There are dreams that are sketched in school notebooks and, with time and an epic amount of work, materialize on the big screen. Jean Leal, a 3D artist from Alajuela, Costa Rica, had a clear goal since childhood: to be part of the Disney universe. Today, although fate led him down the path of digital animation and a spectacular leap to Stellar Creative Lab, his ambition has been fulfilled in an even more impressive way: modeling the greatest superheroes and villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As a child, my dream was always to be part of Disney. I loved their movies, their characters, their stories, and that whole magical universe. I didn’t understand how the industry worked, nor did I know that it was a job; I just knew that I wanted to draw for Disney and be part of that world. So as a child, everything revolved around that desire. I spent hours drawing, copying characters from the movies, and trying to recreate them in my school notebooks. That was my daily routine: watching movies, drawing, and dreaming of one day becoming an artist in that universe that made me so happy,” he said in an interview with our TCRN team.
Jean is an artist specializing in 3D modeling of characters, objects, and scenes, as well as rendering and texturing. He has a bachelor’s degree in digital animation from Veritas University (Costa Rica), where he graduated in 2022. He then specialized in 3D character modeling.
Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to work both nationally and internationally on commercial projects, video games, series, and collaborations with major brands.
He began his professional career in 2022 working for a Costa Rican/Canadian company calledRelish, where he had the opportunity as an artist to create for a Mattel series called Cave Club. He then worked on the Barbie series, where he had the opportunity to work directly on main characters such as Barbie, her sisters, her best friend, and many other characters. With the company, he also had his first experience designing characters for video games.
After two years at Relish, Jean moved to Stellar Creative Lab, a Canadian company where he worked directly for Marvel. He initially worked on What If s2, creating characters and props. He then created characters for the entire Marvel Zombies series, including Thanos, Abomination, Black Panther, The Wasp, and many more. He also worked on What If s3.
“I feel like it was an incredible and unforgettable experience. For me, it was exciting to work with characters that are so beloved and that I have always loved, the thrill of seeing how little by little we were transforming a storyboard into a series full of emotion,” he said.
Jean Leal was also a professor at Veritas University, sharing his knowledge for the digital animation degree program.
He continues to work for Costa Rican companies, one of which is La Sala Post, “where I have had the pleasure of animating characters that I love, such as those from Maxi Pali (Mama Lucha). I created Gollo, who is another character that always makes me happy to see in commercials or advertisements on the street. I created characters for the BCR, such as the toucan and the pig from the Banco Nacional,” he explained.
Currently, he is creating for FairPlay Labs, a Costa Rican company that worked with incredible video games for huge brands. “We’re coming off a project for Nickelodeon, and well, there are some really cool things coming up that I can’t mention yet. I also work as a freelancer in the commercial area with a company located in Macao. I have had the good fortune to work for rappers such as Central Cee and brands such as Nike, Spotify, G-Shock, Bathing Ape, Jimmy Shoo, and Skechers, among others.”
Jean Leal is a Costa Rican who has always lived in the center of San Joaquín de Flores, Heredia, which he loves immensely.
He is known for his drawing—he can’t see a piece of paper or a pencil without feeling the need to draw something. As a child, his school notebooks were always filled with drawings on the last few pages.
Working twice as hard to achieve his goals
The Costa Rican artist defines himself as having contagious energy, attributes that, according to him, are the result of a solid family upbringing. In a pleasant conversation, he shared with us the values that drive him and his ambitious plans to leave his mark on the international entertainment industry.
He prioritizes human warmth in his daily life: “I define myself as someone who is very cheerful, humble, and kind. These are values that my family has always instilled in me, and I have tried to maintain them both personally and professionally. I like the people around me to feel that vibe,” he said.
In the workplace, he sets the highest standards for himself. “Professionally, I define myself as a very hard-working, dedicated, and responsible person when it comes to my goals. I don’t rest, and sometimes I don’t sleep until I achieve what I set out to do,” he said with conviction.
Recognizing the challenges of his career, Leal emphasized that his career has not been easy, so he always tries to give his best, strive to the maximum, and work twice as hard when necessary to get where he wants to go.
His main aspiration is to make the leap to the international market: “One of my main goals is to be able to work outside the country. I would like to take that step internationally, especially in markets such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, where the industry is very strong.”
To achieve these goals, Jean maintains a clear strategy: his focus is to continue preparing himself, working very hard, and constantly learning, with the clear goal of joining a large company such as Disney, Sony, or Illumination in the near future. “I know that step will come at the right time, and in the meantime, I continue to create, grow, and make my way with new projects.”
