright warm colors. I came from a large family that has always been loving and supportive and in my own way I’d like to give that back to others. That feeling of happiness, love and compassion. While the world may not be full of hand holding Kumbayas, I can at least make an active choice to do my best as a person and project that through my art.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
I say start small. Do a little every day, you are not failing by not drawing or creating every second of your life. It’s okay. Allow yourself to draw when you are able. Maybe it’s ten minutes at lunch or five minutes before bed. They don’t have to be three to eight-hour drawing sessions.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Currently, people can follow and support my work from Instagram @HalfyTaffy and my website charlenesoto.net. You can also find out where I’ll be at for future gallery shows or venues as the year goes on.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.charlenesoto.net
- Email: sotoartstudios@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halfytaffy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HalfyTaffy_
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