If you regularly peruse the New York Times, follow Major League Soccer, or drink fancy craft beer, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Daniel Sulzberg’s artwork. “I’ve been lucky enough to try my hand at almost all of the different facets of illustration,” explains the Santa Barbara–based illustrator. “I really like collaborating and working with different clients.”
A proud native of Danville, California, Sulzberg is filled with gratitude for his childhood years and the role that his hometown, for which his studio is named, has played in his career. “I think that always being that kid, ‘Dan from Danville,’ was just how people remembered me,” said Sulzberg, whose company is called Danvillage Illustration . “I created my own little world there. I would always be inventing stories and using the town as a place to set up all of my stories. Danvillage is my own version of Danville in my head.”
While working as a screenwriter for several years in Los Angeles on Smallville, a TV series inspired by the iconic DC Comics character Superman, Sulzberg found himself constantly sketching cartoon doodles and was encouraged by a writing partner to explore different avenues. “We started to put together ideas for an animated series, and we ended up selling one to DreamWorks, which was really exciting,” he revealed.