Virtual Reality for Artists - The CreativeMindClass Blog
Virtual Reality artist Collin Leix, talks about her evolution as a creative artist, From oil painting to exploring the intricacies of VR art.
"Before I was a VR artist, I started as an oil painter, focused on portraits. Over the years this evolved as I became more interested in the concepts that go into making.
The development of an artist, from music, through classic art, to creating Metaverse
I'm a violinist, and I got really interested in graphic musical scores; diverse ways to perceive illustrations as musical directions. Additionally, I realized that I suffer from synaesthesia, which is a neurologic condition that results in a mix of various senses, in my instance, numbers as well as colors. It also led me to experiment more in the way I created an image."
"In 2009 I started a Master's degree that focused on Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, where we were encouraged to experiment with a variety of techniques. I started as a painter and finished with a thesis project that was a huge installation on the ceiling, with animations that were projected on it. The animations I started out with were rudimentary stop-motion animations with paper and paint, using the natural landscape as a theme. It was so challenging as a medium that I was certain that I would want to continue to work on it.
After my Master's at the end of 2012, I enrolled in a local community college to take a course on After Effects as well, and Since then I've learned a lot on my own. I jumped into art apps, Cinema4D, and have attempted a few cel as well, but focused mainly upon After Effects. I developed animations directly-to-client for a few years and ensured that I always did my own artful experiments in animation, and then put them on the internet.
"I was dealing with an enormous health issue and was suffering from a bout of depression, which was often a time when I lay on the ground with my pet. This was how I saw it. I challenged myself to make something once a week and even if it wasn't a lot so that I could meet my goals of the place I really was.
In 2018 , I was employed by the animation studio Gunner in Detroit I have worked there since!"
How would you describe the style you use in your work?
"Realism is a constant within my heart since my early years. My style has evolved since then. is a little more surrealist and a sense of fun, and I'm forever studying what color means to communicate mood.
My personal style has completely changed as well since joining the Gunner team. Gunner. The Gunner team is often working together as a team to support different styles, so I am able to try out some styles that aren't necessarily my individual styles. A few ways to use free brushwork, outline, or simplifying designs are a few instances of things I've experimented with and continued to do afterward. For example, the piece 'Crocus' is a mixture of painting textures over three-dimensional forms. Both using realism as well as simple shapes, using VR sculpture as well as good old Photoshop painting."
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"One reason I love working at the studio is because the edges that define 'me as well as my personal style have been blurred. Take the video called "Interruption," for instance. I was invited to make an Instagram posting to Gunner at the time I started. I wanted to use a bit of surrealism to illustrate what it's to be in the flow of playing music and also what might be visible through your mind's eyes - and then the feeling of being interrupted.
Although I was the one who did the animating and most of the designing, my wonderful co-worker Ian Sigmon pushed me a lot in design of the characters. It wouldn't be possible to achieve the crazy arms or the simplified shapes of body on my own. We came to the conclusion that women's bodies could disappear into forms when she starts to play."
"I recall losing an high school art competition because my artworks didn't seem to be cohesive or all the same style. I believed that was the curse of my life, however it has turned out be a blessing for the work I do now."
What are the most important things to consider when making your illustrations?
"For me, it all has to come down to a gut feeling. There's always an element of interest at the beginning of every new work - Sometimes it's just a color combo I'd like to explore, sometimes it starts with the gesture of a reference, or perhaps a story.
Something that marks my artwork is the fact that I'm always trying out new mediums. In the present, I'm obsessed with drawing and painting with Virtual Reality. The team is also creating an animated short on Gunner that covers everything from of painterly cel in Photoshop and 3D rendering, to sculpting within VR, then projecting a painting on the sculpture. Here's a clip from the film, which is called Sync, as an unofficial preview. It's Gunner's first film directed by a woman. the story revolves around three strangers traveling on the plane and something surprising that happens to them during the flight.
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What do you suggest to anyone who is just beginning with VR art?
"When trying to make sense of any new technology, I always have in mind a small image or idea of what I would like to make first. I guess that's a tip I have for those who want to increase their skills - make an art frame, or make some sketchy or narrative you're planning to write before taking in the latest technology. It's important to have a goal - a 'why'. Otherwise, you're just flopping around tutorials, taking on different styles and narratives of others.
This is a work we created to kick off the conference Blend at Gunner during 2019 In which I designed and sculpted several of the natural objects using Virtual Reality. I'd played around with the sculpting process a little bit, but when I had the proper 'why' my exploration and abilities grew exponentially. Below is a video look at the different landscapes I created."
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"I'm very busy with my Instagram account. Instagram and I've also created an instruction on how to recreate your illustrations in 3D space with Tilt Brush. It doesn't require you to be a VR artist yet However, you need to be wearing a VR headset in order to participate in the course, however I guide people through the steps from there. The love I pour in this!"
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