Virtual Reality for Artists - The CreativeMindClass Blog
Virtual Reality artist, Collin Leix, talks about her creative evolution; beginning with oil-based paintings, she is now investigating the possibilities of VR art.
"Before I was a VR artist, started out as an oil artist, focused on portraits. Over the years this evolved because I was more interested in the theories behind the process of MAKING.
The evolution of the artist; starting with music, then classic artto the creation of Metaverse
I'm a violinist, and was astonished to discover my interest in musical score illustrations; diverse ways to perceive illustrations as musical directions. Additionally, I realized that I suffer from synaesthesia - a neurological condition which causes a blend of various senses, in my case, numbers, and even colors. The experience caused me to play with how I approached creating an image."
"In 2009, I began a Master's course of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, where students were encouraged to explore extensively. I began as a painter and finished with a thesis project that was a huge installation on the ceiling that had animations projected onto it. The first sketches I began with were simple stop-motion drawings with paper and paint, using the natural landscape as a theme. The animation was so positively demanding as a technique that I decided to continue to work on it.
After the completion of my master's thesis at the end of 2012, I went to the local community college in order for a class on After Effects as well, and since then , I've mostly self-taught. I jumped into art apps, Cinema4D, and have attempted a few cel too, but have concentrated on After Effects. I made direct-to-client animations for several years, and ensured that I always did my own artful experiments in animation and put them online.
"I suffered from an enormous health issue and had a spell of depression, which frequently left me on my floor, surrounded by my dog. This was how I saw it. I set myself the challenge of creating every week a new thing, even if it was really short in order to meet myself where I REALLY was.
In 2018 I was hired by the animation studio Gunner located in Detroit I have been there since!"
What would you say about your style of art?
"Realism is a constant in my heart from my early years. My style has evolved since then. has a bit more surrealism and a sense of fun as I continue to study how color can communicate mood.
My fashion style has changed also since I joined the team at Gunner. It is common for us to work in a group to help support diverse styles. This means that I am able to try out different styles that aren't mine personal style. A few ways to use free brushwork, outline, or simplifying design elements are some instances of things I've experimented with and continued to do afterward. The example of this is 'Crocus' is a mixture of painting texture over three-dimensional forms. Both with realism and simple designs, employing VR sculpting along with traditional Photoshop drawing."
Your browser does not support the video tag.
"One reason I love working at the studio is because the boundaries that define me as well as my personal style are blurred. Take the video called "Interruption," for instance. I was invited to make an Instagram posting to Gunner as I began to explore. I wanted to use the surrealism of my work to show what it feels as being in the flow of playing music and also the images you can see within your head as well as the feeling of being interrupted.
When I worked on the animating and most of the designwork, my wonderful co-worker Ian Sigmon pushed me a lot in character design. It wouldn't be possible to achieve the crazy arms and simplified body shapes all by myself. We came to the conclusion that women's bodies can disappear into shapes when she begins to play again."
"I recall losing an high school art competition because my artworks were not all cohesive, or all the same style. I believed that was the curse of my life, however, it turned out to be a blessing in the work I do now."
What's the secret to drawing your artwork?
"For me, it all has to come down to a gut feeling. There's always an element of interest at the beginning of any new piece. often it's a new color scheme I'd like to test or maybe it's a gesture, or a quotation, or a little narrative.
One thing that distinguishes my work is the fact that I'm constantly trying different mediums. In the present, I'm obsessed with drawing and painting in Virtual Reality. We're also working on the film below at Gunner which covers the entire gamut of painting a cel using Photoshop, to 3D rendering to creating sculpts in VR, then projecting an image onto the sculpt. Here's a clip from the film, which is called Sync for an early preview. This is Gunner's debut film that was directed by a woman. the story revolves around three strangers traveling on an airplane and something unexpected that happens to them during the journey.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Your browser does not support the video tag.
What advice would you give to someone who starts out with VR art?
"When trying to make sense of any new technology, I always have in mind a small image or story of what I want to create before I begin. It's probably a suggestion I would offer to those who want to increase the capabilities of their team - create the style frame or create an idea of a sketch or story you're planning to write before folding in the new technology. It's important to have a goal - a 'why'. In other words, you're just cruising about tutorials, attempting to imitate the styles of other artists and telling stories.
This is a work we created for an event called Blend at Gunner in 2019 In which I designed and sculpted many of the environment assets within Virtual Reality. I had played with sculpting some time ago, but when I had an answer to the question of "why" my experimentation and skills expanded rapidly. Here's a video that's a overview of the scenes I designed."
Your browser does not support the video tag.
"I'm very active with my Instagram account. Instagram as well. I also developed an instructional class to create your own illustrations in 3D space with Tilt Brush. There is no requirement to be a VR artist yet, but you have to possess a VR headset take the class, but I walk people through the process. It was a lot of love that I put to this!"
Article was posted on here