18 Mar 2013
Interviews
Marek Denko is a 3D designer who attracted the whole computer graphics community with his artwork. The artist had no training in the field of 3D design. But he was always learning from his own mistakes and successes.
Marek Denko's first job in the industry was as a low polymodeling freelancer for a company in Bratislava. Today he is a world-known 3D designer. The designer's artwork is highly distinctive with a peculiar touch of his. It definitely bewitches with the level of realism and intense atmosphere. Marek Denko shares with us the secrets of his profession, inspirations, and reveals how to find a way in the labyrinth of computer graphics world.
Sunrise of the 80's
You mentioned that you have been interested in arts since you were a child. Your interest unfolded through various forms of art: painting, drawing, playing a guitar and even composing music. Now you are a well-known 3D designer. So how did you find yourself in the field of arts?
I would say that nothing obvious really pushed me in a certain life direction. I was just lucky to jump into the lucky train which fits me. I love to ride it. Since it was not disturbing my life and has brought many job opportunities for me, it has become the path of my life. I have a diploma in civil engineering, but all I have ever been doing is computer graphics.
When you were a teenager, you received the first computer from your mother. Instead of endlessly playing games, you have started exploring the world of computer graphics. Why did it attract you so much?
Oh, I have been playing a lot of games, actually. Even my school achievements dropped down at that time. Games themselves basically were the visual art for me. I could have watched game cinematics for hours. I was always wondering: how did they do that? Could I do that? Then a father of my good friend introduced me to 3d studio. I fell in love with. That is why I mention the name of Miro Helebrandt in all interviews. Thanks, old man!
What do you think is the most important for being a 3D artist?
World peace and hard work.
You highlight that your 3D artwork is directly connected with your personal story. Could you say that your artwork is a kind of your biography?
In some sense it could be. I guess any artists creation is personal one way or another. I take it as something completely natural. Of course, not anyone can read it, but there definitely are things written in. I will always recognize them as a particular part of my lifetime.
What was the most helpful advice concerning computer graphics you have ever received?
I wish it was that simple. Unfortunately, there was not such thing.
Lost Lake
Photorealism and details dominate your work. What would be the main tips for making a photorealistic image?
Take a good look at the real world. Try to match it. When you master it, move it to your concepts and follow the experience gained in practice. Usually, I come up with some general idea of what I want to do. Then I fill it up with objects. If objects exists (mostly they do), I find tones of nice references to follow for particular parts of the image.
All your works possess particular atmosphere and sense. Do you seek for it intentionally? Could you provide any tips on how to develop it?
I do not look at this that way. I just do what I want, feel and what I find to be nice. I am not pushing that atmosphere to appear here or there for some special reasons. It just comes over.
What is an exact moment, when you realise that an image you have is a complete one?
Hard question. I have a lot of unfinished projects on my hard disk. I am just doodling even if a concept is done. I am trying different compositions, lighting. I cannot really say that there is a final imagine in my head until it is completely done. It is a creative process.
You established a design studio NoEmotion. How did you come to this?
I was a freelancer for a long time. Then I met a designer Peter Sanitra. We have been working together for a while and found out that it is very productive to have a buddy who you can rely on. So we decided to run a studio "NoEmotion" together. It is already 5 years we have been working together and it is going well. I even cannot describe how lucky I am that we have found each other. It is extremely hard to find someone you can trust, split work and be sure that it is in the right hands.
What was the most challenging project you have been working on?
Definitely it was an environment creating work for Japanese "Resident Evil: Damnation". I had to manage a lot of people and still be able to do my creative job. These five months were really though.
What is your opinion about marketplaces, where 3D artists can share, sell or buy 3D models? What do you think is important for those who sell and those who buy them?
I am using bought models for commercial projects on my own. It definitely saves time. Even if after purchasing a model I have to spend some time correcting it or checking materials to fit to my taste, it is still cost and time effective.
Please, reveal some secrets of your particular works...
Everything Beautiful is Far Away
Your artwork Everything Beautiful is Far Away emits nostalgia and melancholy. Could you please tell more how did you create it?
Talking technically, it was made in 3dsmax 2009 and rendered in Vray sp1.8a. Excluding the sky, it is all completely 3D. Colour correction and postproduction was made playing with "Fusion" and "Photoshop". Then rendered on i7 975 with 12Gb of RAM at 5000x2570 px resolution. It took approximately 15 hours to render at final quality. I dedicated it to my beautiful family which, I hope, will never be far from me.
Once you mentioned that there were times when you even could not look at this work to finish. Why so?
I do not recall this exactly right now, but I will improvise. Sometimes it happens that person, brains, eyes are looking at one image for such a long time, that you become unable appreciate or evaluate it honestly and judge properly if it works. The more time you spend on it, the harder it becomes. After some time, only a break can help. Usually I try to believe my first impressions I had, when I started to work on image and I liked it.
What were the most difficult points while working on this design?
Floor. Technically it was not really difficult to do it. I was testing it at 5000 pixels wide. Whole floor is a heavy ray trace with glossy reflections. So final quality sampling was needed to evaluate the result. It took its time.
Heritage
What is the first idea coming to your head when you look at your work Heritage?
Italy, Dell notebook, small table in a kitchen. Mesmerizing!
What exactly inspired you to design it?
Do not worry. I am not one of the Greenpeace guys. I just love the old broken dark atmosphere with a bit of romance inside. A big part of this image came from Andrey Tarkovskiy's movie "Stalker". I do not mean the image itself. But I started working on it after I read the book and watched the movie. So the feeling is from there, indeed. I think it is one of the last takes when a family is walking by the shore of a lake with a nuclear powerplant in the distance. My work is quite different and I put a different story behind it.
My Love in Bed
Your work My Love in Bed is extremely intimate. You created it almost 9 years ago. What does it mean for you today?
I am happy that I am still with the girl from this image. She is my wife now. How cool it is, yeah?
What motivates you and inspires the most?
To sound wise one could say: I am inspired by motivation and motivated by inspiration. No, really. I just look around. I do not force it. I think many people could do much better if they were not stuck in a routine. I can say it, because there are big projects sometimes and they seem to be impossible. But I am really happy I can find time for my personal projects, while working and taking care of my family.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience and inspirations with our community!
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