Meet the Artist: Nick Pugh

[nick_pugh]

Hi Nick!

First of all: RESPECT to you man! I’ve had a nickpugh folder on my hard drive for ages, so this is Q&A just wonderful!

Someone before me asked what you studied to get here, well I’ll double that question and upgrade it:

1. What period of your life did you learn the most? Was it from someone, or mainly by yourself?

2. Who’s/what’s your inspiration?

3. Not a question, but a compliment: I think that your art is so fresh in so many ways, and it doesn’t matter if it’s not “recognizable” at once like someone mentioned earlier. That just means you’ve got lot’s of styles and sides as a person/designer.

4. What are your goals in life/ work?

Thank you for taking the time to do this! It means so much to our community!

Thanks for inspiring.

Cheers, Adam

thanks adam

1. it is hard to say because it has been such a journey, learning and growing all along the way. art center was a big jump, my interest in reptiles as a kid, star wars, building my concept cars and now all the stuff with scott robertson and gnomon

2.nature, mathematics, physics, engineering, art NOT politics, religion, social conditioning

3.thanks, exploration and discovery demand this from me, and a restless heart is satisfied

5.in some way i have reached them(freedom of time and constant creative challenge) and in some ways i have failed so far(having lots of clients building concept cars, making lots of money off of my own property)

[nick_pugh]

Hi Nick. Actually, i didn’t know you til see this thread, but i searched about you, looked your site and very liked your works.
I wonder how improved your vision and do you have any tutorial dvd or media
Finally, do you have favorite concept artists?
Very thanks for sharing your knowledge

most of my development is self taught, art center was great, i do enjoy watching my friends tutorials to see what new tricks they are cooking up;), there are so many artists that i admire it would be unfair to single any one out, probably all the usuals anyway

[nick_pugh]

Nick, your art is full of imagination and inspiration!

The posibility of working as a concept artist on a C.S.Lewis film has been a goal of mine ever since I found out they were making the LWW. I see that you have had the pleasure of doing this.

I am 29, have been teaching myself concept art for just under a year and have been able to get a fair bit of freelance work… I consider my art to be just above average and I’m learning fast. My question is, do you think it’s worth while me going to Uni to get formal training, or should I continue to learn from my freelance work. Would a studio such as R&H’s consider someone with no degree for working on film concepts etc?

Thanks so much! keep up the great work - Jez

thanks,

it is hard to say, so many people have formal training and do well but some have none and do great as well. r&h bases their hiring on talent and quality of work, the degree is often just a way of networking(which i can stress is very important)

[nick_pugh]

Hey Nick,

Your art is so varied and from another world. I purchased your first DVD and was really inspired from watching you work but mainly from the way you described your workflow. Just wanted to let you know that there is another realm, another layer so to speak. It is hard to reach but innocence and clarity is the only way. If you have ever looked into the world of seeing auras I think you would be very interested. My fiancee sees colours around people’s heads, and she has taught me a gift of feeling colours. It is a strange sensation to feel a visual. No real question, I just wanted to confirm to you that there is a collective consciousness and it is possible to actually see it. keep up the amazing work.

i am so glad you enjoyed it, i really had fun making it and learned alot about the process as well. auras, hmmmm, sounds neat. i will look into it. often, in the moment when a discovery is gained i feel connected to something similar to what you describe.

[nick_pugh]

YOU’VE DONE SOO MANY COOL PROJECTS …AS AN ARTIST ARE THERE ANY PROJECTS FROM THE PAST THAT YOU FANTASIZED ABOUT DOING?

                                         Your work is awsome....
 I need some help with the themes going for my modeling reel
 so far i got the typical [color=Yellow][warrior girl](http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?p=2362823#post2362823) [/color]and a camel as a wip....any suggestions on
 sumthin else?

thanks,

i am doing them, i guess. just more and better of the same type of stuff

i like what you are doing with the assymetry of the costume, why not play that up in her physical anatomy and surface/texture/color as well. this could be disturbing but memorable

[Halfman]

hi sir.
your designed are so cool and fabulous. I am a student of master of information technology at Ballarat university in Australia. I am studing more on 3d design. could you please tell me some resources or books that can help me to improve my knowledge and could you please tell me how can I enter to the design market?
thanks for your attention
houman

[warpy]

Nick,

i think i have seen your car concept on wired magazine a few months back (the gray one with the green flames), i dont want to be crude or anything but imo the head lights, the right one in particular has the inside curve opposed to the left’s one and is not right in term of prespective.

i was wondering how do you tease your brain to come up with these wonderful designs everytime ? you must run out of ideas at a point, please tell us your secret .

thanks in advance.

[nick_pugh]

Nick,

i think i have seen your car concept on wired magazine a few months back (the gray one with the green flames), i dont want to be crude or anything but imo the head lights, the right one in particular has the inside curve opposed to the left’s one and is not right in term of prespective.

i was wondering how do you tease your brain to come up with these wonderful designs everytime ? you must run out of ideas at a point, please tell us your secret .

thanks in advance.

i guess the camera does lie, that part of the picture is a photo. it is a distorted image however and i am sure you are right, the perspective is a bit funky overall, it is what they wanted, cartoony but real…

[nick_pugh]

hi sir.
your designed are so cool and fabulous. I am a student of master of information technology at Ballarat university in Australia. I am studing more on 3d design. could you please tell me some resources or books that can help me to improve my knowledge and could you please tell me how can I enter to the design market?
thanks for your attention
houman

the gnomon workshop has many dvd tutorials for much of what you are seeking.

