Gallery from CGW.com

July/August 2011

Sanjay — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:00:00 GMT

Sanjay Singh, a Computer Science graduate from India, started his career in the animation industry as a modeling and texturing artist five years ago. He later trained artists in 3D production, and now works as a freelance artist. Singh relies on a software tool set that includes Autodesk's Maya, Pixologic's Zbrush, and Adobe's Photoshop for all his 3D artwork.

CGHUB Warriors Challenge Winners

Various — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:00:00 GMT

The CGHUB Warriors Challenge was a 3D modeling and scultping challenge. With 400+ participants, about 65+ final entries, the contest ran for 3 months from October 15 2010 - January 15 2011, with a 15 day extension. Participants were asked to use a trial version of Autodesk Mudbox 3D scultping and painting software. Other programs could be used for the final render and base mesh creation.

March/April 2011

Khalid — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Khalid Al-Muharraqi
Bahrain artist Khalid Al-Muharraqi, owner of Muharraqi-Studios, often incorporates the style of the Middle East into his work. In fact, the Portfolio section in the March 2011 issue showcases a number of of these images. While Muharraqi embraces this culture in his art, he does not limit himself to the style of the Middle East, as evidenced here.

“I try to reflect in my work the things that I am interested in,” he says. Muharraqi uses a range of content creation tools for his work. His main software is NewTek’s LightWave, although he also utilizes Pixologic’s ZBrush, Adobe’s Photoshop, and Luxology’s Modo. (For more information about the artist, see the Portfolio section in the March 2011 issue of CGW.)

January/February 2011

Rizal — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Rizal Ulum
Rizal Ulum, from Bandung, Indonesia, was a 3D hobbyist with a background in animal husbandry. Ulum loves to create art, especially 3D artwork. It is no longer "just a hobby," he says, "but the way of my life." He loves cartoon styles, such as those of Pixar and DreamWorks animations, from which he draws inspiration. Ulum employs Autodesk 3ds Max, Pixologic ZBrush, Chaos Group's Vray, and Adobe Photoshop. His hardware includes a PC featuring an Intel Pentium Core2 Quad Q6600 and AMD ATI Radeon X1650 graphics card.

November/December 2010

Gnomon — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Students at Gnomon School of Visual Effects have produced some otherworldly art inspired by Halloween. For more about the school, its students, and hauntingly good artwork, visit www.gnomonschool.com. Located in Hollywood, Gnomon School of Visual Effects is a training facility that stresses the importance of creativity in digital entertainment production. According to a spokesperson, “while technology offers new tools to create impressive computer-generated characters and worlds, it is not the technology that drives results, but the artist. Gnomon instructors are industry professionals that bring their experience and connections into the classroom to give the next generation of production artists an outstanding start to their careers. The results speak for themselves, as the flagship Digital Entertainment Production program boasts a 90 percent job placement rate.”

Featured images include:

Containerhead by Dylan Ekren
Werewolf by Jeremiah Ong
Bust by Diana Roberts
Facehugger by Dustin Blattner

September/October 2010

Ramon Luis — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:00:00 GMT

A vast majority of Ramon Colon’s artwork is polygon and sub-polygon division modeling. He employs DAZ Studio from DAZ Productions for large visual compositions, as well as Pixologic’s Zbrush and DAZ Hexagon for modeling. “My artwork is varied from the fantastic world of superheroes to the historical reproduction of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs,” Colon describes. “There is spiritual symbolism in my artwork, too.” Colon was trained in traditional academia as an artist, he decided to step into the digital realm to crate and visualize his ideas. Living in Puerto Rico, Colon considers himself to be a “low-budget software user.” “I don’t use expensive software, such as Autodesk’s Maya or 3ds Max,” he says. “The most costly software that I have been using is Pixologic’s ZBrush, then i usually work with Hexagon, Carrara, DAZ Studio (all from DAZ Productions) and, of course, everybody’s favorite Adobe Photoshop. From time to time, I use Corel’s Paintshop Pro and other vector drawing software.”

