artist appreciation month
Last month, we marked American Artist Appreciation Month here in the United States, a time devoted to acknowledging the invaluable contributions of American artists to the wide world of art. The August observance offers an opportunity to honor the accomplishments and talents of artists spanning all kinds of creative disciplines, including painting, sculpture, photography, music, writing, and performance.
In the world of game development, pixels paint emotions. These talented game artists, from concept artists to 3D and user interface artists and all those in between, paint the world one pixel at a time, turning dreams into interactive realities and timeless memories.
In recognition of American Artist Appreciation Month, we asked a few of our Pipeworks artists to participate in a Q&A where they talked about their roles, art styles, and creative inspirations:
In the world of game development, pixels paint emotions. These talented game artists, from concept artists to 3D and user interface artists and all those in between, paint the world one pixel at a time, turning dreams into interactive realities and timeless memories.
In recognition of American Artist Appreciation Month, we asked a few of our Pipeworks artists to participate in a Q&A where they talked about their roles, art styles, and creative inspirations:
Jadeite Mesa
Jadeite Mesa
Jadeite Mesa
In your own words, what is your role as an artist at Pipeworks?
My role as an artist at Pipeworks is 3D art lead with a focus on environment art on my current project.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
My signature style of art would have to be anything stylized or hand-painted! It's one of my favorites to concept out and create in 3D – bonus points if it is especially colorful and whimsical!
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
My inspiration to make the kind of art I do is my younger self! I was always drawn more to this style and the different ways you can push things outside the realm of reality.
My role as an artist at Pipeworks is 3D art lead with a focus on environment art on my current project.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
My signature style of art would have to be anything stylized or hand-painted! It's one of my favorites to concept out and create in 3D – bonus points if it is especially colorful and whimsical!
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
My inspiration to make the kind of art I do is my younger self! I was always drawn more to this style and the different ways you can push things outside the realm of reality.
Adria Grayham
Adria Grayham
Adria Grayham
In your own words, what is your role as an artist at Pipeworks?
As an environment artist at Pipeworks, I get to work with really talented people to bring games to life. My role is to shape the in-game world and help tell the story that's being told within it.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
My signature style in 3D art is definitely more realistic, with an emphasis on story-telling and moody lighting.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
Franchises like Horizon and The Last of Us are big inspirations for the kind of art I make. Not just in style but also in how they tell stories through their environments.
As an environment artist at Pipeworks, I get to work with really talented people to bring games to life. My role is to shape the in-game world and help tell the story that's being told within it.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
My signature style in 3D art is definitely more realistic, with an emphasis on story-telling and moody lighting.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
Franchises like Horizon and The Last of Us are big inspirations for the kind of art I make. Not just in style but also in how they tell stories through their environments.
Emma Overmyer
Emma Overmyer
Emma Overmyer
In your own words, what is your role as an artist at Pipeworks?
As a video game artist, you need to be able to replicate many different art styles, and this is especially true for artists at Pipeworks. We work on a variety of games with different clients, and we need to be able to match the art and make it feel like it belongs in its game. As an artist at Pipeworks, it is my job to create high-quality art assets for the different types of games we work on. In short, I make cool stuff and make sure it gets submitted to the right places.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
My favorite art style to work in is stylized and hand-painted art. I love to create cute, bright, soft art that makes the viewer feel warm and happy. I really like working with hand-painted textures, and I like to use shaders with outlines. Creating stylized art is fun because there are so many ways you can exaggerate an asset. The exploration and the variety of styles is so exciting and is never boring.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
Some people who really inspire me to create art are artists such as Ruslan Shabelsky, Victoria Zavhorodnia, and Cody Gindy. I love their exploration and ingenuity when it comes to 3D art and environments. However, I like to find inspiration for my art in lots of places; online, in the world around me, and in the things I do. It's important to reach outside of your discipline to find inspiration as well. I normally create 3D art, but I love finding inspiration in traditional painting, pottery, interior design, and more. Looking outside of what I normally do can be refreshing and allows me to have more references and ideas to pull from. The world is wide, and there is so much beauty out there that can inspire you to create something great.
