Today we’d like to introduce you to Rafael Diez.
Hi Rafael, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I draw caricatures for a living. Not the ugly mean kind though. My style is flattering so it brings out the best in the guest. I do both traditional and digital. I started my caricature career in the hot summer of 1990 as Universal Orlando was starting to open its doors. Then I did caricatures at Disney for a few years. During this time, I would work the theme parks during spring break, summer break and Christmas vacation. I got my BFA from SCAD, in Savannah GA, and my MA from Syracuse University. My teachers were the comic book artists I looked up to and I lived in Oakland, CA for a few years while working at Paramount’s Great America theme park.
Formal art training wasn’t cheap. I attended Award Winning Illustration workshops and studio visits by over 50 illustrators, with training in London, San Francisco, and NYC. Mentors include Society of Illustrator members Greg Manchess, Rudy Gutierrez, Gary Kelley, C.F. Payne, John Thompson, Chuck Pyle, etc.
At Savannah College of Art & Design, GA, the emphasis was on Sequential Art, traditional and digital illustration, and storyboards. Workshop instructors included Marvel, DC and Vertigo artists: Mark Kneece, Klaus Janson, David Mazzuchelli, Will Eisner, Bernie Wrightson, Mark Schultz, etc.
While doing caricatures for my own company, I taught art in 4 different colleges in both online and ground formats.
Subjects taught: Fundamentals of Design, Color Theory, Life Drawing, Still Life Painting, Illustrating Literature, Concept Illustration, Drawing, Painting, Directed Themes in Illustration, Typography for Illustration, Illustration Media, Mastering the Pencil, Human Anatomy.
Course development: Developed two online courses, Illustrating Literature and Directed Themes in Illustration.
THE ART INSTITUTE, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Crealde Art School, and IADT.
Today, after more than 30 years of drawing thousands of guests per year, Rafael has built up his Client List that includes:
Space X, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Sony, Mall of Millenia, Tommy Hilfiger, Walmart, Disney, Universal, Kodak, Apple, Space X, New Balance, Samsung, BlackBerry, Sprint, Oracle, KB Homes, Sony, U.S. Army, Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Fast Signs, Outback, John Casablanca, Olive Garden, World Marriott, Paramount Great America, Motorola, Toyota, Costco, FAO Schwarz, United Way, WDBO AM 580, WKMG Channel 6, Kids Together, Budget Rent A Car, US Wireless, Liberty Mutual, University of Central Florida, Petco, Morgan Stanley, The Breakers Palm Beach, Cisco, Delta Airlines, Office Depot, Convoy of Hope, World Vision, Ritz Carlton, Mercedes Benz, Lincoln, Lexus, United States Tennis Association, Jacksonville Jaguars, Advent Health, Aetna, Florida Hospital, Humana, Cigna, Sunshine Health, Walmart, Fidelity, Jacksonville Bank, United Way, Shriners, Petco, Orlando Police Department, City of Orlando, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of South Florida, Miami University, Santa Fe College, Covergirl, Price Waterhouse and Cooper, Bank of America, Addition Financial, Mango’s, Hilton, Hyatt, Bahama Breeze, Ruth’s Chris, MacDonald’s, Chick Fil-A, GE, Thermo Fisher, Aegis, Availity, Aspire, Bare Republic, Amneal Bio Sciences, Cross pens, Jackson Hewitt, American Express, Claris, Alcon, CPSI, Kuraray, Simon Med, GameStop, Electronic Arts, SMA, Vystar, Catholic Heart, WCI, Trimble, MicroStrategy, Alaya Care, Orchid Medical, Re-Employability, Premier, Leland, Marriott, Cinepolis, Sparky Bros, Narciso Rodriguez, GES, United States Marine Core, George P Johnson Experience, Cisco Systems, Menard Inc, Go Red, SCIEX, Whole Foods, The Alfond Inn, Rollins College, Life Care Center of America, American Cancer Society, Meritage, Beezer Homes, Syncrony Financial, Waste Connections, CPSI, Ronald McDonald House, Dynamix, Runway Events, Perfect Wedding Guide, Georgia Spartanburg International Airport, Florida Energy Water and Air, Club Corp, Demetree Global, Tom James, Hill Gray Seven, New York Life Insurance, American Kennel Club, Florida Bar Association, Florida Realtor Association, Luminix, Tradex, BBC Worldwide, Altia, The First Academy, Winter Park High School, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Science Center, Orlando Museum of Art, etc.
I have also been featured in publications such as The Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Magazine, Create Magazine, Orlando Leisure, and Orlando Arts and on the morning show The Daily Buzz.
I work in my studio and I work events…Weddings, Conventions, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Engagement Parties, Baby Showers, Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties, Cocktail Parties, Rehearsal Dinners, Luaus, Cruises, Grad Nights, Office Parties, Employee Appreciations, Picnics, Birthdays, Retirement Parties, Grand Openings, etc.
My mom and dad gave us a great childhood. I was born and grew up in Peru and Bolivia and spent most of my youth in Bethesda, Maryland. I have two awesome kids and I’m married to a talented and beautiful woman from Brazil, who I drive crazy on a daily basis with my ADD. We have tons of cats and dogs.
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?
Drawing for a living is a big blessing that God has given me. I support my family with a job I enjoy, and to be honest, it is not an easy life. Many of my art school friends quit trying to make a living as artists. It is easier to work a 9 to 5, a linear career with benefits. When you work for yourself, you work long hours. We live by faith. Once you finish a job, you have to get back on the horse and find another job. Always looking for jobs and interviewing for clients is exhausting. Even with a great resume and client list and reviews, it doesn’t seem to get easier. You still have to hustle, meet potential clients, build up connections, and market yourself all the time. You never know when a seed that you plant will grow into a tree. Marketing is sometimes a bigger part of this job than the art part of it. There is no time for shyness. When I get tired of the art part, I dive into the marketing, and this gives me a time to rest since they are different muscles and strategies being used. I enjoy both of them equally! There have been rough and stressful times where we borrowed money, where our church helped pay our rent for a month or two, where jobs got canceled. The entertainment industry got blown to smithereens in 2020. Most of my income dropped like an elevator with its cables cut. Almost all my contracts were canceled in 2020 due to Covid. We had our best year financially in 2019. So far, 2021 is somewhere in the middle, as we have many recent cancellations. God has provided though! He sends people your way to be blessings and to help you cross this difficult river.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Yes. Learn the business side of your career. Try to find a job that is steady and necessary, and not a luxury, or something that people don’t need. If you have the talent, and the work ethic, don’t forget the business side and the marketing side which can determine your success more than your art skill. Too many artists are terrible at business and in selling themselves. There are a lot of average artists who are great at marketing that do well because of those skills.
Contact Info:
- Email: incaraf@hotmail.com
- Website: www.cartoonUcaricatures.com
- Instagram: cartoonucaricatures
