Ben Lodge

Reading Time | 2 minutes

Hi, Ben! We would like you to start by describing your creative process; how do you tackle a project?

I like to grab inspiration from just about everywhere and everything. When I start an image, I’ll fill folders with reference of anything even tangentially related to what I’m making—whether it’s something major like a piece of similar concept art, or something as minor as an interesting highlight across the surface of an Ikea catalogue product. Everything can be useful in its own way.

After that, I generally work in layers: starting by throwing some polygons and cameras around to find my composition and whittling that base slowly into a polished image. I try to work on most things simultaneously so any one portion will not have significantly more finish than other portions of the image. This generally allows me to have a homogenous, complete looking image, however ‘finished’ the project happens to be at any given time.

That’s a really great approach! It’s really easy to get lost in the details, especially in a complex or elaborate project. I’ve found that having a holistic mindset is key among successful animators.

Waterfall (Morning, Evening, and Night)

How about life outside of work?

Outside of work and making art, I’m sort of a tinkerer. At any given time I’ve probably got half a dozen projects around the house in various states of completion; motorcycle restoration, wood carving, electrical circuit repair, etc. Things that involve some sort of puzzle that needs solving. I also cycle, rock climb, do mud runs, and play Airsoft when the mood strikes.

Little Robbit. Original concept by Shelby Pearson

Any plans for the future?

I plan to keep making art and keep moving forward, whatever that looks like. With the internet being what it is, it’s very easy to get connected to projects with people from all over the planet. So when things get slow at the office, there is always some new technique to study or some new project to throw myself into. There are so many things out there to try and so very few hours in the day in which to try them. Constantly striving to find and do something new and interesting keeps me from feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of awesome artwork in the world.

Thanks for taking the time to share your awesome artwork with us!

Created in Zbrush for Fantasy Flight Games.