Hi! My name is Saanika Aradhye, and I’m a senior in Animation at Freestyle. In the future, I plan to major in Computer Animation at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. I love playing D&D, making stories, reading webcomics, and watching YouTube. I’m a big fan of the fantasy genre, and I also really like certain types of unsettling horror.
I am extremely passionate about the stories I build. I’ve been working on one for the past two years that I’ve immersed myself in– the Webtoon I will discuss in my showcase video is part of it. I strive to be the best artist I can be, but beyond that, I want to be an even better storyteller. I want my stories and my art to go hand in hand to draw the viewer in and keep them engaged. One day in the future, I want to create visual stories in animation or illustrated mediums that make the viewer deeply feel something. Above all, I want to create stories that create an impact, and stories that will be remembered.
My showcase video shows pieces of my Webtoon, but to see the whole thing and get a sense of the story, I would recommend checking out the whole thing! There is a QR code at the end of the video, and a link below. Webtoons are optimized for the mobile format, but viewing on a computer will also work!
You can contact me at saanika.aradhye@gmail.com.
I have also included a reel of what I consider to be my best work at Freestyle.
Reflections
My Zenith project was the first high-effort art project I made since my long-term wrist injury recovery started back in February. It also happens to be a project that I care about immensely. So… you can imagine how hard it was to balance working hard enough to satisfy my passion and create something I’m proud of, while still holding back enough to not reinjure myself. I didnt quite hit the mark on that last one– I actually did reinjure myself two weeks ago when I was working on the final pass, and I had to do the rest of it with my non-dominant hand. It was not fun, I really wouldn’t recommend it. I’m overall very proud of what I was able to create, and I can’t quite find it in myself to say I regret pushing myself so hard, but I am a little relieved that it’s over and I can finally let my poor wrist rest again.
Until I start the next chapter, of course.
The wrist struggles were expected, though. A very unexpected thing that came from this project was how much fun I had making it. I haven’t truly had fun drawing in quite some time. From August to February, I had been making art almost exclusively for college apps, and the tight deadlines and cutthroat competition can sometimes kill the joy. Don’t get me wrong, it was still very fulfilling, but it wasn’t anything close to the almost giddy joy I felt while drawing this Webtoon. I think it was the experimentation that did it– I was trying so many new things, and when they worked, I got to feel that childlike wonder of creating again. It was magical. That sort of thing is rare, these days.
This project taught me a million and one ways to step out of my comfort zone, and I had tons of fun. I can’t wait to go out, try new things, and hopefully find a million more.