Swirl

Summary:

I am an experienced, creative and skilled artist, traditionally trained as an illustrator, with a Bachelors degree from the Academy of Art University and with more than 20 years experience in gaming, since 1994. I have shipped over 25 titles in my career, many as a senior or lead UI artist and designer. I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to use my skills as a 2d and 3d artist on a wide variety of projects and to fill the rolls of 2d artist, 3d modeller and texture artist, concept artist, environment designer, UI, Icon and character designer.

I have software expertiese in Photoshop, Illustrator and 3D Studio Max, as well as additional software skills and experience with various proprietary software packages related to specific projects and consol development, UI implimentation and version control (Perforce), including on the job experience with After Effects, Maya, Flash and Dreamweaver, as well as other development tools used by game studios.

Skills:

  • Excellent Draftsman: Drawing and Painting
  • Icon Design
  • User Interface Design
  • 2D Illustration, traditional and digital
  • 3D Modeling and Texture Painting
  • Concept Art and Design
  • Character/Environment Design
  • Team Leader
  • Self Motivated

Objective:

To work with progressive and creative teams, in open and mutually supportive environments where the emphases and importance is placed on creativity and innovation and making fun and beautiful games.

Professional Experience:

Lead UI Artist 2014-2015

Dec 2014 - August 2015, Mercenary Technologies (Activision/Treyarch)

UI Lead for the PS3 Port of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. With the corodinated efforts of myself and the Engineering team we worked to Port PS4 content and UI to the PS3, using Photoshop, Illustrator, and LUIGUI, Treyarch's Proprietary UI Editor.

Illustrator/Iconographer/UI artist: 2009-2014

June 2013 - May 2014, September-october 2014: EA/Maxis: Sims 4. Iconographer/llustrator.

February 2013- April 2013: EA/Maxis: Sims 3, Expansion Pack 10, title TBA. Iconographer/Illustrator.

November 2012-January 2013: EA/Maxis: Sim City, UI Artist/Iconographer.

March 2012-August 2012: EA/Maxis: Sims 3 Expansion Packs Supernatural, Seasons. Iconographer/Illustrator.

October 2010 - November 2011: EA/Maxis: Sims 3 Expansion packs Generations, Pets and Showtime. Iconographer. Created a huge selection of UI Icons using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

July-August 2009/January-February 2010/June-August 2010. EA/Maxis: Sims 3: Expansion Packs World Adventures, Ambitions and Late Night. Electronic Arts. I created a huge selection of UI Icons using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

January 2009 - June 2009:

Guitar Hero: Van Halen, Underground Development/Activision. Foster City/Redwood City CA. I was the WII UI artist. My job was to convert the UI as designed to work on the WII console, adapting the original UI from the Playstation 3 and XBox 360. I converted all visual assets to WII compatable spec's and worked with the codebase and the teams enginers to adapt the UI to the WII environment.

Illustrator/Iconographer/UI artist: 2008

July-November 2008:

Sims 3, Electronic Arts Inc: Icon Designer/Illustrator.

I designed more than 300 unique icons (more than 600 total) for the original release of the Sims 3 base Game.

February-June 2008:

Spore, Maxis Inc/Electronic Arts. Website designer and Icon illustrator/Designer for www.spore.com. I was the website visual designer for the online site dedicated to the game Spore. I worked closely with the games producers and the web engineering team. I created the look and feel of the site, creating original artwork as well as integrating actual game art assets into the site.

Dec 2007-February 2008:

Spore, Maxis Inc/Electronic Arts. UI artist and Icon designer. I worked with the Arti Director and the UI lead designer and producers to help build and design new UI layouts and art assets. I created new Icons in Illustrator and Photoshop and build UI layouts with the Sport team;s in-house UI design tool.

Illustrator/Iconographer/UI artist: 2008

October-November 2007:

EA Land (Sims Online): I created a new map for the now defunked "EA Land".

February-June 2007:

The Sims Castaway (Console) I worked as the Concept Artist for the game, designing furniture sets and game objects. I also was the UI Icon designer, creating a large number of icons and spot illustrations for the food and resource system within the game. I also created icons for the clothing and object placement UI.

