Meet Benjamin Ramos | 3D Character Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin Ramos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Someone once told me “Art is the easiest thing in the world to get good at, all you have to do is keep making it.”

I have found that creating art is one of the most rewarding challenges a person can experience. There is an ephemeral nature to it, most pieces begin with a blank canvas that over time turns into something beautiful or awe inspiring that would not exist had the artist not created it. To the artist this process takes time, and effort, but to the onlooker or client it feels like a form of magic. I pride myself in being an artisan, there isn’t anything quite as rewarding as the blood, sweat, and tears, that goes into creating something out of nothing to the satisfaction of your benefactor.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been drawing since before I could walk, it’s always been something that has been second nature to me. As I got older I began to realize that I was talented enough to pursue art professionally, and began to develop my art habit seriously. In 2015 I graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design with a bachelors of fine art in Illustration. I used the skills I developed at MIAD to begin a semi successful freelance career that would sustain me until I eventually had saved up enough money to move to Los Angeles and attend the two year Digital Production program at Gnomon School of Visual Effects. At Gnomon my art evolved from Illustration and Concept art to a focus in 3D Character Modeling. I felt at this time that I had really figured out what I wanted to pursue and went into it full force.

In the second chapter of Mark Manson’s book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” he goes on about having to enjoy the process of achieving your goals, not only being in love with the eventual reward. He states that “Who you are is defined by what you are willing to struggle for. —– People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainties of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.” The process of creating is what I have always been in love with, I don’t think I could stop even if I wanted to.

I often times don’t take the time to look back and appreciate my own art. I am always pushing forward with the next piece. Someone asked me recently what my favorite piece I’ve done was and I was at a loss for an answer. My social media pages often stay quiet for months on end before I suddenly appear with a new character. I am constantly working on my next piece, the art habit never dies for me.

My practice has become extremely technical since my time at Gnomon. I stand on the shoulders of giants, and have taken the instruction I received and put my own twist on certain things. I am always looking for ways to optimize my process, coming up with new techniques, and reinventing my pipeline when I get too comfortable with something. For example, since I graduated Gnomon I’ve gone back and reworked three different pieces to bring them to a certain quality bar. The quality of the character models in “Final Fantasy VII: Remake” has been the bar I have strived to achieve, but when I began to feel comfortable with that pipeline I decided it was time to try something different.

I have been working with my current mentor Andrew Downs since the end of last year, and he has pushed me further and further. When I finished my last piece, Helios, he asked me what I wanted to pursue next. I showed him a stylized model I had been playing around with, and now we are full force into developing this character. Andrew works at Blizzard, on Overwatch, and working with him has given me insight into the secret sauce that goes into developing characters on that game. I plan for my next piece to be a showstopper, and can’t wait to show it off when I’m finished.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m kind of at a loss, because even though I’ve lived here for going on five years now I still don’t know the city all that well. Some places we would definitely go are to either the Huntington or Santa Monica beaches. There’s something about being near the ocean that us midwesterners really aren’t accustomed to. The Frog Town Brewery and the river walk there would also be on the list. The river walk at Frog Town has become a staple hang out spot for me in the time since I’ve moved back to city at the beginning of June, and the brewery has an impeccable music taste. Audio Graph Beer Co. is also a very cool spot I found recently. I would also love to take them to the Gnomon campus, but unfortunately they are moving to North Hollywood. While the institution is the same my memories and attachments to certain parts of the campus would ring empty.

Some places I’ve wanted to check out but haven’t had the opportunity include: UCB comedy club, The Griffith Observatory, The California Science Center, and LACMA.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who have supported me along the way and pushed me towards my current destination. My family and friends back home come to mind first off, as well as all my instructors at MIAD and Gnomon. Damon Woods, and Sukru Gilman specifically were the two instructors at Gnomon who really helped me become the artist I am today. I could also list every Gnomon student I attended school with, but for the sake of brevity I’ll keep it short. Ty Manteuffel, Kevin Soltany, John Chung, and Andrew Lauerman are four of my closest friends and peers. Their support in my artistic ventures, and the trials of my personal life, have been extremely valuable to my development after school. We went through Gnomon together, bled together, lost sleep together, and made it to the other side together. I would also like to credit my mentors Abdullah Kassem and Andrew Downs, two artists who at different points in my life have taken interest in my work and sat down with me on a regular basis to give me invaluable feedback and guidance in how to improve my craft. I would not be where I am without their guidance. Finally, I would like to credit Alec Beals. Alec was an artist I met at MIAD who was so far ahead of everyone else that it was impossible to catch up. He left MIAD in our junior year to attend Gnomon, and was the person who introduced me to that institution. His brief presence in my life completely upended the direction I was heading in, and without him introducing me to Gnomon I don’t know where I would be in life right now.

Website: https://BenRamos3D.com

Instagram: bean_ramens

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/btramos

Image Credits
Garam Jeong – Concept Artist for Hino character
Airstrafe Interactive – Photo at the computer