July/August 2010

Jason A. — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Jason A. Laramie is a certified medical illustrator (CMI) and designer. He earned a BA in Medical Illustration from the Rochester Institute of Technology, which included structural gross anatomy coursework at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Currently a Professional Member of the Association of Medical Illustrators, Laramie specializes in visual communication for Health Sciences Education. He is experienced in medical and technical illustration for publication and presentation, posters, display graphics, print collateral, and Web design. His client list includes private, commercial, and major medical education institutions, such as Dartmouth Medical School, University of Washington, Oregon Health & Sciences University, and University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. Ever since Laramie was introduced to the computer he has been on a Mac. The Adobe Creative Suite is the main cog of Laramie 's computer graphics machine, however, he also produces using Cinema 4D for graphics that call for a primordial cleanliness and a 3D look and feel. In the periphery, Laramie uses a Wacom Intuos 2 graphic tablet and both Apple and Samsung displays. For more of Jason A. Laramie’s artwork, visit www.laramiestudio.com.

Comic-Con 2010

Comic — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Comic-Con 2010: San Diego, California

CGW/Post Mad Hatter Party

CGW — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:00:00 GMT

CGW and Post magazines hosted a Mad Hatter Party at the Freakin’ Frog, giving our readers and advertisers a well-deserved break during all the NAB action. Show-goers were sent on a booth hop to collect stamps from the party’s sponsors to receive a ticket to the event. Thanks to the following companies for their sponsorship: Artbeats, Maxon, Nvidia, Wacom, Small Tree, G-tech,and Automatic Duck. Also, thanks to Artbeats for its generous donation of a stock footage collection and G-tech for a storage device, which were given out to two lucky attendees.

March/April 2010

Geoff — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Geoff Sills, a 17-year-old senior at Hanover High School near Richmond, Virginia, discovered computer modeling in a course offered at his high school. "I was amazed and so fascinated the first time that I worked with Maxon's Cinema 4D (the program of choice by Hanover High). Being able to take a blank screen and turn it into near reality amazed me," he says. Armed with rudimentary computer modeling knowledge and experience, Sills decided to purchase the software to learn all its capabilities and nuances on his own. "In a matter of time, I learned splines, hair, texturing, and problem solving all on my own using Cinema 4D everyday after school and before heading off to work." Obsessed, Sills looked to further his education in what he loves by applying to the Savannah College of Art and Design located in Savannah, Georgia. He has already been accepted to attend college, when he will pursue his dream to become a visual effects artist.

January/February 2010

Earl — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Earl Einhorn started programming in Fortran in 1968 as the Master Actuarial Programmer for Equitable Life. His educaton was in Electrical Engineering at CCNY but he ended up in Mathematics. “My love was always for art and I hoped I could produce work that no one has ever seen,” says Einhorn. “I started early, writing Fortran with the Calcomp Pen plotter, creating schematic drawings in color in 1974.”

Einhorn continued writing Fortran for an actuarial consulting firm and used a teletype connected by a modem to a mainframe computer--this was called time sharing. He got into art in 2001 when he retired. He employs a fast computer with 4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz of memory and a 10,000 RPM Hard Disk. The speed of the machine is 3.2 GHz over-clocked with an 8MB cache. The video card is a dual 768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800. The monitor is 30 inches with a resolution of 2560x1600.

Einhorn says his work is designed to be printed, and he uses special techniques to achieve a picture resolution of roughly 12,000x8000. When printed on his Epson wide-format printer, “the work looks like an oil painting when printed on canvas and stretched,” he says. “I write my own programs and do not use self-generating algorithems (Fractal,Chaos, etc.). I write color information to each pixel using 256 shades of RGB. Therefore, I use about 16.7 million colors (256x256x256). I believe I am the only one that can produce what I am doing. I also use Adobe Photoshop to change colors, size, and put together pieces of programmed art.”

Einhorn considers himself an artist, not just a computer artist, he says. “Even if someone has the skill, the actual picture must be created and be beautiful. I used my own techniques and style, and the work is quite unique. I have great expectations.”

Earl Einhorn can be contacted by e-mail at earleinhorn@aol.com.

