Artist Journey: CGI artist Patiphan Sottiwilaiphong

Hi! My name is Patiphan Sottiwilaiphong. I am a CGI artist. I graduated from Rangsit University, Faculty of Digital Arts, Major in Visual Effects in Bangkok, Thailand in 2016. I have been working at Illusion CGI Studio in Bangkok, Thailand from 2017 until now. I was interested in 3D computer graphics because I like watching movies with a lot of VFX and I wished I could do that too. It looks fun and I would be proud to be a part of it.

The 3D artist who has influence on me is a Thai creature concept artist named “Nuttavut Baiphowongse.” He works for many world-famous movies. Another 3D artist that I admire is “Surachai Puthikurangkura,” Founder & CEO of Illusion CGI Studio, one of the most award-winning CGI studios in the world. He is an expert in making print advertising with CGI techniques. His works have a lot influence on world trends.

Yes, I still have my early artwork which keeps reminding me how I started my journey from zero. At that time, I had my goal set that I wanted to make good artworks. Every time I look back to my old works, they encourage me to not stop practicing and keep on making good arts.

In the beginning of my journey, my university classmates motivated me to improve myself. I got to see my classmates’ classwork and progression and this made me know how I did and where I am in class. I felt like I needed to keep practicing more and more. I always asked my talented seniors and friends to teach and improve my 3D skills. The most important thing that has improved my skills is the extra projects apart from classwork that I worked together with my friends during university life. It taught me how to work as a team and I got to understand other people’s life and their thinking.

Sure. If I want to improve my skills, I usually comment and look for mistakes in my work to make it better and better. I would ask my professors, my seniors, and my friends to give comments on my work. The feedback I received mostly is about texturing and lighting that I need to improve.

I’m always happy from what I’m doing; even it’s still not coming out that well. But the turning point in my thought is even if my works are still not that good but I’m aware and think that it’s like I’m running in a marathon. I’m proud of all my work yet I’m still not satisfied with any.

Absolutely “The Forever” – I pulled out every bit of knowledge and skill I have from the past 7 years in my artist journey and put them in this one piece of art to make the best out of it. I still receive feedback from my friends and there’s still room for improvement such as it should have more depth like a real camera.

I need to improve my skills in many aspects such as aesthetic of visual, anatomy, and new styles and directions that I have never done. I believe I need to keep improving myself and try new things that I have never experienced. My secret key is to be open-minded and ready to learn new things, meet new people, be surrounded by talented people, and notice everything around myself.

I just want to say that you need to be patient. Don’t expect that the work you are doing has to be perfect. Just keep in mind that what you are doing is an exercise to improve your skills. Making CGI is hard, only special people can do it. But don’t forget that even special people were just normal people before.

Please don’t expect much from me, ha! But what I’m interested in at the moment is creating 3D art as a gift for a person I love the most which is my mother. My work will be about the love of my mother. In the future, you will be seeing my work with new ideas and new styles and the unexpected.