3D Total is sponsoring Art War 4 with killer prizes again this year! Here, we talk to the Studio Director, Simon, to get an inside scoop on the inner-workings of the company, what they look for in artists, and up and coming work!

What is 3dtotal in a nutshell?

3dtotal is a simple company with very straight forward aims, however the way we achieve them is less simple and involves multiple elements. To put it all in a nutshell though, we are - 

• A successful art book publisher making top quality tutorial and inspirational books focussed on art at the concept/imaginative/fantasy and sci-fi end of the artistic spectrum
• The creator of widely used and high quality human and animal anatomy reference figures
• The publisher of the increasingly popular Character Design Quarterly magazine which features the most incredible artists and illustrators from around the world
• An epic database of tutorials, news articles, interviews and gallery images all of which are hosted on the 3dtotal site, which has been in existence for 20 years this year (2019)
• A company very focussed on charitable work and what we can do to help climate change and some of the other problems the world faces today. The success of the 4 elements above this one allows us to do that.

- A large portion of the team in 3D Total's owner, Tom Greenway's amazing treehouse

What makes you unique?

This is a great question and tough to answer across the 5 elements listed above, as each of them actually has something unique about them that makes them work for us.

I’ll answer the question in the context of the publishing side of the company though, as that is significantly the biggest. We are in many ways a traditional publishing company, selling books around the globe through online sales and retail etc. However we like to build our books ourselves. We plan the title, work with top quality artists to make sure we’re covering pertinent topics, employ the best artists available to create the content for us and edit and market the book with specific goals in mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new digital painting title, or a book about traditional sculpting, we like to control the content so we are sure the final book is as valuable as possible to its future owner.

- Fantastic book about drawing robots vehicles and other hard surface, sci-fi themed items

This is an approach that you would be more likely to see from a magazine publisher covering multiple topics, but by doing it on one topic, with multiple, incredible artists, and having a consistent and skilled editor to bring it all together, means readers get a focussed and broad education on the subject they are particularly interested in. It adds levels of difficulty as there are as many approaches to doing something creative as there are artists that do it, so we work hard to sculpt the content into something that will both educate and inspire its readers.

Can you tell us how 3D Total has evolved into a community? 

This is another interesting question. Artists using our site 10 years ago would have waxed lyrical about our vibrant forums and the community that existed there. We used to host huge competitions and there was a great sense of camaraderie between the artists that supported each other as they learnt the basics of 3ds Max or Modo. 

- Character Design Quarterly Magazine 

As the years went by forums decreased in popularity and the world moved on to social media, meaning our online presence in that regard has changed a lot. We no longer host forums and artists spend more time sharing work through their own outlets like Facebook and Instagram where they can get input and comments from artists around the world.

- Mythical Beasts is a book about researching and developing creature designs 

Forums absolutely still have a place and some communities flourish using them, but we responded to this change by working on our social presence and shifting our focus to products to support the artistic community as a whole. This was a great move for us and means that we are now more of a product based company than an online presence.

- Character Design Quarterly Magazine 

We continue to showcase artists and have a community on our website in our gallery section, but additionally we can let the world know about artist through our books and magazines, and talk about these products and peoples learning journey through book reviews and social media posts. Very little gives us more pleasure than a great Youtube reviewer talking about how they started their career with one of our books. So we are still very much so a community, but a broader one trying to provide a community of artists with the resources and knowledge they need to succeed as a professional artist.

Can you tell us about your charity work?

3dtotal pledges to donate at least 10% of its profits to charity every year. We do this a variety of ways and often use the work of Effective Altruism to designate funds to the most effective causes. Additionally in recent years we have become increasingly concerned about climate change. 

Alongside making additional efforts to be carbon neutral, we launch a non-profit project every year under the name Earth Draw where we work with artists to create a crowd funding project where all of the profits go to an environmental cause. This year we are working with 28 amazing artists who have created unique artwork for us to sell as prints in November. It’s always amazing to see the willingness of top industry professionals to match our own eagerness to work for free to create funds for a good cause.

Do you hire artists? 

3dtotal’s staff currently consists of 1 Managing Director, 1 Studio Manager (Me), 1 Assistant Manager, 1 Publishing Manager, 1 Lead Designer, 3 Editors, 3 Designers, 1 Developer, 1 Marketing Coordinator, 1 Board Game Designer, 1 Advertising Sales Manager, 1 Publishing Coordinator and 1 Post Room Coordinator. You will notice an absence of artists in that list.

-3D Total team planting trees for the Heart of England Forest

We hire artists from around the world to create content for us. The beauty of this is that we don’t rely on the skill set of a small pool of people that work in our office. The artists that contribute to our projects do so because we think they are the most suitable individual for the task. 

- An editor (Marisa) taking a tutorial by Shaun Bryant for a spin

Over the years I must have commissioned over 1000 artists from a huge list of different countries, backgrounds and which have a massively diverse range of skills. Just the other day I spoke to Jama Jurabaev who I commissioned about 9 or 10 years ago for 2dartist magazine, and now he is working on some of the most exciting aspects of some of the biggest blockbuster movies gracing our screens. It’s fantastic to be able to witness that sort of career from the beginning. 

