Gabby Zapata on why color is so important to her, how her heritage shows up in her art, and the new Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14

We last checked in with artist Gabby Zapata after visiting her booth at a convention in 2020. We’ve loved her bright, vibrant, culturally informed art for years – in addition to her illustrations she’s been a character designer and visual development artist on animated films and other projects for Netflix, Paramount, Disney, Nickelodeon, and more, and has also illustrated some lovely children’s books. We were so happy to get back in touch with her recently; when we released the Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14 all-in-one portable drawing pad in 2025, we realized we’d love to see how she would use it.

It was perfect timing – she’s been taking care of her mother recently, and needed a portable option so that she could still draw while on the couch or otherwise needing to be away from her normal desk setup. That video is below, along with an interview about Gabby’s background, creative journey, and what she has coming up next. Note: the interview below has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ve written about how you’ve been drawing since you could “hold a pencil.” When and how did you decide art would become your career path?

Ever since I was a little girl, my mom always encouraged drawing. I remember I would want to skip nap time in kindergarten because I wanted to draw instead! I naturally gravitated towards art and tried to take as many art classes as possible that school offered. I later found out there were colleges out there for art specifically – and the rest is history!

You had to scramble a bit to afford art school – and this was quite a few years ago; college has only gotten more expensive. Would you recommend art school to a young artist in 2026? Why?

Yes, art school is very expensive – the equipment, supplies, living arrangements, etc. To save money in school, I had moved from California to Florida with my mom to help cut some of the expenses. I’m a Latina, first generation college student, so my parents didn’t have the resources to be able to help as much as they wanted to – I was on my own to figure it out. I had to write to financial aid and scholarship places for any support, and thankfully found some private donors to help. But it was incredibly lucky. Each semester I would worry if I would have enough to finish. I did end up with some loans, but those have been thankfully paid off!

Would I recommend art school? It really depends! I am someone that needs to be surrounded by other like-minded individuals and sometimes handheld guidance by teachers to fully understand. But I will say, there are so so many more resources – many of them free – now than there were 10 or more years ago. So I say, know what you’re getting yourself into if you are going to art school vs. online learning. Both have benefits, disadvantages and require lots of discipline.

You majored in animation; how did you end up deciding to pivot to character design and visual development?

Yes! I actually went into computer animation thinking I was going to be an animator – but it turns out it’s really hard! I still know how to 3D model somewhat, and I use it from time to time. But what I found out through the process is my love for designing characters. I loved seeing how I can really use my imagination to draw different designs and think about their personality. I think studying the whole animation pipeline was really helpful, though,to help me decide what direction I wanted to go in.

Your work, and your personal clothing style, are known for being bright and vibrantly colorful, with a lot of bold, stylized shapes and plenty of texture. How did you develop your personal art style?

I think in a world full of uncertainty, I wanted to use all the colors to bring light into my life and in others. I know that whenever I visit Mexico, there’s life full of color in terms of buildings, food, culture, and so much more! Then, I’d return back to the states and see beige and grey everywhere – that’s depressing to me! I say, if the colors exist, why not use them? I naturally gravitate towards colors that are vibrant and hope that someone else finds it inspiring to do the same too.

You work both traditionally, with gouache paint, and digitally. What are the pros and cons of each? Do you think it’s important for artists to develop skills in both, or is it OK to go 100% digital?

Each one is a different discipline for sure! They’re both great ways to exercise your brain. Traditional touches another side of your brain where you have to allow mistakes to happen and be gentle with yourself about it. Whereas digital, you have the ability to undo something very easily but then you run into the issue of being indecisive about the choices you make in your work – it’s a double-edged sword! I think knowing both is important and healthy for your mind. They say, it’s always good to learn something new so that your memory stays strong as you get older. So, if you haven’t picked up a paintbrush or a colored pencil, now’s the time to do it!

You recently had a chance to try out the new Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14. What is your typical digital art setup like? How did the MovinkPad Pro 14 fit into and/or enhance your workflow?

I’m an illustrator and also my mom’s caregiver. Sometimes I need to be at her place to care for her, and it’s important for me that I’m able to be mobile and be able to do the same work I do on my Wacom Cintiq pen display – that’s where the MovinkPad Pro 14 came into my workflow! I’ve actually used Wacom One too, but that one needs a cable – so the MovinkPad was a great option to add to my workflow if I need to be on the go without sacrificing quality.

You had the opportunity to work with legendary animator Aaron Blaise at Digital Domain – until it went out of business before its debut film was completed. How did you deal with that career setback? Do you have any life lessons or advice you learned from that experience?

Aaron was my mentor, and he taught me so many things that I’m still grateful for to this day! It was quite the blow when it all went under, but my time there was valuable to me and I cherish it always. It was my first gig straight out of college; I think if anything, I learned that you should save your work, learn to have savings, make connections, and stay on top of things. I didn’t let sadness get in the way and got to work right away. I still stand by that today, and in such an uncertain state of the world, it’s important now more than ever to stay alert and keep your head held high.

Since then, you’ve worked at Disney, Dreamworks, Paramount, Nickelodeon, and more doing character design and visual development, but have also worked on video games, card games, and children’s book illustrations. Do you prefer working in so many different arenas, or is there one aspect of your career that you wish you could focus on more? Why?

I ask myself this question all the time! You go into your career thinking you are just going to one thing and one thing only, but the reality is the industry and opportunities can come at any moment, and you just have to give it a try. It helps open up other sources of income and get to learn something new while you wait for the one thing you’re wanting to do. Having an art degree opens up a lot of doors, because we can envision and do a lot of things with the knowledge we learn from other jobs. Plus, it’s always fun to try something new! It challenges you in ways you didn’t think could be possible and I think that’s healthy for your personal growth.

A lot of your personal and professional work seems tied to your multicultural heritage and background. Why is it important to you to represent diversity in your work?

I didn’t grow up seeing a lot of me in the world of animation and I felt that as more Latinos entered the art world/workforce, it’s important that they should feel represented, too. We have to continue voicing that we are here, we matter, and we are valuable in so many ways just like anyone else. As long as I’m able to draw, I’ll continue representing my culture in every way possible!

Do you have anything cool coming up that fans of your work should look out for?

I have lots of things in the works! In 2027, I am releasing my fourth illustrated picture book, called “Mi Barrio Sings,” written by Monica Mancillas. I am also releasing an online costume design lecture with my good friends at The Art Club coming this Spring! There’s more unannounced things coming later in the year too, that I look forward to. I’m excited to share it with the world soon!