Exnem, a professional 3D artist and DieHard video game player and modder from Mexico City, is the Renderosity August, 2024, Vendor of the Month.

Self-describing as a very shy, peaceful person, exnem first started 3D design at 17 while working making commercials for TV.

“I have a deep love for video games, mainly PC games and RPGs. Right now, I'm working on making a game, but my main income is from my work at Renderosity,” exnem said.

Q&A with Exnem

What are your favorite 3D product offerings? 

I mainly make female clothing, but I also like making realistic looking props like food. Mostly I make fantasy outfits, I guess inspired by some of the video games I love and fantasy artists that I admire. I try to make a couple of products each month but depending on other life factors and the complexity of the project, time involved varies.

How or why did you decide to become a Renderosity vendor?

 I guess it just made sense since. For a long time,  I was already making 3D models to try to make a living from that and that's when I found Renderosity.

What is the typical workflow on a new project and what favorite tools do you rely on?

 I first start by doing research on what I want to do next. For example, looking at photos of Roman clothes or food or whatever I want for my next project. Then I try to do templates that serve as guides for modeling and then start working on the 3D mesh. I mostly use 3DS Max for that, and sometimes ZBrush for detailing. Next, I make the textures in Photoshop and use DAZ Studio to make the final product.

What do you love most about producing digital art?

I love the process of making little vertices floating in 3D space come alive and turn into something that people would like.

Are there other artists that influence your work, and do you have a mentor?

I am pretty much self-taught. Mostly all I know has been by just putting myself to the task and getting it done. Just grab a program like 3DS Max or Photoshop and play around until finding what does what. Also, Google and YouTube help a lot. As for artists that I like, there are so many I admire but I guess it all started with people like Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Frank Frazzeta and others.

How has Renderosity made a difference in your growth as an artist/vendor?

I guess it helps keep me motivated and producing, which in turn translates to more practice and better results.

What career goals do you have for yourself?  

I would love to make use of my modeling skills to make video games, which are my true passion. Right now, I'm working on a little RPG game (for adults cause there's a little nudity involved), which I have been working on for a few years now but is almost finished.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to become an artist/vendor?

It's a lot of work and takes learning different tools. Fortunately, there's a lot of tutorials around to help with that. Obviously, you also need natural talent, especially when it comes to art. But mainly it's work and keeping at it until you nail it. Practice makes perfect. And as an old artist friend once told me, ‘art is 1 percent inspiration, and 99 percent work.’

What last comments or thoughts do you have for us?

I guess since the birth of AI image creators, work has been getting harder for artists, and it's a shame because those apps really just take the hard work of some artists and basically steal them to create images, which I'm not going to lie sometimes look great. I guess I wish we could find a way to keep going without fear of losing our job to some AI.