Today we’d like to introduce you to Billie Liao.
Hi Billie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I sure can! I always remember being an artist. There was a short while when my parents let me cover our apartment living room’s walls with drawings on loose leaf paper. Growing up, as a Chinese American there was an expectation that I would study math and science, but I was allowed room to pursue art as well.
I was surprised when my mother encouraged me to apply to art schools and that’s how I ended up studying at Savannah College of Art and Design. Shortly after graduation, I was lucky enough that some fellow classmates of mine were hired at a TV animation studio in Atlanta and recommended me for a job. From there, I worked on all kinds of projects, from films to music videos, and met lots of creatives!
Right now, my day job is in game development as an artist for Ultima Online. On the side, I run a personal art brand, DragonBeak, where I sell illustrations both online and at local art markets.
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?
I’m sure anyone working in entertainment would agree it’s not known for its smooth roads, ha ha! When I was in animation, studio work was often project to project. If you get lucky, perhaps a TV show could get you work season to season. You basically have to put your best foot forward, hope your peers recognize your good work, and pray they remember you when there’s more work.
When your job is to lend your creativity to tell others stories, it can be easy to lose sight of your own voice. That’s why I’ve also developed my art brand, DragonBeak, to create work that speaks directly to my audience.
Moving to game development has also had it’s own challenges. With TV I had a basic idea of everyone’s role in the pipeline, but I have no idea how software engineering works. I’ve learned a little about coding and quality assurance, which has been exciting!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a range of skills, so what I’m most proud of is my own versatility. I studied animation and have touched most positions of the studio pipeline: storyboards, character design, puppet rigging, etc. My favorite part was always storyboarding, where you get to layout the visual ground work for the whole show.
Working on all kinds of projects has also allowed me to be a style chameleon. For example, my current work on Utlima Online has a painterly but retro pixel art aesthetic to it. I was nervous at first since I’d never worked with pixel art before, but learning on the job has been a wonderful creative challenge.
And of course, my personal work is where I can return to the style I’m most comfortable with. I really enjoy exploring dynamic shapes and bright colors, but since I’m a one-person team I have to consider what’s economic with my time. Ha ha, it really forces me to focus on what I want to say. Which at the moment, I’ve been working on pieces that celebrate diversity, inspire action, and build community.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve never been the best at conventional networking, meeting new people had always made me anxious! However, what I’ve found is being easy to work with and reliable makes you memorable.
If you’re fortunate enough attend art school, I believe there’s a huge networking opportunity with your peers. The foundation of my current network even now is those connections I made with my classmates. And I don’t even recall being particularly social, I was sort of a nerd who brought my best to every assignment and I think that’s what people remembered me for.
Really, I think being kind can take you a long way. Technical skill can be trained but humility is difficult to teach. Or at least, I’m glad it’s not my job to teach others to be humble!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://billieliao.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dragon_beak/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DragonBeakArt
