Laura Shares Her Tips And Tricks For Creating Mind-Blowing 2D And 3D Characters!

What got you started with creating characters and fan art?

Well, I am from a generation in which the internet was not so widespread, so fan art as it is intended today doesn’t match what we did almost 20 years ago. My friends and I saved money to purchase books (most were hardcovers)  from carefully selected authors: Brian Froud, Arthur Rackam Alan Lee, and John Howe to mention a few. As art students, we didn’t have that much money, so each page was a little treasure we studied in the finer details (this is probably why many of my traditional illustrations are so crowded with little things). What I did back then wasn’t really fan art, rather than having guidelines to pick up an artistic direction that resonated with my imagination.

I started as a traditional illustrator (pencil and watercolors being my favorite). Characters came later after I started doing art professionally. I started as an artist for fantasy literature events (Tolkien included) in my hometown, Genoa, in northwest Italy, which hosts an international library for children. The library had good contacts and, on short notice, I was cooperating with it as art coordinator and had the chance to get in touch with some large companies such as Wizards of the Coast (Italian branch) and Hasbro. That experience led me to understand that doing only art would be just a part of my work. Managing skills, communication, and leadership were also required. From that start, I moved to internationally financed projects by the European Commission in education (edutainment especially), equal opportunities (primarily for women professionals in the creative sectors), and the Italian national education system.

What projects have you worked on in the past and what are you working on at the moment?

I cannot disclose much about current projects, especially because some involve very large companies and I am bound to keep those by myself until release. The only thing I can say is that they will be something totally unexpected.

On the other hand, I am free to talk about past projects. The most socially relevant is probably “ischool” a mobile-learning educational project for the Zambian education system. In 2015, it won the 2nd prize among all education projects in the whole of Africa. I am mentioning it because I am very proud that my studio was picked to be among the content providers. It was both a challenge and a pleasure and really positive effects. Now that 3D is becoming an even more widespread way to create art, also ischool could enjoy some updates through it.

Isschool project is what art should be, a skill at the service of the community.

In 3D, more characters will soon be on the way. The Siberian Ice Maiden will be the first and, after that, a snow fairy from Slavic folklore to ease the hot summer, along with several utilities to help beginners improve the quality and the swiftness of their work.

What inspires most of your original characters?

I probably already answered this. I always try to make notions and concepts fun and compelling for modern users. The primary sources of inspiration are history, archaeology, mythology, and folklore.

I find these to be the most potent sources for developing any product and extremely useful tools to build up an open-minded approach to any creative process. They are also the best way to avoid the cloning of repetitive concepts, an aspect that is becoming more and more common, especially in 3D.

Nothing is more original than the flexible use of human culture in all its aspects.

You also provide illustration and drawing courses. Can you tell us more about those?

I have been in professional training for quite a bit now (at least from 2006). Currently, I am providing courses in drawing and illustration, communication, and management, face-to-face, and remotely. They are aimed at all typologies of audiences, from non-professionals to experts. For those who are interested, I can be mailed to bms@bemystudio.com. Teaching sessions are for groups and individuals and can be tailored according to preferences and needs. They are in Italian and English language.

The main goal is to provide core and cross competencies to cope with the many difficulties and the creative sector.

Would love to hear about your experience in 3d modeling. When did it start and what is your secret for creating amazing 3d characters?

3D is a pretty recent discovery for me, and it is not something I carry out alone. As a partner in an art studio (the Blue Monkey Studio), I often cooperate with the research and publishing depts. The people there have a vast knowledge of history, archaeology, books, and comics, and we brainstorm a lot. For example, my character at DAZ, the Incunabulus, has carvings on its skin that are a reworking of an actual Sumerian tablet we graphically adapted. Something similar can be said for my character, Ubume (whose name comes from a Yokai). The decal of the spirit on her back is the actual photo of a Japanese geisha from the early 20th century. The character I am currently quite proud of is probably my next one, the “Siberian Ice Princess,” the very first interpretation of a 6th-century BC young woman in a posable form. The tattoos are an original reworking of those found on her mummy. You will be shortly able to see it on Renderhub and ArtStation.

In the end, I can say that playing with colors is the funniest part, while conceptualization is the most important of my present 3d creation process. I do believe that knowledge is the shortest way towards originality, and I look with some worry at the current trend that favors technical prowess in spite of original concepts and ideas.   I guess a balance between a good hand and a quick brain is probably the key to success.

What part of the character creation process is the most fun and easy and what part is the hardest?

I have also probably already answered this. The funniest part is always playing with colors. Take the Siberian Ice Maiden I mentioned above. While developing her makeup, I discovered that vivianite was commonly used in her times, so I conducted a specific analysis of the stone's chromatic hues and started creating from those. It was so much fun.

The hardest part is usually the collection of the sources and the very first crude step of conceptualization. Should this character be eyeless? (e.g., the Incunabulus) if so, why should he be?

Sometimes I even build mental maps to check if my thoughts will harmonize in the final creation and if its narrative will be excellent and appealing.

Would love to hear more about the favorite character you designed and what you think made it so good.

My favorite is usually the one I have not created yet.

However, if you referring to those currently available, I would say those from my Daz shop: Koori, my little African wood fairy Aziza, that beast of the Incunabulus, and graceful Hong Huang.

What do you think is the _difference between an average character design and a mind-blowing one?

An average character is usually pretty derivative, carrying features that anyone would forget after a while and won’t check twice. The mind-blowing one is most likely the one that would strike the viewer at a glance, the one that can force the potential customer to go back to it, looking for the details of its materials and sculpting, but that would work once all pieces come together.

It’s like a Mozart vs. a Salieri.

What advice do you have for beginner artists who are looking to do either traditional or digital character art?

Well, I guess some bits of advice can be found throughout the whole interview. From my personal experience, I can say four simple things:

Be open-minded: don’t focus on the same concepts others are focusing on. Look for the less known or remembered ones. Behind a successful creation, there is a lot of backstage work, research and data collection. The zillion carbon-copy of Mickey Mouse won’t probably work, so why not consider his major competitors you have never heard of? Many could even be in the Public Domain.

Accept criticism and be critical of yourself: even the fiercest detractor’s words can have a positive impact if considered correctly. Be strict with yourself, but never destructive. Professionalism is a way of acting in which solutions to problems are found.

Develop cross competencies: behavioral skills, understanding of legal texts, or a good level in a foreign language (even if you are a native English speaker) are all turn-ons to improve someone’s bench-marking in the creative sector.

Never give up.