Meet Rodrigo Gelmi

Thanks for speaking to us.
Let’s start by you explaining about your company and what your role is there please.

I used to work in partnership with another studio, the 6B Estudio, until last year. Now I have my own office in São José dos Campos, a small city close to São Paulo. I work as an illustrator with my assistant Bruno, my representative Luciana and our financial manager, Renata. We are still working on our new website but soon you will be able to see some pictures of the studio and the staff team.

Do you produce your own art in addition to the commercial graphics that you create for a living?

I used to but now I don't have enough time for my own art. When I find some free time I like to draw and paint in canvas or watercolor.

Are you formally trained in art?
How did you develop your traditional art skills in addition to your computer talents?

No, I’ve learned almost all by practicing and learning from my colleagues. I like to study and research and the Luxology forum is a good way to learn.

Does your company work through advertising agencies or do you also do work directly for certain customers?

We work through advertising agencies; it is better this way, because they have an art director, an art buyer, a creative director... They know what to do and I think that it is easier this way. The agency deals with the client and we execute the job requested.

Your work is prominently featured in the Luxology Gallery and some of your images like the sheep image have been among the most popular in the entire Gallery. Tell us, how have the images you contribute to the Gallery have affected your life and even your business?

Wow, the gallery on the Luxology website has affected us a lot. We know that some art directors like to visit the gallery to search for illustrators, so with my images in the gallery I make my work more visible. A lot of users write to me asking for tips or some tutorial, but unfortunately I have few time to answer all the requests, but it makes me really proud. I think that the gallery is a good way to prospect new clients to work with.

You seem to create images at a rapid pace. There is no such thing as a “typical project” but tell us, approximately how long does it take you to create an image for a client?

I’ve learned how to deal with the time demands. As I work with the advertising world, most of time the deadlines are so short that I have had to find a way to work fast but also with quality. Each project has a deadline. For example, the Macaw image took me four days to do, but at the same time I was working in other two images which were not so as complex. Usually I have to make two or three images in production at the same time, so I send the preview to the client and while waiting for the answer I start working on other art. Sometimes I have to put an illustration on render and while waiting I work in another illustration. I work on several images in parallel.

At the beginning of a project, do you generally receive concept art or do you come up with sketches or simple renderings to get the client’s go ahead to produce the final art?

Sometimes they send the layout of the art and we have just to make it, but most of time they send us the briefing and we have to send then a rough, after that we work on the layout for the client approval, and finally we go to the final art.

How much of your commercial work involves 3D? Do your customers ask for 3D or do you just choose to use it?

90% of the jobs are 3D. I think that they ask so much for the 3D because today we can produce almost everything in 3D and you have more control of the art made in 3D then with photography. So the agency really has more freedom to create even impossible situations. And it is cheaper sometimes to make a virtual scene than to really make it and photograph. The funny thing is that almost every time when they know that the image is a 3D image, even if it is perfect they still say that it is looking like 3D. Sometimes we photograph some objects and we send to the art director, and they call me and say that the object is looking too much 3D!

Do you sometimes shoot your own photography for projects, or perhaps use stock images?

Yes, I have a little photo studio to take some photographs and use as texture, reference or even to compose with the 3D work.

When did you first start using modo? Why do you stay with it?

I first used modo 3 years ago. I used to work with Lightwave 3D but I’ve changed to modo because the software is better for my needs. For example modo has the sculpt/paint tools that work for me pretty well and the interface works better for me too. modo is perfect for anyone who works with adverting.

What is your favorite part of the 3D process? For example modeling, rendering, other?

I like most the render, because this is where I use my skills as an artist. I have to create the texture, the light that works best for my project, the right angle, etc. It is the best part of the process for me.

I have seen your first image done with modo 401. What impact is this new version of modo having for you?

modo 401 have a lot of good changes, I find the new tools are very useful in my work. For example the fur and the replicators are finding a place in my work and 401 also renders faster than modo 302, and this is great for me. Recently we made an image for a client that involved fur and a jungle with lots of trees and it was so easy to make it on modo 401. The process was so easy and render speed was so fast that I couldn’t believe that the work was already done by the end of the day. I tell you, with modo 401 I have even improved my quality of life because I have more free time to have fun or just to rest.

Do you get much demand for animation?

No and yes. There is a demand, but I don’t really like to work with animation. Animation takes a lot of time to do and I like to have new projects each week.

You are very generous about sharing your techniques on the Forum. Do you also get something back from the modo community?

Yes, sometimes they share textures and news with me. I think it would be great to have a kind of exchange part on the Luxology website. Some database to exchange models, textures, etc. A lot of users write to me asking for the model, the preset or the texture and I usually send by email, but if the website could have some place to put those things to make it available to all the users it would be easier.

Editor’s Note: Since our conversation with Gelmi, Luxology has introduced such a system, called Asset Sharing. It is accessible here on our website.

When you look back, what images that you have produced with modo are special to you? Perhaps they are special due to what you learned, or how the customer reacted.

Well, this question is hard for me because I like all of them. But if I had to choose one, I would say the Goblin family, because I won a prize from Luxology and I had the chance to choose a model to be printed in a 3D printer. It was amazing to touch one of my creations, to have it materialized.

Thank you Gelmi!