bmckain
16th September 2009, 09:32 AM
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113934_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113934.jpg)
1. Hi Steve, thanks for taking time to do this interview. I’m pretty sure most members will know who you are but for the record and sticking with my format; would you mind introducing yourself and tell us something about you, your hobbies, favorite movie, where you work, that sort of thing.
Hi everyone, my real name is Steve Clarke and I'm an animator/illustrator working for a company called Thorsun-Escelce which was setup by Patrick Wells and myself a few years ago. I worked as a freelance artist for approximately 15 years before that and now spend my time running a great team of artists who sadly are all better than me!!! I could write a book on the number of hobbies I have, but a few very short notes on the ones I'm good at! I enjoy anything creative really and will always try to learn new things. Over the years I've tried my hand at most things. Some have stuck with me as things I'd love to get more into professionally. My recent hobby is writing screenplays. I keep getting ideas for things I'd love to work on but never have the time. Movie-wise I'm a sci-fi/fantasy fan at heart and am a big fan of movies that are pure escapism.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114041_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114041.jpg)
2. When did you decide you wanted to be an artist and what inspired you to that end?
I've always wanted to be an artist of some kind but to be honest I've not really been completely set on one career choice in particular. The first artist job I ever wanted, was to work for Disney or (my favorite at the time) Don Bluth as a 2D animator. I was fascinated by what those guys could do and imagined it must be amazing to see your work on the big screen like that. Along the way though I've kind of drifted from one thing to another. I've always been one of those people who sees something new like a painting or visual effect in a film and said " wow, I have to try that". So you could say anything and anyone inspires me:)
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114229_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114229.jpg)
3. At what point did you get involved with the 3D medium and what motivated you?
While working for a company a few years back I was put in charge of the art department and got more into how things transitioned from a basic drawing to almost real and found 3D animation to be more exciting than i had thought. So after that I put myself on an intense 3D training course and have been working in that area ever since. I started off with Lightwave and it's always been my first choice with 3D because of the way it thinks. Coming from a 2D background its an easier transition than programs like Maya and Studio Max etc (for me anyway). Don't get me wrong though, I fully respect what those packages can do.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114310_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114310.jpg)
4. Did you go to school for a 3D/CG degree and whether yes or no, what do you recommend to those entertaining the idea of working in a studio?
I didn't go to any school for art. In fact my art teacher hated me! I used to question his ability because any time i wanted to learn something he'd tell me to go to the library and look it up. So art school and me didn't mix all that well. Just my opinion, but there's some good and some bad viewpoints to being self taught. A good reason to teach yourself is that you can work at your pace and approach things the way that suit you and help you remember. Also, rather than taking a course, failing and moving on you can keep at it until its right and then move on. A downside to being self taught is that most colleges cater to exactly the topics and structures a company can work with. You can usually tell the ones that have the degrees and the ones that don't just by their approach. I've hired artists in the past and it's become very noticeable. Amazing talent can come from both sides though. "If you have it you have it" as they say. For working in a studio I'd say it's not just important to be a great artist, but more a great team player. The one thing that makes our projects run smoothly is knowing that your team mates and colleagues are doing their part. I've known some amazing talent that have worked freelance for so long that when it comes time to work with a team they just don't fit.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114493_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114493.jpg)
5. As I understand it you’ve done some work in the industry, can you tell us when that started and how it has progressed?
My start in the industry was very different to where I am now if honest. It's like I've swapped ends. I used to do the pre-production side of things, like concepts and storyboarding and art direction. Now its flipped and I'm working mainly on the post production and haven't been near a drawing board in years. Quite dizzy thinking about it!
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114571_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114571.jpg)
6. What was your most enjoyable project?
I've been very lucky with some of the projects I've been a part of. My favorite kind of project is one where I can play with ideas and have a lot of creative input. To me it makes the project more personal and gets me more excited about the end result. The one that stands out for me at the moment is a music video we did about a year ago. It was for a singer called Alan Connor at Lyberty Records. He had a small budget but wanted a cute video to appeal to families. We only had four weeks to actually get it done so its not the most incredible animation you'll ever see, but it was just fun all the way through. Alan was so great to work with and gave us so much creative freedom. It had to be "a journey" and it ends nicely. That was the whole brief. For anyone who wants to see it (no not a shameless plug, trust me, its not Pixar) its called "Let Your Love Flow" and it's on Youtube I think.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113576_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113576.jpg)
7. What is your favorite of all your 3D work and can you expound on it and why you particularly like it?
At this very moment (and this won't come as a shock to anyone who knows me) I'd say my favorite of all my 3D work has to be the transformer like characters I've been doing lately. The reason is, they are like a puzzle and I just love watching the end result after so many headaches of what goes where and saying "AHA it worked" ha ha. They are a lot of fun to do. The first one I did though was the Volkswagen beetle and I hated working on it because it drove me crazy ha ha, but of all the animations I've done that one means the most because it taught me patience. :)
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148912_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148912.jpg) http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148911_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148911.jpg)
8. You do 2D as well so you seem to have a well rounded background, tell us about your 2D work, what you consider your best and how you use it in conjunction with your 3D work.
