We recently connected with Riley Collick and have shared our conversation below.

Riley, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

To be honest I’m still learning. I dont think I’ll ever stop learning while I’m creating. I started with several programs and classes at the art school I went to and from there I had to juggle learning on the job and making sure I was still promising the work that needed to be done. In hindsight I think thats one of the better ways to learn because it really tests your metal and how willing you are to succeed with what you want to do.

Any art is the same in its most basic principles, first make it then make it perfect later. With 3D artists it can be intimidating sometimes learning complex things but taking the time to figure out how to make it all fit together is so worth it in the end. Youtube can be a great tool in making that possible whenever you’re stuck on something.

You don’t want to rush your end product. Take the time to really make it look how you want it to be. Dont be ashamed to ask questions and try new things.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello! My name is Riley Collick, I’m a junior 3D artist and the art director for an upcoming indie game called TombStone Taxi!

I honestly started out like a majority of people who enter the art world. I had a passion for something but during my second or third year of art school I was struggling to keep up an interest in illustration. It was by chance I was introduced to the world of 3D modeling at around the same time. It was like something just clicked for me and I was able to do so many cool things with ZBrush and Maya.

Since then I’ve been developing my skills as a Prop and Environment artist for video games. After I left school I came to work on some projects with fellow alumni. Currently I am the art director for another indie title mentioned above, Tombstone Taxi. My work for the most part though consists of asset development and concept work for various game projects. I love bringing fantastic elements to life with 3D, being able to see them in games is one of the most rewarding things about being in game development.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding thing about being a 3D artist is the final product. Seeing your creations being interacted with or viewed in the game is so fruitful and gratifying. The right project can bring you down so many cool rabbit holes and experiences; it can let you meet amazing people with new techniques and ways of approaching the work that I can use to improve my own work and ways of thinking.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think many people that don’t travel through the art sphere understand how attached we can be to our art and the expression of ourselves and our hard work. When it comes to more decisive topics like AI and how it will impact the lives of many creatives, the protest comes from the heart. We use art to express our likes and dislikes, we use it to protect and protest, we use art to give people something to latch on to and inspire them. Our journey as creatives comes from our will to express, and it’s so easy for anyone to do the same. That’s why there’s so many forms of art already, it could enrich and inspire people to try and learn them, rather than prompt one thing and be done with it.

We take pride in the hard work that came from learning the basics, and the troubleshooting of trying to find our way through our own journeys. That’s not something you could ever experience through something like AI. The journey is part of the end product and I don’t know if people could understand that without trying the journey themselves.

I encourage people to try art in any form that reaches you, it’s always a good thing to try new things and dedicate yourself to something creative.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @art_by_riley_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-collick-0163b6231/
• Other: Email is [email protected]

Image Credits

Riley Collick, for every image