An Interview with Art War 5's 3D Winner
Julia is a 3D artist from Russia. Her career started at a Dota 2 Workshop (where she still works) but now she also works for Dota 2 directly through a contract with Valve. In addition, she worked for 5 years on the Frozen Flame project, where she and her husband, with a little help from several people, completely created the game's 3D portion.
Julia took first place in the 3D category of Art War 5 with her entry Russian Warrior Alkonost.
Biggest inspiration when you started as an artist:
Dota 2 Workshop
Favorite suite of software when working on 3D characters:
ZBrush + Blender3D + Substance Painter
Coffee or tea:
Latte!
Good habits:
Self-learning, self-organization, and don't work too much
Worst habit:
Procrastination (sometimes :)
Favorite movies:
Interstellar, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones
Favorite games:
Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Zelda Breath of the Wild, Skyrim
Music while doing art:
Lofi Hip-Hop radio 24/7
How to bounce back from a bad day:
Give yourself some time to rest
What is a good day:
When you have done a good job and you have time for games and a walk
Favorite quote:
No pain, no gain.
Future goals:
Moving to another country and working in AAA company
What got you into character art, when did it all start?
Creating cosmetic items for Dota made it possible to make almost any image for any character. For example, one of my favorite sets, for which I made a 3D model, is the Valkyrie for Crystal Maiden (Winter’s Warden).
While working on Frozen Flame, I was able to work on several dragons, a golem, a titan, and a mount - the manticore. Sometimes I had to finish up the concept myself. These were some of the toughest challenges in my experience, but they were also the most interesting.
What influences were the most responsible for your current art style?
Dota 2 has had the biggest influence on my style since I started working on cosmetic items in stylization. A little later I worked on Frozen Flame. Our references were Darksiders, World of Warcraft, and other stylized projects.
How did you get to the level you are at today? Did you study in any particular way you would recommend?
At first, I was helped a lot by the Dota 2 Workshop community, where we made cosmetic items together and exchanged experiences. For beginners in 3D modeling, I would recommend visiting the forums, it is much easier and faster to learn the basics than on your own. Otherwise, I just had to work on difficult tasks at work.
Sometimes I had to think out the concepts of other artists. Gradually, I gained experience and was able to solve more and more complex problems.
How did you begin the process of creating your piece? What was your inspiration?
For a long time I wanted to take part in some kind of competition, but because of my work, I did not have time for this. When I left my work and saw the theme of the Art War 5 contest, I immediately realized that I was going to make an ethnic character from Russia. The image of a winged girl with a kokoshnik and harpy paws seemed to be epic.
What was your biggest hurdle during the process? What did you do to overcome it?
I'm not very good at putting my thoughts on canvas, so I decided to design my character out of my head. For a while, I managed to come up with ideas, but at one point I realized that I was moving away from the Slavic theme. I got upset and abandoned my project for a few weeks. Then I decided to collect new references again and drew a rough sketch. This inspired me to continue working.
This situation made me understand that no matter how badly you draw, it is better not to work without some very simple sketch, otherwise, you can waste a lot of time.
If you had to do it over, would you do it differently? Why?
Perhaps I would have thought about the design of the headdress and skirt more carefully. I also think that some of the high-poly areas seem to be underdeveloped relative to others.
Why did you choose that specific country?
Russia is my home country and I love its culture.
What do you think the Art War 5 experience taught you, and would you participate again next year if you could?
I learned to work better with references and character design. It was my first time participating in the competition and it was a serious test of all my skills.
Do you have any tips or advice for aspiring artists out there who might be looking to get to your level one day? What's your recipe for success?
During my self-study, there were not many training courses, so I cannot recommend anything specific. However, I know that there are many more possibilities now. The course will help you gain basic knowledge, and active participation in the forums will accelerate the learning of the skills necessary for the job.
I advise you to try to participate in contests, even if you are a complete newbie, you will have an incentive to learn and feedback from other artists. Nowadays, quite a few companies are looking for juniors, so with a lot of diligence, you can find work pretty soon.
Self-learning is not an easy process, but the investment pays off. Try, learn and success will surely come!
See more from Julia HERE.
