Doodles of Sinu Chandrasenan

After completing B.E degree in Electronics & communication from Anna University and a diploma in Animation & Digital Arts from a private institution, Sinu Chandrasenan started his professional career as a Graphic designer. He is now specialized in animation designing such as character design, concept art, visual development, storyboarding and sequential art (both traditional and digital medium). Leaving his full-time job, Sinu persuaded his dream as a freelancer. Currently based at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; Sinu Chandrasenan is accessible and available 24x7 for your next project!

CG Today : Hello Sinu, welcome to CG Today - Your News Channel. Can you please give us a quick introduction on yourself?

Sinu : Thank you, CG Today, for having me. To tell you about myself; I am a freelance pre-production artist for the animation industry and also work alongside on creator-owned graphic novels. Character design, visual development and story boarding are my prior areas of specialization.

CG Today : Being a engineering graduate, what prompted you to move into a career in animation and creative arts? It is also noted that you are a self-taught artist; how it all begun?

Sinu : I had always been interested in art and animated movies since I was five. I used to draw and paint a lot as a kid as it was my biggest hobby then. I grew up watching animated movies and cartoons and reading comics; and since I was raised up in Bahrain all my childhood, these things were easily accessible to me.

After my 12th standard, I had no idea on what to pursue. I had no one to guide me in the field of interest since no one in my family had an arts background. I joined engineering for a bachelor’s degree like many of my friends and family did at that time.

But during my degree, I never found any spark in engineering and I was confused about my future. However, I completed my degree and soon I got a job as a graphics designer in an MNC. I worked for over 2 years there and then joined an institution to learn animation and digital arts which was a 1-year course. I used to practice daily for hours to develop my animation and art. But by then, I also started working part-time as a graphics designer and also used to freelance a bit. Simultaneously, I worked hard to develop my skills through research and self-study. After the course, I worked for an animation company as a creative designer for a short term before I decided to be a full-time freelance artist.

CG Today : How do you feel freelancing compared to a full-time job?

Sinu : Working independently feels great for any artist. Personally, I love working from my own studio at home which allows me to think freely and come out with better ideas/results. The quality of full-time jobs depends on the kind of studio you work for. Some studios may offer great working environment and freedom which are helpful to artists. I think those are the type of studios which come out with better results. And unless you are determined to spare a few hours apart from work to create your own stuff, your art remains unseen or dead to the rest of the world. As a freelancer, it is important to update your portfolio very often, thus making your art evolve more and more. You constantly do research and try to acquire more updates which help you develop your skill and thought process. While freelancing, it is important that you self-motivate and inspire yourself continuously.

CG Today : How long have you been freelancing for now?

Sinu : I have been freelancing for the past 2 years.

CG Today : How do you go about designing, do you follow any principles or methodology?

Sinu : I am more of a self-taught artist, but I do follow and learn the basic principles used in the animation industry. I feel it is important to know the basics before you go professional, be it in any field of interest. Once you know the basics well, you can deviate and create your own style of art or designs. By doing this, your style becomes both unique and which also works for the CG industry.

CG Today : Where do you find your inspiration?

Sinu : I constantly browse through a lot of artists’ sites and blogs to keep myself updated and motivated. There are a lot of awesome artists out there in the world whose art are highly inspirational to me. And nowadays the web is a huge boon in that case. Apart from going online, I also find inspiration from art books, graphic novels, movies, and artist sketchbooks, which I try to get hold of every now and then.

CG Today : Is there any character created by someone else, which you always loved?

Sinu : Actually, there are hundreds of characters I always love and it is too difficult to choose from many awesome and distinct styles from various artists. To name a few artists whose characters really inspire me are Nicolas Marlet, Skottie Young, Florian Satzinger, Guarnido, Lou Romano,  Sylvain Chomet, Robin Joseph, David Colman, Bill Presing, Peter de Seve etc.

CG Today : Have you created any new portfolio (Prior to freelancing) especially for attracting clients?

Sinu : Right now, I simply use my art blog, www.sinustash.com, as my portfolio. It is easier to manage and update. But I may plan to launch my own site in the future.

CG Today : How do you find your clients? Do you find them through any new sources or utilize the available contacts you had in the companies you worked previously?

Sinu : My good friends help me a lot in promoting my art and referring me to possible clients. Luckily till date, my clients have found me. It mostly happens from already available contacts and word of mouth. Some of them see my site and approach me for their work.

CG Today : How many hours do you work on a daily/weekly basis?

Sinu : I work for 8-10 hours a day.

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