#43 Jess Wiseman: Bringing Brands to Life with 3D Using BLENDER
Jun 7, 2024
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Jess Wiseman, a UK-based 3D animator, shares her journey from painting to working with brands like KSI using Blender. She discusses learning on the job, creating photorealistic visuals, blending digital art with physical products, and future plans for her brand Figuregot.
Offering free work to gain traction in the industry is valuable for connecting with prominent figures like KSI.
Learning Blender and overcoming beginner struggles through real projects accelerates skill development in 3D animation.
Creating a unique brand experience with Figuagot by blending digital art with physical products taps into rising interests in NFTs and collectibles.
Deep dives
Jess Wiseman's Journey and Gap Year Adventures
Jess Wiseman shares her experiences of taking a gap year, cold emailing prominent figures like KSI, and winning design competitions without a formal portfolio. She emphasizes the importance of entering competitions and reaching out to three connections away from desired opportunities. Through her interactions with KSI and other clients, she highlights the value of offering free work to establish connections and gain traction in the industry.
Venturing into 3D Animation and Learning Blender
Transitioning from painting to 3D animation, Jess Wiseman delves into learning Blender during her gap year. She discusses the challenges of self-learning animation within a tight timeframe, pushing through the beginner struggles, and utilizing YouTube tutorials for guidance. Jess's dedication to quick learning and hands-on experience with animation showcases her rapid skill development and adaptation to new software tools.
Figuagot: Merging Digital Art with Physical Products and NFTs
Exploring the origins of Figuagot, Jess Wiseman reveals that the brand stemmed from childhood drawings called 'Figure Gods' and the rising interest in NFTs and collectibles. By blending digital art with physical products, Figuagot aims to create a unique brand experience. Jess discusses the process of creating animations and showcases the brand's narrative through digital characters, highlighting the deeper meaning behind NFTs and the value of creating a community around digital tokens.
Creating 3D Models: Overcoming Challenges and Utilizing Resources
In the podcast, the speaker emphasizes the importance of perseverance and creativity in creating 3D models. They discuss how starting with limited resources like a laptop instead of an expensive computer is possible by using efficient techniques like utilizing textures and avoiding high-poly objects. The speaker highlights the significance of lighting and texturing in creating realistic 3D models, suggesting that these aspects play a crucial role. Moreover, they mention the availability of free render farms to help render projects when computer capabilities are limited.
Building a Brand: From Digital Concepts to Physical Products
The podcast delves into the process of building a brand based on creativity and shared vision. The speaker discusses transitioning from digital concepts to physical products, emphasizing the importance of visual identity and target audience identification. They highlight the role of 3D modeling in refining designs before production, reducing potential risks and costs. Additionally, the speaker encourages creators to focus on enjoying the process and having a genuine passion for their work to sustain motivation and dedication.
Jess Wiseman, a 3D animator and designer based in the UK, shares her journey from painting portraits to working with brands and individuals to bring their creative ideas to life. She started by entering competitions and cold emailing potential clients, offering her work for free to overcome her lack of experience. Her strategy paid off when she received a reply from YouTube superstar KSI and went on to create artwork for him to promote his boxing match with Logan Paul.
Jess shares her experience of learning animation and 3D design through real projects using Blender. She talks about how she took on a job to create animations for Pop Smoke's album visuals, even though she had no prior experience in animation. This forced her to quickly learn Blender and overcome beginner struggles. She also discusses her journey of working with brands like Notwoways, KSI, The Sidemen, and Vandy The Pink, among many others, creating photorealistic visuals of their products using Blender.
Jess is using her Blender 3D skills to create a brand called Figuregot. The brand combines digital collectible art with physical products. She explains the process of creating animations and visuals for the brand and discusses her process of creating shaders and materials in Blender, emphasising the importance of paying attention to real-world objects and references. She also talks about the potential future directions for her brand, including animations, streetwear, and digital/physical collectibles.
This episode provides great insight into building a portfolio as a young artist, using Blender to create photorealistic visuals, the controversy behind NFTs, and how to start your own brand with no start-up cost, utilising free 3D software.