November/December 2009

Mario — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Mario Sughi is an Italian illustrator, cartoonist, and historian, living and working in Dublin. He is a member of the IGI (Illustrators Guild of Ireland) and AI (Associazione Illustratori Italiani) and the author of nerosunero (http://www.nerosunero.org/). In Rome, at the end of the ’70s, Sughi worked as a humorist in Italian satirical magazine and also spent time watching his father, Alberto Sughi, as he painted beautiful large canvasses in his studio. He moved to Dublin, where he studied Medieval History and achieved a PhD from Trinity College Dublin. “My illustrations are satirical in humor and minimalist in style,” says Sughi. “They have been published in international exhibition catalogs, magazines, and art galleries. This year, LÜRZER'S ARCHIVE included one of my works in the compilation, "200 best illustrators worldwide 2009.” Some time ago, the American Web site Paintalicious wrote: "Mario Sughi, or as he's more commonly known, Nerosunero, is a digital cartoonist/illustrator from Italy who combines subtle humorous elements with a consistent loose artistic style that's reminiscent of English Pop artist David Hockney." Sughi was very pleased, as David Hockney is one of his heroes. All of Sughi’s final works are inkjet-printed computer drawings on paper. “I made them on a PC using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator (CS4), working with a Wacom Intuos 3 A4 graphic tablet. I really enjoy my work and I hope I will enjoy it even more in future!”

September/October 2009

Sandro — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Sandro Ghezzani is an Italian architect, graduated at the University of Florence, and lives in Italy. He is specialized in bio-architecture and acoustic analysis/project. He is working in a studio made by a team of qualified architects, operating in all areas of project and all around Italy. “Years ago,” says Ghezzani, “I had occasion to read a CG publication. It showed amazing images, made with great skills, so I decided to learn more. Until that moment I have used Autodesk’s AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and Autodesk’s 3ds Max to illustrate my projects, but I never have reached good quality.” Ghezzani started surfing the Web, searching for tutorials, training e-books, etc. and chose to improve his skills in 3ds Max and Photoshop. “It was, and actually it is an interesting way to make experiments with form, light and materials” he says. He practiced in all his spare time and occasionally found some works to test his skills. He realized some commercial and residential interiors and stills for video illustrations. Actually he uses the 3d potential for illustrate his projects, but also to realize accurate physical building simulation.

"We can predict all bio-climatic and acoustic aspect from the concept step to executive project and we can control all single element to improve energetic behavior and comfort. My personal CG images are different for many reasons. In some, you can find much dirt and bump, other ones are flat and clean. I like modern interiors, minimal architecture, especially the Japanese one, but at the same time I like to represent medieval towns, old materials, for this I can find lot of very beautiful references here in Tuscany. The root of all this is the perception of things and nature, which goes beyond the style and architectural movement. This way of thinking is also reflected in my project method. It is not only the appearance, also if it is very important to communicate with people who will interact with the building, but it is fundamental to being able to operate the whole architecture system. Architecture interacts with all the sense. I like photography and I never go out without my camera. I think that to observe reality is the first step and the more important in CG.”

Ghezzani’s favorite subjects are landscapes, contemporary buildings, old towns, and nature. “The common element is always the light. I love to study light color, position, and to observe how it interacts with material and geometry,” says Ghezzani. “I am also interested in character modeling, rigging, etc. and if my spare time allows it, I want to realize some short movies. In the future, I hope to be able to conciliate my passion for architecture with that for computer graphics. My current goal is to center my career on these aspects." Ghezzani’s portfolio is offered online at www.archsandroghezzani.com. A tutorial about his work “The Old Fox” is available online at http://www.3dtotal.com under “complete project making of.”

July/August 2009

Anna — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Anna Ursyn uses the computer on different levels: first, by drawing abstract geometric designs for executing her computer programs. Some of the computer programs produce two-dimensional images; others are three-dimensional. Then she adds photographic content using scanners and digital cameras. The programs that produce two-dimensional artwork serve as a point of departure for photolithographs and photo silk-screened prints on canvas and paper. They are included both into her two-dimensional and three-dimensional works. All of these approaches are combined for image creation with the use of painterly markings. Natural order infuses several levels of both worlds: some determined by man and some determined by nature, she says. “It guides our understanding of big data sets related to network analysis, whether we employ physical analogies of the data, render the data graphically, and explore them ‘by eye’ or interact in real time,” continues Ursyn. She examines what technological and human worlds have in common. Her task is to juxtapose the regularity of nature with man's constructions, both physical and intellectual. She aims to develop messages using sets of images that become symbols, in a way similar to the sets of words constructing sentences. Same images gain different meaning in various contexts. Ursyn is a professor, and heads the Computer Graphics Area in the School of Art & Design at the University of Northern Colorado. Her portfolio can be found online at Ursyn.com.

