Virtual Reality for Artists - The CreativeMindClass Blog
Virtual Reality artist, Collin Leix, talks about her artistic evolution, beginning with oil-based paintings, she is now exploring the possibilities of VR art.
"Before I became a VR artist, started out as an oil painter focused on portraits. In the course of time, this changed because I was more intrigued by the ideas involved in the making process.
The evolution of the artist; starting with music, then classic artto the creation of Metaverse
I'm a violinist and became interested in the visual musical scores and diverse ways to perceive drawings as musical direction. Also, I discovered that I have synaesthesia - a neurological condition which causes a blend of different senses - in my case, numbers, as well as colors. This all inspired me to play around about how I would create an image."
"In 2009 I began my Master's program of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, where students were encouraged to explore with a variety of techniques. I started as a painter , and then finished with a thesis project that included a massive installation that was placed on the ceiling, with animations projected onto it. My first animations that I worked with were simple stop-motion drawings using paint and paper, and the environment as the theme. It was so challenging as a medium that I decided to explore it further.
After finishing my master's degree In 2012, I attended a local community college to take a course on After Effects, and Since then I've learned a lot on my own. I started exploring art applications, Cinema4D, and have tried a bit of cel as well, but concentrated upon After Effects. I developed animations directly-to-client for several years, and made sure to always do my own artful experiments in animation, and then put them on the internet.
"I was dealing with a big health challenge and was suffering from a bout of depression. It was often a time when I lay on my floor, surrounded by my dog. So this was my view. I challenged myself to create something once a week regardless of whether it was really short to be able to see myself the place I really was.
In the year 2018 I was hired at the studio of animation Gunner located in Detroit in the city of Detroit. I've worked there since!"
How would you describe the style you use in your work?
"Realism still has a place in my heart from my early years. In the past, my style is a little more surrealist and a sense of fun which is why I'm always studying the ways color communicates mood.
My style has absolutely evolved as well since joining the team at Gunner. We are often working as a team to support diverse styles. This means that I am able to try out some styles that aren't necessarily my own. There are many ways to utilize loose brushwork, outlines and reducing design elements are some examples of the things I've attempted and kept doing afterward. As an example, the work "Crocus" is an amalgamation of painting texture over 3D shapes, with realism and simple shapes, using VR sculpture along with traditional Photoshop paint."
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"One reason why I enjoy working in Studio A is because the lines that define me' and 'my style' have blurred. For instance, take the clip "Interruption," for instance. I was asked to create an Instagram post to Gunner at the time I started. I wanted to use the surrealism of my work to show what it feels as being at the forefront of making music, as well as what might be visible through your mind's eyes as well as what it is like to feel interrupted.
While I did all the animating and most of the design, my fantastic co-worker Ian Sigmon pushed me a lot in character design. I wouldn't have got to these crazy, long arms and streamlined body forms by myself. We came to the conclusion that women's bodies can disappear into forms when she starts playing again."
"I remember losing a high-school art contest because my paintings didn't seem to be cohesive or had the same aesthetic. I thought this was the curse of my life, however it has turned out be a blessing for what I'm doing now."
What's the secret to making your illustrations?
"For me, it's always has to come down to a gut feeling. There's always a nugget of curiosity at the start of every new work - often it's a new color scheme I want to try out or maybe it's a gesture, or a reference, or perhaps a narrative.
One thing that distinguishes my work is the fact that I'm always trying out different mediums. Right now, I'm so obsessed with drawing and painting in Virtual Reality. The team is also creating a short film on Gunner that runs the gamut of painterly cell in Photoshop, to 3D rendering and sculpting using VR and then projecting paintings onto the sculpt. We've added a scene from the film, which is called Sync to give you a sneak preview. This is Gunner's debut film that was directed by a woman, and the story revolves around three strangers traveling on an aircraft and an unexpected event that happens to them during the journey.
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What advice would you give to those who are just starting out in VR art?
"When looking at any technology that is new, I always have in mind a small image or story of what I want to make before I begin. I guess that's a tip that I can offer anyone looking to broaden the capabilities of their team - create a style frame or have a little sketch or story you're planning to write before folding in the new technology. Then you have a purpose that you can explain a reason for. 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 kick off an event called Blend at Gunner in 2019, in which I sculpted a lot of the environmental objects within Virtual Reality. I had played with sculpting a little bit, but when I had an answer to the question of "why" my experimentation and skills expanded rapidly. Here's a video that's a look at the different landscapes I created."
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"I'm quite active in Instagram as well. I also developed an instruction on how to create your own illustrations using 3D space Tilt Brush. It doesn't require you to have a degree in VR art yet however, you must possess a VR headset take the class, but I guide people through the steps from there. It was a lot of love that I put into this!"
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