The New Wave Of Homegrown Animators Making A Mark With Their Work

Scottish Canadian animator Norman McLaren once said, “Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.” While a picture can speak a thousand words, there is something to be said about movement in a frame, about the way it can convey emotions and the mood that one wishes to capture.

At Homegrown, we love discovering artists who are making an impact on the Indian creative landscape and so we have curated a list of a new wave of animators that we love and believe that you would too.

I. Arindam K Dutta

An animator and illustrator from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad —Arindam Dutta’s expertise lies in his 2D animations. Not shying away from experimenting with different styles, his work is more an exploration and celebration of animation. What particularly caught our attention were his animations for Inktober last year.

II. Christina Furtado

A Mechanical Engineer by profession and a storyteller by heart, Christina Furtado is a self-taught illustrator and animator whose animation series, Tales of Chikooo, centres around the character of Chikoo as he goes about his childhood. The animations are a way to relive childhood memories and tap into the sweet joy of nostalgia. Talking about the series, Christina says, “With everything that’s been happening in the world right now, we often forget those beautiful nostalgic memories that once brought us immense joy. My idea behind the series, Tales of Chikooo, was to create a virtual time machine that would take my viewers back to those good old days; an escape from all the chaos.”

III. Krishna Chandran

An animation film director from Indore, Krishna Chandran graduated with an Animation Film Design degree from NID, Ahmedabad and then went on to specialise in Animation Film Direction from La Poudriere. Having worked on children’s short films as well as being nominated for 96 awards worldwide for his animation short Folimage, Chandran is an animator like no other. Now focusing on original content and concepts for the Indian animation industry, his work is truly a delight.

IV. Mansi Joshi

With a degree in interior architecture, Mansi Joshi is a self-taught illustrator whose work explores the joy of nostalgia and largely revolves around themes of childhood and memories. As someone who has always been fond of storytelling, her illustrations and animations are a way for her to share these stories with the world. The animation that caught our attention was Childhood Memory. Of the animation, she says, “A nostalgic memory from all our childhoods. Sneaking into the kitchen to grab a quick snack just for our mother’s sixth sense to awaken as she catches us doing so.”

V. Priyanka Tampi

A freelance animator and illustrator, Priyanka Tampi’s animations and artwork taps into the everyday nature of life and explores the moments of ordinary living. The animation that caught Homegrown’s attention was I’m Getting Too Old For This, which is a funny reel that incorporates a viral reel song. Of the animation, she says, “The song in the reel was doing its rounds on Instagram, and it immediately struck me as a song explaining the aches and pains of getting old. Of course, it was far from that to my horror. So, the first thing that I conjured up was an old lady attempting to participate in the challenge and thus the reel was born. I just thought it was something funny and wanted to put it on paper, so to speak.”

If you enjoyed reading this, we also suggest:

3 Artists Celebrating Womanhood With Refreshingly Realistic Portrayals

4 Homegrown Artists Giving A Contemporary Spin To The Art Of Embroidery

3 Homegrown Ilustrators Tapping Into The Joy Of Everyday Living