We were lucky to catch up with Angelle Quesnel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Angelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

It wasn’t until late in my degree that I found what I wanted to pursue professionally. Something about 3D modeling just stuck with me. The rigorous organization needed to make everything work, the detail work, bringing something to life with full control and full freedom… It was an amazing discovery. Unfortunately there was no way for me to take more classes about that particular craft, since none were offered. So I did the next best thing and shaped my mentorship project, my junior thesis, and my senior thesis around 3D modeling. I would be responsible for the skills I learned.
I spent a lot of time on Art Station looking at 3D models for environments and props in video games, exploring different styles, finding artists I related to, and going over their portfolio to see what kind of work I needed to focus on. I found online tutorials and lesson plans, and designed projects that would allow me to grow as a 3D artist.
Self-discipline, time management, and organization were definitely the most important skills in my artistic development. Since I took learning into my own hands, I had to spend as much time preparing the projects as I did actually working on the projects.
Thankfully all of this happened during lockdown, so I didn’t have much else to do.
My only regret is not knowing about the option to replace certain classes with self-lead projects. If I had been told about that, I would definitely have replaced some electives with even more 3D projects, and further strengthened my portfolio and skills.

Angelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m so lucky to be able to do 3D modeling for a living, working from home, in an amazing team of artists and engineers. I got the job fresh out of college, from LinkedIn, and I’m very grateful for it. As a Technical Artist for BeyondView Inc., I design, model, dress, and render our clients’ spaces to help them visualize their full potential. I work on offices, medical suites, labs, residential spaces, gyms… Whatever the clients need, as long as I have a top-down floor plan drawing, I can bring the space to life and show off its true potential, in 3D.
It’s like playing the Sims!
I was a little nervous about using my art to earn my living, since it can be quite taxing on our creativity when we put that much pressure on our muse, but so far things have worked out wonderfully. Sure, I don’t draw as much as I used to, but I’m still getting used to my new life (it’s only been a year!) and I’m certain I will find my footing.
Over my time at BeyondView, I’ve learned a lot about myself, grown more confident as an artist and young professional, and I’m very proud of all the progress I’ve made.
I do miss doing silly models and cutesy projects, and I think my next steps will be to take on some freelance jobs or commissions on the side, so I can keep growing as an artist.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I very clearly remember my mother telling me, when I was very young, that I wouldn’t be able to go to art school, because only people with “real talent” can make it. Those words stuck with me and shaped every aspect of my creative journey. I wasn’t good enough, I would never be good enough, and there was nothing I could do about it, because I didn’t have “real talent”.
I’m not fully done unlearning that, but I’ve changed my mindset a lot already.
I can look back at my work and see my progress, remember how much fun I had working on my first projects, and know in my bones that I’m good enough.
When I catch myself comparing my work or path to other creatives, I can shift that into more productive comparison: comparing that other creatives’ early works to their present works. What have they learned? How can I learn from them?
And most importantly, I can look back at the child I was when those words were said to me, and I can tell her that she doesn’t need talent. She needs drive, discipline, and dedication. And she has plenty of that.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Every time I see a work of art that resonates with me, I get a new goal. I want to make something like that, I want to use those colors, I want to build that kind of diorama, I want to recreate that magic. I follow plenty of artists from all over the world on Twitter, and I find inspiration from all sorts of things: watercolors, graphic design, video games, photography… I don’t have a single grand goal, but rather lots of little goals driving me in all sorts of directions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angellelucie.artstation.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelle-quesnel-a2302a112/

Image Credits
Angelle Quesnel