Artist Profile - Jonathan Lampel

Name: Jonathan Lampel
Age: 19
Stomping Ground: Seattle, WA, USA
Jonathan Lampel is a Blender artist specialized in environment design, modeling and VFX. He made waves in 2014 by winning the Autodesk CG Student Awards and has since been busy as a successful freelance artist - and has recently joined the CG Cookie team as a tutorial author.

BM: What’s the thing you enjoy most about 3D?

Being able to create anything I can imagine. It's just awesome!

BM: How do you explain to your grandma what it is you do?

Ha! That's a legitimate challenge. I say I make pictures and videos for advertisements. It's mostly true, and avoids the endless rabbit hole that is 3d modeling. I'm still not sure how to explain that well to someone without a computer.

BM: Which project has given you the most satisfaction so far?

A couple months ago I created a scene with a steampunk marionette in a subway station. I used that bizarre subject to tell a personal story in a subtle way. It was really satisfying to have made something with substance beyond its face value.

   BM: What’s the last thing that made you say ‘wow’?

Mad Max. "Wow" sums up that movie pretty well.

BM: What are you passionate about besides your work?

I really enjoy hiking, reading, and tea. I love playing sports, but I'm probably the least competitive person ever.

BM: What’s the best piece of advice you have heard and repeat to others?

Good 'ol Abe Lincoln's quote, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt", has saved my butt numerous times.

BM: In your head, what does the future of Blender look like?

I took a gamble choosing Blender when starting out, and it really paid off. I can only hope to see it continue to grow over the next few years. I see a bright future for Blender as technologies such as virtual reality and 3D printing continue to improve and become accessible to the general public. Whatever the future turns out to look like, putting the power of creation into the hands of anyone who is willing to learn is a strategy that really can't lose.

 

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