Video games and visual art have long been passions of mine - so much so that I eventually decided to turn these passions into a skill. While I spent the first 20 or so years of my life being a simple passive gamer, I soon found that I enjoyed assisting in the creation of games as well - more specifically, game art and 3D assets that could help bring character and depth to a game through the visual narrative.

The seeds of my pursuit of game art creation took root several years ago when taking two very interesting and entertaining gaming courses at the College of DuPage (game design as well as 2D game development). These courses were a great introduction to video game creation, and offered a nice balance of the art and design side of production, in addition to the programming and development side. In taking advantage of the user-friendly (though in depth) software called Gamemaker Studio 6, I received a preview of the intricate process of crafting a game from start to finish. 

During my game development course, our primary focus was to do just that, and using basic 2D sprites combined with the development tools Gamemaker offered, create a game that was not only playable and presentable, but also came with the hallmark aspects of video games - a scoring system, background story, a set of rules, progression, and a defined beginning and end of some kind. After creating two different games (a basic 2D sci fi shooter, in addition to a fun little pac-man inspired spin-off), I realized that I enjoyed making video games nearly as much as I enjoyed playing them!

After several more years working with other avenues in visual art like graphic design and animation, I recently have come full circle back to game creation and game art. This time, things were very different. Instead of using a 2D game-creation software that covered all aspects of game development, I found myself working in tandem with dozens of other talented designers and developers in helping to create a 3D sci-fi shooter that utilizes the 3D game engine, Unity.

As a 3D artist and prop modeler for an up-and-coming game called Bionic Marine Command Online, from a developer known as Space Dwarves Entertainment, I've enjoyed the process of working and continuing to hone my craft in game art. With them, I underwent tasks like prop modeling, texturing/UVing, and retopology for complex high-poly models. Through this wonderful learning experience, I have deepened my knowledge and understanding of game development and design as an enjoyable potential career, and hope to continue to do so. I have recently joined up with an indie company called Wander Isle studios and have continued to create 3D models for them. Below, you will find some samples of the work I have done, which includes low and high poly models with textures, normal map baking, and retopology:

                                           Sci-Fi Style Wall Panels - Modeled high and Low Poly, UVs