Interview with John Kearney
 Q. Hi could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background in CG and are you self taught or taken some training?
I’m a 28 year old English artist with over 10 years experience, most of which have been as a 3D artist in the games industry. I’m self-taught for the most part, I entered the industry at the age of 18 and it was the perfect baptism of fire. I learnt all about deadlines and pressure early on, and I feel the experience benefited me greatly.
Q. 3D or 2D which you like the most and there are very few artists which are good in 3D and 2D both, what is the secret behind this?
Ah, this is tough, if you had to push me I would probably take 2D - just about. The main reason for this is because there are fewer technical limitations. With 3D, you find that 5 years down the line, your previous 3D work tends to look a little dated, and the main reason for that is because of new technological advancements. Take skin and hair as an example (especially hair), you’re pretty much constrained by your software and hardware. With a 2D painting I’m able to just paint those elements however I like with absolutely no technical fuss or trickery, the final result is timeless. Although, I must admit, part of the charm with 3D is trying to get the best out of your software within the imposed limitations.
Q. So, you are a freelancer, can we know what the reason of leaving the seven years games industry experience and working freelance? How much happy you are with your decision?
Sure, I felt the time was right to move on and explore new things. It was a chance for me to spread my wings, move away from 3D and push my 2D ability onward. I have always enjoyed painting, but I never had the chance in a professional capacity, I was too busy being asked to model and texture all sorts of things. In fact, I don’t think any of my former colleagues realised I could paint. I have been very happy with my decision. It’s been a successful year for me and I’ve managed to do a lot, with the pinnacle probably being the privilege of painting the special edition covers for Future Publishing’s ImagineFX magazine.
Q. Tell something about your next-gen games development studio and what will be special in this studio comparison to others if you like to disclose?
This is a great question! I can’t mention too much for obvious reasons, but I can say that I would not contemplate the idea of setting up a new dev studio unless I had a lot of confidence in the people around me. Luckily, I’m excited to say that I will be working with the most talented of my former colleagues and for that reason more than any other I believe we will be able to compete at the highest possible level.
Q. Your current work “The Fallen” is very unique. Where do you find the inspiration?
Thank you, The Fallen wasn’t planned, it just happened. I sat down one day, decided to sketch something and hit on a nice character pose with a decent combination of colours. I chose to take it further and gradually refined it over a period of months, doing an hour or two here and there. Things tend to evolve.
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