Interview Alina Urusov
You are an artist. What can you tell us about your career so far?
So far it has been varied. I've worked in comics, but for the last three years I've worked in an animation studio. But I have yet to call myself a true artist, one who expresses emotions and the way they view life through their own unique art. But I've been lucky to get all the jobs I've had so far without me searching for them.
What are the differences between drawing comics and drawing for animation?
The work environment - in comics, if you freelance, you work alone, and you are the director, the lighting guy, the drawer. Its very challenging but also rewarding, though it can be lonely. In animation I only ever did character design. Its great to work as a team to accomplish a goal, but you cant have a nap or do whatever else, you're there to work!
Can you tell us about the way you design characters?
I try to cater to the client first and what they have in mind, but also remind myself that its my job to make an appealing design. Every designer is different and I actually prefer some of the designs I didn't do. But I am good at catching mistakes. Its harder to catch the mistakes in your own designs, unless you've had a while to not look at them.
What is your opinion on the cultural climate in Canada?
It has great promise but I do think there are a lot of niches, where art starts looking similar to other art. Its probably universal, not just Canada, but because of the way we share online there are these trends. I personally am a sucker for unique and even bizarre styles. There is untapped potential for some crazy stuff probably.
What do you enjoy most in the process of visual storytelling?
I am a very visual person so I like images, they don't have to have a context for me. I mean everything will be given a personal context by the viewer anyway. I don't do it so much yet, but I would like to piece together memorable images into a sequential weave. I like to see it all come together after much uncertainty too.
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