As a video game artist, you need to be able to replicate many different art styles, and this is especially true for artists at Pipeworks. We work on a variety of games with different clients, and we need to be able to match the art and make it feel like it belongs in its game. As an artist at Pipeworks, it is my job to create high-quality art assets for the different types of games we work on. In short, I make cool stuff and make sure it gets submitted to the right places.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
My favorite art style to work in is stylized and hand-painted art. I love to create cute, bright, soft art that makes the viewer feel warm and happy. I really like working with hand-painted textures, and I like to use shaders with outlines. Creating stylized art is fun because there are so many ways you can exaggerate an asset. The exploration and the variety of styles is so exciting and is never boring.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
Some people who really inspire me to create art are artists such as Ruslan Shabelsky, Victoria Zavhorodnia, and Cody Gindy. I love their exploration and ingenuity when it comes to 3D art and environments. However, I like to find inspiration for my art in lots of places; online, in the world around me, and in the things I do. It's important to reach outside of your discipline to find inspiration as well. I normally create 3D art, but I love finding inspiration in traditional painting, pottery, interior design, and more. Looking outside of what I normally do can be refreshing and allows me to have more references and ideas to pull from. The world is wide, and there is so much beauty out there that can inspire you to create something great.
Michael Judd
Michael Judd
Michael Judd
In your own words, what is your role as an artist at Pipeworks?
My role is as a UI Artist. I create all sorts of static and animated assets to be used in-game to help players have a visually pleasing experience. Whether that is art that fits within tiles or animated experience icons, I create art that fits in overlays or menus to help people navigate and interact with the game they are playing.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
I think I drift to two main styles of art. I really enjoy Motion Graphics a ton, I cut my teeth on using Adobe After Effects to animate scenes, explainer videos, YouTube videos, characters, etc. On the other hand, I have really been enjoying the 3D side of art, mainly in hard surface modeling. Creating objects or scenes out of 3D elements and then adding materials, lighting, compositing, and so on.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
I'm highly inspired by so many types of game art. I always wanted to get into game design but always felt intimidated until a little game by Team Cherry was released called Hollow Knight. That kicked off me being able to start making my own art, animations, etc. in all sorts of different styles. I'm specifically inspired by worlds created in space sci-fi games like “Destiny,” dark gothic experiences like “Dark Souls” and “Elden Ring,” and deep stories like “The Vanishing of Ethan Carter” and “What Remains of Edith Finch.” I'm always inspired by the way art pushes a player forward or conveys emotions or stories through static or animated pieces.
My role is as a UI Artist. I create all sorts of static and animated assets to be used in-game to help players have a visually pleasing experience. Whether that is art that fits within tiles or animated experience icons, I create art that fits in overlays or menus to help people navigate and interact with the game they are playing.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
I think I drift to two main styles of art. I really enjoy Motion Graphics a ton, I cut my teeth on using Adobe After Effects to animate scenes, explainer videos, YouTube videos, characters, etc. On the other hand, I have really been enjoying the 3D side of art, mainly in hard surface modeling. Creating objects or scenes out of 3D elements and then adding materials, lighting, compositing, and so on.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
I'm highly inspired by so many types of game art. I always wanted to get into game design but always felt intimidated until a little game by Team Cherry was released called Hollow Knight. That kicked off me being able to start making my own art, animations, etc. in all sorts of different styles. I'm specifically inspired by worlds created in space sci-fi games like “Destiny,” dark gothic experiences like “Dark Souls” and “Elden Ring,” and deep stories like “The Vanishing of Ethan Carter” and “What Remains of Edith Finch.” I'm always inspired by the way art pushes a player forward or conveys emotions or stories through static or animated pieces.
