Interview 2

[poopinmymouth]

Second Interview: Neox

Well first off, what is your name, and where are you from?

Steffen Unger and I’m from Berlin / Germany

Ok, and what are you currently doing? School? work?

both I’m going once a week to school and will be graduated media designer at the end of the year, the rest of the week I’m character modeler at SEK in Berlin
well this again till the end of the year, then I’m going to lead our 3d crew...

Uh that was when I was 15 or 16 with Corel Dream 3d I’ve never been that good in drawing, so I needed a better way to get some graphics for my own game projects done ;-)

So do you see yourself sticking with Game art? Or do you want to eventually move into film?

Well I like to have my polygon limits at work and break them in my free time, I love working on games, and for me low poly modelling is more art the high poly modelling without any guidelines...

So who are your biggest inspirations?

Oh there are a lot, in 3d I’d say wiro, this guy was always an inspiration for me... traditionally the old masters or the younger ones, frazetta, brom etc... Well everything is some sort of inspiration to me, basically all organic stuff; I don't like technical stuff at all ;-)

Ok, so where do you see yourself in 5 years?

good question I really don't know in the last interview I gave it was to be a lead 3d Artist for a small team behind me... well I reached that aim, I really don't know what comes next, maybe I start disliking all those concept ional and planning work and my wish will be to be a ordinary 3d modeler again ;-) the future will show me basically it would be cool to finally get an own style and be able to work without it on others concepts... :-P

What do you do right now to improve your artwork?

Learning more and more about anatomy and working together with professional comic artists to get better in character design and modeling

So what do you like most about the online community? Like concept art and the others?

The best on those communities is to see work of a lot of gifted people and how beginners become better, I always liked to see the progress of different people and how the style changes through the months and years
what advice do you have for any beginners?
Take your time and practice as much as you can, harsh critique may be hard at first but you can only learn, don't give up and you'll become a great artist ;-)
and don't use too many smilies, no on will talk to you seriously... shit that was an advice to myself ;-)

What do you think is one of the best looking games that have come out recently?

oh wow that’s hard to tell, technically I always like Metal Gear Solid 2 on PS2 the most, perfect mood, and prefect use of the PS2... from style view I like Zelda the windwaker a lot, one of the best worlds I’ve ever seen in games.. And well our game :D


Anything else you would like to say before we conclude?

I’m not pretty good in saying goodbye so I guess its better to say nothing more but thanks for taking me for the second interview partner ;-)

[poopinmymouth]

First Interview: Wetterschneider

Poopinmymouth: Whats your name, how old are you, and where do you live?

Wetterschneider: My name is Scott Matthew Wetterschneider. Wetterschneider is a german name, it translates into "weather cutter" but what that means I don't really know. I'm thirty-six years old, and currently living in computer game-crazed Austin, Texas, with my wife, Molly.

Poopinmymouth: What projects have you worked on in the past? and what is your educational background?

Wetterschneider: After hopelessly slogging away on a half dozen generic educational titles, I got a modest break and joined a team working on a Myst-styled pre-rendered adventure game. When that project faded away, I got a huge break at Origin Systems, and hooked up with the infamous Lord British team to work on Ultima IX: Ascension. While on that project, I got to help out a little with Ultima Online, and when it ended I moved over to Ultima Online 2. Sadly UO2 didn't get to see the light of day, and ultimately the entire team was laid off. Wolfpack Studios gave me a call, and signed me up to work on Shadowbane, after which I freelanced for a while before landing a long-term contract at Warthog Texas. I can't say much about that project - actually I can't say anything about it, except it's a big one and was a lot of fun to work on.
As for education, I attended Pratt Institute in glorious Brooklyn, New York, where I received a BFA. Before that, I spent a couple of years at the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Design.

Poopinmymouth: What do you do in your spare time?

Wetterschneider: I have a few things I like to do with my sparse free moments. I draw. I draw on any scrap of paper that gets too close, I draw using Photoshop, Painter, and sometimes Open Canvas. I draw baths, attention, blood and flies. And I like to make 3d models. Actually my work and my hobbies are very much the same set of activities, although in my off time, I expand my horizons a bit and try crazy stuff that would never be acceptable in a professional environment. I guess you could say my hobby really is learning new skills, not well or in depth, but just trying to get a feel for new software, media, and techniques. Oh, and I run with my dogs - it's pretty much the only exercise I get, as I'm the least athletic guy you'll meet.

Poopinmymouth: Since your in the job market, what type of position and company are you eyeing?

Wetterschneider: I'm seeking very much what a lot of people are looking for - a stable company that respects its employees, filled with highly experienced professionals in all positions, from production through management. I'd have to say a lead art position interests me the most. I enjoy working with the programmers and the designers. When asked what's my style of management, I usually try to explain that I'm at the service of the art team. I work for them, as a facilitator, and as a data tracker, they don't work for me. It's very satisfying to help train and trade knowledge with my teammates, we all end up growing as artists. I'm reasonably capable at production - I get a kick out of concepting, modeling, texturing, and animating. I'm no superstar at any task, but I try to be professional, and I'm comfortable facing most any challenge.


Poopinmymouth: What do you like most about the online communities that can be found here on concept art, and others?

Wetterschneider: No doubt about it - the best thing about the online forums is meeting so many talented people with shared geeky and artsy interests. Some of us make games, some make movies, some are working their way through school, but all of us want to be better artists. So we swallow our pride and post our images and take the lumps of criticism and in that way hone our skills. While seeing the latest gem from a talented uber-artiste is always exciting and inspirational - the real pleasure, for me at least, is watching a hard working junior artist become a skilled creator by grinding away everyday and accepting the often ill-phrased but well-meant suggestions that pop up when they post. That was a little bit rambling but I hope it made sense.

Poopinmymouth: What advice would you offer up to the other artists reading this post?

Wetterschneider: Giving general purpose advice to unknown artists is difficult. If you're just starting out, accept, then ignore the pain you feel when frustrated that your skills are limited. Your worth as an artist is measured by your effort and your ability to churn through a thousand crappy half-baked drawings before you start getting to the good stuff. It's a rare artist indeed who was capable of drawing well the first time they put pencil to paper.

Poopinmymouth: Well thank you for your time, Im sure now when you post, people will have a much better idea of who they are getting advice from. Anything you would like to say before I conclude this interview?

Wetterschneider: Down with pants! Up with skirts!

Poopinmymouth: Truer words have never been spoken.


Scott's work can be viewed at www.artotter.com