Biography

Thank you for visiting my site! I am an artist and educator. Previously I worked in the game industry as a lead artist and senior environment artist for over six years, with ten shipped titles. As a game developer I have worked with companies such as Pixar, Marvel Studios, Nickelodeon, Deep Silver Volition, Midway Games and Activision.  In 2011, while still working full time as a game artist, I began teaching at Columbia College Chicago. In 2014 I left full-time game development to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design.  I have over ten years of experience teaching higher education in game, visual effects and animation studies: Purdue University (2016 to present), Columbia College Chicago (2016), The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago (2014-2015), Tribeca Flashpoint Academy (2014). Currently I am an Assistant Department Head and Professor of Practice at Purdue University in the Computer Graphics Technology College within the Polytechnics Institute.  I have a passion for 3D art (modeling, textur/material authoring and lighting) and digitizing art and nature using photogrammetry. Mentoring students to have the skills and mindset for professional career in the entertainment industry while being inclusive of all of our diverse population is one of my primary focuses. I also use much of my spare time in the pursuit and practice of industry standard artistic endeavors. Along with my current vocation at Purdue I continue to work as a freelance illustrator, videographer and photographer.  I hold a BFA from the Illinois institute of Art (GPA 3.98), and a MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design (GPA 4.0). 

Curriculum Vitae

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Teaching Statement

I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had during my journey as an industry professional. Drawing upon that industry experience, I strive to convey real-world scenarios within the classroom, exposing my students to expectations and techniques within the art production pipeline. I also come from a multicultural family and diverse population, so my efforts to meet my diverse unique students with an inclusive and welcoming positive attitude is at the foundation of the atmosphere I work to create in our classroom.

Constructive play. One of the key areas of my thesis research was in constructive play within the university setting. My research found that when students were able to build game level assets and then implement them within a playable arena, via the game engine, they did significantly better on their projects than when asked to create assets and then have those collected by the professor never to see the fruits of their labor in a playable forum. The very essence of being able to interact with their own creation led to the conclusion that the motivation for those interested in game art creation is play, and this can be incorporated into projects for greater academic success. 

Brick and Mortar University Validation. As technology advances, many online resources to learn nearly every topic have emerged. This can bring one to question the validity of the brick and mortar university: Is it necessary, for digital content creators, to enroll and take part in classes that cost the learner significantly more than taking an online course at home? This is a valid concern. However, any experienced content creator understands that many facets of game, animation and visual effects production are captured outside of the office space. Some examples of these cases are photo-real assets from specific locations through photogrammetry data, live action film plates for integration into visual effects shots, or life drawing for anatomical studies. I try to incorporate real world skills that go beyond what one might be able to do just sitting at a terminal into everyone of my classes. 

Mentorship is another facet of validating our place in education; mentorship is the glue that not only helps students to go from beginners to advanced creators, but it brings inclusivity and community to our human race.  Personal time spent examining where a learner needs instruction is near priceless and one of my core tenets that I bring into my teaching style.

Interdynamic team collaboration is crucial for creating vast immersive content; it is also essential for personal growth and having a feeling of belonging. I believe in creating a learning atmosphere that stresses individual skills and team collaboration; both are needed to be successful in industry and life. Interdynamic team projects are also an advantage that brick and mortar universities have and it is essential that classes have an atmosphere of sharing, dependencies and accountability. 

The immediate portfolio.  While at Purdue, I posited the idea that instead of students at the end of their time within our program rushing to build a portfolio (which was the status quo), students should start building a portfolio immediately in the first year, and continue to add to that portfolio as they progress. I implemented this into my 100 level geometric modeling class. Near the end of their undergraduate degree, students simply need to take on the role of a curator of their best work (with critique from professors) and just present their very finest. This approach was adopted by the entire game program and two non-credit portfolio reviews were added to the Game Dev track to function as checkpoints to ensure students were progressing and portfolio minded in their development. As a result of this, students applying for internships during their tenure became a much more simplified process. All of the professors within Game Dev major have noted the improvement of student work as a result. This process also gives the professors and the students more time to connect and in return mentorship is becoming commonplace.
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A scaffold and guided mastery approach towards difficult topics. I believe that difficult concepts, broken down into simpler digestible lessons, allow for students to learn a process first, and then later apply that process toward their larger vision. An example of this might be teaching a student how to create displacement maps or normal maps on simple primitives before asking them to sculpt a character where those maps will be created. By giving students early success and a simple walkthrough of the concepts, they can approach their greater artistic endeavors with more freedom and confidence.

Students are people. Each individual learner needs a personal centered approach. I conduct class and treat each individual like I would prefer to be treated, that is with respect and distinction. I prefer to look at each student as a future colleague and take a personal interest in seeing them succeed.  

Striking a balance. While cutting edge techniques are explored in class, sound fundamentals and elegant simplicity are always stressed. One example of this is texturing in Photoshop by hand versus using a procedural approach like Substance Designer. Both have their merit. While procedural assets hold many benefits for art direction and rapid iteration, knowing how to manipulate pixels by hand in Photoshop is indispensable when rendering a specific vision. In light of this, I instruct students on how to use both.  

Relevant industry standards. I believe students should leave my class understanding sound industry practices and industry standards. For an instructor in a rapidly changing field, that puts a demand on my own personal growth as an artist. I endeavor to keep my own personal skills relevant through passion projects, where I, like the student, continue to grow and learn.
 
Utilizing technology for teaching. I use technology like screen capture recordings to aid in facilitating mastery experiences. And while technology is a great asset, I always make time to sit one on one with students.
*No AI was used in writing this Teaching statement.

Artist Statement

As long as I can remember, my father has always liked cinema.   As a nine year old boy living outside of Chicago, Illinois I was privileged to frequent many theaters.  One day, my father excited by the re-release of his favorite animated feature, looked down at me and said "I am going to take you to see the greatest animation ever made."  It was 1985, and during the prior forty-five years the art of animation had rarely been so innovative as it had been in Disney's Fantasia.  While at the screening that evening, particularly during  Symphony 6 (Pastoral), when the little winged horses were fluttering around, I became so inspired that I had this thought; 'this is what I want to do with my life. I want to create art like this and inspire others.'  Reflecting on this pivotal moment, I recalled that even before Fantasia I would draw alongside the cartoons in old Beetle Bailey books. I would open my children's books and start doodling inside as early as 3 or 4 years old.  Marking up my father's newspapers by drawing mustaches on every picture was a common activity in my household.  And the only part of the newspaper I would ever take the time to really examine was the "Funnies", as they were the only thing worthwhile to me. It is safe to assume that I was well on my way to becoming a visual artist even before Fantasia's inspiration turned into a significant, tangible realization.

I still have a deep admiration for feature animation and would say that it is my favorite art form. While I journey forward as an artist, the goal is still the same: inspire others with art!