I’m a decent 2D artist, but deep down, I’ve always wanted to make 3D models for games. I guess I just lacked the determination and patience to go through the learning process.
Like a child sitting at a piano, feeling the music inside but unable to hit the right notes at the right time, I’ve always had the 3D music in me, but I needed to get real and start learning the basics.
I decided to begin by learning 2D art a few years ago. My reasoning was that it would be easier to jump from 2D to 3D. In hindsight, I was right.
I followed tutorials, learned the ropes, and kept doodling every day. Soon enough, I reached a level decent enough to work as a professional 2D game artist.
I produced more than a hundred 2D game assets in the past 3 years to sell on various asset stores, I also did some freelancing on the side.
The experience changed my life for the better.
I interacted with customers for the first time in my life. It was humbling to see people willingly part with their hard-earned cash in return for the fruits of my labor.
I earned enough income to upgrade my tools. I purchased a better graphical tablet, better software, a better desk, and a more comfortable chair.
I also published my first indie game on Steam in April of 2019. Which took a few months of hard work.
So with all that experience, I felt ready to jump into that sweet third dimension.
In August of 2019, I took the leap.
I knew the drill: follow tutorials, practice every day, don’t give in to frustration, etc. I was a professional, after all.
I learned to love the process. The small failures. The tiny successes.
I produced terrible results, but I knew it was part of the fun. So I kept at it, often remodeling the same thing 4 to 6 times just to get it right.
3D wasn’t completely new to me. I had some experience making simple models in the past. What I lacked was discipline and motivation to get to the next level.
As with 2D art, I gathered a collection of images and videos from the web that I would look at every day. Being inspired is important for an artist, as I’ve learned throughout my short career.
I got pretty good at modeling. So I started focusing more on UV mapping and texturing. It took me quite a while to wrap my mind around these subjects. Fortunately, the web is rife with tutorials and courses to learn just about anything.
Now that my skills are on par with many professional artists out there, I can finally start adding my personal touch to the world of 3D game art.
For me, 3D is all about more ways to express myself. In practice, it will allow my studio to produce more useful game assets for you and other developers all around the globe.
I’m happy and excited thinking of the beautiful assets I will be sharing in the months to come. I’ll try to write posts like these on a weekly basis to keep you informed of what is going on in the studio.