I’m currently working as a 3d character artist in the video game industry. While this has been my primary goal since a young age, the path to get here was not a direct one. I was born in the Netherlands and moved around a lot due to the nature of my father’s work. As a result I quickly developed an appreciation for all things old & beautiful. Most of those days in my youth were spent going to museums and historic sites. It was these experiences that largely shaped who I would become. While living in London in the early 90s, I stumbled upon a Games Workshop store and became obsessed with the game and the art. I was also very interested in computers and I was fortunate enough to routinely hijack my father’s work laptop to play (and mod) dos games.

As a result, I found myself at the nexus point between art and computers.

When I was still in High School, I took AP Computer Science I & II and had the opportunity to take a 3d Animation course at a vocational career center that qualified as an elective. Unfortunately the software we were using was already dated by that time and the tools were so clunky that however interesting they might have been, they failed to convince me that 3d was worth the effort.

In college I was studying to become an Illustrator but when I compared my skillset to that of my peers, it became obvious that my knowledge of computers vastly outpaced their own . So I decided to once again give 3d art a shot.

Things had improved with the 3d programs, but I was still unconvinced that I could get the level of detail or fidelity in my models that I craved. It wasn’t until I was about to graduate that Pixologic released a zbrush demo showcasing the creation of an angler fish. I immediately knew this was what I had been waiting for. After school, I spent my free time learning zbrush on my own as there was hardly any documentation at the time. Once I felt that I could use the software effectively I tried to get a job but failed to land anything. I decided to apply to Vancouver Film School because they had great student work and I felt that they could provide the proper environment for me to learn to be a true 3d character Artist.

This was the right choice and after finishing the one year at VFS I moved back to the US to work. I moved to Los Angeles and started working at Gentle Giant studios while taking some individual courses at Gnomon. My time outside of work was also spent on rock climbing, yoga and Figure Drawing. After a couple of years at Gentle Giant I went to work at Film Illusions Inc. after completing some contract work for them. While these jobs were great learning experiences I decided to leave Los Angeles and move back to Texas and do the freelance contractor gig. After some time I found myself working in Virginia as a government contractor. This was also a valuable work experience but failed to scratch the itch of game art. Luck however was on my side and I was contacted by an employee at Firaxis Games who suggested that I apply for an open position. I got the job and I have been working there ever since.