[warpy]

Nick,

so i guess the camera does lie

many times when i try to make something original i get stuck without ideas, i know that for some people ideas are a dime a dozen, again i am wondering how do you get your ideas, i heared that some people take 2 old ideas and combine them together but i never found this to be something i like to do.

i know all of you big time artists have some magical way of coming up with those original concepts, what are yours ?

thanks again .

[anakinskywalker]

Hi Nick,

Do drop in sometime in the VC room sometime… A hi from all of us here in India.

-Hrishi

[nick_pugh]

Hi Nick,

Do drop in sometime in the VC room sometime… A hi from all of us here in India.

-Hrishi

the VC room? i would like to visit r&h india some time, it would be cool to do some sort of project that demanded it

[k4k]

the VC room? i would like to visit r&h india some time, it would be cool to do some sort of project that demanded it

what project you are in now??

Do you outsource some of your work to R&H India? If so, What kind of work??

[warpy]

just wanted to let the guys (and gals?) that never read wired magazine to know where that hybrid picture was published

[Chris_Bolton_NSM]

Hey Nick, great work!,

Im a studnt in England studying Computer Animation at portsmouth uni, i find that nature inspires me alot, and helps me to think and develop ideas, for example walking in the countryside, although im in a city now at university so dont have alot of that around me.

Q. Is there anything that you do specificaly to help inspire you, or anything that generaly helps you think about your work? Sight, sound, etc

Q. Is there anything that you think from your life, or other artists work that you admire, which is influencial to you, that translates alot into your own work at all?

Thanks alot

Chris Bolton

[StylusMonkey]

Yo Nick, just wanted to say I love your work and I’ve been a fan since getting Concept Design 1 a while ago, I REALLY loved the cloud car concept, totally seriously out there, so totally abstract and organic.

Regards, Darren.

[mindgame]

Hi nick,

I just want to say that I am a really big fan of your work and I’m hoping to save enough money to buy your dvd’s. I’m currently seventeen years old and I attend the Saturday High program for high schoolers at ACCD.

Here are my questions:

1. Can you explain your process of going through your photoreal vellum renderings?

And on average, How long does it take for you to do a vellum rendering sketch, such as the rendering of your xeno1 on your website?

2. I have a problem with applying pastel and baby powder on my vellum. The rendering starts to get dirty as I apply more and more Pastel, even if I apply fixative. Do you have any suggestions?

3. When coming up with an idea for a car design, Do you feel that free form is much more important, or functionality?

4. Before you had entered into coventry and eventually into ACCD, did you have any prior experience or lessons in rendering automobiles? If so, where?

5. Do you give drawing lessons, if I live in the LA area?

Thanks nick. I really enjoy your work.

[mindgame]

hi nick,

I’m a really big fan of your work. Its so incredible. The free form and spontenuity of it is incredible and ingenius.
I have a couple questions:

1. I’m still in high school, but I would like to know of how you undergo those large vellum renderings you did, such as the one in the xeno concepts.

2. How long does one vellum rendering usually take?

3. Can you explain the process of doing a vellum sketch, such as the ones you did on your mazda sponsered project?

4. I feel that many of your designs stresses the importance of form and styling. What is more important: The form or the Functionality?

5. Before you entered into Coventry and ACCD, Did you have any prior art lessons in car design for preparing your portfolio?

6. If you live in the LA area, Is it possible to give drawing lessons?

Thanks.

[nick_pugh]

hi nick,

I’m a really big fan of your work. Its so incredible. The free form and spontenuity of it is incredible and ingenius.
I have a couple questions:

1. I’m still in high school, but I would like to know of how you undergo those large vellum renderings you did, such as the one in the xeno concepts.

2. How long does one vellum rendering usually take?

3. Can you explain the process of doing a vellum sketch, such as the ones you did on your mazda sponsered project?

4. I feel that many of your designs stresses the importance of form and styling. What is more important: The form or the Functionality?

5. Before you entered into Coventry and ACCD, Did you have any prior art lessons in car design for preparing your portfolio?

6. If you live in the LA area, Is it possible to give drawing lessons?

Thanks.

1. it would be pretty hard to explain how i do this type of work in text form in this context. it is really quite complex and has many layers. in the simplest terms i would say sketch your design and render at the same time to keep it fresh, dont touch the surface too much(use a sheet of paper to rest your hand on to avoid smudges), make use of both sides of the paper for transparency reflections, work light to dark and add hilites at the end.

2. they range from 15 minutes for a quick sketch to a few days for a version with a full BG and collage elements

3. above

4. in the early state of the process it seems to me to be most important to establish an iconic direction. as the design is realized ever closer to reality the functional elemnts become critical to its complete success. i would say, in the best case, that they are a yin yang neither being dominant.

5. not in car design but alot in art in general

6. i will be teaching a class ‘originality in design’ this fall at art center and have a series of dvds related to that subject from the gnomon workshop. private lessons are not something i have done but i would consider looking at your portfolio and give you some feedback on it.

[nick_pugh]

Hey Nick, great work!,

Im a studnt in England studying Computer Animation at portsmouth uni, i find that nature inspires me alot, and helps me to think and develop ideas, for example walking in the countryside, although im in a city now at university so dont have alot of that around me.

Q. Is there anything that you do specificaly to help inspire you, or anything that generaly helps you think about your work? Sight, sound, etc

Q. Is there anything that you think from your life, or other artists work that you admire, which is influencial to you, that translates alot into your own work at all?

Thanks alot

Chris Bolton

i agree, nature is a great inspiration. my dvd series from the gnomon workshop directly addresses the subject of inspiration and originality and would be the best way for me to explain the methods i use in detail. it is a very involved subject and i could not do it justice in a simple answer here. as far as what i admire in other artists work, i guess i am most moved when i get a glimpse of something totally original, executed with brilliant technique in a peice of work. this is rare and therefore i am most often neutral.