Artist Statement and CV

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Bronze age comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, pulp movie posters and vintage packaging design are all aesthetics that inform and infuse my work as an artist. I am drawn to nostalgia and the feelings that come about from it, for it evokes a simpler time in my life. Growing up in the US as the child of immigrant parents, I did not fit in – so comics, animation, and even the backs of cereal boxes were objects of fascination.

The bulk of my professional work has been within the realm of sequential arts, whether it be comic strips or long form comic stories. Visual storytelling strikes a universal chord among people. It can viscerally move and incite people – in short, it gets a reaction.

While the bulk of my sequential work has focused on the increased pervasiveness of the Internet and technology, I have also crafted comics with an autobiographical nature, touching upon the experience of being an Indian kid growing up in the US in the late 1970’s / early 1980’s.

I work largely within the realm of digital media, which allows for unlimited revision and immediate publication. Its fluid nature has a lot of appeal for me – I can draft an idea and instantly share it with the world – and revise it later as needed.

I hold artists including Chuck Jones, Rene Herge, Chris Samnee, Jack Kirby and Francesco Francavilla as some of my biggest influences upon my work. Much of my cartooning and illustration work uses limited color and favors bold, meaty linework, with a dose of pulp printing techniques and controlled minimalism. This economy applies to my animations as well.

The beauty of marrying art with technology for me stems from the simple fact that while tech is always forward facing, with it – I have the opportunity to investigate and fuse what came before into my own work.

CURRICULUM VITAE:

TESTIMONIALS:

“As a former student at the Art Institute of Tampa, I’ve had several instructors teaching and mentoring me. Krishna is one of the best. He insists that his students bring their absolute best to the classroom, which is an asset in an art career where the competition is equally fierce. He is willing to take the time to ensure students’ understanding of the curriculum and subject matter.”
– N. Bergman, Owner / Operator at Sweet Child Designs, LinkedIn

“Krishna’s leadership in the classroom and passion for the subjects he teaches is matched only by the compassion and humility with which he offers his services. He is perpetually concerned with the success of his students, yet remains relentlessly ethical in all matters. As a professional, he is always cordial, willing to share advice and insight. As an artist, his talent is dependable and prolific, and his humor a delight.”
– C. Gamble, Environment Artist at Sanzaru Games, LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:

Exhibited work at for the Ai and Digital Art Gallery Showcase at Five Deuces Galleria in St. Petersburg (April 1st through May 1st, 2023)
Illustrated a 3-page comic and provided an essay for RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now (which reached #11 on the New York Times Best Seller list) (2022)
Illustrated a customized graphic for Grim & Mild Entertainment, as part of a merchandise offering for the LORE podcast (2021)
Hired exclusively by Titmouse Animation as a caricature artist for their 2020 Holiday party.
Active contributor (both stories and sequential art) for CARtoons Magazine (2017 – present), a bi-monthly magazine focusing on automotive comics and humor, available on newsstands across the US.
Actively making customized tech-inspired comics for companies within the tech industry, including Typemock and Other World Computing.
Active contributor of comics (BENT Magazine) and conference poster design work for Tau Beta Pi, the nationally recognized Engineering Honor Society. (2012 – present)
As one of the early pioneers of the webcomics medium, I have been responsible for the development, writing, and art for a thrice a week online comic The PC Weenies, which squarely focuses on technology humor. (1998 – 2018)
Developed customized security comic for White Hat Security, as part of an attendee giveaway for conference attendees. (2018)
Completed character designs for Georgia Pacific. (2018)
As Art Director for “Forgive – Don’t Forget”, a documentary film about the trials and tribulations of returning a World War 2 Japanese sword, I provided several finished illustrations for a “motion comic” style animated sequence, which was incorporated within the film. The film can be viewed on Hulu. It has won numerous festival awards, both nationally and internationally. (2018)
Created album art for Zingaroe– Defuse (single) – available on Apple Music. (2017)
Met and delivered custom illustration to Richard Rawlings, of the hit Discovery show “Fast n Loud”.
Presented and exhibited work at the “Infinite Canvas: Art of the Webcomic” Gallery show at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. (2015)
One of seven cartoonists selected by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to develop and draw comics for “I Want the Wide American Earth” traveling roadshow exhibit for the Smithsonian APA Exhibition. (2013)
Presented the Ignatz Award for Cartooning at the Small Press Expo (SPX). (2012)
Illustrated a 10-page comic for Shattered: The Asian American SuperheroAnthology. (2012)
One of 17 webcartoonists chosen by Bandai Namco to commemorate Dig Dug’s 30^thAnniversary.
Self-published PC Weenies: Rebootus Maximus, a 120 page graphic novel. Managed all design, setup, printing, and delivery of books to fans around the world. (2009)
Commissioned by Microsoft to create 12 custom comic strips and character designs to coincide with their “HelloSecureWorld” campaign, an initiative to promote safe coding practices to an audience of software developers. (2008)
Featured in Smashing Magazine’s “50 Beautiful Examples of Comic Strip Art”
Featured on Royal Pingdom “7 Tech comics that will put a smile on your face”
Featured on CNET(Sidesplitting tech comics)
Appeared on NPR(WUNC) in Raleigh, NC to promote and discuss The PC Weenies comic strip.(2002)

