Welcome to my portfolio website! Which I made. It’s not a template!
I am a mostly passionate digital artist specializing in creating fantasy art and cartoony characters and animations.
What about traditional medium art I hear you ask? It has not been quite my thing. There’s no “Ctrl-Z“.
My journey as an artist has been a blend of creativity, experimentation, mishaps, f-ups(in some cases, quite expensive ones) and learning.
Artistic Journey
I can’t say that “from a young age, I was captivated by the world of fantasy and storytelling… blah blah blah.” As far as I can remember, I wasn’t good at drawing and that has remained true. I have started drawing, digital, of course—I still need the comfort of Ctrl Z and layers to keep me going, especially when I get overly precious with a piece of work.
However, over the years, I have picked up other skills that allow me to be creative. I’ve created a couple of videos, dabbled in a little photography, graphic design, and built websites (I still build them, like this one). You know, just about everything a freelancer has to do because we cannot afford to actually hire someone. As a result, I am kind of a generalist, and I have honed my skills and expanded my expertise across various 2D and 3D software tools.
Jack of All Trades
In today’s rapidly evolving economy and artistic fields, being a “jack of all trades” is not necessarily a bad thing. As a freelancer, I embrace this versatility, recognizing that clients have more options than ever in terms of whom they choose to work with and have access to many (free) online tools to perform tasks that traditionally they had outsourced to artists and creators.
The skill to jump from one piece of software to another; the ability to wear different hats, allows me to express myself creatively while also tackling the more technical aspects involved in animation. Aki Trust me, character creation and animation, while fun, can have you banging your head against the wall, tearing out all your hair, and taking a flamethrower to your machine. Creative problem solving is an excellent skill to have. Having experience in a wide range of fields will save you a couple of bald spots and possibly your sanity!
A good night’s rest is also good remedy. If all else fails, Vodka!
Skills and Expertise
I have a diverse skill set that spans multiple aspects of the digital art production pipeline. Skipping the obvious ones and focusing on my real passion, my main weapons of choice are:
- Maya: Character design, rigging, and animation
- Z-Brush: High-detail sculpting and modeling
- Houdini: Procedural generation and visual effects
- Mari and Substance Painter: Texturing and material creation
- Python: Scripting and automation for streamlined workflows
- Massage Therapist: Sometimes I can’t feel my hands
There are others, though these are the main ones I will usually have open for my day-to-day. And hopefully answers the “what software do you use?” question i hear you asking!
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
The Girly.Dude Project
This is my most prominent project. If you follow it, you’ll see it has grown from one character to ten. I have written about them here, and you can watch more on Instagram at @girlydude.
Artistic Philosophy
“I don’t know how a cell phone works, I just know how to use it.” – Doug Carlin (Deja Vu)
My work is driven by a desire to make cool stuff, do cool stuff, which I share and people will be like, cool! I believe that art is a powerful medium for storytelling and self-expression, allowing us to connect with others on a profound level. And if not, perhaps my videos can be one more that you watch while you poop. Each character I create is a reflection of this belief, designed to evoke emotions, spark the imagination and ease the passing.
Community and Collaboration
I am a strong advocate for the artistic community and believe in the power of collaboration. Most of what I have learned has been from this community. Even when I get stuck, which is often, the blogs and forums are the first port of call, searching for answers.
Though I confess that I myself rarely engage with fellow artists (at the time of writing this), it’s a character flaw. I tend to lose myself in my work, which kind of makes me a shut-in. I hope to participate more in art challenges and share knowledge through my site as part of my creative process. Perhaps through these interactions, I can gain inspiration and continue to grow as an artist.
Looking Forward
Haiya! You are still reading! Blog 1, video 0.
As I continue my journey, I am excited to explore new techniques and bring more fantastical characters to life. One of my current goals is to improve my skills in 2D drawing using mediums like Photoshop. By enhancing my 2D drawing abilities, I aim to broaden my creative toolkit and offer even more dynamic and polished work. My goal is to create art that not only captivates but also inspires others to embrace their own creativity.
Feel free to explore my portfolio and blog to see my latest works and thoughts on digital artistry. Its thin I know (as of this writing), I just don’t want to show my older work. This is my work going forward. If you have any questions or would like to collaborate, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s create some cool stuff!
