Meet the 3D artist: Teodoru Badiu

Fancy looking at some awesome 3D eye candy while also learning about the artist’s inspiration and techniques? Then check out this first post in a new series showcasing some of the best CG work around

In this new series, we aim to spotlight talented 3D artists and showcase the best 3D.

We’ve found some truly inspirational artists who have been kind enough to share their CG tips and secrets with us.

We hope that you learn new techniques to help you to improve your CG skills, and most of all, that you enjoy the awesome 3D artwork displayed here…

We kick off this new series of posts with a fantastic 3D artist: Teodoru (Theo) Badiu.

Teodoru Badiu is a Creative Media Designer based in Vienna, Austria. He specialises in digital art, character design and illustration.

3D World: How did you break into the industry?
Theo Badiu: I began to work with Photoshop back in 2000 and used to create photo-manipulated illustrations, based on digital photos that I shot with my camera.

Later on I started to experiment with mixed media and then I created my www.apocryph.net website to display my work on it. The Apocryph.net exposure generated CD artwork requests, Photoshop tutorials and website designs and from that moment everything changed.

3DW: What first inspired you to become a 3D artist?
TB: I have loved 3D animations since I first saw the ReBoot series back in the 90′s and since then I wanted to do something like that, but at that time hardware and software to do things like that were much too expensive.

The Giant Acorn was based on some of Theo's character drawings. It was modelled, textured and rendered with modo. AO and DOF passes were added with Photoshop

It was during my Creative Media Design study time at SAE College in Vienna in 2005, when I came in contact with Cinema 4D and started to learn 3D.

At that time I had www.theodoru.com online but the work displayed on it was only vector and mixed media illustration.

Once my studies were over, I continued to learn 3D and I began to create 3D characters and illustrations using Cinema 4D, and in the last two years I’ve been using modo.

• Read our hands-on review of Cinema 4D R13 Studio
• Read our hands-on review of modo 601

3DW: Your work has a very distinctive look to it, where do you draw your inspiration from?
TB: I believe the look of my 3D work is influenced a lot by the way I used to sketch and draw my characters. Another element is the combination between candy like, colorful images but with slightly dark or mean narrative context and elements.

Meet Lilly and Momo the key keeper - the first characters from a project called 'Lilly in the Pixyland'

3DW: What is the most enjoyable project you have worked on so far in your career and why?
TB: I can say that it was a recent collaboration work with Circus Posterus artists, Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas.

We worked together to bring two of their characters to life as toys and I created the 3D prototypes. It is a wonderful feeling to see and to hold in your hands collectible toys that were created based on your work.

3DW: What 3D tools and techniques do you use on a day-to-day basis?
TB: Polygon modeling technique is one that I use each time I work and also UV mapping.

3DW: What’s your favourite 3D package?
TB: I really enjoy working with Luxology’s modo.

Theo's 'Sea Love'. This 3D character-based illustration was published in the d'artiste Character Design Book by Ballistic Publishing

3DW: What’s your favourite film?
TB: Without any doubt Avatar.

3DW: What’s your favourite animation?
TB: So hard to pick just one out. There are so many of them both from the major studios or short independent films.

Just to answer the question I would say Up. Or Wall E. Or Toy Story. 0r The Lost Thing…

3DW: What advice can you give for aspiring 3D artists looking to break into the industry?
TB: Hmm… what can I say what has not been said before. Believe in yourself and in what you are doing. Don’t give up and when times are hard or you are down, keep going your way.

3DW: Please could you share a technical ‘secret’ or top tip with us on how you work?
TB: One tip that I can share would be to always use Photoshop to enhance you renders. I have learned that no matter how good a rendered image looks straight from the render software it can look better with some minor adjustments in Photoshop.

For example, I used to duplicate the layer with the original image and apply a Soft Light Blending mode to the created layer. This small step will take out the dullness of the original render and will make the image look a lot better.

"I have learned that no matter how good a rendered image looks straight from the render software it can look better with some minor adjustments in Photoshop," says Theo

3DW:Do you have any comments on how the industry has changed since you first started?
TB: One major change I have to mention regards the field of illustration: Based on the fact that 3D hardware and software has became affordable, a lot of new 3D techniques have been used for illustration.

From 3D typography to editorial illustration or character-based illustration, each of these fields has benefitted from the latest changes and have enriched the expression possibilities for a lot of talented artists worldwide, and – at the same time – the demand for 3D-based illustrations has grown in the last few years.

3DW: What’s next for you?
TB: Together with Circus Posterus I plan to release some collectible toys based on my characters, and I will simply keep learning, creating and will try to use the chances that come my way as best I can.

Many thanks to Theo for sharing his insights. We hope you enjoyed Theo’s work and reading this interview.

Don’t forget to visit us next Monday to see who the next 3D artist will be.

Check out some more 3D renders by Theo below:

To see more of Theo’s work, please visit his websites:
www.theodoru.com
apocryph.net