He’s also written a few movies like EUROPA REPORT and THEY REMAIN. I worked on it with a writer named Philip Gelatt. What is the process like to create a storyline with art? Tell us about developing graphic novels such as Petrograd. And there are few things that are as cool as seeing a character that you modeled run around on screen doing cool stuff. I really enjoyed the process of trying to make something look good within the strict limitations of a video game engine.

To make the 3D models we used all kinds of tools but most importantly was a software package called “Maya.” The process involved mostly using photo references of athletes and stadiums and recreating them in Maya using a lot of technical tricks but also relying on our artistic skills to make our stuff look good. In that time, I did all kinds of stuff from UI design to character and environment modeling. And a bunch of other games that never saw the light of day. I made mostly sports games like GAMEDAY and MLB: THE SHOW. I did! I worked in video games for about 12 years. How do you take art from 2D to 3D? How do you create art that has actual movement and dimension? You spent many years creating art for video games.

But in reality I was taught by so many people and institutions, it’s hard to say where I learned any of this stuff. I ended up doing a lot of art adjacent jobs like graphic design and web design and I was always keen to take jobs where I’d learn stuff and I could push myself to improve.

I only lasted a semester there before I ran out of money and had to drop out and get a job. So art has always been how I spent my time.Īfter high school, I went to California College of Art in Oakland, CA. And my parents were always happy to keep me supplied in paper and pencils. I was very fortunate to have a few very supportive teachers that encouraged me to draw. Like a lot of artists, I started drawing when I was just a little kid. Give us a little background on your start as an artist. Find out why the Dead's skeletons resonate with him and what roll MTV played in shaping his knowledge of the band. With this in mind, we tapped him to be our 2019 Dave's Picks Artist-In-Residence. From video games to graphic novels, self-taught artist Tyler Crook's had plenty of experience storytelling.

The Stone King by Tyler Crook