About Me
Ritz Nihalani
Creative Director & Lead 3D Artist
I am a Creative Director & Lead 3D Artist with startup experience and an MFA in Animation, leading high-impact visual storytelling for fashion-forward digital brands. My practice blends strategic vision with hands-on execution—conceptualizing and directing 3D character and dress assets while managing teams, workflows, and brand-facing presentations.
Areas of Expertise
Strategy & Vision
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Creative direction rooted in business goals: I lead the design of virtual dresses and character models that reflect brand identity and resonate emotionally—ensuring each piece aligns with market strategy and campaign narrative
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Narrative-led approach: My process begins with defining target outcomes, storyboarded concepts, and mood-driven aesthetic direction to guide both visual execution and campaign intent .
Execution & Technical Mastery
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Full pipeline involvement: From modeling in Blender/ZBrush to texturing in Substance Painter and draping in Marvelous Designer, I personally oversee and craft key assets, ensuring top-tier artistic quality and technical consistency .
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Efficient workflows: I implement optimized production processes—streamlined asset pipelines, rapid prototyping, and iterative reviews—enabling agile delivery that meets high visual standards
Leadership & Team Management
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Hands-on leadership: I manage cross-functional teams—coordinating with junior artists, animators, and compositors—ensuring collaboration, mentorship, and artistic direction to deliver cohesive campaign assets
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Stakeholder collaboration: I synthesize feedback from marketing, brand, and executive stakeholders, translating strategic briefs into creative frameworks and iterating swiftly to keep campaigns on target .
Artist Statement
I am an imaginative creator of digital dreams—where characters, fabrics, and fantasy converge to form living, narrative scenes. My creative impulse begins with a spark—an emotional whisper or fleeting impression—that blooms into vibrant concept, evolving through hand-drawn sketches, moody collages, and tactile material exploration before entering the 3D realm.
Influenced by digital surrealism, I design characters and virtual gowns that defy gravity and expectation, crafting visual poetry that lingers in the heart.
I delight in maximalist layering—every ruffle, fold, and shimmer woven to evoke emotion and invite discovery—yet I’m equally moved by minimal moments, where a single sculptural gesture or hue shift speaks with profound clarity. I don’t design by formula; I follow intuition, led by the alchemy between organic whimsy and technical precision.
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In quietly directing and orchestrating scenes—assembling assets, sculpting environments, painting with light and texture—I immerse myself in the pulse of each world. My work is a heartfelt dialogue between emotion and form: whether summoning a hyper-realistic warrior or conjuring an avant-garde gown, my creations breathe life, feeling, and soul—inviting viewers into immersive, emotionally resonant realms that stay with them long after the screen fades.
Management Style
Beyond creation, I’ve led cross-functional teams, including offshore artists, while navigating Agile workflows and streamlining production pipelines. My experience working across time zones and cultures has strengthened my ability to manage complex projects with clarity, empathy, and efficiency. I believe in structured workflows, clear communication, and creative collaboration as the backbone of every successful production.