Meet Vanessa Torres | 3D Character Artist

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

Hi Vanessa, why did you pursue a creative career?
Lots of kids start out loving all forms of art — singing, dancing, drawing. I think I’m just one of many who picked my favorite form and kept it going. Growing up, I found that of all the things I was kinda successful at, it was art that made me feel the most proud of myself. Academics were incredibly important to me and my family, but getting straight A’s didn’t instill self-confidence quite like nailing someone’s likeness in a portrait did. As soon as I knew I’d been accepted to the Art Institute, I put all my efforts into being an artist because I believed I could live a happy life if my career was based on my happiness. However, as I’ve gone through personal and creative hardships in that endeavor, I’ve amended my outlook a bit. I’ve found that it can be painfully difficult to separate my sense of self from my career. Paired with the difficult times the CG industry finds itself in these days, my confidence in being a creative has wavered many, many times. What I believe keeps me on this career path nowadays, is appreciating the beauty of my life outside of work. It’s the beauty of the world and my loved ones that inspires me to create art in the first place. It’s because my loved ones supported my artwork from the very beginning, that I even have the confidence to try and make a career out of it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a 3D character artist, it’s my job to interpret a character concept into 3D, and make it usable for the relevant platform, be it a video game, a film, or for AR/VR. I discovered this career by starting out at the Art Institute of Hollywood after high school. I’ve always loved drawing people, and I learned to love 3D, so specializing in 3D character art was a no-brainer. On the side, I volunteered in a few student-led USC thesis game projects, which put me on the fast track to game development. However, before I could graduate, nearly all the Art Institutes shut down. After dealing with the loss of my A.I. community, I restarted my degree at Gnomon. After spending five years to get one degree, it was a struggle to stay motivated on top of my internal creative conflicts. It feels silly to admit this, but sometimes I don’t feel like I have my own story to tell, because I think everyone else is so much more interesting! This disposition became an internal conflict when I decided to turn my passion into a career. I’m surrounded by wonderful artists who create entire universes from their hearts, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was incomplete next to them. However, without failure, the inspiration and support from my loved ones is what helps me overcome any obstacle. A photo of my family easily inspires me more than a visit to any world-class museum, because that’s what fills my heart with the drive to keep creating. My portfolio has characters that are goofy, vibrant, sometimes serious, sometimes a little odd, because I’m blessed to be surrounded by people who carry these lovely traits! As an artist, I don’t think I need people to see me as anything other than what a character artist oughta be: someone who creates someone from nothing, someone who works to bring form to a vision, in the form of a person.

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 cannot lie, I’m a bit of a homebody, but I love to eat! So I think 95% of the itinerary would be based on that! I spent a year living in Torrance for work, and the thing I miss the most, aside from how quiet and cozy it is, are all the amazing Asian restaurants. Katsu Bar, Din Tai Fung, all the KBBQ, literally ANY of the sit-down restaurants inside the Mitsuwa. We could also easily spend a day inside the Del Amo Fashion center. For such a short time spent there, Torrance really captured my heart. I’d also wanna stop by North Hollywood. The NoHo Arts District is dear to me because it’s where I first lived when I moved out from Santa Barbara. The perfect breakfast-lunch-dinner combo would be brunch at EAT, a late lunch at Dog Haus further down the street, and dessert-for-dinner at Republic of Pie, hopefully during a live music night! I’d love to keep the last leg of the trip local to Van Nuys, which is where I’ve spent most of my time in LA. Tacos el Venado’s the best taco spot in the Valley in my opinion, and Beep’s Diner is a lovely gem of the Valley.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe many thanks to my instructors. Michael Kline and Rafael Duffie from A.I., Damon Woods, Anton Napierala and Tran Ma from Gnomon, thank you for teaching me what it takes to be a 3D character artist. I’m also incredibly grateful to everyone I studied side-by-side with at both schools. I owe a special thanks to Patrick Hanahan in particular – anyone who knows me knows I use laughter like a superpower to get through hard times, and I’m so lucky to have a best friend that’s kept me laughing through the hard times at Gnomon and beyond. Last but not least, my family, who I do everything for. My parents uprooted their lives from Purísima del Rincón & Tijuana, MX to give my brother and I a life full of opportunities. Martin and Ramona, my parents, and Richie, my one and only brother, I cannot thank them enough for their endless love and support. I’m just an amalgamation of everyone I love and everyone who’s supported me.

Website: https://www.artstation.com/vatorres_art

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

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

Image Credits
Adam Thebault (portrait photo)
Vanessa Morales (Concept: Día de Muertos)
Adrian MERIBAULT (Concept: Böa)
Ching Yeh (Concept: False God : Justiciar of Fallen Kings)
Sergei Ryzhov (Concept: Office mouse room)