Interview with Fabio M. Silva - Computer Graphics Artist

We continue the series of 3D artist interviews. This time let me introduce a talented young man from Portugal named Fabio M. Silva. Some of his works were presented in our great collection of 3D mail models - “A Flash of Inspiration Comes from Here - The Most Gripping 3D Male Models!” He is quite young but has already gained a great experience in digital art. At the age of 10 he showed an intense interest in computer graphics. But right now his interest area is much wider: digital art, novel writing, screenplay writing, film making, anime, video games, motion pictures, film sound tracks. Fabio also is keen on the Japanese culture and language. And he with pleasure has agreed to share his experience with us and answer some of our questions.

 

“Naruto - Hatake Kakashi” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
How did you get into 3D modeling?

 

From the early age I was very interested in film making, writing and telling stories. Making an audience enjoy, feeling or thinking about your creations is, in my opinion, one of the most gratifying experiences an artist can have.

 

Before “Jurassic Park” came out (in my opinion, it’s still one of the most perfect cg-movies ever, and probably one of the most important movies in cg development history) I had no idea of what CG (computer graphics) was. It had quite an effect on me, because I loved dinosaurs, and because they looked so frightening real.
After that movie, Blizzard Entertainment video games are probably one of the dominant factors that made me go into 3D modeling. I just loved their Cinematics.

 

“Zabuza” by Fabio M. Silva

 

I wanted to design characters of my stories visually. And I started drawing them. As the time passed, companies started making CGI characters better and better, with more details and complexity. Computer Graphics seemed really exciting. I just had to try it out.

 

The first 3D application I began using was Corel 3D, then Bryce. Some time later, came 3dsmax that I am using as my main 3D application to present day. I’ve started my 3D learning process in 1997 if I’m not mistaken (when StarCraft has appeared).

 

* * *
What are the main principles of your creative work? What are you guided by?

 

The main principle I follow is to create characters that can be animated later. For this purpose I try to create them as clear as possible, as if they would be used for production. I’m still discovering Zbrush which might help me in the nearest future.

 

As for my images, I am usually guided by a concrete emotion I want to convey. That emotion usually comes from the character in my mind. Then I start thinking about other things, like the scenario and colour mood of the scene.

 

“Mother Christmas” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
Being such a young man, how do you estimate your achievments in the world of 3D art? How many works have you completed? What are you aspiring to?

 

I believe, I make a good progress, but not as fast as I’d like. Maybe now when my school is coming to an end, I’ll devote myself fully to CG (and writing).
I’ve completed some works by now, especially in the last 2 years, but still have a lot to finish. I wasn’t happy with some aspects of my images so I left them aside until I could discover how to solve some problems (most are technical rather than artistically).
As for aspirations, I’d love to work as a character modeler in a Cinematics team. I’m working towards that.

 

“Sharko Info” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
On your personal website I have read that you are studying the Japanese language, and also have created a great deal of 3D models devoted to the Japanese subject matter. What has caused such a great interest towards the japanese culture and language?

 

Recently I have finished my 4 year Japanese language course. I guess, I got into the Japanese culture because of the Japanese cartoons that I liked much when I was a kid. They truly were my favourite, as I didn’t like most American cartoons (Marvel’s X-Man and Disney films are the only exceptions). The visuals were more appealing for me, as well as the story plots and character relationships. Dragonball was (still is) probably one of the most important Japanese characters that had a great effect on me. Akira Toriyama helped me to become who I am right now. Then, when I bought Final Fantasy VII for PC, I couldn’t believe in what I was passing through. What a game, what a story! The same goes for MetalGear Solid.
Most things I enjoyed in my life were Japanese, so I believe that it was the main cause.

 

“Hinata Hyuuga” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
One of your great and the most photorealistic works is a 3D models of Klara Medkova. Who was the prototype? And what was the most challenging part while creating this work?

