Interview with Steven Stahlberg



Please tell something about yourself, family and your background in the CG.

I’m Swedish/Australian, I’m married with 2 boys and we live in Malaysia now. I’m completely self-taught in CG, but I had a few years of traditional art school before getting into that.


Your art always include sexiest women and mostly nude. So, your wife doesn’t have any objection on this and how you show your art to the children?

No. We’re both mature and from a culture open about the human body. The kids? They don’t care, they’re bored by my work.


Once you said, Americans often prefer bigger breasts, while Brazilians prefer bigger butts. So you are with Americans or Brazilians? And don’t you think ‘bigger is better’ don’t work here.

I don’t really like bigger than average breasts that much, so I guess I’m with the Brazilians on this one.


Which software you used for modeling and why?

Maya only, so far. Not Zbrush yet, mostly due to lack of time and the difficulties I have of getting used to the navigational hotkeys.


Which are your preferred method of modeling Poly, Nurbs or splines and what’s the reason of that?

Polygons, definitely. I started out learning NURBS but polygons are better for organic branching surfaces.


You have never thought of creating a Training DVD on creating a sexiest women modeling and texturing?

A book, maybe. A DVD would be pirated. I already have run 3 sold-out workshops online (through CGTalk) on this very subject, so in fact a book would be the next logical step. If I ever get time.


Tell us about Optidigit and Androidblues, and you are always in Malaysia or roaming everywhere.

Me and my partner tried to start a company here in Malaysia. We called it Optidigit. Our business idea was to be a teaching center and production center at the same time; this part of our business we named Android Blues, after my screenplay. We knew from the start it was going to be difficult, because the market inside Malaysia is tiny, but there are many advantages here too. We were counting on help from the government, who were promising stuff left and right. But we dont get any help. We then found a local partner who promised money but they ran out of it after a few months. We then found an international client who promised a big contract, but he was jailed for fraud less than a year later… in short, Optidigit closed after three years of agonizing. Now, I freelance from my home, and everything is much better. I also do some traveling to give seminars and workshops.


Tell us something about your recent or upcoming projects.

Recently I lectured in Copenhagen for two weeks, before that three days in Taiwan. Both wonderful visits to exotic places.


Please tell us about your favourite work and in brief about making too.

I guess my favorite would still be ‘One Last Time’, the girl with the dragon-snake thing… no particular reason, I just think it turned out better than my other stuff that’s all. Making it? I started with a 2d image, which I finished perhaps a little too much. That took about 1 week. Then I used that as reference and made a 3d version, which took about 2 weeks.


What are your hobbies and where do you see yourself in 5 years?I love to collect and watch good movies. In 5 years? I have no idea. I’d like to be more involved somehow with movie making.

Please describe your free time, if you have any.Watching TV, jogging, finding and trying new restaurants, playing with the kids…


Would you like to give any message to the readers?

Never trust a government promise. Never trust a promise from a big corporation either; in fact, never put your trust in anyone’s promise, the money is NOT yours until it’s in your hands.

Thanks a lot Steven for taking out sometime for us from your busy schedule.


This interview was first published in CGArena Magazine May Issue