Biography
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Thank you for visiting my site! I am an artist and educator. Previously I worked in the game industry as a lead artist and senior environment artist for over six years, with ten shipped titles. As a game developer I have worked with companies such as Pixar, Marvel Studios, Nickelodeon, Deep Silver Volition and Midway Games. In 2011, while still working full time as a game artist, I began teaching at Columbia College Chicago. In 2014 I left full time game development to pursue a Master of Fine Arts with Savannah College of Art and Design. I have over five years of experience teaching higher education in game and animation studies at institutions such as The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago, Tribeca Flashpoint Academy, Purdue University and Columbia College Chicago. Currently I am a lecturer at Purdue University in the Computer Graphics Technology College within the Polytechnics Institute. I have a passion for game art and feature animation and mentoring students to have the skills and mindset for professional career in the entertainment industry. Along with my current vocation I also continue to work as a freelance illustrator and Photographer. I hold a BFA from the Illinois institute of Art, and a MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. Thank you for visiting my site!
Curriculum Vitae |
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Teaching Statement
I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had during my journey as an industry professional. Drawing upon that industry experience, I strive to convey real-world scenarios within the classroom, exposing my students to expectations and techniques within the art production pipeline.
Constructive play. While deadlines are eminent and standards are high, I believe the creation process can be fun when approached as constructive play. I aspire to conduct class in a fun yet professional atmosphere, much like the creative environments I've experienced in the game industry.
Students are people. The individual learner needs a student centered approach. I conduct class and treat each individual like I would prefer to be treated, that is with respect and distinction. I prefer to look at each student as a future colleague and take a personal interest in seeing them succeed.
Striking a balance. While cutting edge techniques are explored in class, sound fundamentals and elegant simplicity are always a precursor to technological advances. One example of this is texturing in Photoshop by hand versus using a procedural approach like Substance Designer. Both have their merit. While procedural assets hold many benefits for art direction and rapid iteration, knowing how to manipulate pixels by hand in Photoshop is indispensable when rendering a specific vision. In light of this, I instruct students on how to use both.
Relevant industry standards. I believe students should leave my class understanding sound industry practices and industry standards. For an instructor in a rapidly changing field, that puts a demand on my own personal growth as an artist. I endeavor to keep my own personal skills relevant through passion projects, where, like the student, I too continue to grow and learn.
Utilizing technology for teaching. I use technology like using screen capture recordings to aid in facilitating mastery experiences. And while technology is a great asset, I always make time to sit one on one with students when needed.
A scaffold and guided mastery approach towards difficult topics. I believe that difficult concepts, broken down into simpler digestible lessons, allow for students to learn a process first, and then later apply that process toward their vision. An example of this might be teaching a student how to create displacement map or normal maps on simple primitives before asking them to sculpt a character where those maps will be created. By removing some of the technical unknowns early students can create with more freedom and confidence.
The immediate portfolio. I require all of my students create a free website and create a page for my class. On those pages each assignment will be named appropriately and posted for review. While many pieces of work may eventually be hidden from the final site upon graduation, I want to promote students building an online portfolio early on in their studies. This technique aims to save students from the mad scramble of organizing their work at the end of their degree, allowing them more time to finish their best work.
Constructive play. While deadlines are eminent and standards are high, I believe the creation process can be fun when approached as constructive play. I aspire to conduct class in a fun yet professional atmosphere, much like the creative environments I've experienced in the game industry.
Students are people. The individual learner needs a student centered approach. I conduct class and treat each individual like I would prefer to be treated, that is with respect and distinction. I prefer to look at each student as a future colleague and take a personal interest in seeing them succeed.
Striking a balance. While cutting edge techniques are explored in class, sound fundamentals and elegant simplicity are always a precursor to technological advances. One example of this is texturing in Photoshop by hand versus using a procedural approach like Substance Designer. Both have their merit. While procedural assets hold many benefits for art direction and rapid iteration, knowing how to manipulate pixels by hand in Photoshop is indispensable when rendering a specific vision. In light of this, I instruct students on how to use both.
Relevant industry standards. I believe students should leave my class understanding sound industry practices and industry standards. For an instructor in a rapidly changing field, that puts a demand on my own personal growth as an artist. I endeavor to keep my own personal skills relevant through passion projects, where, like the student, I too continue to grow and learn.
Utilizing technology for teaching. I use technology like using screen capture recordings to aid in facilitating mastery experiences. And while technology is a great asset, I always make time to sit one on one with students when needed.
A scaffold and guided mastery approach towards difficult topics. I believe that difficult concepts, broken down into simpler digestible lessons, allow for students to learn a process first, and then later apply that process toward their vision. An example of this might be teaching a student how to create displacement map or normal maps on simple primitives before asking them to sculpt a character where those maps will be created. By removing some of the technical unknowns early students can create with more freedom and confidence.
The immediate portfolio. I require all of my students create a free website and create a page for my class. On those pages each assignment will be named appropriately and posted for review. While many pieces of work may eventually be hidden from the final site upon graduation, I want to promote students building an online portfolio early on in their studies. This technique aims to save students from the mad scramble of organizing their work at the end of their degree, allowing them more time to finish their best work.
Artist Statement
As long as I can remember, my father has always liked cinema. As a nine year old boy living outside of Chicago, Illinois I was privileged to frequent many theaters. One day, my father excited by the re-release of his favorite animated feature, looked down at me and said "I am going to take you to see the greatest animation ever made." It was 1985, and during the prior forty-five years the art of animation had rarely been so innovative as it had been in Disney's Fantasia. While at the screening that evening, particularly during Symphony 6 (Pastoral), when the little winged horses were fluttering around, I became so inspired that I had this thought; 'this is what I want to do with my life. I want to create art like this and inspire others.' Reflecting on this pivotal moment, I recalled that even before Fantasia I would draw alongside the cartoons in old Beetle Bailey books. I would open my children's books and start doodling inside as early as 3 or 4 years old. Marking up my father's newspapers by drawing mustaches on every picture was a common activity in my household. And the only part of the newspaper I would ever take the time to really examine was the "Funnies", as they were the only thing worthwhile to me. It is safe to assume that I was well on my way to becoming a visual artist even before Fantasia's inspiration turned into a significant, tangible realization.
I still have a deep admiration for feature animation and would say that it is my favorite art form. While I journey forward as an artist, the goal is still the same: inspire others with art!
I still have a deep admiration for feature animation and would say that it is my favorite art form. While I journey forward as an artist, the goal is still the same: inspire others with art!
