Hi, I'm Pankaj Umbarkar, a VFX paint lead with a solid track record spanning more than a decade in painting, keying, roto, and compositing across major film and TV projects. I specialize in marker and wire removal, background reconstruction, paint fixes, grain management, and edge integration, using Nuke and related tools to deliver clean, believable plates. I’m a proactive problem-solver who thrives on collaborative environments and guiding teams to efficient, high-quality results. I’ve grown from hands-on paint work to leading prep teams, bidding, and project planning, with experience coordinating with vendors and studios on Hollywood-scale productions. I’m passionate about mentoring artists, optimizing workflows, and delivering polished visuals on tight deadlines while upholding creative quality.

Pankaj Umbarkar

Hi, I'm Pankaj Umbarkar, a VFX paint lead with a solid track record spanning more than a decade in painting, keying, roto, and compositing across major film and TV projects. I specialize in marker and wire removal, background reconstruction, paint fixes, grain management, and edge integration, using Nuke and related tools to deliver clean, believable plates. I’m a proactive problem-solver who thrives on collaborative environments and guiding teams to efficient, high-quality results. I’ve grown from hands-on paint work to leading prep teams, bidding, and project planning, with experience coordinating with vendors and studios on Hollywood-scale productions. I’m passionate about mentoring artists, optimizing workflows, and delivering polished visuals on tight deadlines while upholding creative quality.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Pankaj Umbarkar, a VFX paint lead with a solid track record spanning more than a decade in painting, keying, roto, and compositing across major film and TV projects. I specialize in marker and wire removal, background reconstruction, paint fixes, grain management, and edge integration, using Nuke and related tools to deliver clean, believable plates. I’m a proactive problem-solver who thrives on collaborative environments and guiding teams to efficient, high-quality results.

I’ve grown from hands-on paint work to leading prep teams, bidding, and project planning, with experience coordinating with vendors and studios on Hollywood-scale productions. I’m passionate about mentoring artists, optimizing workflows, and delivering polished visuals on tight deadlines while upholding creative quality.

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Language

English
Advanced
Marathi (Marāṭhī)
Advanced
Hindi
Advanced

Work Experience

Stereo Paint Artist at Prime Focus Limited (Mumbai)
October 1, 2012 - December 1, 2013
Responsible for removing markers, wires, and crew members, and reconstructing backgrounds using paint work; performed paint fixes, edge integration, and plate prep for compositing.
Vfx Paint Artist at 5Elements Entertainment Pvt Ltd (Chennai)
December 1, 2013 - October 1, 2014
Marker removal, wire removal, background reconstruction, paint fixes, rotoscoping, and prep for compositing across shots.
Sr Vfx Paint and Comp Artist at Digikore Studios Ltd (Pune)
November 1, 2014 - February 1, 2018
Experience in keying techniques, grain and de-grain, paint fixes, rotoscoping, edge integration, camera tracking, and overall comp prep.
Vfx Paint Lead at Anibrain Digital Technologies (Pune)
February 1, 2018 - August 1, 2022
Led paint tasks; core member of Netflix Mumbai JV; gained experience in project management, bidding, artist utilization, and task briefing to partner studios. Delivered Hollywood projects such as The Grey Man and other Netflix-related work.
Sr Vfx Prep Team Lead at Company3 Method (India) Pvt Ltd
August 1, 2022 - Present
Handle project prep, bidding, project planning, artist allocation, client requirements; work closely with the comp team handling basic and split comps and chroma shots.

Education

12th (Science) at Nutan Jr. College Malkapur
January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2009
BSc Animation at GH Raisoni Institute, Jalgaon
January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2012
Virtual Effect Pro. at Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics, Andheri
February 1, 2012 - October 1, 2012

Qualifications

Two-time Contribution Award (Anibrain Digital Technologies)
January 11, 2030 - April 18, 2026

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services