3D Interpretations of Real People, by Michael O. – with Exclusive InterviewHome » Blog » 3D

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Today, PxlEyes has the great pleasure of interviewing a professional digital artist:Michael O. He has

given an exclusive interview for us and our readers, which will inspire many other artists.

Along the way, we also present a showcase of his brilliant work. He has the unique talent of making

ultra-realistic 3D interpretations of people.

Let’s get started… enjoy!

Q: When did you take the first step into digital art with Photoshop?

A:

When I started high school in ’96, the computer had not yet taken the design world by storm so all of

the classes I had were in traditional art mediums. In my junior year I took a class in AutoCAD for

mechanical drafting, which I found boring so I would sit in the back of the class and play around in

Photoshop and 3D Max. That’s when I really got a taste for the computer arts.

Eventually I “obtained” a home version of photoshop and I have been spending hours in front of the

computer ever since.

“Last Race”

Q: How did you make the transition from amateur to professional?

A:

By luck of course! Around the time I was a junior in college, I already had two jobs as a graphic

designer. One designing Winamp skins for movie studios in LA and the other was a startup graphic

design company I began with a fellow student.

It seemed that graphic design related work would be a permanent fixture in my future career but it just

felt like work and there was not enough focus on creatively. So, I would spend my free time getting

that creativity high by manipulating photos.

Eventually I became interested in finding my own models for my photo manipulation work so I signed

up for ModelMayhem.com to find them. While there, a number of photographers and other

professionals came to me, asking if I could manipulate their photo into artwork for money. The rest is

history.

“Under My Skin”

Q: What’s the hardest part about being a freelance artist?

A:

The unpredictable paycheck can be very frustrating. I was lucky enough to begin my career while still

in college, living with my parents and no bills to pay. When I moved out, I was forced to focus on work

that brought in a paycheck and there were times when I had too much work to deal with and other

times when I had nothing to do.

The difference could change on a daily basis and the uncertainty was scary at times. It was those slow

days that made me think “maybe I should just get a regular job and forget working on my own” but

then a new client would contact me and I get back in the saddle. I still do various graphic design work

unrelated to my portfolio and have even had part time jobs to supplement some of those slow days.

“AmalgaMATE 3″

Q: Can you give an example of how your artistic knowledge about drawing and painting

helped you with Photoshop?

A:

I don’t really see a difference in the requirements for a traditional or digital artist. I believe that 50% of

skill in art is a natural born gift. Another 50% is developed with practice, practice, practice.

Paintbrushes and computers are just tools. The standard rules of art, like composition, always apply

and the medium is just a personal choice.

So, everything I learned in basic art classes still applies today.

“Apple”

Q: Why do you do photomanipulation rather than painting from scratch?

A:

For 3 reasons. First, it easily helps me build the proper foundation for the lighting and proportions. A

lot of people assume that I can paint realistically but that has always been one of my weakest skills.

Second, it shows the viewer the difference between the original photograph and the final artwork,

which most people seem to find interesting.

Third and most importantly, it keeps the subject looking like themselves. A lot of the commercial work I

do is for clients who are looking for artwork that will help promote their image and there is no easier

way to do that then to build the artwork right off of their photo.

“Carve Your Own Destiny”

Q: Do you usually plan your work or do you just get inspired by the picture you are going to

work with?

A:

When I first started developing my style I used professional photos from other photographers for

reference. At the time I simply chose images online that inspired me but because my technique

involves simply painting over a photo, I ran into copyright issues so I had to abandon that method and

begin taking my own photographs.

I believe my skill in photography still needs to be sharpened but oddly enough, a photo of poor quality

makes for a more interesting transition into a piece of art. These days I start with a concept before I

choose a model and shot.

Since my work is usually focused on strong concepts, I consider this step to be very important. Ideas

can come to me at any time and the only thing I need to do is remember to write them down.

“Dexteria”

Q: Can you describe in few steps what is the process of your work?

