Virtual Reality for Artists The CreativeMindClass Blog

Virtual Reality artist, Collin Leix, talks about her evolution as a creative artist, from creating oil paintings to discovering the possibilities of VR art.

"Before I was a VR artist, I started as an oil artist, focusing on portraits. In the course of time, this changed as I became more intrigued by the ideas behind the process of MAKING.

The evolution of the artist; starting with music, then classic artwork, and finally to creating the Metaverse

I'm a musician, and became interested in graphic musical scores; various ways of interpreting drawings as musical direction. Also, I discovered that I have synaesthesia, a condition in the brain that causes a blending of various senses, in my case, numbers, and even colors. This all caused me to play with how I approached creating images."

"In 2009, I began a Master's program of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, where we were encouraged to experiment extensively. I began with painting and ended with a thesis project that consisted of a large installation the ceiling with animated images that were projected on it. My first animations that I worked using were basic stop-motion images made with paint and paper with the landscape as a subject matter. The animation was so positively challenging as a medium that I decided to pursue it.

After the completion of my master's thesis In 2012, I enrolled in the local community college in order to learn about After Effects which I have since then have been pretty much self-taught. I jumped into art apps, Cinema4D, and have attempted a few cel, however I have was primarily focused on After Effects. I developed animations directly-to-client for several years, and ensured that I always did my own creative experiments in animation and put them online.

"I had a big health challenge and was going through a period of depression. It often had me lying on the ground with my dog. So this was my view. I challenged myself to create every week a new thing, even if it wasn't a lot to be able to see myself where I REALLY was.

In 2018 , I was employed at the studio of animation Gunner in Detroit, and have been there since!"

What would you say about your style of art?

"Realism still has a place within my heart since my early days. Since then, my style includes a touch of surrealism and playfulness as I continue to study the ways color communicates mood.

My style has absolutely evolved also since I joined the Gunner team. Gunner. We are often working as a unit to promote different styles, so I get to 'try out' styles that aren't my personal style. There are many ways to utilize free brushwork, outline or reducing elements of design are instances of things I've experimented with and continued to do afterward. The example of this is "Crocus" is a mix of drawing textures on 3D shapes, by using realistic shapes and basic shapes, using VR modeling along with traditional Photoshop paint."

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"One reason why I enjoy working in Studio A is because the lines that define me my style' and'me' have blurred. Consider the film "Interruption" for instance. I was approached to write an Instagram video for Gunner at the time I started. I decided to employ some surrealism in order to show what it feels to be immersed in playing music and also what might be visible through your mind's eyes - and then the feeling of being interrupted.

While I did all animation and much of the design, my amazing coworker Ian Sigmon pushed me a lot in design of the characters. I wouldn't have got to the crazy arms and simplified body shapes on my own. We came to the conclusion that women's bodies could disintegrate back into its shape when she is ready playing again."

"I remember losing a high-school art contest due to my work because it didn't seem to be cohesive or all the same style. I believed that was my curse, however it has turned out be a blessing in my current work."

What are the most important things to consider when creating your illustration?

"For me, it all comes back to my gut. It's always a little bit of intrigue at the beginning of each new piece - sometimes it's a color combination I want to try out or maybe it's an expression, or quote, or even a short tale.

The thing that makes my art distinctive is the fact that I'm constantly trying different mediums. In the present, I'm obsessed with painting and drawing in Virtual Reality. The team is also creating the film below at Gunner which covers the entire gamut of painterly cell in Photoshop as well as 3D rendering to creating sculpts within VR, then projecting an image onto the sculpture. I've included a shot of the film, titled Sync to give you an unofficial preview. This is Gunner's debut film that was directed by a woman. it's about three strangers on an airplane and something unexpected occurs to them on the journey.

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What would you advise those who are just starting out in VR art?

"When trying to make sense of any new technology, I always have an image or narrative of the changes I'd like to make first. 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 a little sketch or story you want to do before taking in the latest technology. It's important to have a goal or a "why". Otherwise, you're just flopping about tutorials, attempting to imitate the styles of other artists and telling stories.

Here's a piece we made to launch the conference Blend at Gunner in the year 2019 In which I designed and sculpted a lot of the environmental elements in Virtual Reality. I'd played around with the sculpting process some time ago before, but once I knew an answer to the question of "why" my creativity and capabilities grew dramatically. This video is a look at the different landscapes I made."

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"I'm pretty engaged with my Instagram account. Instagram and I've also created an instructional class to recreate your illustrations in 3D space with Tilt Brush. It doesn't require you to have a degree in VR art yet However, you need to have a VR headset to attend the class. I will guide you through the process. It was a lot of love that I put to this!"