Photography is so much more than a still, silent or flat image. We got in touch with 3D Generalist Crompwell to discuss to use of 'photography' in the creation of his 3D animations. Merging together the realms of technology and biology, his work conveys a nostalgia for the future and pushes the limits of photography way beyond the second dimension. 

"Can you tell me a bit about your work, whatare you trying to convey?"

I would describe my work as an eclectic mix of experiments. Most of the time, the goal is, simply, to elicit an emotional response in the audience. I use a smattering of different themes ranging from the supernatural, to romance, and nostalgia, often intertwined. Occasionally, I like to troll some of the other designers I’m connected with. They’ll post something and I’ll “steal” the concept and do my own rendition of it. You’ll find those pieces littered between my usual works, with a tag to the original artist, always done in the spirit of good fun.

"How did you get into 3D design and what inspires you to create?"

I actually explored a bit of 3D early on, shortly before my high school years. I think that initial experience planted the seed that would grow into my current fascination with 3D. Between then and now, I spent a lot of time studying fine art illustration and graphic design, which I still do from time to time. I’m often inspired to create as a means of self-expression. I have countless ideas swirling around inside my head, all begging to be set free. Sometimes they’re really clear, other times they’re more of a whisper of something that needs to be formed. It makes for a good balance of structured work and work that comes out mysteriously until it’s closer to being finished.

"What projects have you worked on that you were particularly pleased with and what projects do you have in the pipeline?" 

That’s difficult for me to answer. I think I’ve had a love/hate relationship with almost every project I’ve done. But if I had to pick one, it’d have to be the work I did for Nessly’s “Back 2 Life” Single. It was a challenging project but it was also quite rewarding. In terms of work in the pipeline, I have the usual client jobs, but I’m also in the planning phase of what I hope to be a game release as well as making preparations for a potential platform for learning 3D, for those with the desire. Beyond that, area good number of personal passion projects that I have planned, and that’s really all I can say for now.

"What are the themes of your work?"

I really enjoy mythology and supernatural themes, so you’ll find quite a bit of that sprinkled into my work. Many of my clients are in the music business, so you’ll see some of that culture leak into the work as well. I’ve been trying to get into more futuristic work, like big machines and the marriage of technology and biology, so you might see a bit more of that in my work in the days to come.

"Your work is not photography but is very photographic, do you ever reference photography and what/who are your influences?"

Thank you! I’m always happy to hear people think my work is photographic. My use of reference photography depends largely on the project. For example, if a client wants their likeness in a project, I will work from photos of them. At other times, I like to challenge myself to work from memory to see how much my understanding of subjects like anatomy has improved. So, I’ll begin sculpting a face or a body from scratch and I will only use reference when I get stumped. I find, more than not, it’s better to work with reference, for sure. As for my influences, an unordered list of contemporary names would be Hideo Kojima, Junji Ito, Marco Plouffe, Ash Thorp, Maciej Kuciara, Vitaly Bulgarov, Travis Davids, and too many others to list here.

Thanks for taking the time to interview me!

"It was our pleasure!"