Long Story Short ★ with JEREMY DE LA GARZA

What a humble path of Perseverance and Hard Work can do for the Creative Spirit

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Texan born artist JEREMY DE LA GARZA is exercising his desire to learn and grow to make an indelible impact in sequential storytelling. Whether it’s comics, commercial and film storyboards or theme-park design, his determination is infallible.

BTP: Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you decided to pursue your career as a creative storyteller.

I’m a freelance storyboard and concept artist located in Valencia, California.  I currently work in the theme park industry and for live action commercials.  In the past I’ve worked a bit in animation, indie games and comics.

I was born in El Paso, Texas, my parents both worked for the airlines.  Eventually we ended up in Colorado where I grew up in the small town of Steamboat Springs and Fort Collins.  Both were amazing places to experience childhood.  As a kid I always loved stories, especially a good ghost story around a fall campfire.  My parents would take us skiing, hiking and I spent a lot of time outside riding my bike and daydreaming.  Seeing artist’s work around town in the local shops inspired me to believe it was possible to be an artist as an adult.  That and reading the comic strips and adventures of Peanuts, Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes.  I used to trace over the characters on the pages over and over, trying to mimic the beautiful linework.  Shortly after I became obsessed with ninja turtles [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles] and would spend hours drawing at the kitchen table with my younger brother.  

My passion for comics came a bit later around 1989.  I always loved superheroes, but Tim Burton’s Batman film as well as Bruce Timm’s Batman the Animated Series ignited a lifetime obsession for me.  Before then, I really didn’t know much about the character of Bruce Wayne and Batman.  The story of his journey going from a place of fear to mastering himself through the discipline of his mind and martial arts training fascinated me.  That and of course geeking out over the amazing character designs of the show, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  Most days in high school I would draw in the library and after school rather than doing homework.  I’d head home after class to watch Knight Rider and Batman the animated series, then head over to my good buddy and neighbor’s house.  We’d draw letter art and enter the old Wizard magazine art contests with hopes of being chosen.  I would always draw Batman or Superman and my buddy was a Savage Dragon fan.  They were good days:)

 BTP: Who was your first advocate or earliest mentor that helped in your pursuits?

I’ve always had an extremely supportive family that has cheered me on in becoming an artist.  In particular, the art and storytelling influence came from my dad.  He introduced me to all sorts of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Amadeus, The King and I, Shane and on Sundays we’d check out the old Turner classics on TV.  In general, I come from a family of passionate creative people who love a good story.  Most dinners growing up we’d recite the lines from our favorite films.  Mine were always 80s classics like Back to the Future, The Karate Kid and Gleaming the Cube.  

But back to the question at hand - my dad loved to draw when he was younger and had a stack of sketchbooks and Andrew Loomis books in the basement of our house.  I loved looking through his old sketchbooks.  The smell of art supplies and seeing a well drawn figure or portrait was magic to me.  He started to show me things like how to draw an eye or the human head and I was all in.  Eventually he gave me his Loomis books to practice from.  

Outside of my family, my earliest mentor was my Jr High art teacher.  I was a pretty shy kid and he really encouraged me to enter my art into local contests and school shows.  

Overall, I’ve been very lucky to have so many creative people in my corner.

BTP: When you originally set out to study and learn, when did your learning take place and what resources did you have available to you?

After high school, I decided to pursue becoming a professional illustrator and enrolled in my local college in 1999 to study painting.  Even though my school primarily focused on abstract art, I found two teachers that were both traditional realistic artists who were incredible influences for me.  One taught figure drawing and the other painting.  They really woke me up to the fact that art took hard work.  I had the opportunity to study a semester abroad in Italy with a small group led by the painting teacher and that trip changed my life.  I came home inspired and ready to buckle down and apply myself to the path.  Up until that point I really didn’t take practicing art that seriously.

After college I worked various nonrelated art jobs before meeting a talented prop and set designer in Denver. He hired me to help build sets and illustrate props for plays and parties. His drive and work ethic was very inspiring and something I’ll never forget. I eventually moved up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a fun job at a mascot company sculpting characters for college sports teams. On the side, I really wanted to break into comics, so I’d practice and draw sample pages at night. The internet wasn’t what it is now, so I spent a lot of time going to the library, reading books, and scouring the web for any tutorials I could find on drawing comics. Eventually, I met two amazing comic artists by the name of Jon Holdredge and Felipe Echevarria. Both of them had studied art at the Kubert school in New Jersey and were working in the industry. They were incredibly generous and took the time to show me the ropes of storytelling, drawing, inking and painting for comics. I was introduced to a world of artists that I had never known before, such as Alex Toth, Brian Stelfreeze, Steve Rude and Joe Kubert.

BTP: When compared to your early work experience do you feel like you were well-educated to step into a role or was there a larger divide between school and actual pipeline production?