Maxis Inc, a Devision of Electronic Arts.  Walnut Creek Ca.  May 2000 to July 2006

Hasbro Interactive, MicroProse Inc, Alameda, Ca: 1999-2000

  • Lead artist: Master of magic II. The Innovative 3-d sequel to the award winning, computer gaming hall of fame, Master of Magic.  A strategic game of Myth, Magic and Empires. Never Completed.
  • Spearheaded the effort to redesign the games basic concept from a more traditional 2d pre-rendered approach to a more revolutionary 3-d design. Worked to create the games unique look and feel. Strove to create a new and fresh approach to overly familiar subject matter.  Supervised a team of artists working on concept sketches as well as creating concept art. Worked closely with each artist to determine the specific direction of his or her work. Created our pre-production schedules, complete with artistic goals and design philosophy as well as time based deadlines. Created initial framework for our future production schedules. Created these schedules to a degree never before attempted at our studio.
  • Tools: Traditional drawing and design, 3d Studio Max 2.5-3. PhotoShop, Microsoft project.

Hasbro Interactive (MicroProse Inc), Alameda, Ca: 1999 

  • Concept Artist: Motor Derby game concept. An original idea by Dave Adams: A new direction in action gaming and teamwork. Pre-Production only. Worked with the projects Lead Artist to create unique character designs and an animated presentation movie explaining the games core concepts.
  • Tools: Traditional drawing and design, 3d Studio Max 2.5-3, Adobe PhotoShop, After Effects and Premier.

Hasbro Interactive (MicroProse Inc), Alameda, Ca: 1999 

  • Concept Artist:Thrall game concept art. An original idea by Erol Otus: 
  • Created a small number of unique character designs
  • Tools: Traditional drawing and design.

MicroProse Inc, Alameda, Ca: 1997 – 99

  • Senior Artist:Star Trek, Birth of the Federation. Strategy game of inter-Galactic exploration and conquest set in the Star Trek Universe. 
  • Designed and created the games unique User Interface. Designed and produced this quite complicated and very detailed UI in about a 6-month period. With the most challenging aspect being the need to do this in 5 distinct styles, each representing a different Star Trek character race.  Created over 45 fully rendered high polygon scenes/Icons representing objects the players built in the game. Modeled and textured the entire family of starships for the Romulan race, most of which I designed with no film or television reference. Also modeled and textured the Enterprise E.  Designed and produced the cut scene movies (1 for each race) that functioned as introductions for the beginning of each game (utilizing resources created by the entire art team).
  • Tools:3d studio Max 1-2.5, PhotoShop 3-5, Painter 5, DebabalizerPro 4.5, Adobe After effects and Premier.

Spectrum Holobyte (MicroProse Inc), Alameda, Ca: 1996 – 97

  • Senior artist: Star Trek, Generations.The First real-time adventure set in the Star-Trek Universe. Based on the film of the same name.
  • 2-d and 3-d artist, creating environment textures for real time combat levels: exteriors of an alien planet and the interior of the Starship Enterprise. I created animated User Interface elements for these levels and Character sprite animation and renderings for use in all levels of the game. Personal favorite accomplishment being the creation of 12 unique illustrations that served as backdrops for mission objectives and instructions. These included 3d rendered elements as well as fully painted alien landscapes and star fields.
  • Tools: PhotoShop 3.05, 3d Studio Max 1, 3d Studio R4, Animator studio, Animator Pro, Debalizer (Mac/PC) and Fractal Design Painter.

Mondo Media, San Francisco, Ca: 1994 – 96

  • Artist: Microsoft Explorapedia: People, Animals editions. Daedalus Encounter, Toonstruck, Forced Alliance, Zork Nemesis, Sun Micro Systems, and many other clients and projects. 
  • Worked as a general production artist, specializing in 2-d Illustrations, animation, special textures and storyboards. Also contributed to the design and production of an interactive animated greeting card system as the lead artist/animator.
  • Tools: PhotoShop, Debalizer, Animator pro, 3d Studio R4, Fractal Design Painter.

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