To celebrate TUMO’s 15th anniversary, we’re launching the “15 Questions” series, beginning with an interview with TUMO Yerevan O phase alumna Diana Yeghikyan. Post-TUMO, Diana has had the opportunity to work with Disney and Pixar, creating the official poster for the animated film Elemental. She also created the illustrations for a computer game based on the Maya and the Three mini-series, commissioned by Netflix for the Roblox platform.

1. Do you remember your first project at TUMO?

It was Aram Mirzoyants’s graphic design workshop, during which we had to create a logo for the John and Hasmik Mkrtchyan Foundation. My creation was selected, and it’s now installed at the entrance of TUMO Gyumri.

2. Which TUMO fields feel most dear to you?

Digital art was the most natural for me. I tried not to miss a workshop or learning lab. The most challenging field for me was music, with which I only engaged from afar.

3. Before starting your career in animation and design, what assumptions did you have about these fields?

At first, I was admitted to the biology department at Yerevan State University, but when I came to TUMO at 17 and learned that animation and games could become professions, I decided to attend the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia. TUMO itself guided me along this path. I didn’t imagine that these fields could be so vast and have such potential.

4. How did TUMO shape your creativity?

Thanks to TUMO, I met the right professionals at the right time, and through them, I realized how creative I could be.

5. How did you feel when you found out you’d be working on a Disney/Pixar project?

I actually screamed. I couldn’t believe something like this could happen. Of course, I wanted to work with Disney, but I expected it to happen in the distant future, not so soon.

6. How did you create the poster for the Disney film?

Disney actually surprised me. Prior to this, I had worked with companies that gave feedback on every single pixel. With Disney, they gave me quite a bit of creative freedom. My task was to draw members of the “fire” family, but they left the creative approach up to me. This level of trust was a breath of fresh air.

They sent me the cartoon ahead of the premiere, which was a huge responsibility. The viewing link was available to me for only 12 hours, and during that time, I had to study the characters to create the poster. I had to present a sketch within a set timeframe for feedback, and after receiving comments, continue working, and so on. In fact, they requested very few changes. I couldn’t tell anyone that I was working on this project until the premiere. It was a thrilling experience.

_{The poster Diana created for the Elemental cartoon}

7. Can you tell us about your work on the Maya and the Three game?

I worked on this project with Toya, an organization that collaborated with Netflix to create an eponymous game based on the Maya and the Three mini-series. I was part of a large team and worked on illustrations, icons, and 2D assets. The project lasted about three months.

_{Selections from Diana’s portfolio}

8. Was there ever a moment while working on these projects when you thought, “I can’t believe I’m doing this?”

Of course, there was, and there still is! Working with these companies is every artist’s dream.

9. How different was creating a poster for a film from creating illustrations for Roblox?

One is used more for marketing purposes, while the other is part of the game itself.

10. Which of the skills you gained at TUMO were important in your career?

It’s less about skills and more about a life hack. In Agata Badalyan’s workshop, if something wasn’t producing the results we wanted in Photoshop, I’d press Ctrl+D, and everything would fall into place.

11. When you can’t create, what do you do?

I order sushi.

12. Describe your creative style in three words.

Colorful, joyful, magical.

13. What inspires you?

Nature, everyday human relationships, light, travel.

14. What advice would you give your younger self, when you first started coming to TUMO?

I would probably say something very simple: Find what you do with love and light, and the path will reveal itself.

_{Diana during Aram Mirzoyants’s graphic design workshop, 2019}

15. What advice would you give TUMO students who dream of working on international projects?

Hone your skills, and the projects will find you.