3DTotal: Hi Jason! Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know that you’re making many of our readers happy little bunnies this month! Now for those who aren’t familiar with your background as an artist, I should really start off by asking you to tell us a little about yourself and how you came to find yourself where you are today …
Jason: Well, I’m a freelance illustrator and a concept artist for Massive Black Inc. As a kid, I was really into movies and video games and I started learning 3D. I enrolled at the Academy of Art University of San Francisco, with 3D as my major, but soon switched to illustration – my true passion – and got a BFA. I’ve been freelancing for a number of years now. Most of that work is focused in the fantasy and sci-fi market. 
I started off doing small projects and RPGs, and have since moved on to do some trading card games like “Magic: The Gathering”, and a number of book covers.  For the past few  years I have been working full-time next to a number of amazing artists at Massive Black Inc. as a concept artist for games and movies.

3DTotal: So you originally started out studying 3D, but soon switched over to illustration. What was it that made you realise, “Hey, this isn’t for me!”? Do you have any advice for any other artists out there who might be thinking of making a similar switch, and how do you think the opportunities between the two genres differ in today’s CG industry? 
Jason: Well, growing up when 3D was taking off and new technology was constantly allowing filmmakers to turn out new special FX in movies, like Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, I was really excited at the idea that I could be involved in something like that.  But at the same time I loved coming up with characters and creatures, and just drawing in general. I didn’t realize that I could do that for a living. When I finally did realise that I could be a concept artist, I felt a bit discouraged because I learned how hard it was to get in the field, so I decided to learn 3D. But once I was in school, I found that I did in fact have some drawing skill after all and my teachers and peers encouraged me to go for it as an illustrator and concept artist.		    
   


Now that I’m working in a studio with both concept artists and 3D artists, I can see that there is a big difference. 2D artists are the idea guys. Our job is to come up with ways to show the client what he wants. They might not necessarily be our own ideas, but the job is a little bit more creative than the 3D team’s. Their job is to take the concepts and create them in 3D. While there may be less freedom in this, it can be very rewarding to see this idea brought to life. Also, this will be the finished product that the public gets to see. I think both jobs are cool, just for different reasons.

As for finding work – I’m not sure, but I’d bet it’d be easier to get a job as a 3D artist just because there is so much demand for 3D work in games and movies!

3DTotal: Many 2D artists employ 3D techniques and tools in their works to gauge things such as scale, perspective, backgrounds and so on. From your brush with the 3D world, did you pick up anything there that you are now able to recall and utilise in your 2D practice? Or do you keep the two very separate?
Jason: I think that working in 3D can definitely help you understand form and perspective a bit better. Once I was doing more concept work, I began to incorporate little bits of 3D to help me with my perspective in pieces with complex perspective work.  It comes in handy –

especially when clients request changes in camera angle.

3DTotal: So it seems pretty obvious for me to mention anime at this point. I wonder: what is it about anime that originally captured your heart, and what is it in anime that continues to drive and inspire so many of your great artworks today? Do you have any examples of your favourite anime films and books that we can check out?
Jason: Since I was a kid, I’ve always had a fascination with anime, manga, and just Japanese and Asian cultures in general.
   
 
 

 

I’m Chinese, but I was born and raised in America and I’ve never been to Asia (yet). I just find that all of the rules of Western culture don’t necessarily apply to Eastern culture and, to me, that’s interesting. When you grow up on American cartoons by Disney or Warner Bros, and suddenly you watch Neon Genesis Evangeleon or Akira, they just blow you away! I just thought to myself, “They’re not afraid to express their ideas!” The very adult and sometimes shocking content in anime really appealed to me, because I was suddenly aware of how safe and censored our media was. To me, anime symbolised free expression. 

And a good book I think everyone should own is Rakugaking by Katsuya Terada. It’s a 1000-page compilation of sketchbook pages by Terada.

3DTotal: There will be so many people Google-searching that book now - thanks for the tip! Yes, it’s very true that by growing up on Western cartoons, we’ve been protected by a big bubble of
 

 

 censorship. Which artists, Eastern or Western, past or present, do you find the most inspirational in terms of the free expression that they portray in their artworks? Are there any artists in particular that you aspire to?
Jason: There have been a number of artists that I’ve found interesting, but none of them really stand out in my mind at the moment. I don’t really focus on one artist and aspire to be like them; I feel that if you do that, all you will become is a copycat. Even if you are really good, you will still be just a good copycat. So when I look at artwork, a lot of times I don’t look because of who is the artist is; the artwork itself is what attracts me. I absorb what it is about that particular piece that I enjoy and try to keep that in mind as I continue with my own work.

3DTotal: You mention in your bio that since falling for anime and studying Western culture, you have been aiming to “marry” the two together in your artwork. Can you give us an example of how you go about marrying East with West in your work? How do you tackle and embrace this in your everyday practice as an artist?
Jason: I don’t know if I do it as often as I would like, but I do try to incorporate some Asian aesthetics into my work whenever possible. I must admit that this has probably died down somewhat over the past few years, simply due to what clients want from my work. Basically, there are certain aesthetics that are different. For example, in America, to depict an attractive female we try to make her overly sexy and naughty, whereas in Asia they often use a mix of sexiness and innocence. This is probably the more obvious one that I use.		    
     
 
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