Me

My name is Sami Thomes and I am an ambitious artist and storyteller currently in my Senior year of college at California College of the Arts! I grew up in a very creative family, where my parents always encouraged me to draw and tell stories. With my dad having a background in film, and mom who worked in children’s television, I was brought up having a love for watching cartoons and animated movies.

A lot of the inspiration for my art comes from my personal experiences. I struggled with an eating disorder most of my life and was diagnosed at the age of thirteen with Anxiety and OCD. Most of my comics around this time were based on my anxiety and I thrived by using these art tools as a coping mechanism. My love for animation at this time became an obsessive compulsive art block. Drawing the same characters over and over in my sketchbooks positively built my drawing skills and actually motivated me to get better at art.

Subsequent to getting into a multiple different art colleges, I made the final decision to go to California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA, where I am currently studying Animation in my Senior year. I have flourished in my Visual storytelling and Drawing for Animation classes and my love for drawing has only grown. My Illustration, Animation, Design and Story-telling abilities continue to evolve as well as my team building and project management skills through my experience this past year at CCA. I have experience in programs such as MAYA, Procreate, Illustrator and traditional art. Along with being a First-Year Freshman Advisor, I won a school- wide logo contest and am currently working on my animation thesis project going into my Senior year.