For him, his career is just beginning, as he has about five and a half years of experience. In addition to wanting to work abroad in the short term, he would love to become an art director on a series or film.
Do you have a personal brand?
Jean’s work and services are presented under the name Jean Leal Art, which appears on various social media platforms @jean.leart, and on his website Jeanleart3d.com.
On the website, you can find his portfolio and part of his professional experience. On social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, he shares content from each creative process, especially the creation of characters and personal projects. His goal is to upload tutorials very soon.
What or who led you to the world of art, to 3D animation?
As we mentioned, his first encounter with 3D was as a child. He had a notebook that explained the basic concepts of how 3D worked, but at the time he only used it to trace drawings, without really understanding what it was all about. Years later, as an adult, he realized that this notebook was completely related to the world of 3D.
More consciously, his first real encounter with 3D was at technical school, where he came into contact with 2D animation, which sparked his interest in animation in general. Later, during his professional internship at an advertising agency, he had the opportunity to get to know teams dedicated to animation up close, which confirmed to him that this was a possible path in Costa Rica. From there, he decided to study animation and dive headfirst into the world of 3D.
Was it something inherited?
Art has always been very present in Jean Leal’s family, mainly in his mother and grandfather who, in his opinion, have always been very creative and artistic people.
“On my dad’s side too, he loves to draw and has a great talent for crafts. I have an uncle who is a craftsman and makes incredible products. From an early age, my cousins, my brother, and I spent more time drawing than doing any other activity, such as playing video games, for example. Today, two of my cousins are great tattoo artists, and my other cousin is on his way to becoming a great graphic designer. Art definitely runs in my family’s veins,” he said.
Regarding competitions in which he has participated… During his childhood and school years, he participated in several national drawing competitions, especially art festivals. One that he considers very special was when, at the age of eight, he drew Elmo in a Sesame Street competition, which allowed him to meet him and be published in a newspaper. It was an experience that had a profound impact on him and motivated him to have more confidence in himself.
Currently, he is more focused on his work. He informed us that Marvel Zombies is currently nominated for two Annie Awards, “it would be wonderful if it won these awards, incredible for me,” he said.
Professionally and personally
The artist from Heredia shared details about his creative process and deepest motivations, revealing what elements are indispensable in both his personal life and his art.
When asked what he cannot do without in his life, Leal is emphatic: “Personally, my family, my girlfriend, and my dogs are my driving force and my happiness. Without them, I wouldn’t have the inspiration or motivation to do anything.”
This emotional foundation carries over into his professional life, but with one crucial addition: in his professional life, family remains his greatest motivation, along with music, because he always needs music to be able to work and feel relaxed while he is creating. In fact, the first thing he does when he turns on his computer is put on music and get into work mode.
It is worth mentioning that his grandfather, in particular, has been a huge inspiration in his life. “He was always a very important pillar for me, and today he continues to be a constant source of motivation.”
Jean’s grandfather passed away, an event he considers the most difficult of his life, as he was like a second father to him. “He was always very present, he was the one who teased me, who took me to the park to play ball, who taught me a thousand things, and one of the people who always believed in me since I was little. Today I try to honor him by giving my best, working hard, and doing things with love.”
When people see one of Jean’s creations, they will always be able to enjoy…
What sets Leal’s work apart is his meticulousness. “I think what most characterizes my art is attention to detail. I am a very detail-oriented and patient person; I can spend hours working on a character until I feel that every part looks right and makes sense,” he added.
He likes to take care of everything from the largest to the smallest details, because he feels that this is where a character really comes to life.
His goal when creating is for the viewer to notice the care, love, and time behind each piece. “I always try to make everything look good to my eye, to be consistent and feel complete. That attention to detail and doing things right is, I think, what most defines my art.”
Art from his perspective
Leal defines digital art, specifically 3D animation, as a very lively and creative art form.
As a 3D modeler and character artist, he enjoys creating completely new characters that no one knows and giving them life and personality, turning them into characters that people can love or identify with, or working with iconic characters that have left their mark on generations.
The time, focus, feeling, and success behind a character
During our conversation with Jean, we touched on an important topic: achieving success in his career, which involves a combination of various elements:
Passion, which, in the artist’s opinion, makes the demanding process enjoyable.
✓ The process, where constant practice is essential for improvement.
✓ Mindset, where patience, peace of mind, and daily discipline must prevail, “even when the results are not immediately apparent.”
✓ Another important point is to take care of both the artistic and technical aspects. “Both go hand in hand and must be well balanced. In addition, I consider it very valuable to step outside your comfort zone: try different styles, accept new challenges, and don’t always do the same thing.” That versatility, of course, helps you grow, broaden your perspective, and develop better as an artist in the long run.
