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Mauricio Abril

Concept Artist in Visual Storytelling

Concept Artist / 14 yrs

Pasadena, CA

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Concept Artist

Walt Disney Imagineering

Once upon a time I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, but eventually I obtained another one at the Art Center College of Design in Entertainment Design. I have since been working as a Concept Artist/Illustrator for various entertainment companies, most notably The Walt Disney Company as well as children's publishing for Simon & Schuster.

Work History

Painter

Cartoon Network

September 2020 - Present

Burbank, CA
Instructor

Brainstorm School

September 2017 - March 2020

Pasadena, CA

Current instructor for the Digital Illustration class at Brainstorm School in Burbank, CA. It is an intermediate course that emphasizes strong illustration fundamentals, image making process and effective digital pipelines.
Concept Artist

BRC Imagination Arts

November 2019 - January 2020

Pasadena, CA

Created black and white storyboards for an immersive guest attraction being developed in Europe.
Concept Artist

Walt Disney Imagineering

July 2017 - October 2019

Pasadena, CA

Provided concept art ranging from black and white storyboards to schematic sketches to full color illustrations and everything in between. Worked across multiple projects for multiple teams including but not limited to projects under the Star Wars, Marvel, and Feature Animation portfolios.
Illustrator

Simon & Schuster

February 2019 - April 2019

Pasadena, CA

Illustrated two tie-in picture books for the DreamWorks animated feature film Abominable.
Yi's Journey Home, Meet Everest
Illustrator

Marcus Lemonis Fashion Group

October 2018 - November 2018

Pasadena, CA

Designed and illustrated several Christmas-based characters including Santa Claus and multiple elves to be used for the CNBC show "The Profit" with Marcus Lemonis.
Concept Artist

The Hettema Group

October 2016 - June 2017

Pasadena, CA

Provided various forms of concept art ranging from sketches, schematic drawings, color keys and full color paintings for various theme park projects in Asia.
Concept Artist

Universal Studios

May 2016 - August 2016

Pasadena, CA

Provided various forms of concept art including sketch ideation and colored storyboards for the development of the Despicable Me area for Universal Studios in Japan.
Art Director

BRC Imagination Arts

November 2011 - May 2016

Responsible for collaborating with different design professionals on multiple projects, creating and supervising artwork, and meeting with clients - both domestic and international - to initiate artistic discussion for potential projects.
Concept Artist

Disney Interactive Media Group

June 2011 - May 2012

Provided environment designs, prop designs, color keys and pitch illustrations for unannounced Disney online game.
Concept Artist

Disney Interactive Studios

October 2010 - November 2010

Provided concept illustrations, character designs and storyboards for two forth coming Disney video game IPs