May/June 2009

Ryan — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Ryan Zak’s induction into digital content creation is as unique as his art. “I actually worked as a financial analyst, internal auditing and investigations, for several years, when a friend asked me to help do some animation for a big movie I can’t speak of.” He had considered VFX when he was in his late teens, when he and some friends toyed with making video games. Zak taught classical art (oils, acrylics, watercolor, etc.), but ended up studying finance due to parental guidance toward economic stability. “But when I saw the CG art I'd been a part of on screen for others’ entertainment, I was bitten by the CG bug again and committed myself to the art more seriously. For me to see an idea from my mind or to help someone else realize a vision through my work is intoxicating,” he says. Having also served as a personal trainer and as a nutritionist, Zak has a different appreciation of anatomy, and his love for nature reinforces what he does in 3D when dealing with organics in modeling or animation. He considers himself and his art to be works in progress. “I am very excited to evolve to a point that I can express clearly and unfettered,” he continues. Zak is a professional CG modeler and animator who has worked for Discovery Channel, MTV, and various schools and museums. Most recently, Zak has built his own business in which he supports other VFX studios in helping expedite their work pipelines through the purchase of custom modeling or prebuilt models from the company’s online library. Zak regularly uses such software tools as Autodesk’s Maya and 3ds max, NewTek’s Lightwave, Pixologic’s Zbrush, mudbox, and Adobe’s Photoshop, among other Adobe products and basic compositing packages. “For hardware, I keep it simple and can be found either hiding behind my AMD dual-core laptop or AMD dual-core desktop.” For more of Ryan Zak’s work, visit www.cgsupermodels.com.

March/April 2009

Rob — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Rob Hassan

For all practical purposes, Rob Hassan is a self-taught artist. He has attended many traditional drawing and painting classes over the years, with the pinnacle being at the School of Visual Arts (NYC). He often attends classes to learn some of the newer programs and more advanced 3D techniques. Rob is also a member of AUGI Autodesk Users Group International (makers of 3ds Max) where the members meet monthly to socialize, demonstrate new cg techniques, and review the latest 3D software advances. His CG artwork has been displayed in Chicago’s “Echo Gallery” and has received art awards in Hollywood, California, and Brisbane, Australia, and Trieste, Italy.

Rob is a freelance 2D and 3D artist currently seeking a steady position within the video game or comic book industry. He offers an eclectic mix and variety of art styles. For the past 9 years, he has focused on CG art utilizing several 2D and 3D software programs including: 3ds Max, Vue, Groboto, Poser, Daz 3D, and Adobe Photoshop. The end product is usually a mix of a few of these programs, he says. Rob is constantly upgrading his workstation; currently he works on a HP dual core machine with 4GB of RAM and vray or mental ray render engines.

Rob’s inspiration is drawn from many sources, including various CG artists, classic fantasy painters, science fiction movies, classic Universal monsters, contemporary art, and comic book art.

January/February 2009

Das — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Abhi Kumar Das

Abhi Kumar Das, from Bangalore, India, is an information technology (IT) graduate from Manipal University. He later completed training in animation at Animaster in Bangalore. When he started the course at Animaster, digital content creation was his hobby. “Later,” explains Das, “it become a passion for me.” He currently works as a team leader in an architectural firm. “I am crazy about automobile modeling and lighting,” Das continues. He uses Autodesk’s Maya and 3ds Max running on an AMD Athlon X2-based computer with 2 gigabytes of RAM and a 512-gigabyte graphics card. He largely works in 3ds Max because he feels comfortable in the application. “It has been my dream since college to do something creative.”

November/December 2008

John Pelico — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:00 GMT

John Pelico
John Pelico, the creator/author and illustrator of KillerPumpkins®, graduated from Pepperdine University located in Malibu with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art. He continued his formal training in illustration and design at the Art Center School of Design in Pasadena. Later he went on to work in the television industry for ABC and CBS studios before branching out on his own and starting his own company. Specializing in advertising, marketing, design and illustration for more than 25 years, John has worked with a variety of corporate and entertainment icons such as HBO, Dick Clark Productions, and the Academy Awards. But it is his love for Halloween that truly inspires John.

