12 KEYFRAME
BIG
BREAKS
WHEN IT COMES TO STAYING
CREATIVE, TIME SPENT NOT DRAWING
PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR
CHARACTER DESIGNER LUIS GADEA.
this page: Gadea
studied caricature
when he was young—an ideal
artform for expressing his passion
for the uniqueness of human beings.
Luis Gadea has always had
an innate interest in what he
calls "moments in life."
Born in Canada and raised
in Costa Rica, Gadea says
that, as a kid, he'd watch
how his extended family interacted at loud
get-togethers, analyzing their body language or
the way they moved. These real-life moments of
observation led to more creative pursuits.
He'd use paper to imagine playful fictional
worlds and characters, like Martians who
12 KEYFRAME
were members of a rock band, or riffs on
historical stories, like someone meeting the
16th-century pirate Redbeard. His parents
enrolled him in drawing classes where he
learned artistry like manga and caricature.
In Costa Rica, the culture helped Gadea
push beyond traditional textures, colors,
and shapes.
"It's a very colorful country," he says.
"Even with skin tone and body shape, that
was something very early on that I started
pushing to get away from the 'normal' way
of drawing [peoples' bodies]."
Gadea would eventually study classical
animation at Vancouver Film School.
T H E C L I M B
