Inherited but Reinvented: Ms. Nathalia Curi Comes to Her Own as An Artist
We have heard of the saying before: the apple doesn’t roll too far from the tree.
And we couldn’t be more grateful that this apple, while not straying from its tree’s humble beginnings, rolled to a direction it alone coursed. Ms. Nathalia Curi is a product of passion and discipline; her parents’ talent and skill in the arts had eventually been passed down to her and she made it her own. Ms. Curi owned it and furthered the discipline.
With this, came wisdom wrought by industry experience–something that didn’t come easy. At all. We know that stepping out of your parent’s shadows can be a challenge which most children never seem to get out of in one piece. But with Nathalia, this obviously became her motivation.
Her works over at ArtStation are evident of her self-discovery and self-worth. These are testaments of her identity–and we must say, they are impressive.
So let’s get to know Ms. Nathalia Curi through her works on ZBrush and find out how she came to her own through the discipline of the Digital Arts.
Xeno Creatives (XC): ZBrush brought a lot to the 3D industry. But it does take a lot to get used to. What processes did you have to go through to work efficiently with it? How did ZBrush help you in your craft?
Nathalia Curi (NC): Well, Zbrush is a wonderful tool. It may seem difficult at first, and it is necessary to continue learning until you feel comfortable. A good idea is doing smaller and simpler pieces at the beginning then increase the difficulty with each new project.
I’ve been working with Digital Design for many years using lots of tools, but at first zbrush helped me compose images so I could work on 2D illustrations.
XC: When did you decide that you’d be using ZBrush as your main medium? Do you want to just
focus on it or do you still have other media in mind?
NC: I believe there will always be many tools that help the whole process, and if you enjoy learning, and this can improve your work, why not? Go ahead!
XC: How about other media that you have already used or are currently using? What were these?
NC: Photoshop, Marmoset, Maya, Marvelous Designer to mention a few.
XC: How did you start with 3D art? Was it a genuine passion, a hobby, or just a job for you?
NC: I think it’s the kind of profession that requires care and passion. Let’s say I started out in the traditional way, making small porcelain sculptures when I was about 16. I used to teach at a handicraft store and was already selling pieces at that time. Later, I was introduced to 3D software in college. My first contact was with 3D Studio Max in 2006. After that, I started an internship doing pieces for advertising. In the succeeding years, I took courses and workshops which gave me a lot of new knowledge.
XC: Your works online shows your originality and versatility in design. They are just outright AWESOME. We know it’s going to be a tough question but do you have favorite pieces? What are these and why?
NC: Thank you very much! I’m very happy with the compliment. I think we should thank the concept artists right now as they created the line, and I brought it to 3D. But of course, I really like to create too. At the moment, I have nothing online but soon I am going to post something that is entirely a creation of my own.
About a favorite work, I think it’s Doctor Brown. When I did it, I have to say, I had no idea what to do, but I needed to study something more realistic. So in my spare time, I was watching “Rick and Morty”, and I thought; “Hmmm, I could do a realistic version of Rick…” And then I remembered that this character already exists and is Doctor Brown from “Back to the Future”, a movie that I really enjoy!
XC: Who do you consider your influences? What attracted you to them?
NC: Well, I really admire a lot of artists, and I also had great mentors who taught me so much. But in fact, my biggest influences were my parents. When I was a kid, my mother used to do oil paintings, and my father liked to built canvases and create new inks made with eggs. I thought it was amazing. However, art was always a hobby for them.
XC: What other pieces do you still want to create?
NC: Oh this is a Top secret question! hahaha.. I’m kidding!
Actually I do not know … I think I wanted to start something that I have not explored yet.
XC: Has working for television and film ever crossed your mind?
NC: Yes! I usually do something for advertising here in Brazil, and I worked for two TV broadcasts here for many years, “TV Cultura” and “Rede TV”.
XC: Your works will look really GOOD in a VIDEO GAME. I hope it’s all right to ask, are you working on a game? If you are not, do you see yourself being immersed in Game Character Design?
NC: Thank you very much! I must say that I love the games area and I see myself working with it certainly. It’s my favorite, at the moment I’m not working on a game, but I had participation in the cinematic of “Warhammer Norzca” with an amazing Brazilian team, you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbrbDa9EBR0
XC: If you weren’t a 3D artist today, what do you think you’d be working as instead?
NC: Well with anything related to art. I did a collage of Digital Design (finished in 2008), and since this I’ve worked with Art Direction, Motion Design, Illustrations, Branding, Graphic Design.
XC: What advice or message can you give aspirants wanting to enter the craft/industry?
NC: First of all, I would like to thank Xeno Creatives for this interview, it was a lot of fun!
And for the future artists, well, in the first place, I believe that this is an area for those who like to study, keep informed and updated always. Since working with 3D means to follow the technology growing up, and being a 3D artist is to apply artistic theoretical foundations in this technology, all these require true passion to become a good digital artist. It’s not easy, but it’s possible!
Ms. Nathalia Curi, thank you very much for this opportunity. You are truly an inspiration. May your craft bear more fruit!
Want to see more of Ms. Nathalia Curi’s works? Click here!
