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Mateus Kurzhals: 3D artist interview

3D artist and VFS student Mateus Kurzhals shares work from his portfolio and discusses his inspirations and workflow...

3D artist and VFS student Mateus Kurzhals shares work from his portfolio and discusses his inspirations and workflow...

3dtotal: Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?

Mateus Kurzhals: Hello 3dtotal, thank you for the opportunity to do this interview, I must say that the 3dtotal website had, and still has, a big role in my learning. I'm from Brazil and graduated in graphic design in 2014. I worked for a year in a small communication agency in Brazil. At the moment I'm studying animation and visual effects in Vancouver Film School. I'm learning a lot from the people in here.

3dt: Where did you find the inspiration for your latest gallery entry? What's the story behind its creation?


MK: Choosing what to create in a personal project is part of the workflow. Sometimes I go out to run and think about an idea. Some other times it comes from some life experience. For my last entry (Conch), I was heavily inspired by William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies. The artwork isn't a literal illustration from any of the scene of the book, but I brought some concept to my scene. For me, the Conch in the book represents order between chaos, and I wanted to show this in my image by highlighting it in the composition. The image can be interpreted in different ways. My psychoanalyst in Brazil went deep into its meaning.

3dt: What software and plug-ins did you use to create this image? Did you face any difficulties, and how did you overcome them?

MK: Most of the modeling, lighting and rendering was done using 3ds Max and mental ray. For sculpting details and getting normal maps I used ZBrush. For the texturing process I decided to get out of my comfort zone and finally learn how to use MARI. Usually I use Photoshop, but I have to say that I had a great experience with that program. Although I didn't used Photoshop for texturing, I still used it for compositing. Usually I spend a lot of time doing composition with the render passes. For me, the post production is as important as the modeling and lighting. About the difficulties, there are always difficulties, if I don't get stuck at least in some part of the process; that means I'm not taking so much risk as I should.

Usually I do a lot of shader tests before the final render. This is a test that I did for the eye shader of the boy

Usually I do a lot of shader tests before the final render. This is a test that I did for the eye shader of the boy

3dt: Are there any particular techniques that you use often? Or do you like to experiment?

MK: I definitely use to follow the best workflow that fits me better. But if we don't take risks some time we will never evolve. Experimentation is what make us better every day. As I said before, learning to use MARI was some kind of experimentation for me, and I will probably use it again next time. I'm always trying to create things that forces me to break a new barrier. If I want to learn Marvelous Designer, for example, I will try to put some kind of fabric in my scene, as long as it fits the context.

3dt: What are your artistic ambitions?

MK: I want to see improvement in every project that I do and be able to say something through my artworks. Not like a message that comes from me, but something not intentional, that comes through the pixels of the image.

3dt: How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?

MK: The quality is definitely more important than quantity, that being said, I usually try to spend a lot of time on a good artwork to put in my portfolio than try to do many things in a short period of time. Obviously some people are faster or slower, depending on their style and workflow. But what matters is the amount of effort that is put in a project. A single good image in a portfolio can bring more result than a bunch of average images.

When I have time, I also like to do some digital paints and some traditional drawings, although that is not my strongest point

When I have time, I also like to do some digital paints and some traditional drawings, although that is not my strongest point

3dt: Who are your favorite artists, traditional or digital, and can you explain why?

MK: I don't think I have a favorite one, every day I find new artists with a lot of jaw-dropping artworks. Rembrandt and Caravaggio are always my references when I'm working with lighting.

3dt: What can we expect to see from you next?

MK: As I said, I'm doing a very intensive course in Vancouver at the moment, so I don't think I will be able to do any personal work this year. But I hope to bring some good results from this course to 3dtotal.

This is a work that I did during my course here in Vancouver Film School

This is a work that I did during my course here in Vancouver Film School

Related content

Head over to Mateus Kurzhals' website
Mateus' 3dtotal page
Grab a copy of Beginner's Guide to Character Creation in Maya

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