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What made you get into CG modelling?
I grew up in a traditional art environment doing both
painting and sculpting. For a hobby, I would assemble
scale models, but as the cost of the model kits became
prohibitive I had to stop. I barely kept my hobby alive by
taking sprue from my more affluent scale modelling
friends. Star Wars introduced me to the concept of scratch
building. I vowed that I would go back to scale modelling
some day.
Many years later a friend
showed me an advertisement for Newtek’s Video Toaster,
with LightWave bundled in with it. We pooled our resources
together and purchased an Amiga with a Video Toaster, in
the hopes of breaking into the Post Production/CG
industry. I discovered that I could model things from
scratch and create my own original designs not from any
model kits. I didn’t have to worry about paints, air brush
compressors, cleaning solvents, xacto knives… I had
everything literally at my fingertips
How long have you been doing CG modelling for?
I created my first LWO mesh in 1991.
Whom do you draw inspiration from?
Lots of things. My training as an architect has a lot to
do with how I approach my designs. A big chunk of my
childhood was spent devouring sci-fi novels, with another
chunk being immersed in mandatory military service.
Finally, living in a non-English speaking country has
forced me to watch an enormous amount of movies.
A few of my inspirations personified are Jean Giraud,
George Lucas, Syd Mead, Renzo Piano, Mamoru Oshii, Doug
Chiang, Isaac Asimov, Santiago Calatrava, Robert Heinlein,
Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Herbert, Katsumo Otomo, Arata
Isozaki, and Ridley Scott.
What is one of your top tips you could give to a fellow
enthusiast?
Streamline your workflow. Don’t be afraid to experiment
with new things and try new ways of doing old things, but
once you’ve found what works best for you in terms of
quality and efficiency, strive for consistency.
There’s no such thing as having enough reference material.
What project/s are you currently working on at this
present time?
Hundreds of little projects! I am slowly trying to flesh
out a universe that has adopted the name of “Dystopia”.
I’m also involved as a modeller in a modest production for
a short animated feature.
When you get a creative block, how do bounce back?
Having more than one project going at the same time does
tend to keep me on my toes. As soon as I can feel the
onset of creative block… which manifests itself as
disinterest, I quickly step away from what I am doing and
get to work on something entirely different. One method I
use to keep boredom at bay is to generate positive stress…
some people listen to music while they work, I watch a
movie while I work… it helps me to concentrate.
Creative block is different from plain exhaustion.
Sometimes it’s just best to walk away. Maybe go see a
movie?
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