Meet Gaujin, the 3D concept artist who just snagged first place in Ryu XR Studio's monthly challenge, which is sponsored by Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the industry. Known to friends as Gaurav, he's yet to step into the professional arena, but that hasn't stopped him from making waves. With a childhood steeped in Hollywood flicks and video games, Gaujin found his calling in the digital realm. He cut his teeth on Photoshop before facing his 3D fears head-on, driven by a fascination with sprawling digital landscapes. Now, he's set his sights on South Korea, dreaming of bringing his concepts to life in the land of K-pop and kimchi. When he's not pushing pixels, you'll find him on the soccer field, proving he's got game both on and off the screen.
Let's dive into Gaujin's world, where determination meets creativity, and every render is a step closer to his goals.
Fox Renderfarm: Hi, worldofgaur! Thank you so much for accepting our interview! Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
worldofgaur: Hello! My name is Gaujin/거진 (Gaurav). I am a passionate Concept Artist. I like creating environments and also like to play football during my free time. I haven't worked at a professional level yet, but my dream is to work in South Korea as a Concept Artist. Now, let's talk about how I got into 3D art. So, back when I was in school, I used to watch movies and play a lot of games, just like many kids. Mainly, I used to watch Hollywood movies, and they gave me a lot of inspiration.
After completing school in 2012, I joined an art academy where I learned mainly about the basics of Photoshop, 3ds Max, After Effects, and a bunch of other software. Even though I learned a few software, I liked working in Photoshop and was afraid of using 3D. But I used to get amazed by large-scale 3D environments. So, I decided that I wouldn't limit myself by using only Photoshop and 2D concept art using only photos.
I got skills by watching a lot of tutorials and practicing. I used to study artworks by famous artists like Dylan Cole, Francisco Corvino, Chris Stoski, Piotr Krynski, and others. I still watch a lot of tutorials and study artwork. Until now, I haven't contributed to any projects honestly. I have been working on my own projects to hone my skills and improve so that I can land my dream job in Korea.
Fox Renderfarm: It's fantastic to see your work recognized as 1st place in the 4th Ryu XR Studio Challenge: Jungle, The Lost Ruins! How does it feel to be celebrated for your achievements?
worldofgaur: Obviously it feels great when you win something. I took part in the challenge to test my skills and see what I could make if given a particular theme. As I haven't worked in the industry yet, I felt that taking part in a challenge like this would be a good way to experience it. And honestly, I took part in this challenge to get some recognition too haha!
Winning Entry in the 4th Ryu XR Studio Challenge © worldofgaur
Fox Renderfarm: Could you give us a brief overview of the project that won you an award in the challenge?
worldofgaur: So, the theme was that there are ruins in a jungle. Firstly, I looked up on Google what's the difference between a jungle and a forest haha! Then I looked up some references on Pinterest. I initially thought about making a story where there's a cave in a jungle and in the middle of all the jungle and the rocks sit these ruins but then I changed the idea because it felt kinda enclosed and I had little freedom. I wanted to make the ruins huge so I went with another idea where an explorer, who travels on his rubber boat through this mysterious cave and then he was welcomed by these megalithic ruins in the middle of a jungle. In that way, I got this open huge area where I placed the ruins. Got a lot of inspiration from Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
Uncharted 4 | PlayStation 5
Fox Renderfarm: What was the initial spark or idea that got this whole thing started for you? Can you take us through how your thought process unfolded from that very first creative seed?
worldofgaur: The idea was simple because as I said I created a story in my mind already which made it easier for me to work. I wanted to create a scenic view that was peaceful and mysterious at the same time. And mainly I wanted the ruins to be huge. I love creating huge structures. The main goal in my mind was to give most of the attention to the ruins obviously, so it was easy because somehow caves make this great framing, you just need to make them dark using light blockers. Then the only thing left was to populate the scene with vegetation and finally lighting, paintover, and color grading.
Vegetation © worldofgaur
Fox Renderfarm: How did your creative process differ from your other works? Do you have a standard working pipeline?
worldofgaur: Genuinely, the creative process for all my artworks is generally the same. I think of some story or try to put myself in that situation or scene then just build it accordingly. I rarely do the sketching thing. I want to though, but with just a mouse, I don't feel like doing it. So I just make the block out in 3D and proceed with slowly adding details through modeling and sculpting and sometimes I do kitbashing. As I am modeling and building the scene, I start texturing the models and play with the lighting side by side. I use Blender for all this. After this I render it out of Blender and do some final touch in Photoshop. That's my process. Pretty simple. BTW, I just keep switching between making still renders and animation. Sometimes I want to create fan art too. But the process is always the same. Create a scenario > Look at references > Create the artwork. Sometimes looking at references or other artworks gives me ideas. Oh and I am actually into the realism side of things. I want to create artworks which look photo real mostly. But it is not easy hehe!