 

My friends usually told me that I should create something less cartoonish and more realistic for a change. I wanted to do this as well since I found some 3D humans of the ohter artists so astonishing.
I needed really good references. A beautiful female. After searching for awhile, I decided to create the Czech supermodel Klara Medkova.

 

“Klara Medkova” by Fabio M. Silva

 

As for the challenges, just the fact of going back to a render I had not used since my Zabuza image was quite a big one. Getting used to lighting again on Mentalray was one of the main problems.
Aside from this, the eyes were quite tricky because I was aspiring to make them as real as possible. I wanted to feel the life in them.
Then, probably the biggest challenge for me was creating realistic long CG hair. It was hard, really hard. Still, it was a good training.

 

* * *
What are your sources of inspiration?

 

I believe, they are the usual for most 3D artists. As for me, I’m seeking inspiration in visual arts like films, games, Cinematics, CG images, Manga, Anime, and the list seems to go on and on. Music is also a good source of inspiration. I cannot work without music and prefer orchestral pieces without lyrics.

 

“Illidan Stormrage Downfall” by Fabio M. Silva

 

Also, some works of such designers as Tetsuya Nomura, Chris Metzen, and Samwise inspires me much.

 

* * *
What are your favorite 3D images that you did and did NOT design yourself?

 

I got so many. But I’ll try to take a selection that might give you an idea.

 

Tidus from Final Fantasy X. I just find this image incredible. It was the image I used as PC desktop wallpaper.
The colors, mood and details make the image more powerful and vibrant. The water looks incredible too. Almost transports you right into the world of the game. The image evokes a desire to go there, to visit that place.

 

The image is taken from Photobucket.com

 

Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean. I just spend hours gazing intently at it. The model is simply amazing. It is one of the best CGI characters, in my opinion.

 

The image is taken from Imageshack.us

 

* * *
What were the mistakes you learned from most while in the cg industry?

 

Rushing through early stages of work eager to see the image finished usually means going back and having an hard time fixing stuff(unclean meshes, unclean uv’s), even if you’re not thinking of animating what you’re creating.

 

Making a lot of copies and backups of your work is a big plus, not only for disk errors but also for corrupted files. Organization of files is useful to a certain extent if you do not reach some levels of paranoia about it because it can slow down your work.

 

“Elven Princess” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
What is it you most like and dislike about being a digital artist?

 

I dislike the fact that render times can be pretty painful sometimes. Software crashes is also something I really don’t like.
And what I like the most is to see my characters coming alive. To look at the pictures I’ve created or am still working on is really rewarding.

 

“Illidan Head” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
What blogs or magazine articles would you suggest reading in order to increase design knowledge?

 

Usually I like reading what 3D artists say in interviews or articles concerning films and games. The things I learn while watching films or playing video games make my blood boil impelling me to go back to my PC and try out some of the cool stuff you’ve just learned. It’s really astonishing.
Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings DVD extras were some of the best things I’ve seen lately.

 

CGTALK and other CG related forums are also good places for increasing your knowledge and sharing your experience. A lot of valuable information can be found there. But still, if one always keeps on reading, he does not practice; therefore no images can be made.

 

“Naruto - Akatsuki’s Hoshigaki Kisame” by Fabio M. Silva

 

* * *
What advice would you give to beginning 3D artists?

 

Do not show your works in progress to people who don’t understand about CG and do not rely too much on other CG artists’ opinions. Not because they might give bad advice, but because everyone has his own tastes, opinions and views. Listening to many people at once might make you lose the track of your original intention. So if you want advice, I suggest you to choose one or two good fellow artists whose advice you will consider.

 

When you are starting out, you might be confronted with a lot of difficulties and thus, lose your courage. But persistence and strength are required. There is a Shaolin saying that I usually tell myself at times like that: “One must face much hardship before he succeeds”.

 

* * *

 

Thank you, Fabio, for a great interview! I hope you all have a great time.
The interesting stuff is still to come Don’t miss the chance to learn something new. See you soon.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 at 3:05 am and is filed under interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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