Creation time
This is a very important point in any creative process: the time you invest. In Jean Leal’s case, the time it takes to create a character can vary greatly, depending on the objective and the level of complexity. “In the case of personal characters, which are more visual and don’t have major technical requirements, the process can take between three and six days, especially if they are simple designs and the idea is to show them quickly.”
However, the Costa Rican artist said that when it comes to more complete characters, where he wants to showcase both the visual and technical aspects, it usually takes a week or a week and a half. And in professional projects, such as series, video games, or films, where characters require much more detail and higher technical standards, the process can take between two and three weeks, depending on the character and the project timeline.
“In the end, the client is the one who calls the shots. I’ve had to do final characters in two days, so everything is relative,” he said with a laugh.
Which of all your creations have you enjoyed the most and why?
Jean also revealed to us the creations that have given him the most satisfaction and those that have represented the greatest technical and artistic challenges in his career. Although he acknowledges that each character represents a stage, a learning experience, or a specific moment in his career.
In his personal portfolio, his greatest enjoyment was The Incredibles Syndrome. “It’s a character with very exaggerated features, which made the whole process a lot of fun. I love working on characters with exaggerated physical features, such as expressions and distinctive hair,” he said.
Professionally, he has a special fondness for Marvel characters such as Thanos and Kingo, as well as various zombies for a series. He specifies that these experiences were enriching due to the level of detail and realism they required.
On a national level, he spoke about characters that have become part of everyday life, such as Palí, Gollo, and the Banco Nacional piggy bank, which have enormous sentimental value, especially when seen in campaigns or events such as the Festival of Light.
That’s why, rather than choosing just one, he feels that each character has been important in its own time, and they all have a special place.
When it comes to the most difficult creation, Leal points out that complexity does not always lie in the details: “There is no specific character that I consider the most difficult, because each one has its own complexity.”
The artist mentioned something curious: in the world of characters, those with a lot of detail can often be easier to develop, even if they take longer. With so many small details, the process becomes almost like a puzzle, where you solve detail by detail until the character begins to take shape and looks more and more like the reference.
On the other hand, highly simplified characters tend to be more challenging. “With so few details, every little decision matters a lot. There are large spaces without information, large distances between the eyes, nose, and mouth, and with very little, you have to make the character attractive, expressive, and connect with people. That means that sometimes these characters require greater artistic sensitivity.”
Regarding the above, the Costa Rican artist emphasized that over the years he has learned to enjoy the process and not fight it. “Almost all characters start out looking bad at first, and that’s completely normal. So the important thing is to enjoy the process.”
Costa Rica for Jean Leal
When asked what inspires him about Costa Rica, Leal did not hesitate to point out his deep connection to his homeland: “I am greatly inspired by the peacefulness of my country, its nature, and its people.”
The artist’s favorite place is his hometown, San Joaquín de Flores, where he loves to walk around or go to the plaza, watch the sunsets, and feel the tranquility that the town offers.
He also loves the mountains, beaches, and everything green that Costa Rica has to offer. “I hope we learn more and more to care for and preserve our biodiversity, because it is one of the country’s greatest treasures. Living in such a green and vibrant place is something that we, as Ticos, must always value and care for.”
In his free time
Leal admits that his main hobby is his job: creating characters. “It’s something that’s not only part of my job, but also my passion; even when I’m not working, I continue to create characters to learn, improve, and try new things.”
The world of sports also plays an important role in his free time. He likes to play soccer and basketball, and he also enjoys watching games.
Music and cinema are also part of his hobbies.
He also enjoys nature in his free time, being in the mountains, in the forest, on the beach, and watching sunsets. “These spaces give me a lot of peace, they help me clear my mind and reconnect, especially because I spend a lot of time in front of a screen.”
READ MORE
Finally, the Costa Rican artist thanked us for our space at TCRN, recognizing his work. “As a 3D artist, it is often the directors or voice actors who get all the credit, and our work tends to remain behind the scenes. That’s why I am very grateful for opportunities like this, which help to raise awareness of what we do.”
He shared with all of you, our dear readers, a philosophy of life based on action and personal ethics. “Life goes by very quickly, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that you have to take risks. When you’re really passionate about something, you have to try it, trust the process, and enjoy the journey. My effort has been key to overcoming my fears.”
READ MORE
He also spoke about the importance of personal ethics, of being grateful for every opportunity and person that crosses our path. The great importance of being kind, respectful, and always keeping your feet on the ground, which is very characteristic of Costa Ricans.
“Work hard, take risks for what you love, and never stop being humble and grateful. That, for me, is the way.”
