November 2008 Artist of the Month - JCD

Nov 01, 2008 at 12:00 am by Store Staff


File1924.jpgEach month the Renderosity community votes on The Renderosity Artist Of The Month [AOM] ... November's AOM is JCD!

We congratulate JCD for an outstanding collection of works in the Vue Gallery!


Wow, I'm totally surprised and quite honored to be chosen as artist of the month. Thanks to all who voted!

Who is 'JCD'?

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, I found myself burnt out on the seemingly endless days of overcast weather and decided to make a run for it to the sunniest place I could find. Phoenix, Arizona was that place and I've now called this arid valley in the Sonoran Desert home for about ten years. I met my now wife at my first job after relocating, so you could say it was a pretty good move. We've got three cats, no kids and over the years I've managed to amass a sizable collection of sci-fi toys and old Macs. I'm currently employed as a senior creative director with a large, international firm and feel quite blessed as I get to spend my days surrounded by a wonderful team of creatives and work on some great accounts.

How long have you been rendering/doing computer graphics?

I had dabbled with doing stuff on the computer early on, but it wasn't until I went to school and saw what people were doing in early versions of Photoshop that I really decided to give it a go. A year later I bought an Apple Power Macintosh 6100 as my first machine, so I guess that would be around 1994 or so. I knew I would need some juice to do graphics work, so I ordered it with lots of RAM - a whopping 24MB, which seemed like complete overkill at the time! Oh how times have changed. Not too long after that I won a copy of Bryce at some Apple roadshow thing they were doing and have to say that that was really when I started to see what could be done with CG art. I started working in Bryce and after acquiring a scanner, began bringing in photos and doing some early composition work. Even though it was pretty rudimentary stuff, it was a blast then and it still is today.

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Sunday Morning

Do you have traditional art experience?

I trained as an illustrator using traditional mediums for several years at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, and while I slowly lost interest in commercial illustration, I began painting and drawing almost full time which eventually led to a rather sizable catalog of work and a regular gallery presence in the region. I had hopes of making a living as a fine artist early on, but that's easier said than done, and I quickly returned to illustration and design work to pay the bills. I like to think that I can still paint and draw, but I'm definitely out of practice. I'm probably a little more proficient with the mouse and pen/tablet nowadays.

What are you currently working on?

I've been working on developing a graphic novel and it's proving to be a lot more work than I anticipated, so no promises on that ever seeing the light of day. I've also got a few book cover projects in the works and, aside from those, I'm continuing to add to my may or may not be completed pile with the occasional one making it to fruition... I swear, it's so much easier to start a new piece than it is to finish it.

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In The Courtyard

What software/equipment do you use and why?

As I mentioned earlier, my first computer was a Mac, so I've been a Mac guy all my life. My current desktop machine is a Mac Pro with 2X 3GHz Dual-Core Xeons and 16GB of RAM. I also run a MacBook Pro 2.33GHz Core-Duo with 3GB of RAM that's sufficient for most things, but not so much for rendering compared to the tower. The primary software tools I use in my stuff include Vue 6 Infinite, Poser Pro and Photoshop CS3. I've been trying to embrace a modeling app as there are lots of things that I want to build, but so far I can't get my head around them enough to proceed. Of all the modelers I've tried, Modo is definitely my favorite, but there is so much to learn, it's quite daunting.

What do you think your best piece of work is and why?

It's hard to pick out one of my own pieces as a favorite, but I think A Night at Feng's would probably be the one. While there are plenty of things wrong with it that I would fix on 'A Night at Feng's 2', I just love the mood that was captured there. It's almost like a quick snapshot from someone that was walking down the sidewalk, as there is no real hero figure posing for the camera - just a few souls sitting at the noodle counter after a late shift.

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The Swimming Hole

Why do you like to work with 3D software?

Coming from a background in traditional mediums, I like working with 3D software as it allows me to paint a picture, but affords me the opportunity to work and rework my vision until the desired results are just right. When I tried to pick up Bryce again several years ago and found it to have lost some of it's magic for me, I stumbled across Vue and the magic was back. Vue has allowed me to fully realize the scenes I have in mind in a very realistic way, plus it's far less messy and involved than working with real paint!

Who/what inspires you?

While inspiration can come from anywhere, I get most of mine from sci-fi movies (even the really bad ones!), video game art, and of course from all the great artists out there, many of which are right here on Renderosity.

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A Night at Feng's

How has this online community (Renderosity) enhanced your work, relationships, and learning?

The sheer amount of talent that is represented in the galleries here on Renderosity is quite amazing and really inspired and energized me in my own work. The comments and critique I've received from others has truly been invaluable and really helped to enhance what I've done going forward.

Parting Comments / Advice to other Artists?

If I could offer up anything, it would be to stick with it and keep reaching for that next level. Whatever it is you do, whatever application you use and whatever genre you work in, there is always that next level and unless you keep at it, you'll never make it there.

We invite you to visit:

Be sure to also visit the Vue Gallery, and the Vue Forum!


All supporting images are copyright, and cannot be
copied, printed, or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the artist.

Artist of the Month is highlighting a talented Renderosity artist that has been nominated by mods and admins, and voted by the community. Recognition is given to this member for their collection of works for that year.

Since we only select one AOM per month, it is not about their works for that particular month. Instead, it is about highlighting a talented artist's works for that year, and they are recognized during that month.

To learn more about Renderosity's Artist Of The Month [AOM] award, and to view our past AOM's, please visit the AOM 2008 page, which can also be found on the sidebar under Highlights.



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