Carving a Place For Himself: How Mr. Miguel Delgado Had Solidified His Place as an Artist
Upon the question of establishing solid footing within the industry, many artists shy away from affirming their place, usually stating that they have a long way to go, or that they understand that the 3D industry is an ever-changing landscape. It is rare for artists to say flat out that they had gained a position in the industry. And it is actually the first time that Xeno Creatives had encountered such an artist.
Mr. Miguel Delgado had known that he wanted to be one since he was a kid. Much like other artists, he started out admiring certain media that had propelled his young mind into thinking about the production of actual art. Lucky for us, his dreams had not failed him. Today, let us get to know Mr. Miguel Delgado and find out how he had carved his place in the 3D art industry.
Xeno Creatives (XC): We understand that with just about any craft, passion takes precedence. In your case, how did it start becoming a passion? Would we be right in assuming that you consider it a “calling”?
Miguel Delgado (MD): I´ve been interested in drawing since I was a kid.
XC: Was there ever an art piece (digital or otherwise) or artist who served as a catalyst for your involvement in the craft? When did you get involved fully in the 3D industry?
MD: It all began after the release of “Toy Story” in 1996. I was fascinated with what I was seeing on the screen.
At that time, I remember a magazine about 3D modeling with a tutorial on how to model Buzz Lightyear in 3ds Max. However, at that time, I didn´t have access to a computer able to run 3D modelling programs.
It wasn’t until 2005 to afford by myself a proper one and I learnt as a hobby with the tutorials of www.3dyanimacion.com.
In 2011-2012 I spent more time training on 3D techniques and I´ve never stopped since then.
XC: Now that you’re an active part of the industry, would you say you have pegged a solid place in it?
MD: I would say yes. I feel very appreciated by my colleagues and my boss.
XC: How does your day look like in production?
MD: I work in a very small studio so I have to do a LOT of tasks related to characters. From sculpting, retopology, UVs, texturing, rigging (writing some tools in Python and weighting vertex values for correct mesh deformation) to write fragment and vertex shader code from scratch for mobile optimization, and finally asset integration in Unity.
XC: What are the common challenges that a 3D artist like you encounters day-in, day-out in a project?
MD: I think the most difficult challenge is creating appealing characters or environments without sacrificing performance, considering the technical restrictions of slower mobile devices.
XC: We had the most fortunate chance to see your works online and we must say they are tremendously impressive. We really admire your style. How do you go about creating your pieces? Is there a personal “ritual” that you follow before working?
MD: Thank you very much for those kind words. I just sit down and get to work listening to some nice music and asking for some feedback from time to time.
XC: Do you have favourite pieces among your works? If so, what made them your favourite?
MD: My last work is always the favorite.
XC: What would you consider your biggest or most exciting project to date?
MD: At the studio, we always try to innovate every new game we make. We are currently finishing a very promising western game that I can’t tell too much about.
XC: If you were to market yourself what would you highlight as your edge?
MD: I guess I would say: “I know how move vertexes”
XC: If you weren’t a 3D artist today, what would you be working as?
MD: I’d probably be cleaning swimming pools.
XC: What is your message to other artists especially in these challenging times?
MD: Today there are more resources than ever to learn easily, YouTube, schools, forums… No excuses and go for it!
Want to see more of Mr. Miguel Delgado’s awesome works? You can head on over to his Facebook and ArtStation accounts to check on what he’s recently up to!
