Geoffrey Kater, an ward-winning director/designer and partner in 3D animation boutique S4 Studios, has released Design First for 3D Artists, a new book that merges the often disparate disciplines of design and computer animation to teach emerging animators how to create their own personal design style and lay the foundation for a successful career.
‘One of the things I have found is that animators just don’t learn how to properly service a client,’ Kater says. ‘This book will teach people how to confidently present their own concepts, how to be open to serendipity and inspiration to create a personal vision, and how to gather reference material. There are a lot of harsh realities that job seekers will have to overcome, but in the end, they will greatly improve their chances of being hired.’
Kater hopes that this will be the first in a series that will launch Design First as a prominent educational brand. With his reverence for basic design technique, he revisits the basics to help young talents learn how to reach for their pencils before they reach for the keyboard. ‘I decided to write this book because I wanted to share with beginning and experienced animators my own experience in using traditional drawing techniques to create characters, props, environments, color, lighting, composition and storyboards,’ he notes. ‘As a studio owner, I am constantly meeting talented people who know how to animate, but who don’t know how to design with individuality. In today’s marketplace, that’s just not enough.’
In the book, Kater takes readers through a complete mock production, creating a robot character named Bleep with a design style inspired by ancient Chinese architecture and armor, one of his favorite motifs. ‘I demonstrate how to create the story, draw a character, break it down, model it, and use every drawing you create along to way to keep the design accurate and consistent form 2D start to 3D finish.’ Kater also creates, from storyboard to completion, a fictional TV ad campaign for Nokia phones.
Design First for 3D Artists also includes a CD-ROM that provides additional illustrations and a test animation, and is linked to support website www.designfirstfor3d.com. The 350-page book from Wordware Publishing can be purchased directly through the site and from major retailers for the suggested retail price of $49.95.
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