Angela Rico’s Path from Gnomon to “God of War”

Gnomon alum Angela Rico’s passion for 3D art sparked when she first played God of War back home in Colombia. Inspired by the characters and worlds of the game, she set her sights on working at her dream studio—Santa Monica Studio. Fast forward to today, and Angela is a Senior Character Artist who worked on God of War Ragnarök and Valhalla. Read on to learn about her journey, her experience at Gnomon, and the advice she has for aspiring artists. 

Angela, you first started studying Multimedia Arts back in Bogota? What does VFX and 3D education look like in Colombia? 

I grew up loving art, but owning video games or going to the movies wasn't a common thing. I didn't know being a 3D artist was possible until I was 19 years old! I studied Multimedia Arts because it was the only program that was creative, artsy, and digital at my school. At that point, I saw myself becoming a graphic designer or maybe a video editor. It wasn’t until I took an elective class in 3D that I started learning more about it. At the time, there weren’t whole programs geared to being a 3D artist, it was just an elective and nothing more. This single class went from modeling and texturing to rigging and animating…all within a couple of months. I don’t think I was able to learn much from it since it didn’t focus on a single thing, but it definitely got my attention.  

The moment I knew that I wanted to be a 3D artist was while I was playing the original God of War series back on PS2. I completely fell in love with the art style, the story, and the characters and creatures of the game. My dream then became to work at Santa Monica Studio on a God of War game someday. I really wanted to be one of those people that brought these types of experiences and worlds to life. It was really inspiring to me, so I started looking into 3D schools. I was lucky to have my mom and sister living in the United States, so I knew I’d have to leave Colombia if I wanted to pursue my dream. 

You actually moved to Phoenix and started studying there. Was it difficult to make this transition from Colombia to U.S.? Was there a lot of culture shock? 

Since my mom was living in the U.S. already, I had gotten the chance to previously study one year of middle school and a year of high school in Arizona. The shock had already happened in middle school when I didn’t know any English. I was only good at math since I understood numbers, but I struggled with everything else for a long time. I never knew we even had homework because I didn’t understand the teachers! When I came back to the U.S. for college, it was easier to feel comfortable in a new school. I was just super excited to start working toward my dream.  

What was your first job in Arizona and how did you ultimately end up at Gnomon?  

I got a job as a 3D Artist at Strata Technologies/MOS Defense in Arizona. I was responsible for modeling and texturing assets and environments for military simulations, as well as modeling asset designs that required precise measurements. It was a cool job that ended after eight months, but even after this experience, I wasn’t able to reach the quality that studios might be looking for. I just didn’t know enough to try to break into the entertainment or games industry in Los Angeles.  

After a couple years of not working in the field, I really wanted to get back into 3D and try one more time to get into the industry. I heard great things about Gnomon’s programs and saw how great the Gnomon Workshop videos were. Even when I was still in college, I would visit Gnomon’s website often to see student’s work, so I made it my goal to study there.  

Was it challenging figuring out life in L.A.?  

I had gotten married by the time I enrolled at Gnomon and moved to L.A. I was really lucky to have someone to experience this move and school with, so I didn’t have to do it alone. Getting used to L.A. was still a big deal for both of us, especially being under a strict student budget and not owning a car to get around.  

Everything felt so much better once we started classes. We met amazing people who would quickly become our friends. We had so much in common and liked similar things. Since most of us didn’t own cars, we all lived really close to school and to each other. This brought us all together and made life in L.A. super fun. Even if we were working on our own projects most of the time, we’d still enjoy meals together and hang out during school breaks. 

What was it like studying at Gnomon? 

I put in a lot of hours...ALL the hours. I worked on school assignments 7 days a week during each school term. What’s great about Gnomon is that everybody works hard all the time. All the students are extremely motivated! We’d all work together and constantly push each other. The hard work and the time you put into improving your skills really pays off. We all became super close, and because of this, we became each other’s connections at our current studios. 

There’s a sense of community, not only with your close friends, but with other Gnomon graduates too. I have vouched for artists that graduated from Gnomon, even if I didn’t know them personally, because I know how hard-working you must be to make the most out of Gnomon. While studying at Gnomon, I honestly found the intense workload fun. Since I’m not so great at self-teaching, I would really enjoy having homework and being pushed by a deadline. The instructors at Gnomon are all amazing working professionals, so learning from someone who, a few hours before class was working on God of War 2018, was incredibly motivating. Doing well in class meant those teachers became your connections later too, because they’d see how hard you worked.  

Why did you decide to focus on character art?  

I experimented with environment art for a while. I had a moment of doubt about becoming a character artist. I heard that environment artist jobs were more abundant. I even started to take environment art electives and started planning my demo reel around it. But then I was lucky enough to get one of the most motivating teachers I’ve had for the “Character for Games” class, Eric Valdes. He pushed me to pursue what I really wanted to become instead of being afraid of the “what ifs.” This is the class where I finally found my stride, and it was during my last couple of terms at Gnomon. It took me over two years to land on this, so don’t feel like you have to have it all figured out right away. After this class, I put all my energy into learning to make characters and never looked back. 