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS:

Notable Ai Tampa grads who I have taught have found employment within the industry in companies including Industrial Light and Magic, Respawn Entertainment, Apple, Sledgehammer Games, Sony, Nickelodeon, ArenaNet, ShadowMachine, Powerhouse Animation, and Zynga.

Advised, supervised and mentored a team of 6 students. Worked with students from conceptualization, script, pre-production work to final animation for Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Tampa Bay, as part of a marketing effort to promote the organization’s “Mentorship Month” initiative for January 2019 (Fall 2018)

Advised, supervised and mentored a team of 20 students to develop two sets of animations for the non-profit veteran’s organization Project Transition USA in their efforts to raise awareness and secure funding for their initiatives to help active duty servicemen and servicewomen transition to civilian positions. (Summer 2018)

With a team of 20 students, supervised and consulted on script, pre-production work and final animations to raise awareness and support cancer research fund-raising efforts for the Tampa Bay Research Institute’s 35^thAnniversary Event (Fall 2016)

“Two can technique”, the methodology I developed for understanding and simplifying biped forms for the purposes of drawing them was included within a paper presented at Siggraph: Guay, Martin. (2015). Sketching free-form poses and motions for expressive 3D character animation.

Instructor of the Quarter, The Art Institute of Tampa (Winter 2010)

EXPERIENCE:

January 2022 – present

PROFESSOR, DIGITAL MEDIA, St. Petersburg College, Seminole Campus

Spearheaded an initiative to improve marketing for the Digital Media department, by creating television-ready illustrations to promote the department across both Seminole and Clearwater campuses
Provided illustrations to accompany a MIRA Orchestral Performance (March 2022)
Revamped the look and feel of the Digital Media Lab for students, by adding digital signage and posters to improve the overall appeal of the space for students
Developed numerous curricula and delivered student-centered instruction for students within the Digital Media program. Courses I have taught include:
Typography
Web Design

June 2006 – December 2021

INSTRUCTOR, MEDIA ARTS AND ANIMATION, The Art Institute of Tampa

Developed numerous curricula and delivered student-centered instruction within both the Media Arts and Animation Department and Game Art and Design. Courses I have taught include:
Intro to 2D Animation
Advanced 2D Animation
Intro to 3D Animation
Storyboarding and Animatics
Intro to Motion Graphics
Web Design I and II
History of Animation
Technical Visualization
Team Pre-Production / Team Production
Senior Portfolio
Background Layout and Design
Concept Art / Digital Painting
Character and Object Design
Drawing and Anatomy
Intro to MEL Scripting
Volunteered and actively participated in a wide variety of campus initiatives (Open House, Ai Student Film Festivals, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, sophomore, junior and senior level portfolio reviews)

December 2015 – December 2017

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, COLLEGE OF THE ARTS, The University of South Florida

Developed curriculum and taught courses for both 2D Animation and Visual Storytelling for the College of Art and Art History
Volunteered and actively participated in a successful ArtHouse Open House Exhibition (April 2016)

Former engineering / I.T. related experience is included in the unabridged C.V. (email for request)

EDUCATION:

June 2006: M.F.A. ANIMATION, Savannah College of Art and Design

August 1997: M.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Masters thesis: “Development and Implementation of a Three-Dimensional Aircraft Radar User Interface for Air Traffic Management”

Graduated Magna Cum Laude

June 1995, B.S. ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Graduated Cum Laude

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Adobe Creative Suite
Autodesk Maya
Clip Studio Paint / Sketchbook Pro
Marketing and Branding Strategies and Principles
Film editing
Strong Design Skills
2D Animation (Traditional and digital)
Digital Painting / Concept Art
Visual Storytelling / Sequential Arts
Web design (HTML / CSS / WordPress)
Character Design
Workflow automation / scripting

SOFT SKILLS:

Hands-on, student-centered instructional focus
Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills
Proven leadership skills
Adaptable problem solver
Engaged team player
Strong work ethic

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Exploring the use of 3D for facilitating complex camera movements within the medium of 2D animation.
The use of animation as a learning and behavioral development tool, particularly for learning-challenged students.
Applied animation to facilitate complex, abstract concepts present in the areas of science and engineering.