Mr Kevin Beckers: Youthful in Passion, Professional by Dedication
One cannot help but feel a certain kind of vitality, excitement even, upon reading Mr Kevin Beckers’ interview. The way that he answered our questions were evident of his youthful enthusiasm to the craft that will not fade anytime soon.
And his regard to his work and the process that it took him to produce his pieces (and they are AWESOME!) says much about his professionalism: that Mr Beckers is a man not only of talent but of genuine passion and loyalty to the craft.
While his professional qualities resemble those of his contemporaries interviewed here, Mr Beckers sounds playful with a constant flame burning. Reading his words here inspires one to be young again—and for that, we ARE young again.
Here, Mr Kevin Beckers shares his experiences and viewpoints that contributed to his success in his trade.
Xeno Creatives (XC): Unlike the simplicity of pencil and ink on paper, we understand that much technical knowledge is needed to get used to ZBrush. As the software just came in recently, what processes did you have to learn to be skilled in ZBrush? As a dedicated artist, how did this help you in your craft?
Kevin Beckers (KB): The first time I checked out ZBrush, like many, I immediately closed it and thought the developers had a stroke when they came up with that interface, so I stuck to Mudbox.
But I kept on seeing these amazing models being posted that were made with ZBrush, so I eventually decided to get 2 Gnomon Zbrush tutorial DVDs and went through those over the course of a week; I was off to the race.
Having a decent understanding of the basics of the UI enabled me to concentrate on the actual sculpting. And then through the years you just learn new tricks, as you do with anything.
XC: When did you realize that you want to produce 3D art through ZBrush? Would you want to expand to other media or do you want to just focus on it?
KB: There is no real “moment” to be honest. ZBrush is just a tool that helps me put down what I want the quickest. But I use Max or Maya quite a bit as well to get what I need.
I would like to try my hand at some actual real world meatspace sculpting someday, but nothing professionally
XC: Were there other media that you had the chance to use? What were these?
KB: I used to draw quite a bit as a kid, but I gravitated to 3D quite early due to its flexibility and massive possibilities.
XC: How did you start with 3D art? Was it more of a want or a necessity?
Definitely a WANT. I just found this program on a friend’s computer when I was 16 called Raydream, and from there on, I was hooked, been studying CGI art since then, learning all types of different things from product visualization, animation, architectural visualization. After working at a company doing product Viz for Philips every day for years, I decided I liked doing characters more.
XC: We had the most invigorating experience of seeing your works on Art Station. We couldn’t find any word that would justify our admiration. Finding favorites proved a challenge as they are all good. The profiles of the characters you created have certain freshness to it; the way that they were rendered is very fine and indicative of concentration to detail. Do you have favourite pieces? What are they and why?
KB: Thanks for the compliments! I really appreciate it.
As far as having a favourite, I am still partial to Alister Azimuth. I think, it’s not perfect, but for some reason it catches my eye. I think it’s the coloring and the attitude of his pose.
And I really like Rock D’s Cat. When I saw the concept Rock D made, I immediately knew I wanted to try and bring it into the world of 3D.
But I guess my favourite model is a redesign of Deathstroke that I have been working on over the years, it’s not finished yet, but I intend to get back to him soon.
XC: Who do you consider your influences? What attracted you to them?
KB: As you might have seen by my portfolio I really like Creaturebox. Their work is amazing. It’s cute but still tough—I like that.
Other than that, I just scour the internet and just soak up anything I like. I don’t have real clear cut influences.
XC: What other pieces do you want to create?
KB: There are soooo many pieces that I want to do or I am currently working on.
Currently working on a rocket powered gun toting rat mouse thing that is going well.
I have some story scenes in the works, Deathstroke, a cyborg alien samurai…
So much stuff, so little time.
XC: With the nature of your works, do you also see yourself being immersed in Game Character Design?
KB: I do Game Character Design. I am currently freelancing for a videogame company in Seattle.
XC: Has working for television and film been a prospect for you?
KB: I’m neutral as to where my work goes, videogames/movies, commercials, etc. It’s just a matter of extra work experience and new skills that I get to learn.
XC: If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what do you think you’d be specializing in instead?
KB: Do you mean, as in a different 3D specialization, or real life?
For 3D, If not character creation, character animation. I love well-made character animation.
As for real life, not sure, something else creative I’m sure.
XC: What advice or message can you give young aspirants wanting to enter the craft/industry?
Keep at it, there is no quick way to get there, but with time and dedication you will get better. Eventually, you should be able to land that coveted CG job.
While professional and extremely talented, Mr Kevin Beckers is an artist we can all easily be comfortable with.
We here at Xeno Creatives are more than glad to have been given the opportunity of featuring him as an artist.
Want to see more of Mr Kevin Beckers’ AWESOME works? Click here! Or you may also visit his Facebook page.
