Meet Swati Hathi | Concept Artist

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

Hi Swati, how do you think about risk?
The biggest risk I took was of leaving my hometown and everything familiar to me behind to come to the States in search to do something that aligns with my artistic abilities. This change was not easy, but this leap of faith led me to discover my career path of being a Concept Artist.

I used to work in Advertising in Bombay (India), and I constantly felt like I was not utilizing my skills to its full potential in advertising and the only art jobs available for me were mainly in Advertising. I loved to draw monsters, characters, creature with 10 heads but I never got the chance to do it at my job. I was unhappy, and that’s when my elder brother pushed to search beyond my familiar surroundings, and I started to apply for Master’s in different colleges outside my country. That decision changed everything. I came to San Francisco for Masters in Illustration and during a Spring show of my college, I was introduced to the field of Concept Art. I saw students work that comprised of monsters, creatures, environments and I fell in love. It was something that I always wanted to do and I never knew that a field existed for it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Concept Artist working for games and I love my job. It took me a while to figure out the field best suited for the work I wanted to create. My love for art came through stories, I used to have a massive collection of Indian comics which had stories based on different mythological lore and thus I developed a strong liking for fantastical worlds, and I used to create my own spin of characters and monsters that I heard in those stories.

I wanted to be an artist but my options to apply for a 9 to 5 job were limited. I started in Advertising; I worked in an animation studio for creating a TV series. I later worked for a live action movie and by working on varied range of projects, I learned more about what I really wanted to do. I finally got into working for games and that’s where I felt I was utilizing my skills to the fullest, the daily assignments were more aligned to my art style, and I could apply my knowledge and my passion for developing fantastical characters and worlds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in San Francisco and the city has so many micro cultures along with its microclimates.

I would definitely start with taking them to the Palace of Fine Arts, the architecture is beautiful, and you also get a little sneak peak of the bridge from there. My next recommendation would be Coit tower, most tourist go there for getting the 360-degree view of the city, but I would recommend Coit tower for the amazing murals that are there all around the tower, walking past each mural is like having a small tour of what San Francisco was like from 1800s-1900s. Next is going to the Mission district, start the day with coffee and delicious chocolate croissants at tartine bakery and walk through the area as it is packed with unique art shops like Paxton Gate, comic bookstore like Silver Sprocket and also has my favorite theatre in the city Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. I would take them to Japantown to have the spiciest ramen I have had in the city at Hinodeya Ramen. Next stop would be walk through Chinatown, it is the oldest Chinatown in the States and right next to it is the Italian district which has amazing restaurants. A must go to museum in the city is Legion of Honor, it is in the presidio area which offers beautiful trails with massive redwood trees around.

Outside of the city, I would take them for a day trip to Sausalito, take the sunset ferry to get the most beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Lastly, a little weekend gateway to Sonoma, my personal recommendation would be to go to Gundluck Bundschu, it is a winery owned by a German family and has great views.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think I can write a whole book mentioning everyone that has inspired me and helped me along the way!

To start with, my family, choosing a career in art is not always supported with a lot of enthusiasm. But my parents supported my dreams in every possible way. My elder brother pushed me in taking the risk to leave my country and pursue my goals, I would have never had the confidence to do it without their support.

All the instructors and mentors that I had the privilege to learn from, beginning with my illustration professor during my bachelors, Riddhesh Adarkar to my Master’s professors Marius Miller, Gordon Tian, William Maughan. The classes I took under them not only helped me strengthen my foundation in art but also taught me to look at the world around me with a different lense.

I also have to credit Brainstorm school and James Paick, whose classes gave me a better understanding of working as a Concept Artist and innumerable mentorship classes from various artist like Jama Jurabaev, Zac Retz, Even Ahmudsen gave me the knowledge and also kept me excited to learn more about the field.

Lastly a massive shoutout to Carolina Zeleski who gave me the opportunity and my first break into the industry. Thanks to my team and coworkers, who inspire me daily to become a better artist and a better human. Also, amazing fellow concept artist Yoli Shen for nominating me for Shoutout series.

It took a village to raise this artist and I am eternally grateful to everyone!

Website: https://www.artstation.com/hathiswati