Interview with 3D Production Artist II, Kayla Roskopf

Kayla Roskopf is a 3D Production Artist II at New Balance in Massachusetts.  Originally from Syracuse NY, Kayla is a graduate of the Digital Animation & Visual Effects School in Orlando, FL and LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY.  She is an avid gamer, loves music, live shows and playing the guitar.

What’s an average week at New Balance look like?
As a 3D Production Artist, I work closely the design team bringing visualizing their 2D designs in 3D.  On Any given week you can find me in the office building 3D visualizations of everything from concept shoes to shoes that are in production.  I receive plenty of interesting projects that range from building assets for social media to creating real time assets.

How did you first get introduced to digital art?
I've always been interested in working in the digital arts and from a very young age I've always enjoyed movies and video games. For me, it was more then just watching or playing. I found myself wondering what goes into creating such masterpieces.

How did you learn your craft?
I studied game design at the Digital Animation & Visual Effects School located at Universal Studios Orlando FL..  

What aspect of the digital art process do you like most?
Modeling has always been my favorite aspect of digital art.  There is nothing more rewarding to me as a digital artist than having something take shape that I personally created.  I have no preference when it comes to the type of modeling, I have a love for both hard surface and organic modeling.  Whether I am sculpting a character or building out a futuristic weapon, I find myself excited for the final form to manifest.

What are some your favorite projects that you worked on?
Working at New Balance, there have been many, exciting and exclusive projects.  My favorite would have to have been working on the New Balance Kawhi Leonard Basketball shoes.  Those assets were used in both internal and external marketing.  It’s exciting to see them doing so well and to know that something I created is used in so many different situations and to make many complex decisions.

What hobbies away from the computer do you have?

Living in Massachusetts affords me a wide array of places to visit, such as a personal favorite, Salem. I’m also a massive gamer.  On any given day when I am not at the office or working on a project, you can find me playing Dead by Daylight or Call of Duty with my friends.   Some of my all-time favorite games from the past include Silent Hill 2, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Alice: Madness Returns. 

Music is my life!  I love going out and catching live music whenever I can. I also play the guitar for my own personal enjoyment.  My favorite bands are My Chemical Romance and Senses Fail.

What advice would you give someone interested in product visualization?
My advice would be to work on your portfolio and never stop working on it.  I’ve notice coming into this industry that those who can set themselves aside from the pack are the ones who continue to update their work.  By doing so, new students and self-taught artists stand out for jobs, freelance, etc. 

Often, we can become comfortable when we reach a certain point and slow the quantity and quality of our art.   There is never a time to get comfortable in such an innovative industry.  Continue to make great things which will in turn help sell yourself as a great artist.  

I’d also recommend working on one’s social skills. A great deal of the work I do involves communicating with others. A great deal of wasted time and headaches can be avoided with clear communication.

What tools do you have in your digital arts toolkit?
Foundry’s Modo is the most important tool I have in my kit, I use it for modeling, UVing, baking textures, animating and rendering.  I find it to be the fastest and easiest way to create assets compared the other tools I have worked with.  However, that doesn’t stop me from using other programs such as Zbrush and Maya for certain circumstances.  I have a love for making real time assets, so I use Unreal Engine and Unity.

What are some of the challenges you face as a digital artist?
One of my biggest challenges include knowing when to call a project finished.  I tend to be a perfectionist and that line between working on a project and calling it done is hard for me to see.  I feel I need to get better at calling something done when I begin questioning myself over and over whether it is or not.  I’ve learned this is a common issue among artists, so it’s kind of nice to know I’m not alone with this challenge.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on building the next customizable shoe for work and at home I have a couple of character projects I am slowly wrapping up, one of which includes a Yoda from the television series Star Wars: Clone Wars.

What is the most unique project you’ve worked on?
I would say creating a shoe for use in a customization program.  Thousands of renders were needed for each different part of the asset in each different variation of those parts.  This was the first time I had ever done something like this which made it incredibly unique to me.  We pulled our team together to split up the work and cover more ground in a fraction of the time. 

How has your work changed over the years?
As the years have passed, I notice I have grown more and more attentive to my polygon flow and organization.  Starting out, I learned the fundamentals that I use today.  However, being a novice modeler back then, it was difficult to implement them all.  I often find myself revisiting old models and shaking my head.  For example, I would find myself placing 6-sided stars on smooth surfaces model or failing to clean up unnecessary geometry.

What is the last game you played?
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and I highly recommend it!  Both the story and design were outstanding.  It was so great to immerse myself in such gorgeous worlds within the Star Wars universe.  Very well-done game!

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today.

And thank you so very much for having me!  I really appreciate it!

To see more of Kayla’s work, visit her personal web site at: http://www.kaylaroskopf.com