Kristina uses her characters to live out grand adventures and to come to terms with strife. She craves to tell their stories through her animations.
Kristina Czoschke is a senior at the University of New Hampshire, pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts, concentration in drawing, with a minor in Chinese. Inspired by her paternal grandmother’s studio at a young age, Kristina’s interest in pursuing art began. Doodles in notebook margins turned to sketches of figures in the hallways then to human figures of the imagination. Character design was the first subject that captured her attention and stuck. She made characters inspired by strange quirks from herself and her friends. Characters that had abilities she wished she had, traits that she found intriguing when paired with certain experiences, and so on. Kristina uses her characters to live out grand adventures and to come to terms with strife. She craves to tell their stories through her animations.
Kristina was born in Northridge, California and moved to Bedford, New Hampshire when she was three years old. She enjoys to curl up in her bed to read or play video games in her spare time. Her mother and sister are two constants in her life that never fail to inspire and amuse her. She intends to go onto to graduate school to pursue animation after graduation.
Artist’s Statement
As a character designer, I have made many designs based on other people that I have seen or known. All of the characters, in some form, have an element of me within them. This year I have created a black and white sketch-like animation. My first character, Masako, was predominantly based on me and is the one I showcase in this animation.
When I created Masako, I was thirteen and struggling with my life. Without a proper outlet, feelings got buried and never became addressed which left me in a constant state of disorientation. I never properly addressed how I felt, didn’t have the language to, and I never questioned if that was right or wrong. Instead, I created a character, Masako, who took all of my rage and grief. Masako acted upon this grief and decimated her landscape, abandoned her friends, and never once cried. As time went on, this character felt so lonely and was a shell of a person. It pained me because I didn’t know how to fix it, but I knew she couldn’t grow on her own.
Most of the animation is in black and white to create a sense of void and emptiness which is emphasized with its flatness. The color that is used depict points of fear. There are many moments where Masako has micro-expressions. She has just recovered from a horrific event in her life and is now going back into the normal motions of attending school where she is still processing her pain. Masako often appears that she isn’t entirely present and the camera zooms to show the little bit of expression she does have. I intend to use this project as a starting point for a larger exploration of narratives.
