Sandra Equihua

Biography

Born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Sandra attended the Universidad Iberoamericana (IBERO) and received her BFA in Graphic Design in Tijuana, Mexico. While studying under illustrator Rafael Lopez at Art Center at Night in San Diego, she learned to conceptualize, experiment with technique, color and ideas, discovering her real passion was illustration. This expanded her artistic range and she moved to Los Angeles.

She has worked with companies like Sony Pictures, McGraw Hill, WEA, Disney, WB, and Nickelodeon. Her original paintings have been shown in galleries both in Mexico and the United States. She designed characters for l Macho (Sony), Mucha Lucha (WB), The Buzz on Maggie (Disney) and Wow Wow Wubbzy (Nick Jr.) Her work in the animation field includes illustration, character design and voice acting. She melds the influences of mid-century design and her own Mexican heritage. Equihua is married to illustrator Jorge R. Gutierrez and together they created the Nickelodeon series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. The show dealt with issues such as immigration, ambition, romance, success and defeat. Sandra Equihua won an Emmy Award for her character designs on El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (Nickelodeon). In October 2014 the 3D animated film The Book of Life was released and Sandra created the female characters with reality flaws and personal touches to add authenticity. Symbolism and heritage are an essential part of her character development evidenced in the use of traditional Mexican folkloric designs and other cultural references. The poetic, magical story references spaghetti westerns, bullfighting and pop music.