Animation Student Spotlight: Meet Iryna Lozova, a passionate animator blending skill, storytelling, and strong prep to bring game cinematics to life.

“That's why I decided to study at iAnimate…If you want to be the best, you should learn from the best.”

Meet iAnimate Student Iryna Lozova

Student Spotlight features Iryna Lozova, an inspiring animator whose journey is a testament to passion, persistence, and the pursuit of excellence. Although she didn't start her career in animation, it was always her dream. Three years ago, she made the bold decision to follow that dream—and she hasn’t looked back since.

Now with three years of experience under her belt, Iryna continues to push her craft to new heights. She's currently honing her skills at iAnimate, driven by a desire to become the best by learning from the best. Her passion lies in game animation, with a growing interest in bringing cinematic moments to life through dynamic, story-driven visuals.

Since December 2023, Iryna has been working as an animator at Dominik Levitsky Studio, a Ukrainian indie studio, where she's contributing her talent and vision to exciting projects.

“At the very beginning of my animation career, I asked senior animators what their path was and noticed that they all studied at iAnimate. That's why I applied for the Game Animation Workshop.”

We’re proud to have Iryna in the iAnimate community and can't wait to see the incredible animations she'll bring to the world!

Student Animation Journey

Iryna Lozova  took the Game Animation Workshop at iAnimate:

• Game Animation Workshop 1 - Instructor Kyle Kenworthy

Iryna approaches each animation shot with thoughtful preparation and intentionality. She dedicates about 30% of her time to the planning phase:

• Defining the core idea
• Selecting a character that resonates with the moment, and
• Gathering strong references to guide her vision.

When the action allows, she prefers to act out the movements herself, trusting that her own body can often reveal the most natural and expressive performance. Before diving into animation, she takes time to thoroughly explore the rig, understanding its strengths and limitations. Only after this detailed groundwork is complete does she begin animating—bringing her ideas to life with clarity, purpose, and a strong creative foundation.

“It was valuable for me to learn from industry leaders. As an animator, I've had to face certain challenges in my work. My classes allowed me to learn how Blizzard solves these problems. That was a real treasure for me. I can apply best practices to my work every day.”

[Iryna's Current Reel]

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator Iryna Lozova

iAnimate: What do you think of your Online Animation Instructor(s), and how do they help you?

Iryna: I liked the way feedback was given. My instructor told me not only what I needed to fix, but also what was good about my animation. This inspired me to keep working and become a better animator day by day.

The most valuable thing for me was something else: my instructor showed me that becoming a good animator is a reality, not a dream. During one of the lectures, I told the instructor that his animation process looks like magic, and he said, "When I was a junior animator, it seemed like magic to me too. Keep practicing, and you can do it too."

It turns out that Blizzard doesn't have a maternity ward where super animators are born. People become great animators by learning and practicing :)

iAnimate: How did iAnimate help you to evolve your animation skills as a character animator?

Iryna: I have become more balanced in how I evaluate the amount of work. When I studied at other schools, I tried to make big shots and never finished them. At iAnimate, I realized that it is not necessary to make big shots. It is better to make a perfect small shot than not to finish a big one. This gave me the ability to plan the process of learning and working on shots better..

iAnimate: What kind of animator do you consider after taking your student workshops?

Iryna: I'm not only more confident as a professional, but I also have a plan for my further growth in the field of animation. Now I will apply everything I have learned at school in my daily work. Also, the knowledge of not only Maya, but also Blender and Unreal Engine opens up a lot of opportunities for me in my industry.

iAnimate: What kind of project do you want to work on?

Iryna: I would like to work in the game animation industry. I'm passionate about animating creatures. My future goal is to work on cinematics..