ImagineFX_Issue_148_June_2017

Artist news, software & events
Carlos describes his Quill workflow: “I make a line
sketch in VR, to make sure characters are expressive
and environments support the illustration. Staging,
scale and space are my primary considerations.”
not being confined by a rectangular
frame, the usual tools for composition
don’t work in the same way
image, but it offers unexpected
possibilities as well! It feels more akin
to designing an installation space. This
is the most significant way in which my
working process has changed.”
Some of the artists we spoke to like
to paint directly into Quill. Goro, for
example, does daily warm-up
“Quillustrations” set against a time
limit of 30 minutes to test his creativity.
Carlos on the other hand takes a more
measured approach, preferring to plan
and sketch on paper before donning
the VR headset and entering VR.
These artists clearly find VR a
creative space to work in, and one that
doesn’t feel too dissimilar to their
Goro’s Worlds in
Worlds embraces
Quill’s scope: “Quill has
an infinite canvas and
I wanted to put it to
the test. It worked
beautifully,” he says.
traditional spaces. “Working in Quill is
like having a personal art studio,” says
Ric. “You shut the door, pull out your
favourite brushes, start drawing and
just focus. That place where you go to
when you’re really into an idea and
want to realise it. Quill is just like that
space but even better, because you’re
standing in the middle of that idea and
there are no edges to the paper.”
staying true to a concept
Using apps like Quill can also speed up
the artistic process, particularly as film,
video games and animation begin to
embrace a fuller 3D workflow. Being
able to create complex 3D
environments and characters as
intuitively as drawing, in a 3D space,
removes many of the development
steps and ensures the final production
drawing or model is closer to the
artist’s original concept.
Goro explains: “I believe that Quill
will become a key element for VR
productions. Early on we realised that
if you design for VR then you have to
design in VR. Quill enables the artists
to do exactly that.”
But will VR replace traditional ways
of working? “I don’t think so, nor would
I wish for it to replace other mediums,”
argues Carlos. “But it’s definitely a tool
that can complement them.”
Goro agrees: “I don’t believe that
Quill or VR painting tools in general will
ever replace other mediums. In the end,
it’s another tool for artists and it will
co-exist among other creation tools.”
Putting everything into context, Rico
views VR as a new, infant tool from a
creative standpoint. Artists, including
those at the cutting edge of the
technology, are still discovering how
VR art and animation can be created.
The rules of the game are still being set.
“I’d say that VR is just the next
stage in the evolution of animation,”
says Rico. “VR won’t replace 3D just
as 3D computer animation didn’t
eradicate 2D. Animation is, I believe,
the purest art form and VR will just
help influence and further inspire all of
the animation landscape.”
June 2017
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