Mini interview with Dominic Qwek
Dominic Qwek is a creature and character artist who has worked on Starcraft II, Diablo III and Killzone 2. 3dtotal asked him a few questions to find out what makes him tick...
Dominic Qwek is a creature and character artist who has worked on Starcraft II, Diablo III and Killzone 2. 3dtotal asked him a few questions to find out what makes him tick...
As senior cinematic artist at Blizzard, Dominic Qwek gets to contribute work to some of the greatest visual cinematics in the entertainment industry. Here, he talks to 3dtotal about some of the highlights of his career so far
3dtotal staff: Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?
Dominic Qwek: My name is Dominic Qwek and I currently reside in Irvine, California. I work at Blizzard Entertainment as a Senior Cinematic Artist, where I get to help create the visually stunning cinematics that Blizzard is known for. I enjoy doing creature design as well as producing my own line of collectible art busts.
3dt: Tell us the story behind your artwork: What brought you into the digital art world and what software do you use?
DQ: Since I was young, Ive always been passionate about drawing. It was easy for me to get lost in my own imagination as a kid, in fact, this still happens to me now! I recall watching Pixars Toy Story for the very first time and that was when I knew I wanted to get into digital art as a career. I use 3ds Max, ZBrush, KeyShot and Photoshop.
3dt:How did you learn to paint digitally?
DQ: I am more of a sculptor than a painter. Ive always enjoyed 3D modeling and picked it up during my 3-year diploma studies in Digital Media. I also learned a lot from participating in CG forums such as the ones in 3dtotal and CGTalk.
3dt: How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?
DQ: The best tip would be to always hone your skills with whatever available time you have. Always be on the lookout for new features and workflows and dont be afraid to try new things. Keeping an open mind helps, as well as choosing a specific skill to specialize at. Being great in many disciplines is good; however, it helps to be extremely proficient in one of them.
3dt: Who are your favorite artists, traditional or digital, and can you explain why?
DQ: Some of my favorite artists are Allen Williams, Simon Lee, Steve Wang, Takayuki Takeya, H.R. Giger, Zdzislaw Beksinski, Frank Frazetta and Pascal Blanche. They all have one thing in common and that is their own unique visual style. Their art inspires me a lot and all it takes is a quick gander to get myself motivated with my own craft.
3dt: What software would you like to learn in the future to expand your portfolio and skillset, and why?
DQ: I would definitely like to get more involved with sculpting in clay in the future. Most of my time is spent sculpting digitally. That said, I feel that traditional clay can help the digital sculptor evaluate and appreciate forms better. This can only help you get better as an artist.
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For more of Dominic Qwek's awesome work, check out his site
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