WIP © worldofgaur
Fox Renderfarm: Your lighting work is absolutely stunning and adds incredible depth to your scenes. Could you share your process for selecting the lighting schemes? What kind of atmosphere were you aiming to achieve with the lighting?
worldofgaur: Thank you! Well for lighting, I generally use an HDRI. And if needed I will add extra lights like the sun lamp or point or spot or area, whatever fits well. It's all about experimentation. I set a mood whether I want an overcast scene or sunset or any other. For this project, I was aiming for a greenish tone as it was a jungle. I wanted the ruins to be hit by sunlight. I actually used 2 powerful spotlights alongside the HDRI with a lot of light blockers and the background trees were covered in fog. That way I was able to focus on the ruins.
WIP © worldofgaur
Fox Renderfarm: What was the most challenging aspect during the production phase of your work, and how did you overcome it?
worldofgaur: The most challenging aspect was my own laptop. It ran out of VRAM so many times. But I overcame it by optimizing my scene better. Other than that there wasn't much which was challenging except the challenge itself haha!
Fox Renderfarm: Do you find yourself regularly drawing inspiration from certain natural things or other artists? If so, how do those influences tend to show up or come through in the stuff you create?
worldofgaur: Yes, of course! I observe my surroundings a lot. I look at how things work in reality, how they differ from each other, how they blend together... all sorts of things. And also I study and draw inspiration from other talented artists as well. And I watch a lot of tutorials and see how they approach different things when making their artwork. It's really fascinating. When I am out of some spark, I just randomly start rewatching some tutorials. It really gives me that boost. As I said above, I look up to Dylan Cole mainly. His way of making beautiful and surreal environments just influences me and somehow those show up in my work in very small amounts.
Fox Renderfarm: Was there like a memorable moment or major breakthrough while you were working on this project that really sticks out in your mind?
worldofgaur: No, I don't think so. Everything went in a neutral way.
Fox Renderfarm: Are there any specific parts of your work that you're really proud of or that people might miss on the first look?
worldofgaur: There are several aspects of my work that people might not notice. Firstly and most importantly, my artworks reflect my desire to move to Korea. The amount of hard work I put into those artworks shows my dedication to working and settling in Korea. That's my dream and I believe, I will unlock my full potential once I reach Korea. Secondly, it's my patience and adaptability. I am very patient and adaptable and understanding when it comes to making any artwork. Although I haven't worked with any clients or in any studio, I think that I will handle it pretty patiently. I am quite versatile too.
Fox Renderfarm: Got any other exciting projects you're working on at the moment that you can tell us about?
worldofgaur: Currently I am working on fan art. It's the Infinity Castle from the Demon Slayer anime. And I have other cool projects that I will proceed to work on afterward, so right now they are just inside my head haha! Also, I am currently focused on building my Instagram account and my portfolio.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Viz Media
Fox Renderfarm: In your opinion, with so much art already out there, how can new artists find their own unique voice and style? What advice would you give to those just starting out in this field?
worldofgaur: Frankly speaking, I am not in a position to give advice to other artists. But as I am sharing that same spot with them I will say that be patient and true to yourself. There's a lot of competition out there, so don't compromise with your art, and don't waste time. From my experience I am sharing this, time is very valuable. And it passes by really fast. I would have achieved my dream already if I would not have wasted my time. Enjoy your life but with a limit. When it's time to practice, don't be careless. Practice a lot, it makes you finer. When you have this precious time in your hands, you can practice and even learn new things. Choose what you enjoy and like making the most. For me it's environments. For you, it can be something else. Study and observe nature. Participate in art challenges or set personal goals to push your creative boundaries. Once you start enjoying something, that's it, you got your style. So go for it. Don't be scared to try. Believe in yourself. Good Luck! Paiting!
Thanks again to worldofgaur for accepting our interview! Wishing new heights in you and your team’s professional career!!
worldofgaur’s social media:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldofgaur/
- ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/worldofgaur