For years, he has created one-of-a-kind illustrations for his family surrounding his most favorite holiday. These early illustrations centered around an evil presence that began when a pumpkin was lit. As the collection grew, it began drawing a lot of attention from others and their positive comments prompted John to take this unique idea to another level. Halloween was ready for a much-needed make over.

Up until a few years ago, decorations wouldn’t go up until the weekend prior to Halloween. Baby-boomers and their families are now getting into the “spirit” of things and are beginning the ardent task of decorating earlier and earlier each year. Traditional horror icons like black cats, witches, and ghosts have since been replaced by current scare favorites such as Jason, Freddie Krueger, and Michael Meyers. John began to grow bored with all these slasher idols and soon realized that this new generation of Halloween enthusiasts needed to be brought back to the Halloween basics that he enjoyed from cherished childhood memories. The first step was to give a purpose to support the artwork John had created.

After giving it a lot of creative thought, John developed the on-line graphic story, Knights of the Lyte: Curse of the Killer Pumpkins©, a medieval fantasy, centering around a mythological prophecy unleashed on mankind surrounding an evil king and his thirst for power. However, the Killer Pumpkins brand goes well beyond the story. In fact, the KOL story was only one part of what has made KillerPumpkins so successful. The story lends itself to numerous book and movie sequels, video gaming, collectibles, and merchandising. It has evolved into something much more. It is John’s unique artwork that has added another entity to the Killer Pumpkins franchise.

He enjoys depicting autumn in the heartland where nature displays a brilliant, fiery show as the leaves turn colors and cool breezes signal that winter is on its way. It is this artwork that has opened up numerous licensing opportunities and why he is known by some as“the Walt Disney of Halloween.”

Programs/Method:

"I work in [Adobe] Photoshop CS2 on a Mac [from Apple]. I was an airbrush artist before computers and now use Photoshop for the simple reason of a cleaner workstation and control! Much like the old fashion way I use masks with simple gradations integrated with hard line details. I think the combination of traditional style airbrushing with photoshop and my design ability has given me my unique style. Having evolved with my style I sometimes use textures and filters though all my light and shadows are done without the aid of any 3D filters or aids.

For all who enjoy Halloween, visit: www.killerpumpkins.com.

September/October 2008

Dorian — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Dorian Compo began his career in Detroit, Michigan, working as designer and producer at Universal Images, a postproduction environment in which he created large-scale projects in 3D for broadcast development. He worked on a creative design team in close relation with agencies such as JWT, BBDO, and Donor, to bring ideas from concept to fruition.

Educated in design and animation, Dorian received his BFA in Animation & Digital Media from the Center for Creative Studies in 2003. In 2005, he relocated to Los Angeles to further his career as a designer/director by accepting a position at yU&co of Hollywood, California. Developing creative content for companies, such as HBO, Cinemax, SciFi, and Nike, he quickly made a statement with his unique style and design aesthetic. In November of 2005, Dorian joined Firstborn as a creative producer to help develop the newly founded Firstborn Los Angeles office. His efforts helped to jump-start Firstborn LA, which was quickly recognized as an integral interactive design firm in the Los Angeles area. His knowledge of 3D, motion, visual effects, and design shown through in the award-winning interactive marketing initiatives created for such clients as Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive campaign, Goodby Silverstein & Partners’ HP campaign, and Secret Weapons’ Honda is Helpful campaign.

His broad knowledge of multimedia and technical capacities is evident from projects of every level, displaying fine attention to detail and pushing boundaries in every effort. His work has appeared in magazines and hard-cover books, such as Digit, EFX Art & Design, Layers, Texturing Concepts & Techniques, and Exploring Motion Graphics. His design and direction style can be seen across the globe.Dorian is proficient across multiple design platforms, such as 3D (Autodesk’s Maya and 3ds Max), 2D (Adobe’s Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), Motion (Adobe’s AfterEffects, Apple’s Shake and Final Cut), and Interactive (Adobe/Macromedia Flash). His work can be seen online at www.loyaltydivision.com.

Dorian currently works full time as a video game designer and in his spare time creates motion graphics for broadcast and film development. He has also produced an award-winning script that is being adapted into a graphic novel scheduled for release later this year. Dorian is also working on other properties that will be developed into the graphic novel format. You can view his recent activities on his blog at www.loyaltydivision.com/blog.

