Wanting and Pursuing: Mr. Murtaza Saeed’s Stays True to his Childhood Craft
Childhood dreams and hobbies often stick around, well, until we’re no longer children. Things take a different turn when social pressure dictates your career path; life sets in to perish genuine desires and what can be otherwise fruitful aspirations.
But Mr. Murtaza Saeed is someone who stayed true to what he wanted. To borrow from Pop Culture, he remained planted like a tree and told the world that it should be the one to move.
Mr. Saeed had always been loyal to the Digital Arts since he was 12. Yes, no kiddin’. Reading through the interview, it will feel like his craft is more than just passion–it is a calling. He is one who had faced the challenges of the ever-changing digital landscape headstrong, not just because he has talent, but because he knows that this is something that wants to do. It is like breathing for him. He can no longer see himself doing anything else.
This tenacity is something that we must all possess, may we be involved in the arts or not. It is this strong grip in his discipline that allowed Mr. Saeed to come up with the pieces that he had. We look at them and can’t help but be amazed how he managed to take already iconic characters and breathe greater character into them. Come to think of it, we can’t just help but look at them!
So let’s follow Mr. Saeed’s narrative over here at Xeno Creatives and find out what makes an artist like him tick. We hope you could learn a thing or two on how artists of his caliber stays true to his passion without fail and without compromise.
Xeno Creatives (XC): How did you start with ZBrush? Was there an adjustment period or was learning the software intuitive? Did it help you in furthering your craft?
Murtaza Saeed (MS): Well I started playing around with 3D software such as 3Ds Max at a very early age. I was 12 and at that time, it was 3Ds Max 6. Modelling was difficult; computers could only support low poly models. Producing a realistic character was challenging and almost impossible. When ZBrush was released, it completely changed the dynamics of modeling tools and workflow. With the help of free form sculpting now, it made my life so much easier to create forms and shapes that was difficult and time-consuming back then. I guess those are the benefits to start on such an early age that you grow with them with time. As software developed with time so did I.
ZBrush not only gave me ease in workflow but also opened possibilities to explore conceptually and aesthetically. It allowed me to explore further compared to any modelling software. For ZBrush was a great experience having gone through so much difficulty in modelling. ZBrush helped me produce concepts much faster than it was through other modelling tools. Adjustment and the switch to ZBrush was an important step for me.
XC: Since your use of ZBrush, do you still opt to explore other media or do you just want to focus on it?
MS: As artists, tools never bind us. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not biased about Zbrush. For me it is important to create what I want to create with minimum difficulty and time loss. For me tools don’t matter, the product matters. If I’m supposed to make a character for a film, then I have to explore other media and tools depending on the workflow and pipeline needed to deliver the project. However, most of my work is done in ZBrush. Once I need to prepare the character for production or games, I switch to other software should I need to.
XC: And how about media that you have already used? What were these? How was it different from ZBrush?
MS: I have used quite a lot of tools over time. Every time I see a new software, I would quickly get a trial version and start exploring them as much as I can.
I started with Photoshop, then 3Ds Max but with time, as requirements started to grow, I started to work in Substance Painter and Mari, Marvelous Designer for clothing, Marmoset Toolbag and Unreal for rendering. In addition, I hold a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. I have worked around in V-Ray and Arnold quite a lot. What’s exciting about ZBrush is that I can quickly sculpt paint and render at the same time without jumping into other tools so I can quickly produce quality presentations without getting into a lot of trouble. But there’s no doubt that Zbrush in one of the major tools I use in my own production pipeline.
XC: Was 3D always been a passion for you?
MS: Well I am a passionate gamer and I love animation; I would say YES. I like working with 3D. I like to create the whole thing then to create from just a single camera angle. However, I love to work on 2D as much as I love to work in 3D; there’s always my mood swinging to both of them.
XC: Your works online are really COOL. They are delightful to look at—you have managed to take comic book icons and pop culture characters and completely made them your own. (We were thrilled to see your take on the Black Canary and Batman and are really curious about your self-portraits) Do you have any favorites? What are these and why?
MS: As I said, I love video games and animations. I am also addicted to comics and superheroes. I have this passion to see and create these superheroes as real as I can. These characters are what inspires me as a person and as role models for the people. I am a big fan of Superman and one of most challenging aspect for the character is to get the right personality and character.
In addition, it is important for an artist to interpret the story in his own way. We all have seen Batman in a certain way and we all love them and so are Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, and so on. They all inspire us in a certain way and we see them in a certain way. Therefore, it is important for me to create them in a way I see them. All my fan art is an interpretation of how I would perceive these characters. I believe Superman is a symbol of hope. I wanted the world to see that elegance and maturity reflected in a personality. I wanted to see him as an old man. A person’s lifetime experience reflected in one sculpt.
XC: Who are your influences? What is it about them that caught your attention?
MS: There is no doubt that Alex Ross is a direct inspiration for me. His attention to create personalities is extraordinary. The way he perceives characters is beyond amazing. His work does not reflect conventional superheroes. He creates them more human than superheroes and that’s what makes his work stand out. It is not about some guy with powers and a costume. It’s about the person in that costume.
XC: What other pieces do you still want to create?
MS: It’s hard to say. Ideas always come and go and I keep on exploring.
XC: Have you ever thought of working for television and film?
MS: I am currently working as a lead character artist on an animated feature film based in Pakistan called, “Allayar and the Legend of Markhor”. As I said, I care more about the product and less about media. As long as the project is working smoothly, I’m always up for work. I love games and animations both so I love to work on both of them.
XC: Have you ever thought of immersing yourself in Game Character Design?
MS: Always. I’m trying to grow and improve my work as much as I can, but I keep a close touch on games and films.
XC: If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what do you think you’d be specializing in instead?
MS: I didn’t think I was going to do anything else. I studied architecture and ended up making characters. I’m always going to find a way to do what I love to do. So yeah, I’m still going to be making characters.
XC: What advice or message can you give young aspirants wanting to enter the craft/industry?
MS: Well there is no easy way out. It’s all hard work. Every project and every character is a new challenge so tools are just tools. The “How” is not important; the “what” and “why” are. Don’t restrict yourself on tools and media. Study, explore, learn, and most important of all, focus on quality.
Mr. Murtaza Saeed’s words are as inspiring as his works of art. We are definitely motivated to become better in all that we do. Here’s to your greater success in the field Mr. Murtaza! We hope to see more of your future works!
Want to see more from this amazing artist? Click here!
