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3DTotal: Hi Fred. Could you tell us how you started out in the world of 3D?
Fred: I discovered CGI during a long period of artist’s block, with 3d studio max (dos version). The first
two years of studying were not very intensive; it was more of an amusement than anything else. It was
only once I had sufficiently assimilated the program and I was able to get rid of the technical constraints, that I was able to leave the field of experimentation and really become creative with it.
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3DTotal: Ahh I see, so is your artist background self- taught or did you go to college to study?
Fred: I’m a graduate of the ‘Ecole des arts appliqués de Vevey’, where I learnt about perspective, colour theory and very basic art stuff. After that, I moved to the ‘Ecole supérieure d’arts décoratifs de Genève’, but it was a pure waste of time. I was spending my time painting white or black monochromes and all that kind of boring conceptual things. I was very unhappy there.
3DTotal: What about work. Are you a freelance artist or do you work full time?
Fred: I’m currently work in a completely unrelated sector to CGI, but I work only part-time. However, I realise some illustrations with computer-generated images, as a freelance artist in my spare time. |
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3DTotal: I have noticed that you have used plaster sculptures in the creations of some of your characters, how do you feel this technique benefits the overall outcome of your work?
Fred: It’s not plaster, but plastiline. A material made of grease, clay powder and wax which is very similar to kids’ modelling paste. I like to conceptualize a model with this kind of material, because it’s very efficient in obtaining a good basic shape quickly. However, recently, I’ve discovered that ZBrush
offers the same type of approach, so I’ve made my last models without plastiline
roughs,so I will certainly give up with this stage in the future. |
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3DTotal: So you have tried both approaches to creating your characters, but which one gives you a greater sense of achievement?
Fred: There is no method better than the other. The ZBrush method saves a lot of time, and could become fantastic with a good re-meshing tool. But to create, I think it’s better to have real physical contact with materials. So my preference would certainly be to my first love, the plastiline model.
3DTotal: How do you start using these in your character modelling?
Fred: It depends. Sometimes, I make face/profile photos, then use them as references inside 3dsmax. Another way is I just keep the sculpture on my desktop, and this helps to better visualize the geometry, and determine edge loops placements. It’s very difficult for me to create a model without solid references, so spending some time on a plastiline model can save a lot of time.
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3DTotal: Could you explain to us why you seem to give some of your characters very exaggerated features?
Fred: It’s the principle of caricature: choosing a determinant characteristic of a person’s face and exaggerating at its paroxysm, a principle you could also find in childrens’ drawing too.
I think my approach is very similar.
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