Daniel Gilstrap
Daniel Gilstrap started drawing cartoons when he was five years old, and later had the chance to visit Cartoon Network Studios.
When I was about 5 years old, I started drawing. I used to draw characters from my favorite cartoons like Digimon, Gundam, Dexter’s Laboratory, and even Dragon Ball Z. These were difficult to draw, so I used to ask my uncle to draw them for me. I really wanted to be able to draw like him.
Then, in second grade, my friend Lucy’s dad invited our class for a fieldtrip to see his office - at Cartoon Network Studios! We all went, got on the elevator and up to the floor where they worked on the cartoons. The hallway was full of drawings and posters of their most successful shows. We then got to go underground to a passageway set up like a cave in a science fiction movie. I was so happy in that building. Our day ended by getting to watch cartoons that had not even aired on television yet. It was very hard for me to leave when our field trip was over. So, when I got home, I immediately started drawing. I have gotten a lot better at it now and I can even draw those characters I used to need help with. While I don’t know if I want to make a career out of drawing, I’ll just keep drawing cartoons of my experiences, so I can have them forever.
