I am Rafael Rosado.

Cartooning is my art.

Cartoonist/Animator |

Giants Beware! Dragons Beware! Monsters Beware!

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   rafael_rosado614

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"I consider myself a cartoonist, more than a fine artist. I work in the animation industry and I create graphic novels. I've been in the animation industry for over 25 years, working as an animator, layout artist, writer, character designer, director and producer in numerous animated TV productions."

"I'm currently a storyboard artist for Warner Brothers Animation, and Universal Cartoon Studios among others. As a storyboard artist, my task is to interpret the script and come up with narrative images and continuity that help tell a story, all of which will ultimately end up on screen as a TV show or film."

"My parallel career is as a comic artist/graphic novelist. I've co-created and illustrated a series of all-ages graphic novels, The Chronicles of Claudette. There are currently three volumes in the series: Giants Beware!, Dragons Beware! and Monsters Beware!. My work's also appeared in a number of anthologies."

"I consider comics my personal work, as opposed to my professional work in animation, which is more often work-for-hire. The process of making comics is somewhat similar to my storyboard work in a number of ways. They're both narrative mediums, telling a story over time. The visual language is similar as well. The comic-making process is more complex and demanding, but it's ultimately more satisfying."

"There's an infinite amount of ways to tell a story via comics, from the intimate to the epic, from the visually simple to the most intricate of styles. You can control pacing in a way that you can't with film. You can linger on moments, or fill the page with action."

"As a cartoonist, having the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library, and the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus festival here in town is a big plus. They're both great resources, academically and personally."

"I like to re-visit the work of artists that have inspired me in the past, whether it be cartoonists or animation artists, painters or live action directors. As I gain experience over time their work speaks to me in deeper ways, I understand the work differently, I can see what they're doing and how they did it more clearly, and hopefully I can bring some of that back into my work."

"Even though I draw cartoons for a living, I don't necessarily sit around watching animation or reading comics all the time. Often times it's better to draw inspiration from other sources, be it live action films or painting, or music. It can be a bit of a pallet cleanser."

"I love the growing enthusiasm for the arts in the community in Columbus. It seems to grow every year."

"The best advice I’ve ever been given? ‘Keep it simple! Simplify, simplify.’ The best advice I can give? Practice, practice, practice! Whatever your discipline, no matter how good you are, you have to keep up your skills."

"There's a couple of quotes I keep thinking about: One's from the painter Chuck Close: ‘Inspiration's for amateurs. The rest of us get to work.’ The other one's from Steve Martin, and it goes something like, ‘Be so good that they can't ignore you.’"

"The cost of living in Columbus, compared to other metro areas, just can't be beat. Feeling a little more secure financially can definitely free up some headspace. Any kind of stress, especially financial, is not good for creativity, in my opinion. I don't buy into the tortured artist myth (see the Chuck Close quote above)."

"The questions I most often get asked (and my answers): ‘Isn't it all done with computers now?’ Nope! I still do most of my work by hand. ‘People still read comics?’ Now, more than ever! Comics are here to stay."

"I wish people would realize that it all comes down to story. It's not about fancy techniques, or big budgets. You need that emotional connection for the work to resonate."