About Me

Growing up watching cartoons on cable and reading paperback comics at the bookstore has made me into the animation, comic book-loving nerd I am today. I wouldn't be here telling you this if it wasn't for Cartoon Network, Spider-Man, and the country of Japan molding my tiny impressionable brain at the bright, early age of seven. And up until now, I still watch cartoons and read manga in my free time as a full-time adult.

I came to love watching animations and reading comic books but I soon found myself wanting to create my own. I began my artistic journey in 5th Grade by drawing one of my favorite videogame characters, Sonic the Hedgehog. In drawing that blue, spikey, chili dog-loving hedgehog I knew I wanted to continue drawing for the rest of my life. It was something I enjoyed doing and it was a great way to distract myself from real world problems at the time. Being the introvert that I was, I had no problem spending hours drawing. In fact, I would end up drawing everywhere, anytime, and on anything! I'd draw in class on my homework papers, folders, and even on desks (shhh don't tell Mr. White...). After school, I would end up sitting at my pink study desk and draw until I was tired. Writing this out is making me realize I had a real drawing addiction...oh wow. It's been a fun journey nonetheless. 

It wasn't until I got to highschool when I really started pondering about my career path. I knew I loved to sketch, create characters, and build worlds but I didn't exactly know what I'd want to do with this passion until I started thinking about college. I knew I wanted to go to Arizona State University since middle school but I wasn't exactly sure what I would study or how to even get to study there. Senior year of high school came along with graduation just around the corner and I found myself rethinking my life just like I had back in that 5th grade classroom. One day as I was browsing online for the different art majors at ASU, I discovered that Animation was going to be a major students could apply to study for. That's it! I decided then and there I was going to be an animator following in the footsteps of my favorite cartoons I had grown up watching. 

I was fortunate enough to have received the Obama Scholarship at Arizona State University and have the opportunity to study what I was most passionate about. Those four years at ASU have been life-changing, as I was able to work with like-minded individuals and be able to connect with creative professors and students alike. Before enrolling at ASU I was unaware that the animation industry had other jobs than simply being an Animator. I had believed that if you were an Animator, you were doing it all. From conceiving ideas to rendering and compositing the final copy of your animation. Through numerous art courses and countless efforts animating frame by frame, I realized I wanted to focus on the drawing aspect of the Animation industry. It was impressive seeing my drawings move and interact but I preferred being a part of the behind-the-scenes aspect of Animation even more. Since then I've shifted my focus onto the "Pre-Production" portion in the Animation Pipeline by going back to my roots and reliving those days of creating characters and stories as I've done through the years.

Hi! My name is Leslie Gonzalez. I am an Arizona State University alumni and a Latina Visual Artist! I specialize in Character Design, Concept Art, Illustration, and Storyboarding.