A:

I start with an idea in my head. Next I choose a model that best suits the look I need (facial features,

skin tone, hair color, etc…). Then I take about 50 to 100 photos of the model, slightly changing the

lighting or pose until I feel we got it. Next I choose one picture to use or sometimes two or three that

can be meshed together. The background is always replaced in Photoshop with something more fitting

for the theme.

From there I do a number of color and value adjustments to make the image more artistic and less

photographic. Lastly the image is airbrushed, smudged and blurred to simulate the painted look.

“He Chose Me”

Q: What do you like about being an artist?

A:

One of the most appealing aspects for me being an artist is the idea that my work could potentially last

far beyond my own physical life. The way I see it, this life passes in the blink of an eye anyway so if I’m

going to spend that time it wisely, I should focus on inspiring others and making sure my work is

unique and strong enough to last for generations to come.

This is one of my driving forces and why I respect past artists whose work still inspires people to this

day.

“AmalgaMATE”

Q: How do you attract new clients?

A:

“Attract” is the right word because clients do have to be lured to you in a sense. I’ve had very little

luck with cold calling and trying to bring in new clients by contacting them. The best clients are always

the ones that come to you.

If I had to list the best ways to bring in new clients I would order it like this:

1) Most importantly, you must have a strong, consistent portfolio. I’m not a doctor or lawyer so nobody

cares what school I went to. This is a visual business so how my work looks is all that really matters.

2) Advertising helps. I took every opportunity to be featured in articles, interviews, contests, and

whatever else to help get my portfolio seen.

3) A good business sense and experience in dealing with people is important. Good phone

conversational skills and proper grammar in emails can go a long way. If you don’t have these things,

you may still get the job but it is likely that the client will not come back.

“Gold Rush”

Q: Do you plan to create any tutorials?

A:

Given the amount of emails I get on this subject, I’m sure a video tutorial would be very popular and I

have considered it.

It will surely happen someday but in the mean time, I recommend that aspiring artists do what I did

and play around in photoshop (or the tool of their choice) and develop their own style that makes them

happy.

That would be far more rewarding then directly following someone else’s style.

“AmalgaMATE 4″

Q: If you could give an advice to our readers who want to start a career as an artist, what

would it be?

A:

Besides natural art skills and experience with traditional mediums, there is one other component that

helped me develop my career as an artist, and that was competition. When I was beginning my career

I would look at work from other artists and I would get angry with myself wondering why I was not able

to create artwork like them.

I used that anger like a fuel to help me get over the frustrations that come with creating art and to

help me gain the skills at a level I was happy with. A healthy dose of competition is highly

recommended by me.

“AmalgaMATE6″

Q: What’s in the future for you?

A:

For the past year or so I have had a job creating movie posters for Bollywood in India. The work is very

consistent and it seems that it will continue indefinitely which is nice. Unfortunately I have had to turn

down other projects but it is nice to have a much shorter ToDo list with only one client.

Besides that I plan to create a series of images for the US Olympic team. It is only in the research

stage now but I am definitely enthusiastic about its potential. Stay tuned…

Timeless Beauty

Anna in Color

AmalgaMATE 5

Skin Deep

Contact

Trophy Wife

Valiant

Dream Catcher

Play Thing

Nike

Still Standing

She Ann

Soul Searching

Tinker Twins

Two Locks, One Key

An Old Flame

AVP-COVERS

Book Covers

Desktop

Top 10 Tips For Winning An Argument 21

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We all love to argue (as is evidenced by the comments on some of the topics on Listverse) but oftentimes an argument ends in a yelling match with insults flying and no conclusion being drawn. Therefore, I have put

together this list of tips to help all of us in our future debates – on the site and off. If you take heed of all of my suggestions here, you will be in a much stronger position in future arguments. If you find this list useful, I also recommend you read the book How to Argue & Win Every Time, by Gerry Spence.

