The Magic Lamp: Concept Sheet, Drawing, 3D Model, & Turntable

This is a project I created a little over a month ago. For this project I used 3ds Max and Mental Ray for modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering. This project demonstrates concept art, traditional drawing, vector art, and 3d art. The Magic Lamp was done as a skills test to showcase my ability to take an idea and develop it from concept to polished artwork. Initially I was just going to do a sketch and create a 3d Model & Turntable Rendering of it but instead I decided to do a full concept sheet featuring a variety of different spouts, tops, handles, and styles. Then I chose my favorite sketch from the concept sheet and developed it into a finished drawing including a logo to show its possible application as commercial art. From there I decided to do a stylized vector version to display my skills in not only traditional drawing but to show my proficiency in Adobe Illustrator as well. Once all of these elements were done I then went on to model The Magic Lamp in 3ds Max. After the 3d Model was completed I created a scene with emulated studio lighting to place the object in where I proceeded to texture it with a "gold" finish. I decided to add the ruby's for extra pizzazz. Once I was happy with the rendering I animated a turntable to show the consistency of the mesh and texture from all 360 degrees. I was extremely happy with the results and this project ended up being perfect to show my full creative process for my portfolio. My advice to you is when you are working on a project, push yourself as hard as you can to go above and beyond your own expectations. You may end up surprising yourself! Always be your own number one critic :)

Project created with 3ds Max & Mental Ray. For commercial or non-profit use please contact jonakap1@gmail.com for details.

www.kaplandesignlabs.com

Apple VS. Droid: 3d Cartoon Illustration Apple Logo Versus Android Logo

Today I created this illustration in honor of the Apple iphone 5 release. This 3d cartoon is the first of many I have planned for the tablet/ smart phone sector. It is going to be interesting to see what Android manufacturers will respond with especially in light of the recent court decision against Samsung for copyright infringement. Personally I have a droid device and love it but I haven't yet had my own iphone so I can't be sure which is better. Between iOS6, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean, and all the other operating systems that apple and droid have available it is getting hard to keep track of which is which but I will make an illustration/ infographic this week to explore the evolution of the iPhone and Android devices so make sure to check back soon. Let the games begin!

 ** If you would like to use this image or any other image posted on this blog for commercial or non-profit use please email jonakap1@gmail.com for info.**

Green Energy: 3d Renderings of Wind Turbines and Solar Panels in Natural Landscapes

Hello internet! I am very excited to be posting my newest 3d artwork. Recently in my free time I have been working on projects that are relevant to current issues, emerging technologies, news stories, nature, and politics. I created (modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering) this series of 3d landscapes/ illustrations with a focus on "Green Energy" as I felt that there was a major lack of high caliber artwork for such a rapidly expanding and viable industry. For this project I used 3ds Max with Vray to create the images and Photoshop for post production. My goal when creating this project was to produce stunning 3d illustrations that would accentuate the beauty and importance of renewable energy. Enjoy!

(posting description: 3d Renderings & Illustrations of landscapes depicting sources of renewable, green, and alternative energy including Wind Turbines on a green grassy hill with a blue cloudy sky, solar dish mirrors in a desert during sunset surrounded by cactus and boulders, an aquatic wind turbine farm in the ocean on a bright clear sunny day with a shipping boat and Cessna plane in the background, and a solar panel powered energy array in the mountains on a semi sunny day.)

***If you are interested in using these illustrations for non-profit or commercial use feel free to contact me at jonakap1@gmail.com to discuss the terms of use. Hi Resolution images are available upon request without the water mark.***

www.kaplandesignlabs.com

3D Legal Illustrations- Supreme Court Steps

 As you know from previous posts I have been doing a lot of 3D illustrations at work. These were done for the Law/ Legal sector. It is very hard coming up with original content for this category because symbolism of the judicial sector is very limited. I made these as images replicating the steps of The Supreme Court. Although they are great on their own, if they were cropped down as a header or used as a background for a website they would be great additions in creating a visually pleasing web design. My tip for the day is that when brainstorming ideas especially for images/ illustrations with no set specific purpose think of all the different ways an image could be used (for example as a website header, editorial picture, background, asset to a collage, etc. ) and think about who will be the possible consumer for the content you are creating. This will help you to broaden your range of ideas when brainstorming projects.

Programs used: 3ds Max, Vray. All Images in this post are property of Extensoft and Commercial use is prohibited.

3D Medical Illustrations: Cancer, Bacteria, & Blood Cells

A couple of months ago we were doing medical illustrations at work. I always see cool 3d illustrations of cells, viruses, diseases etc. while browsing sites like Web MD or health magazines and I thought I would give it a try. I am very happy with the results. Below are three 3d illustrations. The first one is a mix of cancer and bacteria cells, the second is an illustration of what red blood cells look like floating/ flying through veins, and the third is bacteria on its own. The last image is a collage of some of the assets I created to make the compositions. I always thought that these kind of illustrations would be very hard to create but with a little bit of thought and planning it actually was not too difficult. I created the assets individually in 3ds Max then composited and added some blur and filter passes to give them a realistic feel in Photoshop. My tip for anyone thinking of attempting illustrations like this, or for any other subject matter, is to never be intimidated by the complexity of the idea. If you plan carefully and be thoughtful in the development process then you can make the hardest projects look effortless.