Our Renderosity Artist of the Month for April 2022 is Shawnaloroc. This skilled modeler has drawn praise for his unique characters created using Zbrush. He pays careful attention to detail in all of his work. No wonder he received the most votes for the April AOM.

We were able to conduct a brief interview with Shawnaloroc along with a video gallery that features 20 works from his gallery. Be sure to click the button at the bottom of the interview to visit his excellent gallery. And thanks, Shawnaloroc, for taking time to talk with us.

Interview with Shawnaloroc

Renderosity: Tell us about yourself: where do you live and how did you become a digital artist?

Shawnaloroc: I just moved to Florida recently, but I’ve spent most of my life in the bay area of California. I started making digital art in 1999. I was attending the Academy of Art studying animation back then. Star Trek DS9 had some amazing CG at the time. I wanted to make space battles when I started learning 3d. As time went on, character design became something I would start learning in Maya.

Why is ZBrush such an important tool for your creative process?

Shawnaloroc: I’ve been using Zbrush for about five years now. It’s very stable and is the best 3d sculpting tool out there. I can go back in and change things on my model that would be too difficult to do in other software. Having the option to paint my textures right on the models’ surface has made a big difference in how I do my projects now. Zbrush gives the customer free upgrades forever when you buy it, so I’m a very loyal user.

What is the typical workflow on a project?

Shawnaloroc: Find a photo reference that is inspiring for the project. Make quick sketches of the final idea. Block out the main shapes in the Zbrush sculpt. Subdivide for details and polish. Polypaint, then retopology. Uv low poly mesh, then project hi-rez sculpt detail to the low poly model. I export the textures and final model to Maya for animation and rendering.

One of my favorite pieces of yours is Maximillion. What is the origin of this work?

Shawnaloroc: In 1979 Disney’s Black Hole movie had a big red robot named Maximilian. I liked the design when I was a kid. In 2021, I heard they might be remaking the movie, so I made a reboot on his design. It is not much like the original robot, but it was a take-off point from where my ideas expanded.

Lastly, how has Renderosity made a difference in your work as an artist?

Shawnaloroc: Learning how to make items that other 3d artists can use in the community has helped me become a more versatile artist. It’s a good place to try out new ideas as a 3d artist and modeler.

Shawnaloroc