Meet Andrew Lauerman | 3D Character Artist

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

Hi Andrew, why did you pursue a creative career?
I think I pursued a creative career because it excites me. Thinking about it, there is a bit of a rush when it comes to the unknown. It’s scary, exciting, heartbreaking, and rewarding in so many ways, but definitely never boring. I have worked so many different types of jobs, corporate and non-corporate jobs alike. I have always felt the pull of the universe to do creative things, and I honestly, I just keep going no matter what.

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.
So I am a 3D artist that specializes in characters. I love making 3D models from 2D concept art, and have acquired the skills to do that for environments, props and characters. However, I find myself leaning into historically based fantasy characters. Once upon a time I was going to be a History teacher and I do have my B.A. in History from Sonoma State University. It is fitting that I tend to favor the historical as I love to tell a story with all the subtleties of the character. My workflow, for those who are curious, consists of a ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter/Designer, Photoshop, Unreal Engine pipeline.
The story of how I got to where I am is kind of a neat story but it is long, so I will try to keep it brief. I spent years aspiring to become a History teacher, and as once I actually started teaching, I realized it was not going to be a fulfilling career long-term for me. I then started working as a front-end developer, digital artist and designer by educating myself with online resources. I have bounced around doing freelance graphic design, custom carpentry and a myriad of other random jobs while I was trying to find my way. Looking back on it now, nothing quite felt right. It wasn’t until just before the pandemic that I realized how serious I was about pursuing an artistic education. I wasn’t sure where I was going, or what I was going to do, but I saw a Gnomon livestream that changed my life. Ian McCaig spoke about the artist’s journey kind of a “Life is what happens when we are making plans” type talk. I quickly realized that I wanted to take action to pursue a dream of going to art school. That evening I started the steps that would change the trajectory of my life completely.
Was it easy? No. Is anything worth doing in life easy? The path I am on has been quite the test for me mentally and spiritually. Having not taken an official art class in over 20 years, I did have to play catch up with the fundamentals. The entry portfolio for Gnomon I put together was a collection of works that exhibited the technical abilities I had learned from online resources while working 2-3 jobs and grinding at night. The discipline it takes, the long nights, and half-awake days all led to the indescribable feeling of getting the phone call on the construction site I was on informing me that I had made it into Gnomon. The real work started that day. Also, I just want to thank all of my former classmates and peers, I was a literal sponge the entire time I was at Gnomon. Being surrounded by incredible artists is a very good way to improve drastically in a short amount of time, and I am fortunate enough to have been surrounded by some of the best. I learned so much in such a short amount of time. All of these lessons I will utilize for the rest of my life.
That sort of brings us to where we are now. We are in unprecedented times, and there is no real time table for when things are going to open up work wise. I am certainly not alone, but I am one of the unfortunate students who graduated right as the strikes started, and have remained unemployed (as an artist) this entire time. Currently, I am working 2-3 non-industry related jobs and doing my art on the side, and I have experienced all the range of emotions one could expect. Most of all it has been extremely humbling. I do know that I can take action to improve my skillset. I have continued to work on my projects when I can so that when the time is right, I will be ready and have some progress to show. I want to encourage anybody struggling to continue to work on their stuff too. If you need to talk, reach out, I would be glad to listen and help in any way I can.
I also want to mention just how grateful I am for the opportunities I have been given in life and for the people who have invested in me. All my friends I have around me who help me daily continue to grow and develop as a human being mean the world to me. Life can be challenging, but I continue to learn and grow with an amazing group of artists I get to call friends.

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?
Los Angeles is massive so I’d try to get the most out of our time. I would take them to the beach, Santa Monica and Venice are an experience everybody should have and energy at the beach is unparalleled. Malibu hikes are a must, the Santa Monica mountains are a treasure. I’d hit downtown and Little Tokyo for food and drinks. A museum tour including places like the Broad, MOCA, LACMA and the Getty. Also, the LA Central Library is a hidden gem. Grand Central Market for sure, Phillipe’s and a Dodger game are a must. Griffith Park exploration is also a must, there is much to do there. When it comes to food, in no particular order I would make sure I would hit these restaurants: Homestate for breakfast tacos, Amboy, Langers, Dune, Moo’s BBQ, Star of India, Glendale Pho, Night + Market Song, and Playita Mariscos.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It definitely takes a village. First and foremost: my Parents. They have been incredibly supportive throughout my life and have been my foundation especially when times have been tough, they have always been there for me. My friend Jeff Jones whom I’ve known for a long time and work with periodically doing custom carpentry. Jeff has been encouraging me to explore creatively for a long time. My friend Stephen Steelman, who is wrapping up his time at AFI as a Director. Stephen gave me an opportunity to utilize my skills professionally which had a profound impact on my journey into 3D art. I’d like to shout out Gnomon School of VFX, Games & Animation. Instructors like Max Dayan, John Brown, Tran Ma, Miguel Ortega and Damon Woods all played a vital role in teaching me what it means to be a visual story teller. Lastly, I would like to mention my friend Cullen Swenson. I feel it is important to have peers around you who are pushing you to get better (check out his work, you’ll see what I mean) and whom you can hopefully inspire to do the same. Cullen has encouraged me to continue working on myself and my art. So grateful for the support, I continue working hard as a result.

Website: https://www.drewin3d.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/that_u/

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

Twitter: https://x.com/null_control

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.lauerman