Name: Kalesh Kumar Karunakaran
Title: Concept Artist
Department: Concept Art
Length of career in the industry: 11 years
Time with Technicolor Games: 5 years
First game worked on: Rainbow Six Extraction
How did your career begin?
When I was younger, I aspired to be an artist for comic books created by Jim Lee. I worked on that every day until slowly, I developed more interest in drawing characters from my own imagination, and so I became a Concept Artist.
I began my career as a 2D Animator, but after completing my animation studies, I shifted towards creating storyboards, character designs and environment concepts. From there, I built a concept art portfolio focused on games, which led to the start of my professional journey.
What has been your most memorable moment working at Technicolor Games?
When I first saw my name in the credits for Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Extraction, a game I had contributed concepts to for over two years, it was an incredible feeling to be recognized for my work.
What is it like working at Technicolor Games?
I enjoy working with my team and leads here, they are always helpful and provide me with advice on how to improve the quality of my work. I particularly enjoy our daily meetings, where we basically talk about everything that happens in the world of art and entertainment. Everyday we learn something new, which greatly expands our visual library.
What are you excited about for the future?
AI technology. I don’t know what the near future holds for art, but whatever it looks like, I’m looking forward to it. Creativity always triumphs.
What advice could you give to someone wanting to join the industry?
If you want to improve your art passionately, you must remain focused and practice lots. When you can, you should watch and learn from the masters.
A quote from Kalesh’s manager:
Kalesh is a master at creating characters. His incredibly solid aesthetic foundations give his characters a lot of life. When he’s not working on a project, you can usually find him sketching a portrait, as his passion for creating art is never-ending.
Check out Kalesh’s concept artwork below:
If you are interested in working at Technicolor Games we’d love to hear from you, please check out our current vacancies.
