Interview with character artist, Mohamed Abdelfatah

Character artist and CG supervisor Mohamed Abdelfatah reveals the inspirations and software behind his latest photoreal project, Faris...

3dtotal: Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?
Mohamed Abdelfatah: My name is Mohamed Abdelfatah and I'm a character artist. I have been working in animation, TV commercials, films, and games in Egypt for about 5 years, plus some freelance work internationally. I have also worked as a CG supervisor on some projects. I have a Bachelor's degree in Art Education which is actually useless as the education level in Egypt is too low, so I'm a self-taught or internet-taught artist.

3dt: Tell us the story behind your recent gallery entry: What inspired you to create it?
MA: My recent artwork (Faris) is a character I designed for a personal short film project that I hope I will be able to finish one day. It's an oriental fantasy project. I live in Cairo, Egypt and I'm influenced by much of our history.

Head shot of Faris cinematic character made for his personal short film project showing the details of the face

I started working on the project's sketches and concept art over one-and-a-half years ago, but then I stopped due to my unexpected 13 months that I had to spend in the Egyptian army. It messed up my life and I had to quit everything I was doing until I got out last June, then I went back to freelancing and created Faris (the main character of the project). I'm not sure if I will be able to finish the whole project or not, but Faris was a good start and it got everybody's attention, so I'll be creating stuff for that project even if I won't be able to finish it soon. At least it'll fill up my portfolio with some good pieces and I will learn a lot of techniques from it.

3dt: What software did you use and do you have any tips for using this software, or any other software that you use to create your art in general?
MA: I usually use 3ds Max and ZBrush for modeling/sculpting. 3ds Max has very smart modeling and retopologizing tools. I used its graphite modeling tools for retopology, and ZBrush's ZRemesher is also a great tool.

He made this character for his personal short film project

For texturing I used MARI and Photoshop. MARI is very easy to use it's pretty much like Photoshop, so if you have been using Photoshop for years like myself you would be familiar with how layers and adjustment layers work in MARI it's a great tool.
Shading and rendering was done using V-Ray. V-Ray's FastSSS2 shader was perfect for achieving realistic skin. If your maps are clean and ready, setting up the FastSSS2 shader is not really difficult.

3dt: Would you consider yourself to have a particular signature style, or techniques that you use often?
MA: As a 3D character artist I often start by collecting reference about the subject that I will be working on; from life, history, masterpieces, and so on. You have to know what has been already done so you can create something new. Then I start creating initial concepts which I paint with Photoshop for my characters, then move on to 3D to improve the design and execute the final character.

My usual process in 3D is to model with ZBrush and 3ds Max, retopologizing in 3ds Max, Topogun or using ZRemesher, creating UVs with Xrayunwrap or with ZBrush's UV Master. Texturing is completed with MARI and Photoshop, and recently I've been rendering with V-Ray.

This was inspired by the Egyptian hijab style, personal work made back in 2012

3dt: What software would you like to learn in the future to expand your portfolio and skillset, and why?
MA: Back in the days as a beginner I tried Maya but I had to switch to 3ds Max to work for some studios. Nowadays I'm learning Maya again and I'd also like to learn a compositing software like NUKE or After Effects, and maybe try to find some FX solutions.

Some of Mohamed's initial character concepts

3dt: How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?
MA: I think it's obvious in my portfolio that there is a significant progress and improvement between my old works and the new ones. The thing is that you just have to keep studying and trying and have more dedication to what you are doing. Spend as much time studying as you can, and go back to the fundamentals from time to time; that's what all artists should do. The only time you should stop studying is when you die, and you have to be realistic with yourself, you have to know what's wrong with your portfolio so you can work on it again. If your friends tell you your work is amazing they are just saying that because they are your friends, but as a professional you should be able to know who is saying it because he doesn't want to hurt your feelings and who is saying it because it really is amazing.

Some character modeling I made 3 years ago at a NewTech media studio in Egypt

You have to learn to evaluate your own work, and you should be open to professional criticism, and never think you are awesome enough because you will not be able to improve. Confidence is good but I believe we have to have a little bit of uncertainty about everything in life actually, that can help you learn and improve and find new solutions.

3dt: What can we expect to see from you next?
MA: I think I will focus more on working on games for a while, and I will keep working on my personal project I mentioned in this interview. I'm also more involved in art direction these days. I'm not sure where life will take me but in the future I wish I can be a film director one day. I started reading and learning some things about it, not much yet though.

A digital painting portrait of my wife

Related links

Check out Mohamed's artstation
View Faris in the gallery
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