July/August 2008

Bryan J. Spilski — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:00:00 GMT

July/August 2008
Bryan J. Spilski

Bryan J. Spilski, a flexo press operator turned CG artist, is currently attending school in the field of Graphic Arts at NWTC in Greenbay, Wisconsin. He took one semester of 3D Modeling and Fundementals using Autodesk’s Maya, and now uses Autodesk’s 3DS max and loves it. Aside from that singular class, Spilski is self-taught through “trial and error, trial and succeed,” he says. Having been modeling for roughly a year and a half, he now works for 3AM Design (www.3amdesign.net) in Menasha, Wisconsin. Previously, he worked as a flexo press operator for eight years. “I decided to get out and chase a dream that I have had since I was a youngster: to become an animator/CG artist.” Spilski is inspired by vision and the ability see. “I look at things in great detail with every waking day,” he explains. Modeling studios that inspire him the most are DreamWorks and Blue Sky Studios. He relies on 3ds Max and Adobe PhotoShop to create his artwork.

May/June 2008

Mike Hall — Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Mike Hall

Michael Hall studied graphics and illustration at Cardiff College of Art and Design â€“ â€œHoward Gardens.â€ In 1982, he moved to London and began work as a freelance artist for a Soho studio working within a large team on visualization, concept art, all the way through to finished illustration. Since then, Hall has worked for numerous studios and clients worldwide on a variety of projects for advertising, publishing, and packaging.

Some of the work Hall created as a result of seeing an image that inspired a concept. For example, â€œthe Emerald Snake illustration came out of a photograph I saw of an Emerald Boa draped over a branch and for some reason the coils, to me at least, resembled arms, as if it were leaning over a fence,â€ says Hall. â€œOnce I had devised a basic concept, I had to figure out a way of contouring the scales around the arms. The solution to this consisted of wearing fishnet sleeves and taking digital shots to use as a guide layer within Adobe Photoshop. Part of the fun to creating images from scratch is to think out of the box and devise your own methods of attaining the desired results. This often involves hours of experimentation with the multitude of modes and effects Photoshop has to offer.â€ Emerald Valley was published by Ballistic Publishing in its Expose 4 Annual. Monique was another Illustration created for and published by Ballistic in Exotique 2.

Much of Hallâ€™s illustrative work is commissioned by packaging design clients. â€œThere is a substantial amount of work required in this area, one which I have been involved with for many years,â€ continues Hall. The Orchid illustration, for example, was used by a Chinese paint firm.

All illustrations shown here have been created with Photoshop and Corel Painter using a Wacom tablet on an Apple Mac G4 Dual 1.4 running OS 10.4.

More of Hallâ€™s illustration work, as well as examples of his traditional painting and photography, can be viewed online at www.squaregg.com.

March/April 2008

Axel - 6 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Axel Broetje
March/April 2008

Axel Broetje is the winner of the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Award in Animation for his work, Fische und Schiffe.

Broetje, born in Oldenburg in northern Germany, earned his high-school diploma there in 1997. From 1997 through 1998, he interned in several print agencies. From 1998 to 2001, he served an apprenticeship as a media designer for digital and print media. In 2002, he began studying Communication Design at the Braunschweig School of Visual Arts and plans to receive his diploma in 2008.

"Fische und Schiffe is an animated silhouette film for children,” says Broetje. “I wrote the story myself. It is about a ship accident in which four main characters interact in different roles. The characters are a small boy, a cook, a fisherman, and a greedy predator fish. The film is without speech, but the story is accompanied by piano music.

Broetje created all the characters, objects, and backgrounds in Adobe Illustrator working from basic black geometric elements. After that, he imported paths from the characters and objects into Adobe After Effects and Maya. Everything was animated scene after scene in After Effects and Maya. Finally, he used After Effects for cutting and audio synchronization.

To view the winners in each category of the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards, visit http://www.adaagallery.com/winners/winners.php.

To take part in this year’s event, visit http://www.adobe.com/education/adaa/.