Lejon Lin
Lejon Lin
Lejon Lin
In your own words, what is your role as an artist at Pipeworks?
My role as a Sr. UI/UX Artist for Pipeworks is to conceptualize UI artwork that serves to make the user experience intuitive and meaningful for our purpose-driven games division that is MetaTeq. These concepts can sometimes start as wireframes or call for a previz-type video that showcases what the final program could run like with finalized UI components. Throughout the course of a project, I could be drawing storyboards, producing motion graphics, designing UI artwork, and then implementing that artwork into the game engine.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
I would consider my style to be more focused on clean and futuristic UI designs. I also lean heavily on my prior experience as a key art designer for sports, so my art has a modern sports production flavor.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
I highly admire the work from large design studios like Troika, Cantina, Studio C, and ManVsMachine. They hire tremendous freelancers who work on UI visual effects for major feature films and commercials.
My role as a Sr. UI/UX Artist for Pipeworks is to conceptualize UI artwork that serves to make the user experience intuitive and meaningful for our purpose-driven games division that is MetaTeq. These concepts can sometimes start as wireframes or call for a previz-type video that showcases what the final program could run like with finalized UI components. Throughout the course of a project, I could be drawing storyboards, producing motion graphics, designing UI artwork, and then implementing that artwork into the game engine.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
I would consider my style to be more focused on clean and futuristic UI designs. I also lean heavily on my prior experience as a key art designer for sports, so my art has a modern sports production flavor.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
I highly admire the work from large design studios like Troika, Cantina, Studio C, and ManVsMachine. They hire tremendous freelancers who work on UI visual effects for major feature films and commercials.
Chloe Settle
Chloe Settle
Chloe Settle
In your own words, what is your role as an artist at Pipeworks?
I’ve filled a dynamic art and design role in the Pipeworks marketing department for the past year and a half. Due to the variety of assets the marketing department needs to deliver, I design and create art for many projects, such as our new website, the branding revamp, various game marketing assets, social media content, and occasionally projection mapping for events.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
Since most of my art career has focused on marketing and business development applications, I’ve had to adapt to various art styles and mediums for multiple projects. I create a variety of art for graphic, animation, web, sound, UI & UX projects to augmented reality with projection mapping, programming, and immersive audiovisual experiences. Outside of work as an independent artist, my aesthetic and subject matter is sci-fi oriented with a colorful, chic, feminine edge. I think much of it is derived from my love for fashion and growing tired of the constant masculine themes in sci-fi art.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
I take a lot of inspiration from video games but perhaps the most inspiration from the various art and tech forms in the electronic dance music scene. It’s something I’ve been a part of and passionate about since I was a teenager and music has always played such a big role in my life. It fuels the attraction I have to vibrant aesthetics, immersive graphics, audiovisual experiences, and sci-fi subject matter.
I’ve filled a dynamic art and design role in the Pipeworks marketing department for the past year and a half. Due to the variety of assets the marketing department needs to deliver, I design and create art for many projects, such as our new website, the branding revamp, various game marketing assets, social media content, and occasionally projection mapping for events.
What would you say is your signature style of art?
Since most of my art career has focused on marketing and business development applications, I’ve had to adapt to various art styles and mediums for multiple projects. I create a variety of art for graphic, animation, web, sound, UI & UX projects to augmented reality with projection mapping, programming, and immersive audiovisual experiences. Outside of work as an independent artist, my aesthetic and subject matter is sci-fi oriented with a colorful, chic, feminine edge. I think much of it is derived from my love for fashion and growing tired of the constant masculine themes in sci-fi art.
What or who inspires you to create the kind of art you do?
I take a lot of inspiration from video games but perhaps the most inspiration from the various art and tech forms in the electronic dance music scene. It’s something I’ve been a part of and passionate about since I was a teenager and music has always played such a big role in my life. It fuels the attraction I have to vibrant aesthetics, immersive graphics, audiovisual experiences, and sci-fi subject matter.