10

Soft and Steady

When debating you should never raise your voice. You should remain calm at all times. The louder you talk, the louder your opponent talks – and the end result is a yelling match. And of course, it goes without saying that you should definitely not resort to violence. You can even try to talk quieter than normal – as this can draw people in to you and it can make you appear wise. An argument is not won by the person with the loudest voice, it is won by the person with the most compelling arguments.

9

Get Your Opponent On Your Side

It is a good idea to try to get your opponent on your side by making statements that you know he agrees with – this puts you in the strong position in the debate. You don’t even need to use a fact relating to your debate – you could, for example, in a debate about the existence of God state “I am sure you agree with me when I say that petrol is overpriced”. As soon as your opponent agrees, you have won a psychological battle. You are no longer the opponent – you are a comrade. This technique is so effective it is used by telemarketers all the time.

8

Don’t Attack

It is not a good idea to blatantly tell your opponent that he is wrong – instead you should show that he is wrong through good counter-arguments. Telling a person they are wrong merely annoys them and does nothing for your argument as (at least until you can prove it), it is a subjective comment. Be humble in the debate and show good will – not only will it make you look good if you win, it will show that you are a worthy opponent even if you lose.

7

Don’t Play Dirty

Never resort to name calling – even if your opponent does. You must attack your opponent’s argument – not their person. As soon as you begin to criticize your opponent, it becomes obvious that you have run out of ways to defend your view. These types of insults (ad hominem) are a sure way to lose a debate. You should be pleased if your opponent resorts to this feeble attempt to escape the real debate as it means you are close to victory.

6

Define The Fundamentals

When arguing, both parties need to agree on fundamental “truths” to begin with – if you don’t, there can be no debate. What is the point of arguing that the Bible was written by God, when your opponent doesn’t even believe in God? First you should debate the existence of God. If you both agree that He exists, you can then debate the smaller points. If your opponent convinces you that God can not exist, there is little point in arguing about the authorship of the Bible. This is the structure seen in the Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas – he starts with the basic points, presents arguments and counter-arguments, and moves on when each point is “proven” by logic.

5

Stick to the Subject

When a person is beginning to lose an argument, it is quite common to see them try to divert the topic at hand to another – thereby hoping you will not notice their weakness and will get entangled in a whole new debate. When this happens, don’t fall for it. Return to the original topic immediately. Do not give any time to other topics (no matter how tempting it may be) until you have completed the first.

4

Ask Questions

This is the “socratic method”. When your opponent states a “fact” – probe deeper in to the fact with questions that are designed to expose its flaws – these are usually “tell me more” type questions: “can you give me an example?”, “Another way of looking at this is …, does this seem reasonable?”. These questions will invariably lead your opponent to the truth – and if they are honest, they will concede. Unfortunately this is not always the case – I have seen frustrated people depart the debate in anger because they believe you are “trying to trick” them. But don’t worry – this is a win if it happens.

3

Be Silent

After making a strong argument, let your opponent do all the talking – especially if he lacks the facts to oppose you. He will bluster and fumble – giving you a variety of new weapons with which to attack him. This may not lead to him conceding defeat – but it may lead to him walking away from the debate – a clear victory for you. Many an argument has been won by not arguing at all! As an aside, this is an excellent method for getting your own way – make your request, and when it is declined remain silent. This usually makes the other person so nervous (as no one likes silence) that they may give in just to get out of an uncomfortable situation.

2

Know Your Facts

Do not state that something is “true” unless you absolutely know it is – be prepared to prove it if necessary. It is incredibly annoying to debate a topic with a person who is simply making up their argument on the fly. You wouldn’t like it if people did it to you – so don’t do it to others. Only engage in a debate that you know you can win based on facts.

1

Know When You’re Beat

If you have all the facts to back you up, you should be able to win your argument if your opponent is honest. But there will always be times when your opponent gets the better of you and they corner you. When this happens, be a gentleman and concede the win. You should always be graceful in defeat. Nothing is worse than a person who argues simply for the sake of it and absolutely will not give in – no matter how obvious their loss.