Email: wsithij@outlook.com
Instagram: zixsparrow https://www.instagram.com/zixsparrow/
ArtStation: Zix Sparrow https://www.artstation.com/zixsparrow
Nishshanka Weerasinghe, is a Sri-Lankan digital artist expecting a Bachelor of Arts later this spring from the University of Waterloo. Nishshanka made the transition to digital arts five years ago, and has set a goal to polish his work until it meets his preconceived company standards. However, this has been somewhat of a catch 22 situation where self-doubt propels him to practice with no ends in sight. Ultimately, he does not mind having this mindset if it provides motivation to improve. After graduation, he plans to enter the video game industry as a concept artist focusing on character designs and landscapes.
Artist Statement
Many find fulfillment, a long-awaited goal, to be deeply gratifying, making the pursuit worth-the-effort. Within these tiny yet blissful moments, the individual feels an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
The short animation titled Serenity, intends to capture the calm satisfaction attached to the sense of accomplishment. The salt flat landscape features a thin layer of water which mimics the movement of over-hanging clouds. The still visuals of the second work illustrate the view of a wide motionless lake, partially obstructed by the terrain filled with densely packed plant matter in the foreground. In the horizon lies a row of mountains resting beneath the colorful evening sky. The free-flowing clouds combined with humming, and soothing sounds of nature illustrates the tranquil state of mind during such viewing experiences.
To describe the process, the artwork was crafted with careful attention to the placement of its layers using the PaintTool SAI drawing software. These layers are then imported to After Effects to generate the desired motion, and exported to be later edited in Premiere Pro. Here, I introduced personally recorded audio with the intention of enhancing the animation. The short animation lays on a 1400x700 pixel canvas, and is intended to be viewed on a monitor.
Interview
What does your work aim to say?
The main goal of my work is to conclude the post-secondary chapter of my life. To explain, I want my final body of work to illustrate how far I’ve come in terms of digital skill. I had issues with imposter syndrome for a long time, so the aim of this work is strictly personal.
Who are your greatest influences? What effect do they have on your thesis work?
The work of Atey Ghailan always manages to raise the bar on what I could be achieving with the same digital medium. His work is simply awe inspiring, and it is what originally persuaded me to take the digital jump. I’m obsessively competitive when it comes to art making, and so his work always manages to provide a drive to improve. My art style was literally born from breaking down his cell shaded, yet complicated visuals. Therefore, Atey Ghailan has impacted my thesis work to a colossal degree.
What is your background?
To my knowledge, my grandfather was the only one in my family who was skilled in art. He was a math teacher who was skilled in drawing still lives. To provide context, I grew up in Sri Lanka where most considered it a skill rather than a profession. It is not frowned upon to be an artist; only that it would be extremely difficult to manage a stable income. Thus, artists are a rare thing in Sri Lanka. However, I took after him as a kid, and before I realised, I couldn’t stop doodling on whatever piece of paper I could find. After moving to Canada at the age of ten, I was presented with the resources to further enhance this skill. To explain, most schools in Sri Lanka did not teach art. Furthermore, I did not have access to technology either. These circumstances obviously all changed after my family moved. Since then, I took an interest in the digital commercial side of video games, and began translating my traditional knowledge into digital practices.