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Let's start at the beginning, Can you introduce yourself? Why game character art and how did you get to where you are today?
My name is Marcus Pettersson, born and raised in the southern part of Sweden where I still live today with my girlfriend. I've been modeling since I was about 17 and studied CG for two years at a college which got me an internship at Ubisoft Massive (Massive Entertainement at the time). Eventually it led to a full time position and that¡¯s where I¡¯ve spent the last 3.5 years. |
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Was this your first competition? What are your thoughts about this new annual challenge and online wip competitions in general?
It was the first competition I¡¯ve finished, not counting minor challenges many years ago. I didn¡¯t do a lot of preparation really. I just jumped in there hoping to have a good time and make something that I could be proud of. I love that you¡¯re able to log on any time of the day and swap feedback with the people that inspire you and those that are inspired by you, no matter where they are.
Congratulations on your achievement on this competition! Now that is over, would you like to share with us what your next goal?
My goal is and always has been to do what I love every day, and get paid for it :)
participating in online competitions is a great way to show yourself to the industry and open up for future opportunities to reach that goal. I hope to be able to enter and finish many more competitions in the future..
What would be your advice for aspiring game concept artists out there? What type of training do you think would be helpful in becoming a successful character artist?
There are lots of good free tutorials you can find online and through the different forums that will give you a solid base knowledge. Entering competitions like Comic Con or Dominance War is also a great way to see how you compare to other folks, hobbyists or professionals. When you think you¡¯re good enough try to find a college with good connections to the industry or go directly to the studios and ask for an art test. In my experience studios rarely demand any kind of degree; it¡¯s all about how good and experienced you are. However when it comes to moving abroad or switching careers a degree will make things easier. |
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Was there someone, or some thing that helped make you who you are today? Is there anyone you would like to thank, or at least give a shout to?
When I first started out with low res modeling and searching the various forums I quickly came across Bobo¡¯s work and he¡¯s been a great inspiration ever since, especially when it comes to making clean and efficient models. Nowadays with the addition of digital sculpting I¡¯ll usually head over to Zbrush central when I¡¯m looking for inspiration.
What combination of software did you use to get your entry completed? What software is the core asset for your pipeline?
I used Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop, UVlayout and xNormal. Maya for blocking out the basics and adding new detail geometry as well as creating and rendering the low res. Zbrush was used for sculpting and painting the base textures. Then I used UVlayout to map the character, xNormal to bake Normals, Occlusion, Texture from the high res etc. and Photoshop for color correction and overlays.
Why Penance? What ignited the desire to create one of the most powerful characters out there? Also, where did you get your inspiration?
I chose Penance because he appealed to me, simple as that. I knew from the start that I didn¡¯t want to make yet another Wolverine (:)) but someone that was less known and didn¡¯t wear a traditional superhero spandex. I used some paintings by Marko Djurdjevic for inspiration and reference both in the textures and in the final renders
Can you describe from concept to the final beauty render, what it took for you complete your entry? What your initial plans were, and how they reflect on your final product?
When Making something from scratch to finish it allways takes alot of perseverance and determination. The plan was to get the base up as quick as possible so that I can see the progression early on, which keeps me motivated. Rushing things can be problematic but since I had a finished concept that I was happy with it didn't cause any major problems this time. For the textures and final renders I wanted to go for the dark and tormented look in Marko's paintings. |
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What would you say, was the biggest part of the production process? And what skill would you say you sharpened while you were at it?
Definitely the sculpting. There were a lot of folds in his suit that had to look a certain way to give the right impression of the material. There were also a lot of switching between Maya and Zbrush to get all the detail in there with the straps, bolts, stitches, spikes etc. In the end I learnt the most about Zbrush as a tool and every time you make a character there¡¯s something new to discover. |
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What sacrifices, and how did you find the time to work on your entry? Also, how were you able to successfully manage your time to finish your entry on time?
It was a good time for me since I didn¡¯t have too much stuff at work to do. I spent most of the lunch hours and spare time working on the entry and was finished well over a week before deadline. I could¡¯ve spent that extra time to polish and improve but by then I wanted to move on to something new.
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