Having worked as a 2D artist for so long has come in very handy. It means I can sketch out what it would take so long to word. As you can tell by these answers I tend to go on and on and on... My favorite drawings to do are the cartoons because they are just fun and tend to make people smile. If I had to say my best, it would probably be the pencil studies I used to do for galleries. But, thats only because they got more praise than the other things I've learned. They were very time consuming and it wasn't something I was going to spend years doing as a career.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113809_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113809.jpg)
9. Any spoilers for us as to future projects?
We have some great projects lined up including animatics for a feature, CG effects for a National Geographic special and visual effects for a post apocalyptic film being made in London. Our main project at the moment though is a CG animated twenty minute short film called Rune Keepers. It's created by 3D Warp over in the States and is the most intense working project we have had so far. It's a great story and aimed towards being a full 90 minute feature in the future. The genre is sci-fi and fantasy so it's definitely the kind of project we all enjoy. David Adams (the creator) has been great and given us a lot of creative freedom to bring this to life. We're hoping it will be wrapped over the next few months. After that TE intends to make a personal CG short film aimed towards festivals etc. to build our reputation.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114115_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114115.jpg)
10. As a longtime member on F3D what advice would you give the serious hobbyist regarding 3D in general?
I think the best advice I can think of is never be intimidated by anything you see other artists do. No matter what the project is, it all has the same structure and pipeline to get to the end result. Most of what you see is common sense; you just need to know how to break it down into stages and keep at it until you are ready for the next stage, rather than aiming for the finished result from the start.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114659_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114659.jpg)
Thanks for the interview Steve, this has been a fun interview.
1. Hi Steve, thanks for taking time to do this interview. I’m pretty sure most members will know who you are but for the record and sticking with my format; would you mind introducing yourself and tell us something about you, your hobbies, favorite movie, where you work, that sort of thing.
Hi everyone, my real name is Steve Clarke and I'm an animator/illustrator working for a company called Thorsun-Escelce which was setup by Patrick Wells and myself a few years ago. I worked as a freelance artist for approximately 15 years before that and now spend my time running a great team of artists who sadly are all better than me!!! I could write a book on the number of hobbies I have, but a few very short notes on the ones I'm good at! I enjoy anything creative really and will always try to learn new things. Over the years I've tried my hand at most things. Some have stuck with me as things I'd love to get more into professionally. My recent hobby is writing screenplays. I keep getting ideas for things I'd love to work on but never have the time. Movie-wise I'm a sci-fi/fantasy fan at heart and am a big fan of movies that are pure escapism.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114041_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114041.jpg)
2. When did you decide you wanted to be an artist and what inspired you to that end?
I've always wanted to be an artist of some kind but to be honest I've not really been completely set on one career choice in particular. The first artist job I ever wanted, was to work for Disney or (my favorite at the time) Don Bluth as a 2D animator. I was fascinated by what those guys could do and imagined it must be amazing to see your work on the big screen like that. Along the way though I've kind of drifted from one thing to another. I've always been one of those people who sees something new like a painting or visual effect in a film and said " wow, I have to try that". So you could say anything and anyone inspires me:)
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114229_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114229.jpg)
3. At what point did you get involved with the 3D medium and what motivated you?
While working for a company a few years back I was put in charge of the art department and got more into how things transitioned from a basic drawing to almost real and found 3D animation to be more exciting than i had thought. So after that I put myself on an intense 3D training course and have been working in that area ever since. I started off with Lightwave and it's always been my first choice with 3D because of the way it thinks. Coming from a 2D background its an easier transition than programs like Maya and Studio Max etc (for me anyway). Don't get me wrong though, I fully respect what those packages can do.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114310_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114310.jpg)
4. Did you go to school for a 3D/CG degree and whether yes or no, what do you recommend to those entertaining the idea of working in a studio?
