First Art Show - in a decade!

I haven't displayed my own artwork since I graduated from undergrad at The Ohio State University.  A friend suggested The Chocolate & Art Show in Los Angeles, I had a few pieces complete, so I submitted them.

I submitted 6 pieces:
Vortex - mixed media on plexiglass (light box - glass stain, acrylic paint, sand, gold flakes, inks, resin)
Diana - "Moon" mixed media on wood (glass stain, acrylic paint, ink, steel piping, resin)
Apollo - "Sun" mixed media on wood (glass stain, acrylic paint, ink, copper piping, resin)
Magmatic - mixed media on wood (glass stain, acrylic paint, ink, sand, resin)
Absinthe - mixed media on wood (glass stain, acrylic paint, ink, resin)
Chimera - portrait - mixed media on wood (glass stain, acrylic paint, ink, resin, charcoal, pastels)

Business cards!

I have an artshow coming up where I'll be displaying my own work for the first time in a decade!  Better figure out business cards!

I also figured out a signature for myself - my initials MKF

Magmatic and Absinthe

These are two of my pieces where I used inks, glass stains, acrylic paints, and resin on a piece of wood. 

The red piece - Magmatic (this one also has sand)

The green piece - Absinthe

Light Comparisons

When I began creating these pieces on plexiglass, it was with the intention of having backlighting, but I wanted the pieces to also be able to go without backlighting and still be eye-catching.

I built box frames for the plexiglass pieces where the art sits inside, the frame is 4 inches deep in order to hold the LED light strips and battery pack.

Here are the comparisons of various lighting setups: only front lighting, front and backlighting, and only backlighting.

Let it be Lit

When I started working with plexiglass, glass stains, and other mediums for painting, the idea was to ultimately light the pieces from behind, as well as from the front, but to have the added dimension of back lighting.  I've been thinking about how to accomplish this for a while...what types of lighting to use, what kind of frame to create to house the lighting mechanisms, and I wanted it to be battery operated because I don't like the aesthetic of having a cord come from the back of a piece, down a wall and into a socket.

So I created a black wooden frame that was 4 inches deep to act as a ledge for all the components, with the painted plexiglass piece towards the front end of the box.  I went with LED strips, searched for ways to make it battery operated, switches (may go with a remote control for power), eventually found all the components (though I'm still testing things out to see how well it all works and for how long).

Here's the result so far:

Vortex
mixed media
2013

Putting Myself into my Work

After creating a handful of strictly abstract pieces, I wanted to create a few that incorporated other elements.  I decided to sketch images of myself as parts of my new pieces and these were the results:

Charcoal, pastels, glass leading, glass stains, acrylics, inks, and resin on wood that I cut with a jigsaw.
The purple haired piece is entitled Chimera, the blue haired is Siren.

Creating the Sun and the Moon

I call these pieces Apollo and Diana.

Glass stains, acrylic paints, sand, inks, resin, and piping (copper and steel), on wood.

Getting Back to Analog Art

It's been quite a long time since I created artwork without a computer, so that's what I've been spending the last few months doing.  I've been working with new mediums such as glass stains, calligraphy inks, and resins.  I've bought a few powertools and returned to cutting things up and building things.  It feels wonderful to step away from a computer screen and make messes while creating.

A few of my initial creations:

These are a combination of inks, acrylics, glass stains, wire, sand, and resin on pieces of plexiglas.  I made each wooden black box to fit the individual pieces with the intention of backlighting the pieces.  I like them lit from the front, but am intrigued by a little bit of light coming from behind (possibly a slowly pulsing light to add a bit of character).

Here are a few pieces not quite so complete: 

3D Artist & Animator Demo Reel

Here it is, a demo reel of my 3D work thus far!  All projects while working as a staff 3D artist at Total Immersion.

For added clarification of each project, the various clips contain reference images and/or videos of that project being implemented in the actual augmented reality scenario.

Also found on Vimeo 

Resume

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Demo Reel Shot Breakdown simplified:

Mastodon:    modeled, textured, rigged, and animated

Iron Man:    modeled, textured, rigged, and animated Iron Man; modeled and textured the desert environment he flies through in during the game

Disney - Tinkerbell:    animated

Avatar - Leonopteryx:    animated

Avatar - Prolemuris:    rigged and animated

TicTac - Pick Up Lines Beaver:    modeled and textured the hole; updated/adjusted the beaver texture, rigged and animated the beaver

Avatar - Direhorse:    animated

Cheerios - Buzz:    rigged, and animated

H8 Society - Load:    modeled, textured, rigged, and animated

Monster Me - Devil:    modeled and textured

Avatar - Sturmbeest and Secops soldiers:    rigged and animated

Avatar - Hellfire Wasps:    rigged and animated

Chik-fil-A - Decibel:    modeled and textured the cape and galoshes; textured, rigged, and animated the cow

Google - Taxi:    animated the taxi

AMD - Jetbike Driver:    modeled, textured, rigged, and animated the driver

BP - Pump:    modeled, textured, and animated

Avatar - Stingbat:    rigged and animated

3D Artist & Animator Resume - 2013

Click on the image to enlarge it.

3D Artist - Project List to Date

This is a list of all the projects I worked on while at Total Immersion.  I've included when they were completed and a quick description of what I did for the project.

Click on each image to enlarge them.

List of Projects from 2009

List of Projects from 2010

List of Projects from 2011

List of Projects from 2012

List of Projects from 2013

My Work for the Spider-Man AR Book App

There was an iPhone/iPad AR Book application created to coincide with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man.  For the app I modeled, textured, and animated 3D spiders inspired by the 2D logo, modeled Spider-Man's mask, and create other elements to help with the games: a jar to catch the spiders in, web, various colors of spiders, etc.

Previous Blog Entry about the Spider-Man AR Book

Spider-Man AR Book App for iPhone

Augmented Reality Show Reel 2013 by Total Immersion

Augmented Staples Center

I worked on a project creating an augmented reality version of the Staples Center where the roof was removable and you could peer inside to see a King's hockey game, a Lakers basketball game, or a concert (as well as the respectable locker rooms).  I animated the basketball scene and modeled the Jumbotron scoreboard.  I also modeled and textured each locker room.  This application was only viewable at the Staples Center, using a scaled model of the building as the tracker/activation of the app.

My Work for an AMD Racing Game

I textured and animated the driver and jet bike used in this racing game that implements augmented reality.  Show your tablet to the coffee table tracker and activate a racing game.  Shown at CES 2013

Breaking Through Walls

For an event for Google, we created 3D walls that (that tracked over top of the actual walls of the space), when tapped on the device, would be broken down by a wrecking ball, a taxi cab, or an "Android of Liberty" character revealing the exterior skyline.  I animated the wrecking ball and the taxi cab.

Comic Book Brought to LIfe

Comic book brought to life - H8 - Load

I was given an image of a character named Load.  From that I modeled, textured, rigged and animated her (The model was worked on by me and one other person, bouncing between the both of us, so I don't take all the credit).  Load is a character from a comic book who has a super powerful fart.  She screams when she doesn't hear music, so you tap on her head which activates the song.  She begins dancing and when you tap on her again, she releases her powerfully resounding fart.

Project from September 2011