Featured Pro Portfolio: Niyazi Selimoglu

For this Featured Pro Portfolio interview, we had the opportunity to speak with Niyazi Selimoglu, a 3D Character Artist & Digital Sculptor from Turkey who brings an otherworldly aesthetic to his enchanting sculptures. Read on to learn how Niyazi incorporates ArtStation’s website builder into his professional practice.

“There are many ArtStation Pro features I like but seller options are my favorite. Very useful for users” – Niyazi Selimoglu

How did you first get started in character art & digital sculpting?

When I was a university student, I was doing architectural visualizations to earn some money. I made 3D architectural models based on the AutoCAD drawings given to me. I was interested in digital arts but actually studying economics.

I found ZBrush and digital sculpting at that time. ZBrush 2.0 had just been released. There was only “move” and “standard brush”. It was a little different and complicated but very enjoyable to use.

How would you characterize your art style?

I love non-violent dark art, cold colors, and stylized/realistic characters. I also like to exaggerate the proportions of the characters. To do this, I am always studying human anatomy, looking for different and weird drawings. I also follow artists who have such works and try to learn something from them; including Tony Cipriano, Alex Huguet, and Giovanni Nakpil, among others.

Integrated Prints Store on Niyazi’s portfolio website. Find prints of Persephone here >

What was your most memorable creative project?

Definitely the project named “Persephone”. I’ve always admired artists who tell stories in a single frame. My goal is not just to make a 3D model. I really want people to feel something when they look at my characters. I had very positive feedback from other artists after this project.

What do you think makes a strong digital sculpting portfolio?

Strong forms, proportions, and anatomy. When you make a head or a body, if the proportions and form are not good, the character in general looks bad. It is difficult to do this.

Integrated Marketplace Store on Niyazi’s portfolio website. Shop his content here >

Any words of advice for fresh artists looking to build their portfolios?

There is no need to have a lot of [too much] work in their portfolio. For example, if they are interested in game characters, it just needs to have a few characters. I have to do this too; I edit my sculpting portfolio just for sharing concept characters. All the work I’ve done from past to present is still on my computer. Looking at old works inspires me.

What kind of projects do you want to work on in the future?

I will continue to work on dark art. I want to improve my storytelling in a single frame.

See more of Niyazi’s work on his portfolio website. Plus, don’t miss his collaborations with ArtStation members Simon Gomez, Oscar Sheikh, Scott Knapp, & Marco Tomaselli.

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