Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Franks.
Hi Hannah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Yeah of course! To start out, I was originally born in Santa Clara, California but grew up mostly in Raleigh, North Carolina. I remember ever since third grade, that was when I started drawing for fun. I would be in class and copy drawing the cover as well as pages from the Pokemon Black and White series so I could give it to my friends. They loved it so much that they would keep my drawings inside their desks, which motivated me to keep going.
I grew up in a nerdy family and have two older brothers that influenced their interests onto me. I drew sooooo much Pokemon and Kirby drawings where I would tape them into my bedroom or keep my favorites in a red folder. I still wasn’t sure at the time what I wanted to pursue until freshman year of high school, I saw a CalArts student film made from Michelle Lam called, “ENDLESSLY.” I was inspired by how professional her work was at such a young age and it made me strive to have a similar professional quality into my work as well. From then and out, I was serious about pursuing art as a career and my ultimate goal to this day is to work in the animation industry.
I was very fortunate to have a mentor or an art figure throughout my high school time, Xi Ding. He is a caricature artist located in Vienna, Austria- his stylized portraits and use of lighting fascinated me! He helped deconstruct how complicated lighting can be, as well as helped me figure out that I wanted to pursue character design as a career. Without his guidance, I think I would’ve been more lost and probably too scared to pursue what I wanted to do and went onto a different path.
For five years, I worked hard to study the fundamentals of art while building my portfolio to apply to CalArts, only to get rejected from them. At the time I was completely devastated and it put me in a dark place where I wasn’t sure if I was good enough to get into the industry- but that desire of wanting to be a part of it never went away, and I kept trying by looking at other art schools in California.
I’ve heard about ArtCenter and decided to visit both the CalArts and ArtCenter campuses with my best friend (shoutout to my bestie since eighth grade Jessie Berman Hershko <3). I was scared about having to fly on my own and I haven’t flown much, so having my best friend with me was an experience that I will always cherish. We also agreed that we did like what ArtCenter had when we visited their hillside campus. It felt more professional and well put together that I could see myself attending.
The next year I applied to Artcenter and got in! I was twenty at the time and I truly felt ready to take the large leap to attend the school without the physical help from my family. I was ready to move out and to become my own adult!
Ever since then, I would say that I don’t regret my experience so far at my school. I’ve had my fair share of good and bad experiences at ArtCenter that have shaped me as a better artist and adult.
I don’t think my story is over or coming to a close anytime soon- I think I’m still beginning it believe it or not. I’m so happy for the person I’ve become and have done so much work both mentally and creatively to get to where I am. I have such amazing friends (shout out to Liyao Liao, Michelle Han, Vicente Viray, Angie Lee) that are always guiding me to the right direction as well as have qualities about them that I truly admire so much! Thank you to my friends as well as my Mom and Dad for always supporting me and my dream career, even on the days where I have a hard time believing in myself sometimes- you guys are the real ones.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road- maybe at times it would be smooth, but for the majority of it it’s incredibly rocky haha.
When it comes to life as an artist, your biggest enemy is yourself/self doubt. That’s why I think it’s more important as artists to really take care of ourselves- when we’re at our worst, then the work we produce reflects that back. We can’t just force ourselves to work when we’re feeling down and I understand that sometimes life will get in the way where you may not have enough time to rest or there may be consequences for taking care of yourself, especially as an art student. But even when you are incredibly busy and have too much on your plate, it’s essential to have time to sit down with ourselves and breathe. Life nowadays, especially in LA, is so focused on work culture that we end up forgetting about who we are and to connect with other like-minded people. I want to live the rest of my life to enjoy this world and that doesn’t have to mean travelling necessarily, but even going out for a walk or having a rest day where I’m only watching shows I enjoy, is truly living. Let’s not be so hard on ourselves everyday, but be our own caretakers.
So basically taking care of myself, especially as someone that has autism and severe anxiety, does affect my life. It is something that I still struggle with and there are days where it’s manageable and days where I break down, but I have been prioritizing it more from previous mistakes.
I think another obstacle that I think a lot of young people don’t think about but SHOULD be is being around the ‘right people.’ Whether it be with your friends, family, or your partner- it’s so important to learn at a young age to be very picky with what kind of people you want to let in your life.
