Antoaneta Nikolova, lecturer at ARC Academy – about art as an invariable part of her life

Antoaneta Nikolava is a 3D Character Artist and lecturer in the new preliminary program at ARC Academy – Foundation In Digital Arts. In front of us, she shared that she has had a huge interest in art and drawing since she was little. She completed her secondary education in Fashion Design. Then she continued her studies in BA: Design of Children’s Environment and MA: Design of Computer Games at the National Academy of Arts. Find out what motivated Antoaneta to dive into the world of 3D modeling and teaching in the interview.

What projects have you worked on so far?

While studying for my master’s degree, I worked as a 3D intern at Chaos Group Vray (Chaos) for six months. After that, I was a freelance 3D artist for a year, and at a later stage, I started working at Black Sea Games and spent six years with them. I am now a 3D Character Artist at Zen Art. During my time at the Black Sea Games, we brought out Knights of Honor II: Sovereign.

What are the most valuable lessons you have learned professionally?

Teamwork is essential. It’s nice to have cool colleagues and get along with them because that’s how work becomes fun. And the satisfaction after making a finished product is unrepeatable, you feel that you have left some kind of mark behind you.

Do you play for fun? What are your favorite games right now?

I play for unloading in my spare time and if there is anyone. Mostly FPS, Apex Legends, CS, and Overwatch. Also, I am a fan of board games, my favorites being Splendor, Small World, Skazanie.

What motivated you to be a lecturer in the Foundation in Digital Arts preliminary program and what would you like to pass on to the trainees?

At my time, the Design of Computer Games specialty had just begun to develop at the National Academy of Arts. There were tons of tutorials on the internet and information everywhere and everything. If I can pass on my knowledge and experience and be useful to future generations as an artist, that will be a new kind of satisfaction for me.

If art is your passion and you want to learn the fundamental techniques of digital painting, apply to the Foundation in Digital Arts preliminary program at ARC Academy.