My name is Irene Zeleskou ( Ειρήνη Ζελέσκου ) and I was born in March of 1984 in the city of Kavala in Greece, but I now live in Athens. My dream is to do what I love to do professionally, which is graphic design and 3D animation, possibly in the field of advertising or game art. I am foremost a CG artist, though I often experiment with different kinds of digital and traditional media in order to achieve the best expression of myself in each particular artwork. I am currently looking for a challenging position that will make the most of my experience and skills, as well as my education and professional background. In addition to my graphic design and 3d animation studies, I also have studied primary school teaching.
I am seeking the right opportunity to gain further experience and professional growth, while sharpening my management skills. No prospective employer could find anyone with a more powerful work ethic. My work, which is my art, is the passion of my life.
For as long as I can remember, there has never been a time that I was not taking pen or brush in hand and drawing something in the margins of a book or sculpting characters from an imaginary world with bits of clay. My early obsession with shiny objects and intense colors matured into a creative torrent of jewels, figures and ornaments constructed from wires and beads. In those days before my transition to digital, I also found creative release in the many dreamy landscapes I painted on canvas.
My first inspirations for wanting to work professionally in computer graphics came from my love of watching the more creative movies and TV shows (mainly adventures, fantasy and sci-fi), and TV commercials and video clips. I created my own interpretations of their visual effects. It was while studying primary school teaching at the University of Patras that I began to seriously pursue my interest in graphics. My university teachers, like my high school teachers before them, encouraged me to further cultivate my natural artistic skills. Finally acquiring a good computer in 2002 meant gaining entrance into the wonders of the digital world. In 2005 I became a professional, my artistic pursuits having become my career. I began by taking commissions on artistic icons and banners for several online communities and individuals. This prompted me to improve my drawing skills and sparked a revival in my interest in making my own animated short films.
Self-taught until the age of 22, I decided that, having committed to being a professional graphic designer and 3D animator, I should deepen my formal education in those chosen fields. I did so courtesy of a scholarship at Domi College in Athens. My studies there aided me enormously in my composition skills -- and in developing new avenues for the expression of the images constantly being birthed in my head.
Most recently, my short films, "My World" and "Pain", i was chosen for participation in the Athens Video Art Festival. I am currently working on a 3D short film called "Robo Q". I am also working as a freelance artist on some concept/character art for video game companies, as well as doing CD cover illustrations.
In my spare time, I indulge in my hobbies of macro-photography, playing video games, watching movies, painting and swimming.