January/February 2008

JÃ¶rg Block — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Jörg Block

January/February 2008

Winner of the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Award for Digital Illustration, Jörg Block created unique, eye-catching imagery for the Research Calendar of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences 2008. Block worked several years as a graphic designer in e-business companies, handling print and corporate design, and Web and screen design. Then he started to study illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Department of Design, Media and Information). At first, he fully dedicated himself to artistic basics and to freeform graphic arts and painting. Now he wishes to combine his previous experience from graphic design with a more artistic approach. His special interest is creating illustrations that comment on editorial content in an idiosyncratic and pointed way.

These illustrations were created for the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences research calendar. Each month illustrates a different project to demonstrate the variety of the university’s research activities for the general public.

“I used striking, funny, or droll images to inspire spontaneous interest in the featured research subjects,” says Block. “I intended the images to stimulate viewer curiosity about the concrete research activities referenced on the back of each calendar page and hope the viewer reads the detailed information there. The illustration subjects include marketing bio food, logistics systems, anesthesia technology, joining technology, bio diesel, and packaging.”

He started by researching the featured subjects, then he created pencil-and-paper sketches and converted the sketches to vector art in Adobe Illustrator. “I created all the forms using the rectangle and ellipse shapes, the pencil tools, or by combining shapes with the Pathfinder,” Block explains. “I defined colors with CMYK values and built a color library. My illustrations feature pure color surfaces, linear and radial gradients, adjustment objects, transparencies, and various fill methods.”

To view the winners in each category of the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Awards, visit http://www.adaagallery.com/winners/winners.php.

To take part in this year’s event, visit http://www.adobe.com/education/adaa/.

November/December 2007

Dorian Compo — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Dorian Compo began his career in Detroit, working as designer and producer at Universal Images, a postproduction environment, creating large-scale projects in 3D for broadcast development. Working in close relation with agencies such as JWT, BBDO, and Donor, he worked on a creative design team to bring ideas from concept to fruition. Educated in design and animation, he received his BFA in Animation & Digital Media from the Center for Creative Studies in 2003. In 2005, he relocated to Los Angeles to further his career as a Designer/ Director by accepting a position at yU&co of Hollywood, Calif. Developing creative content for companies such as HBO, Cinemax, SciFi Channel, and Nike, he quickly made a statement with his unique style and design aesthetic. In November of 2005, Dorian joined Firstborn as a Creative Producer to help develop the newly founded Firstborn Los Angeles office. Firstborn LA was quickly recognized as an integral interactive design firm in the Los Angeles area. His knowledge of 3D, motion, visual effects, and design showed through by the award-winning interactive marketing initiatives created for such clients as Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive campaign, Goodby Silverstein & Partners’ HP campaign, and Secret Weapons’ Honda is Helpful campaign. His broad knowledge of multimedia and technical capacities is evident from projects of every level, displaying fine attention to detail and pushing boundaries in every effort. With his work appearing in magazines and hardcover books, such as Digit, EFX Art & Design, Layers, Texturing Concepts & Techniques, and Exploring Motion Graphics, his design and direction style can be seen across the globe.

Dorian is proficient across multiple design platforms, such as 3D (Autodesk’s Maya and 3ds Max), 2D (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), Motion (Adobe After Effects and Apple’s Shake and Final Cut), and Interactive (Macromedia Flash). His work can be seen on his Website www.loyaltydivision.com. He currently works full time as a video game designer and in his spare time creates motion graphics for broadcast and film development. He has also produced an award-winning script that is being adapted into a graphic novel scheduled for release later this year. Dorian is working on other properties that will be developed into the graphic novel format. Those interested can view his recent activities on his blog: www.loyaltydivision.com/blog.

September/October 2007

Della Lindsey — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Della Lindsey is a freelance illustrator/designer in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with 8+ years experience in her field. She's always had a love and natural talent for art, and so decided to go back to school and pursue a career in graphic art/design. After eight years in the graphic design business, she is now lucky enough to have her own studio. She specializes in graphics and illustration for print and Web design. She is proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, among other industry standard software. When creating her personal pieces, she mainly uses Adobe Illustrator, and on occasion a combination of Illustrator and Corel Painter or Photoshop. It is her goal to eventually be able to center her career on illustration.

Her Web site is currently in progress and comming soon: www.dellalindseyart.com. Meanwhile, additional works can be viewed at www.ArtWanted.com/d.lindsey. She can be contacted via e-mail at della@dellalindseyart.com.