 My college focused more on fine art rather than a commercial art.  Graphic Design was the only major they offered that was somewhat related to commercial illustration.  I chose painting instead, because I thought that would cater more towards illustration.  It wasn’t until I moved to LA where I realized there was a huge gap in my education and I wasn’t prepared.  I started working at a local ad agency and my first day on the job was a real struggle.  I sat next to a seasoned freelance sketch/storyboard artist that could draw like the wind.  By the end of the day he had a stack of flawless drawings and (pan over to my desk) I only had a few that were in pretty rough shape.  I was very green and on top of it I didn’t know any Photoshop.  So it was a pretty steep climb, haha.  But with some pencil mileage and the help of many artists I met on the job, I learned invaluable skills that I still use today.

BTP: What do you feel was missing in your education vs. the reality of the job? How would you fix this?

Even though I learned a good amount in college and really loved where I went to school, I realized I still lacked a lot of the fundamentals of art in comparison to the artists I was sitting next to at work.

Most schools in California at the time all had and still have programs focused on entertainment design, illustration and storyboarding.  So in a way, I had to start over a bit so I could get to where I needed to be.  

To fix it, back then I probably should have gone right to a more focused entertainment design based school from the start.  Now, I would just go to one of the many solid online art schools like CDA [Concept Design Academy], Brainstorm or Proko and take classes specific to my needs.  Those are just the ones I’ve taken classes at, but I’m sure there are many other great places out there.

I also wish that at the time I had found a class on how to work within a studio/team and navigate those waters.  The hard skills of art are definitely key to know, but I made a lot of mistakes learning the soft skills of communication and work place etiquette, which are just as important.  As I mentioned before, today there are so many resources available online, so that’s pretty awesome to see.

BTP: As creatives we tend to have personal goals or aspirations for ourselves. What are yours and what does achieving that look like in the next 5 to 10 years?

I’d love to continue working as a storyboard artist doing commercial work and join the Art Director’s Guild so I can eventually work in TV and film.

That and I’ve really been falling in love with writing.  I’ve been taking a lot of classes and am working on a comic that I hope to pitch in the near future to a publishing company like Image Comics.  Whether I go down the road of traditional publishing or self-publish, my ultimate goal is to tell my own stories and create comics that I’d be excited to read.

BTP: What are your biggest fears in your career currently and what are you doing to keep those in check?

With AI on the horizon, I’m definitely intimidated that being a storyboard artist and illustrator will become obsolete.  But I really do believe that we don’t know what any of this really is or will become.  I hope that it creates some amazing opportunities in the future for artists.  Even if the worst-case scenario becomes true and I have to change careers paths, I will always tell my own stories on the side and focus on traditional art.  That in of itself will be fulfilling for me creatively.  The dreamer in me thinks of it as being an old blacksmith or sword maker from a classic samurai film, haha.   

I also fear that continuing on the path of art could consume my health if I don’t balance my ambitions with taking care of my body and mind.  My thoughts can get the best of me at times when I don’t regulate my needs to accomplish “more” to feel whole and relevant.  I do my best to get outside for a hike on weekends and keep up with a regular exercise routine. 

Additionally, staying up to date and keeping my sword sharp as an artist is something that is always on my mind.  Taking classes from artists that I admire, as well as surrounding myself with people a step ahead of me on the art path has really helped me to grow and form amazing new friendships with fellow artists.  It’s been vital for me to have that network of support, especially in the freelance world.

BTP: Describe the perfect day for yourself. Comparatively, what would be the perfect workday?

In a perfect world… I’d wake up early, meditate, and spend an hour on creative writing/drawing on a personal project.  Afterward I’d grab a cup of coffee and head out to the gym or for a run to get some fresh air.  I’d start work by 10 am, and break for lunch with an old friend.  Then back to the drawing board till around 6 or 7 pm.  In the evening, I’d enjoy a walk with my wife and our dog, cook dinner, catch up with family, and wind down with some stretching and a good book before bed.  That would be a sweet day.  

BTP: What advice would you give to your younger self regarding your life’s path thus far?

Trust Yourself.  I have spent most of my life seeking the validation and approval of others, believing that my internal answers and permission weren’t good enough before setting out on a task.  But as I’ve gotten older I’m learning to believe and trust in my intuition more often.  I think that’s so important.  

That being said, advice from the right people is invaluable.  I have learned from so many amazing artists that have helped me along my journey.  Including mentorship from your very own talented Shane White from BTP.

BTP: What question, if any, do you wish we had asked and what would be your answer?

I think all of these questions cover it!  Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of all this!  I love both of your work and all you guys are doing for the art community.  I’m excited to see future interviews and podcast episodes for BTP:)

Website: https://www.jdelagarza.com/

Instagram: Jeremy De La Garza