This year, I collaborated with architecture and product visual arts studio, Another Artist, on a project for Workstories. Based in London, New York, and Melbourne, the studio is run by 3D artist, John Luke Hodgkins. I caught up with him to talk weird dreams, designing his future home, and why he loves his job — almost as much as he loves his Jack Russell.
1. How did you get started as a render artist?
From a young age I loved hand-drawing and painting; I was known as art boy at school. I went on to study architecture at Oxford and was seduced by 3d Visuals, which helped me to explain my ideas. After university I produced 3d renderings for some of the top ArchViz firms, architects, interior designers, and developers around the world. But this was not enough for me.
2. What are your go-to tools for work?
3Ds Max, Corona Renderer, Vray, Itoo Software, Sini, Fusion, Nuke, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Anima, Marvelous designer, Phoenix FD, Poliigon and mega scans. Plus, I use heaps of plug-ins and scripts.
3. What’s the last thing you rendered?
Currently, my wife and I are looking for land where we can build a home together so I rendered a temporary small home we plan to live in whilst we save up to build a larger property next door. This space will then become a new Another Artist Studio.
4. And the weirdest?
A poop sculpture wearing a surgery mask. This was for a really cool Korean sculptor, who wanted to sell his work in Hong Kong.
5. What are the best and worst bits about your job?
There are not many bad bits. I love everything about my job, I get to create art all day long. We are so lucky we have a platform at our hands to build whatever we want; we can literally put anything anywhere.
6. Using an album title, how would you describe your work?
Labrinth’s Imagination & the Misfit Kid. Labrinth is one of the most diverse artists out there, who knows how to express himself. His tracks are always varied, like my art.
7. Whose work makes you go oooh?
I love Six n. Five, they are a multidisciplinary design studio creating images, films and objects with, as they put it “a clean aesthetic, refined imagination and poetic composition”. Every project they create is one I would love to be involved with.
8. In addition to producing renders for commercial projects, you also create your own art, like Where’s your head at? and Running Rings. What inspires your personal works?
One thing that really intrigues me is my weird and wonderful dreams. So, heaps of my ideas come from trying to remember my dreams and recreate them as a render. It’s difficult to do because dreams disappear!
9. As a render artist, you must spend quite a lot of time in front of a screen. What’s your favourite way to take a screen break?
Every hour I do a very short set of exercises and I like to take as many breaks as possible by playing with my dogo, Lewie. He’s a Jack Russell who looks like a badger.
10. What does the future of render art look like?
Technology is ever changing. I feel 3D modelling in real world environments and AR will be a major player in the way we design.
Give Another Artists a follow on Instagram and check out more of the studio’s work here
