“From attending classes to working as an intern after the classes, there was hardly any free time. The only time I could find for animation was at night or during the weekends. Sometimes, if there were no tasks to do in my workplace, I used to learn about motions.”

Shrayash Shrestha, Former President of the Artistas, is passionate about animation since childhood. He believes that patience and basic principle are the key factors to animation. Let’s hear about his obsession on animation.

What drove your interest towards animation?

Cartoons have always been a favourite part of childhood for me. Growing up with the emotions and characters of cartoons, I always dreamt of creating something that could present my thoughts and imagination. Animation became a perfect medium for me to bring my imagination to life. Luckily, I even got a chance to work as a creative designing intern in college’s media lab which further enhanced my interests along with my skills.

What challenges did you face when you started learning?

Illustration, Motion and Software. Learning illustration basics with Adobe Illustrator was a challenge. I had to create the character and background scenes multiple times to make it smooth, attractive and as realistic as possible. Trying on multiple motions and effects and experiencing several software crashes made the flow of animation quite slow and hectic.

Does your animation meet your expectations?

It's hard to meet your own expectations. Sometimes, the ideas that I start with and the final work that I create will be very different. I'm still in the learning phase, which might also result in some glitches in my animation. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, the smoothness in motion becomes an issue. While there are also times when just messing around with the software and its effects makes things look great. I just hope to get one step closer to meet my expectation in every try.

In the field of animation, is there anyone within your reach that you look up to?

Bardan Pahari. He is a senior  graduate from our college. He has amazing animating skills. I have learned a lot from him and he has also been a great help and motivator for many of my works.

What is the one factor that makes you motivated?

My thoughts keep me motivated. I always try to animate my imaginations which seems hard most of the time, but this process has led me to learn something new every time. Along with this, people's appreciation over my work has encouraged me in making new creations. 

How do you refine your skills?

Trying new techniques and new effects need a lot of researching, hit-and-trials and above all, patience. While animating, if I want to explore something new, then I add that in my story and learn the technique. While some techniques are available online, you have to create some motions on your own and thus requires a lot of hit-and-trials.

What advice do you want to give to those who are interested in animation?

In my perspective, animation is all about motions and timing. The more you learn and practice the basic principles, the more smooth your animation becomes. Patience is the most important factor as nothing can be made in just a single trial. So, the only key to becoming better in animation is to keep trying.

Thank you for your time, Shrayash. Which animation of yours do you regard highly and want to share with our readers?

One of my animations that present the scenarios of life and morals to remain positive at each stage of life. It is also my first animation experimented with narration so it's quite special and new for me.