Rachel was once a student majoring in animation from China and is currently employed at Pixar as a character designer. She has contributed to projects like “Onward” and “Soul,” among others.

Her work embodies a classic American style, characterized by skillful brushwork and distinctive character features, all complemented by a rich palette. She seamlessly blends her imagination with a solid foundation in her craft.

After graduating, she secured an internship at Pixar, where she initially worked on designing items like decorations, bottles, and furniture that appear in the background. Later, she successfully transitioned to become a full-fledged character designer.

In an interview, she mentioned that her teachers didn’t overly interfere with students’ creative processes. Whether it was in terms of form, style, or subject matter, students were encouraged to follow their preferences, with professors offering the necessary support and guidance. During this time, she not only honed her aesthetics and broadened her horizons but also gained confidence in her creative abilities.

Rachel also emphasized that character design is an early and essential aspect of a film project. If a film has a distinct worldview, it’s a collaborative effort among the director, screenwriter, and designers. Character design isn’t just about creating characters; it’s also about building the world, especially when it comes to designing background characters.

Many people tend to overlook background characters, but in film production, they play a crucial role in shaping the worldview. As Rachel put it, “Imagine what a city looks like, what culture it has, what races inhabit it, and what level of economic development it has. Do all these have to be expressed through every pedestrian on the street? This is where character design comes in. So, it’s rare for designed characters to feel disconnected from the worldview; you create more characters to refine the world when the worldview has taken shape.”