I didn't go to any school for art. In fact my art teacher hated me! I used to question his ability because any time i wanted to learn something he'd tell me to go to the library and look it up. So art school and me didn't mix all that well. Just my opinion, but there's some good and some bad viewpoints to being self taught. A good reason to teach yourself is that you can work at your pace and approach things the way that suit you and help you remember. Also, rather than taking a course, failing and moving on you can keep at it until its right and then move on. A downside to being self taught is that most colleges cater to exactly the topics and structures a company can work with. You can usually tell the ones that have the degrees and the ones that don't just by their approach. I've hired artists in the past and it's become very noticeable. Amazing talent can come from both sides though. "If you have it you have it" as they say. For working in a studio I'd say it's not just important to be a great artist, but more a great team player. The one thing that makes our projects run smoothly is knowing that your team mates and colleagues are doing their part. I've known some amazing talent that have worked freelance for so long that when it comes time to work with a team they just don't fit.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114493_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114493.jpg)
5. As I understand it you’ve done some work in the industry, can you tell us when that started and how it has progressed?
My start in the industry was very different to where I am now if honest. It's like I've swapped ends. I used to do the pre-production side of things, like concepts and storyboarding and art direction. Now its flipped and I'm working mainly on the post production and haven't been near a drawing board in years. Quite dizzy thinking about it!
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114571_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114571.jpg)
6. What was your most enjoyable project?
I've been very lucky with some of the projects I've been a part of. My favorite kind of project is one where I can play with ideas and have a lot of creative input. To me it makes the project more personal and gets me more excited about the end result. The one that stands out for me at the moment is a music video we did about a year ago. It was for a singer called Alan Connor at Lyberty Records. He had a small budget but wanted a cute video to appeal to families. We only had four weeks to actually get it done so its not the most incredible animation you'll ever see, but it was just fun all the way through. Alan was so great to work with and gave us so much creative freedom. It had to be "a journey" and it ends nicely. That was the whole brief. For anyone who wants to see it (no not a shameless plug, trust me, its not Pixar) its called "Let Your Love Flow" and it's on Youtube I think.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113576_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113576.jpg)
7. What is your favorite of all your 3D work and can you expound on it and why you particularly like it?
At this very moment (and this won't come as a shock to anyone who knows me) I'd say my favorite of all my 3D work has to be the transformer like characters I've been doing lately. The reason is, they are like a puzzle and I just love watching the end result after so many headaches of what goes where and saying "AHA it worked" ha ha. They are a lot of fun to do. The first one I did though was the Volkswagen beetle and I hated working on it because it drove me crazy ha ha, but of all the animations I've done that one means the most because it taught me patience. :)
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148912_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148912.jpg) http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148911_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-1148911.jpg)
8. You do 2D as well so you seem to have a well rounded background, tell us about your 2D work, what you consider your best and how you use it in conjunction with your 3D work.
Having worked as a 2D artist for so long has come in very handy. It means I can sketch out what it would take so long to word. As you can tell by these answers I tend to go on and on and on... My favorite drawings to do are the cartoons because they are just fun and tend to make people smile. If I had to say my best, it would probably be the pencil studies I used to do for galleries. But, thats only because they got more praise than the other things I've learned. They were very time consuming and it wasn't something I was going to spend years doing as a career.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113809_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-113809.jpg)
9. Any spoilers for us as to future projects?
We have some great projects lined up including animatics for a feature, CG effects for a National Geographic special and visual effects for a post apocalyptic film being made in London. Our main project at the moment though is a CG animated twenty minute short film called Rune Keepers. It's created by 3D Warp over in the States and is the most intense working project we have had so far. It's a great story and aimed towards being a full 90 minute feature in the future. The genre is sci-fi and fantasy so it's definitely the kind of project we all enjoy. David Adams (the creator) has been great and given us a lot of creative freedom to bring this to life. We're hoping it will be wrapped over the next few months. After that TE intends to make a personal CG short film aimed towards festivals etc. to build our reputation.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114115_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114115.jpg)
10. As a longtime member on F3D what advice would you give the serious hobbyist regarding 3D in general?
I think the best advice I can think of is never be intimidated by anything you see other artists do. No matter what the project is, it all has the same structure and pipeline to get to the end result. Most of what you see is common sense; you just need to know how to break it down into stages and keep at it until you are ready for the next stage, rather than aiming for the finished result from the start.
http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114659_tn.jpg (http://www.foundation3d.com/uploads/private/2009/09/2-16-114659.jpg)
Thanks for the interview Steve, this has been a fun interview.