Xeno Creatives Artist Spotlight: S Vnayak
One visit to S Vnayak’s ArtStation account and you’ll know that this artist means business. You can clearly see how he progressed with his concepts he easily went from highly-stylized characters to close-to-real portraitures.
Xeno Creatives had the opportunity to get into a conversation with S Vnayak. Here, we’ll share our interview so you can see what makes him one of the most promising digital artists of his time.
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” as a lot of your contemporaries do?
S Vnayak (SV): I think it was when I received tremendous support my family has showed when I was in kindergarten. I was extremely lucky in that regard as parents usually succumb to society’s pressure and compel their children to take on something that is sure to make money. My family helped nurture my talent and let me explore it as much as I wanted to.
Obviously, there is a lot of hard work and passion that goes into it but I don’t know where I would be without my family and classmates.
XC: Was there ever an art piece (digital or otherwise) or artist who bolstered your interest in 3D art and motivated you to enter the space? When did you get involved fully in the industry?
SV: I am a huge fan of the “Prince of Persia” trilogy, that has to be it. Ever since I played them for the first time, I have wanted to make games that inspire others as much as they inspired me. I have been in the professional 3D Art industry for 2 years now. I feel like I have just started my journey. But while I am in a nice place now, I know there is still a whole mountain to conquer.
XC: Now that you’re an active part of the industry, would you say you have a solid place in it?
SV: I would say I’m in a very good position. Not sure if I would call it solid though as I think I have a lot to develop and learn to be an outstanding member of the industry.
XC: What does your day look like in production?
SV: It’s super fun! I get to talk to all these amazing and experienced people about new ideas while working on models, textures, and rigs and sometimes even designing my own concepts.
XC: What are the common challenges a 3D artist like you encounters daily in a project?
SV: The biggest has to be the technical integration of your creative piece. You have to be aware of the limitations set for your project and find ways to incorporate that into your work. A lot of constant foresight helps make sure there isn’t any rework later on.
XC: We have seen your works on ArtStation and we were really impressed with your style. Do you have any favorite works?
SV: Red Dragon and Marina Moschen. Usually, when you make a piece, there are certain things you aren’t able to achieve because of various limitations. With these, however, the list of regrets is shorter than the rest of my projects. I absolutely love their results.
XC: What would you consider your biggest or most exciting project to date?
SV: The Red Dragon project has got to be it. It was the most challenging as I was learning UE4 along with it. Using alembic hair exported from Xgen also had its own set of issues as it’s a fairly new feature. A lot of rigging and animation was also done for the cinematics.
XC: If you were to market yourself, what would you highlight as your edge?
SV: Definitely my problem-solving skill and determination. I have a lot of determination when it comes to my work.
XC: If you weren’t a 3D artist today, what would you be working as?
SV: Probably as a Computer Engineer.
XC: What is your message to other artists in these challenging times?
SV: Times are very uncertain right now. AI is the biggest challenge all of us are going to face sooner or later. Remember to breathe, keep an open mind and always be ready to learn.
Want to see more of S Vnayak’s works? Visit his ArtStation account today!
