Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered) Winners Interview — Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms
1st place Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms – Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered): Mikel Rekondo
It’s time for another Dragon’s Rise interview! We had the chance to catch up with Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered) category winners Mikel Rekondo, Irina Kniazhentceva, and Maria Anikina (Rogue-one). Discover their gorgeous submissions and learn what it’s like to participate in an ArtStation Challenge.
2nd place Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms – Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered): Irina Kniazhentceva
Why Did You Decide To Enter the Dragon’s Rise Challenge?
Mikel: I’ve been following ArtStation Challenges for several years, I always have a great time and they allow me to test my limits, learn, and create a new portfolio piece. Whenever I can I try to participate, although due to lack of time it’s not always possible. In this case, I didn’t have much free time, but the dragon theme attracted me a lot. Last year I couldn’t participate in the Character Art category, so I decided to enter this one.
Irina: As soon as I started learning 3D two years ago I wanted to participate in Challenges, but I had no time because I was studying hard, and didn’t have enough experience. This year when I saw the Challenge I thought that I would be able to participate. Also, I fell in love with the concept of the dragon Svestis by Mathias Osland.
Maria: The concept by Mikel Rekondo inspired me to enter this Challenge. I was in search of something that would put me into it.
3rd place Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms – Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered): Maria Anikina (Rogue-one)
What Was the Inspiration Behind Your Submission?
Mikel: I chose my design from the Character Design category in which I participated. I really enjoy both creating characters and developing them later in 3D, that’s why I usually try to participate in both categories. I had a hard time deciding between choosing a more humanoid character or one of the dragons, but I had been wanting to make a 3D dragon for a long time, so in the end, I chose the Nuskhar.
Irina: I was inspired by wild nature and 3D works of other artists. I collected a refboard with lizards, snakes, and 3d dragons.
Maria: At that moment, I wanted to do something that would be very detailed. The production phase of the Challenge was just beginning and I saw this concept. It answered my request, and I was also inspired by the idea of how all this gold will shine in 3D!
1st place Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms – Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered): Mikel Rekondo
How Did You Stay on Target for the Challenge Deadline?
Mikel: It was really quite complicated, even at one point I was afraid of not being on time. During the Challenge I was working, and I had many commitments that I had not foreseen during that month. I started with fairly relaxed planning, leaving a lot of margin at the end just in case. But soon after I was already more than 10 days behind… so I created another, much tighter schedule. In this case, I was able to stick to it, but I had to squeeze in a tough crunch at the end and ask for vacation at work. Clearly not ideal, but now I feel grateful to have done it! For the next Challege I want to focus 100% on it.
Irina: I wasn’t sure that I would! But I created a plan with the bare minimum of work I had to do for a particular point in time. Each part had a deadline and I also tried to do things in advance (such as rendering). I started to find ways for doing lookdev in early stages just to put the high poly version of the dragon in Maya and look for good light and composition.
Maria: I planned the development stages. Since I have been working in the industry for the second year, I could roughly imagine how much time it would take me to develop. I had to do the submission after work and on weekends to be on time.
2nd place Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms – Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered): Irina Kniazhentceva
What Advice Do You Have for Future Challenge Participants?
Mikel: It is really very difficult to complete a Challenge like this, so I think it is important to do good planning and take it seriously from the beginning, because once you manage to finish it, the personal satisfaction is incredible beyond any prize. But it is also very important to have fun, so I think it is essential to choose a design that motivates you and you enjoy the process.
Irina: Check your model for the final render regularly. Look at how the perspective will work. You could find many things that you can improve. I’m sure that many of us always think that our work must be improved. But this is what I learned from the Challenge: it is better to finish your work on time, even though you think it is far from ideal. To be honest, I spent 36 hours without sleep until the deadline and I thought that my work was awful! But I was wrong.
Maria: In my opinion, the most important thing is the response in your mind and heart to what you are doing. If you see something that causes the release of endorphins—go to the goal! Even if the task seems complicated. You are sure to succeed!
3rd place Dragon’s Rise: The Forgotten Realms – Film/VFX Character Art (Rendered): Maria Anikina (Rogue-one)
