Happy New Year!

Sorry once again for the silence! I am away from my studio and have been for all of December. I haven't been able to post regularly about all the amazing artists working in 3D... but that will change next week when I am BACK! There will be a new post here on Wednesday.
All the best wishes for a happy & healthy NEW YEAR! xo

Sean Bixby

Sean Bixby holds a BA in illustration from the Hartford Art School. He has enjoyed success with both his painting and sculpting. His painting landed him his first children’s book The Uncrossable Canyon with author James Dongweck of Golden Monkey Publishing. While his sculptures have been shown in multiple shows at the Society of Illustrators in NYC. He lives and works out of Merrimac, Massachusetts.

How or why did you start working dimensionally?
In college I did a lot of work from photo reference. I knew that my style ultimately came from inside my head and I wanted to start creating work in that style. My professor knew the benefits of drawing from reference and suggested that I sculpt the characters from my head and photograph them. When I showed him the sculptures he was impressed and introduced me to the world of 3D illustration and I have been sculpting since.

What or who has influenced the way you work? 

I believe my style is the product of my fascination with Saturday morning cartoons and comic books as a child. I would spend hours in my room at night filling notebooks with my own cartoons and comics. These days I am influenced by other artist in all different genres of art. I am a history buff and enjoy visiting galleries and museums. I collect children’s books and recently been looking at a lot of work by Bill Peet.

Please describe your working process.

I usually start with the body of a figure. I create a wire armature and use super sculpey for the head and hands. I paint the head and hands with acrylic inks. The clothes are hand sewn. My most recent sculpture “Shiver me timber (the pirate)”, I stitched a wig and beard out of embroidery thread. My backgrounds are created from various items I find around the house and in craft stores. Finally, I photograph the illustrations digitally.

What do you enjoy the most / least about working dimensionally.

The thing I enjoy the most is the process which is always a learning experience and also the satisfaction that comes with the completion of a successful illustration. The thing I hate most is the hazards; burning myself on my toaster oven or stabbing myself with a sewing needle or x-acto knife (Ouch!).

Sean Bixby

www.seanbixby.com
www.uncrossablecanyon.com

sean@seanbixby.com

images and content © Sean Bixby

back soon

hi everyone! sorry for the silence and lack of routine posts about amazing artists working in 3 dimensions. I am away from my studio and only have periodic access to a computer... with not the best internet connection... so I will resume as soon as possible. Please stay tuned as I've lined up many more exciting artists to show you!

Sophy Tuttle

Sophy Tuttle has been sculpting since her mum bought her some Sculpey to keep her busy at 6. Since then, her style has become a little bit more sophisticated, but she's still using the same materials. Currently, Sophy is living and working out of Baltimore, interning at Puppet Heap in Hoboken, NJ and dreaming of moving to Tuscany. She was most recently selected for the Society of Illustrators show in Los Angeles.

How did you start working dimensionally?
I took a class my freshman year at RISD called 3D Illustration. It opened my eyes to the fact that illustration didn't have to be just drawing or painting, and it was a big reason why I chose illustration as my major. I still work in 2D a lot, but more often than not a project just calls for a 3D solution, and it's fantastic to be able to do that.

What or who has influenced the way you work?
When I first started out, Red Nose Studios was a huge influence, as well as Dave McKean, the Brothers Quay, and Henry Moore. I also had a few very influential and helpful teachers... Melissa Ferreira, Jeff Hesser, Jon Foster, and Nick Jainschigg, to name a few. One other major influence is Julie Taymor, although it may not be very obvious in my work. When I need inspiration I go back and watch Titus or leaf through a book on her Lion King characters designs. Her creativity is incredible! The list goes on and I discover new artists that inspire me everyday.

What do you enjoy the most / least about working dimensionally?

I love the freedom to be able to play with layout, color, and focus in a way you really can't do with 2d illustration. Being able to move around my characters and view point is extremely helpful in deciding the look of the final illustration. I also love being able to build things with my hands, rather than on the computer, and have a final physical product. The downside, of course, is the time each piece takes to complete. The work usually takes much longer than a drawing, but you get the same deadline.

Please describe your working process.

I start out with many sketches and ideas, and then narrow them down to a solid concept. I do a very loose sketch of what I think the final will look like and then build from there. I like things to be lose and develop organically, rather than having everything totally planned out before completion. I generally work in either Super Sculpey or Paperclay.

Sophy Tuttle

www.sophytuttle.com

http://sophytuttle.blogspot.com

sophy.tuttle@yahoo.com

images and content © Sophy Tuttle