Artist Journey: groom & look dev artist Andrew Krivulya Charly

Hello everyone! My name is Andrey Krivulya and I have been a groom TD and look dev artist for about 5 years. Total work experience equals 12 years. That is, my 3D journey began back in 2009. This was influenced by my interest in games and cinematics. I wanted to be involved in making games, films, and commercials.

Yes of course. They’re even shared on my Artstation. My very first 3D job was this glass with lemon. Back then there was no Keyshot, which already has presets for water and other materials, and I used an old V-Ray. Then I studied Mental Ray and got this result. Honestly? I still like the result with Mental Ray. Although the lemon looks flat now for me. I did not notice it then, because each render was 18 hours!

I am still learning and improving my skills. It seems to me that the one who studies all his life has an advantage. After all, knowledge is power. Only the lazy one does not study and believes that he has already learned everything. As for progress, I try to look forward, not backward.

As I said, I don't look back, so I don't compare myself now with the past. It seems important to me to enjoy today and what you are doing now. Why compare? For mistakes analysis? Everyone makes mistakes. You’re growing in one way or another. But if you want to see my progress between 2016-2017, this is my old and new hedgehog. The only project I reworked. And so I always try to complete new tasks and do not return to old works.

In every task that I set for myself, there is, of course, an ultimate goal, and when I achieve it, then yes - I praise myself, but I do not stop there. After all, the 3D sphere is constantly evolving and there is always something new that needs to be studied in order to enjoy work.

I am proud of each, because I did them, moved forward, solved some problems that improved my skills. I really love my job and enjoy every project I undertake. After all, I take only the most interesting ones. But if you just need to choose the three most beloved, then here they are.

As I said, our field is constantly evolving and I develop along with it. I don’t want to stop there. Moreover, there is still a lot of interesting things that I want to learn in Grooming. To be always fresh for 12 years in 3D - I do a warm-up every 45 minutes, walk the dog, travel and give myself a rest - when the body asks for it. I listen to it.

Listen to your heart. Never mind the haters. Don't be lazy. Be open to new knowledge and never give up. If it doesn't work now, it will work out in 100-1000-10,000 attempts. Be persistent and stubborn. Work with all your heart and do not chase only money. Try to do each job better than the previous one.

3dtotal's ZBrush Monsters and Lighting La Salle 3DSMax + Vray helped me to improve my skills in ZBrush, Lighting, Rendering. But in general – I try to read only documentation and communicate with developers. And most of all I like to spend my time for practice, practice, and more practice

Many interesting things! So, this year I decided to fully focus only on Grooming tutorials on my Youtube channel. And about my 3D works – I find it's much more intriguing when artists don't reveal their secrets, so I'll just say that I'm working on a few personal projects that will stay hidden until they're ready. Stay tuned!