Mr. Valeanu Andrei: Respecting Your Own
Be a true artist and respect your work and yourself and soon enough you’ll attract people that respect you.
A nugget of wisdom from Mr. Valeanu Andrei. And one that is much appreciated given the nature of today’s society wherein everything that we do can easily come under public scrutiny. Little value is given to personal truths, despite modern day’s facade of personal “freedom”.
This advise from Mr. Andrei, as he would jokingly say to end the interview, is something that we can easily apply to anyone in any field. Respect for oneself and one’s craft indeed comes first. Who else would learn to appreciate your creations if you don’t appreciate them first?
So let us read further into this interview with Mr. Valeanu Andrei and learn that standing up for your craft not only means working hard, but learning how to respect your own.
Xeno Creatives (XC): ZBrush technology brought a lot to the industry. What processes did you have to learn to be skilled in it?
Valeanu Andrei (VA): Yes it’s true, ZBrush brought a lot to the industry. ZBrush is the type of software where everything matters. I use ZBrush in almost everythingfor instance, retopology in ZBrush with ZSpheres.
For me, the most important feature for the production of my pieces is the mask and surface noise.
Xeno Creatives (XC): As a dedicated artist how did ZBrush help you further your art?
VA: I have been in the 3D scene for about 8 years now. For the first 2 years, I used 3Ds Max, and for the rest, ZBrush. Basically, it helped me in everything. But most importantly, it helped me discover and pursue being a 3D artist.
XC: Was your craft really a passion to begin with, a hobby, or a mere job?
VA: I started from passion. However, later on, I became an employee and that passion disappeared because all the work that I had to do was just so technical. Then I got into ZBrush and my life changed. It brought back my passion. As for the money part, all I have to do is believe in myself and work hard.
XC: Given your experience in the industry, what do you think is your edge as a 3D artist?
VA: I worked in cinematography, commercials, 3D printing, Games and VR apps. I started from Junior 3D character artist and my last job was an Art Director. All these, for a period of 8 years. I’ve been making characters all my life and I wish this will never change because it’s awesome. It is hard to be a character artist. It becomes worse if you are like me who lives in a country that barely knows 3D.
But it is not impossible.
XC: Whom do you do you consider your influence(s)?
VA: There are a few but they are all insane. In the positive sense of course! I have nothing but respect for them, they are Pasquale Gaicobelli, Vitaly Bulgarov and probably to everyone’s shock, the Baroque and Victorian periods in art and sculpture.
XC: So far, what were the challenges that you had encountered working in the 3D industry?
VA: Sadly in Romania, Bucharest the 3D scene is new and people barely know of it. I wish I can say the challenges were based in projects. However, the challenges were to remain focused while my bosses at that time were completely unprepared for the technology. I don’t exactly work in Romania, I just live here and am a full-time Freelancer/Contractor.
XC: What is your most exciting project to date?
VA: I am reproducing the tallest Shiva statue in the World,( 44m in Nepal) for a 3D mapping show that will last 30-40 minutes. It will be really awesome to see my works projected on the real statue that is 2x bigger than the building I live in.
XC: Do you have any advice to aspiring artists?
VA: As far as 3D modeling and technical stuff goes, no. As an artist yes. Stick to you beliefs and always stand for your work. After you got the techniques done, the difficult part will start and from my experience, people used to tell me that I am still inexperienced so they pay me less.
Be a true artist and respect your work and yourself and soon enough you’ll attract people that respect you. Actually, this is an advice for everyone! haha 🙂
Get to see more of Mr. Valeanu Andrei’s works by clicking here!
