Artist Spotlight w/ Henrique Barone
Dec 6, 2022
First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, my name is Henrique and I do animation primarily for Motion Graphics, but I’m always willing to explore new fields such as TV series, kids' books, editorial, games, and any field where a little movement and life wouldn’t hurt. :)
I love partnering with artists, studios, and brands to bring something unique to life. With many years working in the Animation and Motion Graphics industry, I learned to be versatile while keeping my strong animation voice to different art styles. I also have a traditional animation course with the School of Motion and I’m always open to giving talks and workshops.
I guess I would say it’s easier to become a freelancer but, it’s not that easy to become flexible.
Can you tell us about your experience and the role you are primarily filling?
I’ll always consider myself to be a frame-by-frame animator but, for the first time in 2022, I managed to really not put the pencil down on some projects and still see them happening with amazing designers and animators.
It felt good and so, after around 4 years of freelancing, I update my socials from “freelancer animator & creative director” to “freelance creative director & animator”. That’s an attempt to switch my mindset and balance my hands-on jobs with a bit more brain-on opportunities if that makes sense. Let’s see what happens!
If you could speak directly to the resourcing gods and powers that be, what would be your ideal project?
I described that in a funny way to someone on LinkedIn these days. My dream job would have an appealing and simple design and the client would be like "here is the board, style frames, and a crazy funny audio...go for it, bye! Ah and the content is education for kids". I know it sounds crazy but that’s pretty much what happened in my recent work at StoryBots for Netflix. They were really a dream client, which answers your next question!
Do you have any dream clients?
Jokes aside, I get super inspired (and work a lot better) when the design is appealing or unique. Another good example where I felt I was on a good streak creatively was the animated series with Handsome Frank. Every single illustration was cool in its own way and I loved tuning into each illustrator's style and making it move; understanding and respecting each different language.
In terms of brands, I would like to work more with some of the big ones like Apple and The New York Times, for example. Also, doing a Google Doodle has been a dream of mine for a long time!
Lastly, do you have any memorable stories, life lessons, or tall tales you can share from your adventures as a freelancer?
I guess I would say it’s easier to become a freelancer but, it’s not that easy to become flexible.
Especially in my first year freelancing, I did find myself aiming for a 9 to 6 schedule when the reason I left my amazing job at Giant Ant was to pursue more flexibility and focus a bit more on my personal life with my then 1-year-old daughter. It took some time and some courage to be comfortable in saying “hey, I have to stop now because it’s pick up at school. I can work a bit more later or start my day earlier if I need”. Of course, to do that, I have to be a good team player, always on top of my work, constantly updating the directors, and not falling behind.
Give yourself time to learn how to be flexible!
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