Your first full-time job after Gnomon was at Blur, where you contributed to a bunch of amazing projects including cinematics for “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” and “Love, Death and Robots.” What was that experience like?  

Blur has been one of my favorite studios since I was young. I would watch their reels over and over, which were a huge inspiration. During my first week at Gnomon, Blur held an event on campus, which definitely fueled my drive. To actually get hired there after graduating was so exciting. I experienced what I mentioned about having a sense of community with other Gnomon graduates. One of the character artists at Blur, Amy Sharpe, was a Gnomon graduate (she would later become my mentor at Blur). We didn't know each other personally, but she put in a good word for me and helped me get an interview.  

During this interview, the supervisor thought I was there for an internship, which deflated me a bit, because I needed a full-time job to pay the bills. I didn’t think I would get a call back, but I did! They gave me the chance with a 2-month contract, which got extended a couple times until they gave me a staff position a few months later. I learned so much from working on these awesome projects. Keep in mind that since I was fresh out of school, I was doing a lot of props, tweaking things on existing characters and working on background characters and crowds.  

One of my first tasks was to texture a lighter. I made sure I made the best looking lighter I could, so I could start earning their trust. It wasn’t until my last couple of months at Blur that I got to work on a hero asset. When you get your first job you really have to be patient because chances are you won’t get a full character right away, but I loved every second of it. I was just absorbing as much knowledge from other artists as possible. 

You've been working for over four years at Santa Monica Studio, one of the most iconic studios in the world. What was your journey in getting there? 

Since God of War was the reason I wanted to become a 3D character artist, I made Santa Monica Studio my dream studio. It was always my goal, and I would say I would work on the next God of War someday, even before I knew they were working on 2018’s God of War. I had the opportunity to learn from GOW Character Lead Eric Valdes during my “Character for Games” class. His class was super motivating, and he helped me cement my goal of being a character artist. I was learning as much as I could from him and made my first character at Gnomon.  

After a term or two, Santa Monica Studio was looking for a character artist and Eric took both mine and another Gnomon student’s portfolio to the studio. I got my hopes up so much. Eric believed in my skills, but my portfolio wasn’t quite there, and the other student actually got the job before graduating! I was so happy for him but of course bummed out. In Colombia we have this saying “envidia de la buena” which means I was envious but the good kind of envious. It makes more sense in Spanish, haha. I was genuinely excited for him, and it also gave me more motivation and fire to keep working hard.  

After I graduated, I was at Blur for one and a half years. I loved my time at Blur, and I was really happy there. I was learning so much and was just starting to get more hero assets when Eric reached out about applying to Santa Monica Studio again. I didn’t think twice about it. By then, I had a better portfolio and was able to have a good interview. I got the job as a contractor and made my way up to Senior! 

How do you continue to grow in this industry? 

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to never be afraid to seek help, feedback and always ask questions to refine your work. I learned these lessons at Gnomon, and I use them all the time at work. I’ve always valued other people’s input and trusted feedback from teachers and artists I looked up to. 

What advice would you give to young artists who are interested in exploring 3D and are curious about studying it in college? What are the main things to keep in mind?  

Coming from Colombia, I know how constricting it can feel to be limited by where you live or by your financial situation. It doesn’t have to be a roadblock to your dreams though. There is so much information online and so many ways to improve your skills. You can pursue 3D no matter who you are or where you live.  

Always try to go the extra mile. If you are taking a class, don’t limit your knowledge to what’s in front of you. Supplement your classes with extra online information and tutorials. I think being hungry for knowledge will help you be a step ahead.

Being humble doesn’t mean lacking confidence. Keeping your goals and dreams in mind will help you overcome any doubts. You have to remain confident about your own skills and about what you can accomplish if you keep working hard. Even if you feel imposter syndrome, know that you’re not alone. Most confident looking people deal with it at some point. I still deal with it too if I’m honest with you. That just means there is so much more we can learn so we can keep growing. 

Gnomon is honored to have been part of Angela Rico’s artistic journey. During her time here, she dedicated countless hours to perfecting her craft, exploring character design, and connecting with mentors who helped shape her career. Angela’s evolution from Gnomon student to Senior Character Artist at Sony Santa Monica reflects the commitment she brought to every project, every critique, and every challenge. We look forward to seeing her continue to break new ground in the industry! 

About Gnomon

For over 25 years, Gnomon has educated many of the world’s best digital artists on its state-of-the-art campus in Los Angeles, California. Recognized as one of the top U.S. colleges in Forbes' 2023 rankings and called “the MIT of visual effects” by Fast Company magazine, Gnomon offers a variety of educational options to help students reach their goals in the entertainment industry, with certificate and degree programs, and over 100 individual courses. Our comprehensive programs, experienced faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that every student can achieve their full potential, just like Angela. Gnomon's strong industry partnerships give students real-world experience and a competitive edge in the job market.