Virtual Reality for Artists CreativeMindClass Blog - The CreativeMindClass Blog

Virtual Reality artist Collin Leix, talks about her artistic evolution, from creating oil paintings to exploring the depths of VR art.

"Before I started my journey as a VR artist, started as an oil painter, focused on portraits. As time passed, my style evolved as I became more intrigued by the ideas that go into making.

The artist evolution; from music, through classic art, to creating Metaverse

I'm a violinist and I got really interested in musical score illustrations; diverse ways to perceive illustrations as musical directions. Also, I discovered that I have synaesthesia, a condition in the brain that results in a mix of different senses - in my instance, numbers as well as colors. This all caused me to play with how I approached creating images."

"In 2009 I started a Master's course in Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, where students were encouraged to play extensively. My first assignment was with painting and ended by completing a thesis that was a huge installation on the ceiling that had animations that were projected on the ceiling. The animations I started out with were rudimentary stop-motion animations using paint and paper, using the natural landscape as a topic. The work was so difficult as a medium I knew I wanted to continue to work on it.

After the completion of my master's thesis In 2012, I enrolled in the local community college in order to learn about After Effects, and since then have learned a lot on my own. I jumped into art apps, Cinema4D, and have attempted a few cel as well, but was primarily focused on After Effects. I created animations direct-to-client over the course of a couple of years. I ensured that I always did my own artful experiments in animation, and then put them on the internet.

"I suffered from a big health challenge and was going through a period of depression that frequently left me on my floor, surrounded by my dog. This was how I saw it. I challenged myself to make an effort every single week and even if it was only a few minutes so that I could meet my goals of where I REALLY was.

In the year 2018 I was hired from the Animation Studio Gunner in Detroit, and have been there since!"

What would you say about your style of art?

"Realism remains a staple in my heart from my early days. Since then, my style includes a touch of surrealism and a sense of fun as I continue to study what color means to communicate mood.

My fashion style has changed also since I joined Gunner. Gunner. It is common for us to work as a team to support different styles, so I have the opportunity to experiment with' styles that aren't my own. There are many ways to utilize loose brushwork, outlines, or simplifying elements of design are examples of what I've tried and kept doing afterward. For example, the piece "Crocus" is an amalgamation of painting textures over 3D forms, both by using realistic shapes and basic forms, using VR modeling and good old Photoshop paint."

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"One reason I love working in the studio is because the lines that define me my style' and'me' have blurred. For instance, take the clip "Interruption," for instance. I was invited to make an Instagram post for Gunner when I first started. I was looking to incorporate some surrealism in order to illustrate what it's as being at the forefront of making music, and what might be visible in the mind's eye as well as what it is like to feel interrupted.

Although I was the one who did the animation, and a lot of the design, my amazing coworker Ian Sigmon pushed me a A LOT when it came to character design. I wouldn't have got to the crazy arms and streamlined body forms all by myself. This led us to realize that women's bodies could dissolve back into the shape when she is ready to play."

"I remember losing a high-school art contest due to my work because it weren't all that cohesive or in the same style. I thought this was my curse, but it's turned out to prove to be a blessing given my current work."

What is the key to creating your illustration?

"For me, it always must boil from a gut-feel. There's always a nugget of interest at the beginning of each new piece - often it's a new color scheme I'd like to test or maybe it's an expression, or quote, or even a short story.

One thing that distinguishes my work is the fact that I'm always trying out various new media. At the moment, I'm in love with drawing and painting in Virtual Reality. We're also working on an animated short on Gunner which covers the entire gamut of painting a cel using Photoshop, to 3D rendering to creating sculpts in VR and then projecting a painting on the sculpture. I've included a shot from the film, which is called Sync for a sneak preview. It's Gunner's first film directed by a woman. it's about three strangers who travel on an aircraft and an unexpected event that happens to them during the flight.

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What would you advise someone who starts out with VR art?

"When looking at any technology that is new, I always have an image or story of what I want to make first. I guess that's a tip I would offer to anyone looking to broaden the capabilities of their team - create a style frame or have some sketchy or narrative you want to do before taking in the latest technology. Then you have a purpose that you can explain a reason for. Otherwise, you're just flopping around tutorials, taking on other people's styles and stories.

Here's a piece we made to launch an event called Blend at Gunner which took place in 2019 where I created many of the environment elements in Virtual Reality. I'd tried sculpting some time ago however, once I found the proper 'why' my creativity and capabilities grew exponentially. This video is a overview of the scenes I created."

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"I'm pretty engaged in Instagram as well. I also developed an instructional class to recreate your illustrations using 3D space, with Tilt Brush. You don't have to have a degree in VR art yet However, you need to be wearing a VR headset in order to attend the class. I walk people through the process. It was a lot of love that I put in this!"