It’s so easy to let in someone that doesn’t respect you or value you as much as you value them, and then proceed to take advantage of that kindness whether it’s conscious or not. Ask yourself if you truly want to live in a world for the rest of your life where this person is just taking your energy and time without giving anything back. Is this person benefiting you or are they burdening you? I’ve learnt from attending my school’s counselor that there are a lot of young people that are unfortunately not as considerate and focus on themselves to the point where they don’t realize the impact they cause onto others with their careless and selfish actions. I’ve also been told by an amazing teacher I look up to (Adam Dix) that I’m someone that wears my heart on my sleeve- and those people are the easiest targets to take advantage of. I had to learn this the hard way especially in my first year of school. Even though it was a dark time for me, I’m glad that I still went through it in order to learn this lesson now. I want to thank my friends again that were there for me during that hard and stressful time where I desperately wanted to fit in- only to realize now that I would rather be alone than try to fit in if it means to protect my peace.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My overall portfolio is centered towards character design because it always creatively fulfills me as an artist. My favorite part when designing a character is to struggle through the explorative stages until I am able to replicate the look I can visualize in my head. The mental and creative challenge is incredibly frustrating and it could take from a few days to years to get the design right- which sounds awful, but that’s why I love it! I have my own characters that I’d love to tell a story with, but ever since freshman year of high school, I still don’t know how I want them to look! But it’s because I’m struggling to understand what is my intention and the concept behind the characters is where I’m lacking. Always research and explore your options- your brain will show through your work.
I’m someone that advocates to play, especially as an adult. As adults we forget what it’s like to reconnect with our inner child, because we’re faced with reality. We learn to toughen up and be responsible. I still think that’s important and isn’t a bad thing at all, but we forget to make space to play and my version of it is through doodles on chalkboards at school or drawing goofy expressions.
I’m a goofy person thanks to my oldest brother, Jacob Franks, where I like to incorporate that side of me through my character acting such as exaggerating their facial expressions or body pose, whether to tell a story or if it says something about the character. I’ve learnt from my character design teacher that it’s better to push as far as you can rather than making small adjustments to get the kind of “oomph!” you want, in order to get the work out faster and more effectively.
I admit that I don’t include much color within my work because I put a lot more of my time into my linework and overall design- Does it look appealing? Is there enough negative space for the viewer to breathe? Is the silhouette readable even if the character has a dynamic pose? Is the expression pushed enough? Is my intention with this character clear and readable at first glance? Are the shapes working together with one another? Which brush conveys the most about my idea and does it necessarily need to be very cleaned up or sketchy? I like to subconsciously think about these kinds of questions and more throughout the drawing process.
I think at the end of the day, if the drawing itself stands on its own, it doesn’t necessarily need to have color. I will definitely include color for professional work, but whenever I doodle- it just depends on how I feel at the moment.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like about Raleigh is how safe the road is, especially compared to California. Again I’m a very anxious person, but when it comes to driving in North Carolina, I would generally feel calm and relaxed. When it would be dark outside, there would be many empty roads where it would feel as if I’m the only one out. I love being out in public places where there’s no one around- it feels like you can wander around in such a big space and interact with it without worrying what others perceive or judge you. Plus my imagination runs wild during those moments and it makes me incredibly happy when I can turn off my brain even if it’s for a little bit.
Oh! And I love how beautiful the trees become during autumn! When I used to go to high school, along the way there would be many trees with colorful leaves that fell by. Passing through that direction always felt like I was in a movie. I think that’s why my favorite season is autumn (as well as the delicious pumpkin and pecan flavored foods that would return). Just thinking about it right now is making me smile!
I also always miss eating the Southern fast food chains as well as local NC places such as Bojangles, Cookout, and Goodberrys (eating their brownie sundae is the best comfort food I’ve ever had)! Whenever I come back to visit my friends and family in Raleigh, I always revisit those food places AND Brecotea! Brecotea has a special place in my heart where their aesthetic, pastries/drinks, and big space, stands so much to me and is perfect to hang out with friends! My favorite pastry (that I think they discontinued) is the ube donut!
I always pass by familiar areas that remind me of the many memories I have shared with my friends, family, and church. That’s the best part about visiting North Carolina that I love the most.
Now the things I don’t like about Raleigh is that there’s hardly a creative community that I could go to too. When I was self-studying throughout my time in high school and a couple years after graduation, I didn’t really find anyone or any community that wanted to pursue in the entertainment industry like I did. I also tried to look for any figure drawing sessions in my local area, but I couldn’t find any. I had to educate myself and found the resources I needed online.
During high school, there was barely any Asian community that was nearby me where if I wanted to be around one, I had to drive 30-45 minutes over to Cary. The only exception to this was the Raleigh Korean Baptist Church- if anyone wants to go visit a welcoming, warm, and small community while being involved in a Korean community, I highly recommend going there. Now there are more Asian restaurants and boba stores than ever since I visited in May- which is progress but, there’s not that many located in Raleigh and they’re all are far away from one another. I think having an Asian area within Raleigh where it has a H Mart (such as the one in Cary), would be great! 😀
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hfranks.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raison_tree?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
