Meet Sofia Kondrasheva | Artist in animation and animated short films director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sofia Kondrasheva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sofia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Being from a creative family I didn’t think twice which career path to choose.

Both of my parents were artists and looking at their work I started drawing myself. I was always interested in storytelling: at the age of four I drew my first little comic book. It is very funny to look at it now when I have way more experience but I think, that it was a good first try.

When I was five, my dad showed me a French animated film “the triplets of Belleville” by Sylvain Chomet. It impressed me so much that I decided to become an animation director when I grow up. But in order to get to a such a high position as “director” you have to learn a lot about art and animation and gain experience first. So, I attended an animation high school where I learned the basics of film creation and painting.

After graduation I applied to 2 famous animation institutes: Gobelins Paris and CalArts. I was so lucky that I was accepted to both and thanks to the pandemic and Calarts being online – I was able to study in both of them at the same time during my first year. Of course, in order to graduate from Gobelins, I had to take a leave of absence at Calarts as it went back to being in-person.

Now I have graduated from Gobelins and went back to my studies at Calarts. In France I learned a lot about 2D animation and it helps me now with creating my personal films. Calarts gives me an opportunity to come close to my dream of becoming a director as here I am directing my personal short films.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve come a long way to get to where I am now. I love what I am doing. Creating animated films allows me to tell stories about the topics I am not really able to talk about in my everyday life: war, grief, mental health, etc. I would be very happy if my audience is able to relate to my film characters and see the world through my eyes.

I am proud of my progress: a couple of years ago I wasn’t even able to draw a storyboard and now I am directing my personal film. The path of artistic creation is never easy. I, personally, tend to overwork and compare myself with others. I have to fight imposter syndrome every day and remind myself that everyone is learning and creating at their own pace and that I am not taking part in a race. Being friends with my amazing Calarts classmates helps me a lot to feel better in this big world of art.

I am trying to make every one of my projects different: new style, new point of view, new conflict. I pay close attention to technical aspects. And as I prefer stylised characters have realistic movement – every animation I create is a challenge. I try to put little details inherent to a specific character into their acting and as I act out every single character myself – all of them have a piece of my personality.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first place I would take my friend to is Calarts. I like making tours around the school, talking about its history and amazing people graduated from there.

The best places to eat in Valencia are Lazy dog restaurant, Wokcano and BJ’s – representatives of American cuisine. My friends are mostly European, so, it will be an interesting experience for them.

As I don’t have a car I spend most of my time at school working but I still had a chance to travel around LA and see lots of places that my very artistic friends might find interesting.

My favourite place in the entire city is Norton Simon museum, in Pasadena. It has a very rich collection of French impressionistic and modernist art: from Monet to Toulouse Lautrec as well as classical paintings and Asian sculptures, paintings and woodblock prints. The museum has an amazing garden with beautiful sculptures (including Rodin).
If you walk 10 minutes from the museum you get to the historical centre of the city. It has signature architecture, a lot of shops and restaurants. The restaurant I liked the most when visiting Pasadena was Tsujita Artisan Noodle – they serve the tastiest ramen.

The other two museums I love is Getty Center and Getty Villa. They both have great art collections and amazing garden setting as well as very nice cafes and restaurants.

I recommended all of the places above as an artist but I have other sightseeing to offer as a film person. Universal studios and the academy museum are a must see to familiarise oneself with Hollywood.

Moving out of the Center of LA I would take my friend to Santa Monica and Malibu beaches. They are very different from one another: if Santa Monica is a highly populated place where you can casually meet celebrities, Malibu is very quiet and close to nature.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my grandfather. This year he turns 80 years old. Thanks to him I got to know that if you give you all to the implementation of your dream – you will achieve success and be forever young.

Website: https://oblacat.cargo.site/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_oblacat_?igsh=MWM4dnl3ZnFwYTlodw==

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-kondrasheva-273686206

Twitter: https://x.com/oblacat_?s=21&t=IPZ_fmGP8KJbH4ghW67qcg

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@oblacat_?si=pm_kMpxc2pmfRPNS

Other: Traditional art Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sonya_sketches?igsh=MWthcHY5N2xicjdkaA==

Image Credits
Sofia Kondrasheva