Art Heroes student to 3D Artist

Read on to meet 3D artist and Art Heroes Alum, Terry, who finally got a chance to sculpt her true inspirer "Katana Girl"
In this edition of the Art Heroes blog we hook up with Terry, digital creator of cute and endearing badass "Katana Girl".

Terry tells us why she decided to study with Art Heroes, what she learnt and the most useful tools for getting the most out of the experience.
Meet Terry Fischer
Tell us about yourself
My name's Terry, I live in Berlin and have been working as a 3D artist since 2018. I joined the program because I wanted to learn some new workflows, techniques and improve my skills. I didn't really have a lot of other 3D artists to exchange feedback and tips with, this was a big factor in why I wanted to join the Stylized program.
How it started
What's the name of your Project? Where did the concept come from? Why did you choose it?
My project is rather descriptively titled "Katana Girl" and is based on an illustration by Mau Lencinas. I've had some of Mau's work saved to my inspiration folder for quite a while, but had somehow forgotten about it. At some point, when I was looking for suitable concepts for the course, I stumbled upon it again on Pinterest. I pretty much immediately knew that this was going to be it. Her expression, her style, the floating red skulls… There's nothing I don't love about this concept!
Character Development
What were the main milestones for you?
I went through a lot of iterations with the face. My goal was to make her look cute and endearing while still maintaining that "badass" aspect from the concept. I kept making changes to the face while simultaneously working on other parts of the character with less room for interpretation, like the clothes and accessories, to stay on track with the time frame.

I basically worked on her face up until the last minute, and I'm still not 100% happy with everything, but it certainly was a big milestone when it finally felt like it was going in the right direction. What helped me find that direction and improve the project was continuously gathering good references and the constructive input of others.
Challenges
What were your biggest challenges while working on this project?
Apart from the face, I'd say the rifle. Oh, the rifle...

I had never really modelled a weapon before so the process felt painstakingly slow. I was putting it off and even almost gave up on it, telling myself "hey, I mean, she still has her Katana to defend herself, so technically, she does not *need* that rifle…", since I still had so many other things to take care of. But luckily, my assigned study squad kept encouraging me to further work on it, gave me some really helpful tips and suggested approaches that I had not tried.

So thanks to the wonderful people in my team, the young lady is now sufficiently equipped for battle!
" Always actively seek out feedback, but also give feedback. This helps to train your eyes and brain to spot where there's room for improvement more quickly. "
Terry Fischer
Art Heroes Student
How did you overcome these challenges?
As mentioned before, I've gotten a lot of great feedback from my team and also from instructor, Alfredo on the community forum.

One thing I've learned, mainly in terms of the face, is that sometimes, there isn't one perfect, "correct" solution. At some point, things simply become a matter of personal preference. Of course, there are the hard facts, like the underlying anatomy, that has to be on point. But on this basis, there are still many different directions you can go to arrive at a good result in the end. And it is your job, as an artist, to decide which one to take.

On top of that, I learned a few tricks and workflows in the meetings and live Q&A's that I didn't know before. It's always cool to see how other people use the same program.
What's Next?
What are your plans for the future?
At the moment I don't have any further plans for this particular project. It was a good learning experience and I will apply what I learned to my next projects.
Final Project
Artwork: Terry Fischer
Concept: Mau Lencinas
Useful Links
Connect with Terry on Artstation: terryfischer
Follow Terry on Instagram: el_terro_
Browse Mau's character concepts on Tumbblr: Mau Lencinas


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Text author: Maria JD
Artwork by: Terry Fischer
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