As a 3D artist, building things has always been a pastime of mine since childhood. Whether it be building lego sets, assembling models, or putting together furniture, I always gravitated towards the physical creation process. Seeing the capabilities of 3D modeling was pretty much a ‘love at first sight’ moment for me. I quickly learned that it is able to provide me with an outlet to do my building digitally. Utilizing game development allows me to take my creations and place them in a digital world where not only myself, but others can enter and interact.
Building environments is my focus in the 3D realm. I have never been one to create characters with dialogue and backstories. Throughout high school, when I wanted to be a comic book artist, I would always draw superhero characters instead of creating my own, as I never had an interest for storytelling in that sense. But storytelling through asset placement, lighting, and color for me is what makes being an environmental artist so enjoyable. Being able to portray what happened, or what will happen, right when a person steps into a room or environment is the main challenge that I attempt to achieve when I create.
Witnessing the beautiful scenic landscapes of the forests in Horizon Zero Dawn, left me in absolute awe. The amount of hyperrealism mixed with grunge, along with imperfectly placed assets gave the impression of a real forest and made me feel like I was actually walking through the world myself. After that experience, I realized I wanted to impart that feeling to others. The feeling I get when a piece of mine is displayed in a gallery is a parallel, if not a greater feeling, of having a viewer walk through my environment in a game. Instead of my piece being in the gallery, my piece is the gallery.