For some of us that have been around the clock a couple of times, it’s a familiar story. Recession means cutbacks, cutbacks mean less work, less work means less money. But it also means plenty of time on your hands to do all those things you’ve been meaning to do for ages, but were far too busy trying to earn a living to get them done.

So what does UK illustrator Steve Linnell do when he has some time on his hands? Learn a new 3D software package of course! For those of you contemplating reaching for the ‘Off’ button at this point (myself included) Steve’s sanity has never been in question and this is not your typical mind-numbingly dull 3D program. Called Z-Brush, it’s actually pretty easy to pick up the basics and quite good fun, especially if you like playing with clay but not getting your hands dirty.

Here are a few of Steve’s first models.

The ‘Smoking Alien’ and ‘Monkey’ have both been worked up in Photoshop afterwards. The rest are just the raw models. The good thing about this program is that there’s plenty of help out there, especially on the Pixologic website, so you can share any problems you might encounter with other like minded individuals. Unfortunately, I’m unable to vouch for their sanity but Steve has obviously got a grip on things.

Categories: General illustration news