Artists stepped out from behind their screens and sketchbooks at Animation & More Summit 2026, where the ‘Ink and Imagination’ artwork showcase offered a refreshingly personal look at the people behind the pictures.
Across both days, the showcase gave independent artists a platform to do more than display their work. They spoke about their creative processes, inspirations, evolving artistic styles and, importantly, the routines, realities and lives that exist beyond the artwork.
Day one featured animation film director Krishna Chandran; Entangled Studio CEO and animation director Shubhranshu Singh; Scribbling Studios founder Sumandeep Singh; and Trio & Cosmics lead artist Randeep Singh. Each artist took the audience through their work, sharing the ideas and experiences that shaped their creative journeys.
Rather than treating art as a finished frame, the showcase opened the door to the process behind it. The experiments, influences, everyday experiences and personal stories that eventually find their way onto the page or screen.
Day two continued the creative conversation with illustrator artist Bajro Narayan Dutta; animator and independent illustrator Manuvrat Nair; and animator Shruti Ganesh.
The second day put an even more human lens on the artistic journey. The artists spoke about their routines, life beyond their creative practice and the ways everyday experiences feed their imagination. They also reflected on the importance of having spaces where independent artists can present their work, connect with audiences and simply be seen.
For many independent artists, the challenge is not just creating the work but finding the room to show it. The showcase addressed that gap by giving emerging and independent voices a stage within a larger industry gathering.
The artists also expressed their appreciation to AnimationXpress for creating that platform and bringing their work into the spotlight.
With no grand production machinery required just artwork, stories and plenty of imagination Ink and Imagination proved that behind every polished frame is an artist with a life, a process and a story of their own.
The takeaway was simple: sometimes the most interesting story isn’t on the canvas, it’s the person holding the pencil.