- An article we printed featuring the fantastic Creature Box

As I mentioned earlier, each of our books is custom created and could feature 10 or more artists. Our Sketching from the Imagination books contain 50 artists in each of them. To create that content we hire a specific artist. At any given time I would estimate 20 - 50+ artists are working on content for us, whether it is a book or an article for the website.

What do you look for in freelance artists? Do you use them on a recurring basis or does it depend on the project? 

This is important to us and an important part of what makes 3dtotal work as a business, therefore meaning it is something I keep a close eye on. When you look at an artist portfolio you almost subconsciously go through a tick list, but to simplify (and not give away too many secrets) I would suggest we are looking for quality and consistency. When you commission someone you almost want to be able to sense what the outcome of the commission will be, and a simple and consistent display of an artist’s best work is the most powerful way to give that level of assurance to a potential future employer.

-Animal anatomy reference figures initially sculpted by Gaël Kerchenbaum

That subconscious tick list is generated by an understanding of our audience and a passion for the quality of our books, website and magazines. Over time you develop an unwillingness to compromise on that subconscious tick list which ensures the quality of your output and therefore it’s perception by our customers and community. I think that is the standard by which all top creative companies employ freelancers and the reason we go from strength to strength.

If we have reliable freelancers we will always find more work for them. Immediately a few spring to mind who consistently blow me away with the quality of what they do, combined with the reliability with which they deliver it.

Where do you generally look for artists? 

We will look almost anywhere. 3dtotal, Artstation, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook etc. All of these formats are perfectly designed to send you down a rabbit’s warren of art. Some of those options are better than others depending on what we are commissioning. For example, if I was looking for a digital painter I would be drawn to Artstation, you can see so much in a short amount of time and most of the top painters have a presence there. If I am looking for a 3d artist I might use Artstation, but I might also look at the new people posting art on the 3dtotal site. Picking up new talent is always rewarding and I find we get a lot of submissions from developing artists and students.

- Full family of 3D Total's anatomy reference figures

Instagram is always a great place to look because it also gives a good impression of an artists appeal to the creative community through the engagement of their posts.

What is the most important thing an artist should possess? 

Wow, I’m not sure I can pinpoint one thing. If I was pushed I would say ‘passion to improve’. If we’re commissioning an artist they already have the skill set and ability, but passion takes you a long way and makes sure you deliver your best to an employer every time. I think some people will presume all artists are passionate as they are doing something they love, but after working with a lot of artists you will find some can settle on something that doesn’t represent their best.

-Loish at her book launch and live painting demo.

A truly passionate artist is always trying to do better which is perfect for the employer. Sometimes that passion is perceivable in artist’s work and the way they talk about it which should be considered, particularly when they are posting on social media channels.

There is an amazing artist called Pascal Campion. He often talks about how he feels like he isn’t good enough and how he thinks everyone else is better (in fantastic mini comic format), but his art is mind blowing. I think it can be a common feeling for an artist, but represents a passion for improvement and growth which will take an artist a very long way.

Can you tell us about any projects you’re currently working on? What is the process?

Well at any given time we have a lot of books in a production process, either being planned, commissioned, edited or designed. I’ll talk about a couple that I am particularly excited about. 

We are working on a book called The Fundamentals of Creature Design. This will be focussed on the process of creating believable and original designs and will create a solid foundation for artists interested in creating creatures for games or movies. It will look at using existing animal anatomy as well as interpreting the requirements of an environment to create designs that look functional but still exciting and unique. The artists involved with this project are right at the top of their game and it takes a really enlightening and complete look at the creature design process.

-Other 3D Total titles

This book is in the planning/commissioning phase which I find most important. It’s a bit like creating a painting. We’re setting the composition and sketch at the moment. If you don’t get that right, no level of pampering will save it later. But if you get it right the sky's the limit for the book.

This will go on to be fully commissioned and as the content comes in the editorial team will begin to work their magic to construct a resourceful and engaging book. The design team then take over and work closely with the editorial team to ensure the final product gets the approval of the management team. It is a long process and takes about 14 months in total.

- Sketching from the Imagination 

Additionally we’re making a traditional sculpting book with the Shiflett Brothers. These guys are simply incredible and they are some of the nicest guys you could wish to work with. I’ve recently been trying my hand at a little traditional sculpting so I’m looking forward to benefiting from their mountain of expertise and experience.

What advice would the company give to ambitious artists out there? 

Don’t compare your art to fellow students. If your ambitious look at what the top guys and gals are doing. Say you dream job is working at Naughty Dog. Get on line follow their artists and set that as your benchmark. Particularly in rural areas you will find art courses that give great training, but you get blinkered by the artists around you and might start to feel your achieving a level you can be happy with.

-Published works by 3D Total

This all comes back to passion again. Push for the best, work hard and don’t settle. Always believe your next piece can be better and practice and study to make sure it is.

A special thanks to Simon Morse, Studio Manager or 3dtotal, for answering all our questions. Simon began his career at 3dtotal as a Project Assistant working on 2D artist and 3D creative magazines. Over the following 3 years he progressed through different editorial positions to the role of publishing manager before leaving 3dtotal to spend a 3 year period managing a children's book publisher and illustrate a few books himself. 

Simon returned to 3dtotal in 2015 as the Studio Manager and used the experience to help grow the publishing activity on 3dtotal. Simon loves to paint using Procreate and has even recently been trying his hand at traditionally sculpting in clay. 

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