Ruben Hickman grew up in Sonoma County, California, where he was immersed in the Bay Area punk rock and skateboard scenes. In his teenage years, he illustrated concert posters and album covers for local bands and worked as a graphic design assistant. He then went to Art Center College of Design to study illustration and fine art, graduating with honors in 1995. To help pay for school, he connected with old skateboard friends who had started the now legendary Plan B skateboard company. Ruben designed hundreds of boards for their skate team during the early 1990′s.
After graduating from college, Ruben was recruited by Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he worked for a year before moving to DreamWorks. He remained at DreamWorks for sixteen years, working on many of their blockbuster projects, including the first two Shrek movies and Madagascar. At DreamWorks, he came to be known as a “Concept Artist” who helped generate new visual ideas for the studio. In 2013, Ruben moved to Paramount where he worked as an art director and production designer on SpongeBob feature films. He is currently Production Designer for the Bob’s Burgers feature film, which is being produced by 20th Century Fox/Disney Animation.
Ruben has also taught at USC (1997-2001) and Art Center College of Design (2009-2010). He has done freelance work for clients that have included Alex McDowell and Wes Anderson. He lives with UCLA professor Lieba Faier, and they have a passionate young son who also loves to draw.
