Virtual Reality for Artists - The CreativeMindClass Blog
Virtual Reality artist, Collin Leix, talks about her evolution as a creative artist, beginning with oil-based paintings, she is now discovering the possibilities of VR art.
"Before I became an artist in VR, I started as an oil artist, focused on portraits. In the course of time, this changed as I became more interested in the theories involved in the making process.
The evolution of the artist; from music, through classic artwork, and finally to creating the Metaverse
I'm a musician, and I got really interested in the visual musical scores and different ways to interpret drawings as musical direction. Additionally, I realized that I suffer from synaesthesia, a condition in the brain which causes a blend of multiple senses. In my case, numbers, and colors. This all caused me to play in the way I created images."
"In 2009 I started a Master's program in Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, where we were encouraged to experiment extensively. My first assignment was as a painter and finished with a thesis project that included a massive installation that was placed on the ceiling with animated images projected onto the. The animations I started out using were basic stop-motion images with paper and paint, with the landscape as a theme. The work was so challenging as a medium that I decided to explore it further.
After finishing my master's degree In 2012, I went to an area community college for a class on After Effects, and since then have mostly self-taught. I started exploring art applications, Cinema4D, and have attempted a few cel too, but have was primarily focused upon After Effects. I developed animations directly-to-client for a few years and ensured that I always did my own artistic experiments with animation and put them online.
"I was dealing with an enormous health issue and was going through a period of depression that frequently left me on the floor with my dog. This was how I saw it. I set myself the challenge of creating something once a week, even if it was really short so that I could meet my goals of exactly where I was.
In 2018 , I was employed at the studio of animation Gunner located in Detroit in the city of Detroit. I've worked there since!"
How would you describe your art style?
"Realism is a constant in my heart , even from the beginning of my career. In the past, my style has a bit more surrealism as well as humour as I continue to study how color can communicate mood.
My fashion style has changed as well since joining the team at Gunner. It is common for us to work as a team to support various styles. As a result, I am able to try out different styles that aren't mine personal style. There are many ways to utilize loose brushwork, lines, or simplifying elements of design are examples of what I've tried and kept doing afterward. As an example, the work "Crocus" is a mix of drawing textures on 3D forms, both by using realistic shapes and basic forms, using VR sculpture along with traditional Photoshop painting."
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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 invited to make an Instagram post for Gunner when I first started. I was looking to incorporate some surrealism in order to show what it feels as being in the flow of playing music, as well as what you may see through your mind's eyes and the feeling of being interrupted.
While I did all the animation, and a lot of the design, my wonderful co-worker Ian Sigmon pushed me a LOT in the character design. It wouldn't be possible to achieve these crazy, long arms and simplified body shapes on my own. This led us to realize that women's bodies could disappear into forms when she starts to play again."
"I have a memory of losing in a high-school art contest due to my work because it weren't all that cohesive or all the same style. I thought this was the curse of my life, however it has turned out prove to be a blessing given what I'm doing now."
What is the key to creating your illustration?
"For me, it's always has to come down to a gut feeling. There's always an element of intrigue at the beginning of each new piece - often it's a new color scheme I'd like to test, sometimes it starts with an expression, or quote, or even a short narrative.
The thing that makes my art distinctive is the fact that I'm always exploring various new media. In the present, I'm fascinated by drawing and painting with Virtual Reality. We're also making an animated short on Gunner which covers the entire gamut of painterly cel in Photoshop, to 3D rendering, to sculpting using VR and then projecting a painting on the sculpt. I've included a shot of the film, titled Sync for a sneak preview. This is Gunner's debut film that was directed by a woman, and it's about three strangers on an airplane and something unexpected which happens during the flight.
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What advice would you give to those who are just starting out in VR art?
"When approaching any new tech, I always have an image or idea of what I would like to make before I begin. It's probably a suggestion that I can offer anyone looking to broaden their skill set - do a style frame or have an idea of a sketch or story you want to do before taking in the latest technology. You'll have a reason or a "why". In other words, you're just cruising about tutorials, attempting to imitate other people's styles and stories.
Here's a piece we made to launch a conference called Blend at Gunner which took place in 2019 In which I designed and sculpted many of the environment elements within Virtual Reality. I'd played around with the sculpting process a little bit before, but once I knew an answer to the question of "why" my exploration and abilities grew exponentially. Below is a video tour of the landscapes I designed."
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"I'm pretty busy with my Instagram account. Instagram also made an instruction on how to recreate your illustrations in 3D space with Tilt Brush. There is no requirement to already be a VR artist, but you have to possess a VR headset participate in the course, however I guide people through the process from there. It was a lot of love that I put into this!"
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