Today we’d like to introduce you to Ralph Sutter.
Ralph, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am originally from the Netherlands where I spent the good first 2/3 of my life. Having grown up in the 80s, I was fascinated by the creature features that were so prevalent in that decade. I loved watching films that relied on animatronic movie characters, monsters and creatures. I was always a big fan of the creatures designed by great artists such as Rick Baker and Stan Winston. I also had a huge passion for cartoons and animation. As far as I can remember I was always drawing and daydreaming that I would one day get to work on films and design monsters.
When I finally graduated from high school, there was not much in my direct vicinity in terms of college that would allow me to pursue my passion for animation. 3D animation and game programs just started gaining traction in the United States, so I decided to look for a program that focused on animation and creating 3D content for games. I also met my current significant other at that time (and we are still together). She is from the Greater Boston area, which ultimately became my main search area for undergraduate programs. I found a college in Brookline (The New England Institute of Art). That offered a program I was interested in (Media Arts and Animation) and made the move from the Netherlands to Boston.
From 2006 to 2010 (when I graduated), I was exposed to all sides of producing digital media for games and film. I started off with traditional animation and then worked my way up to 3D animation. At the time digital sculpting had started to become really big. I soon discovered that this was my true passion! I learned how to digitally design 3D characters in a program called Zbrush, which is essentially digital clay. This really allowed me to do what I had always loved as a child, building and creating amazing characters and creatures.
When I graduated in 2010 I needed to find a job. I was just here on a student visa and only had one month to find a job, otherwise I would have been deported. I ended up lucking out and I was hired at a medical animation firm. Here I was exposed to the more serious side of digital media. We created animations for broadcast and educational media. We also produced our own interactive human anatomy atlas. All of the time I was still sculpting digital characters and building my portfolio.
In 2012 I was approached by Worcester Polytechnic Institute to teach as part of their Interactive Media and Game Development program. I was teaching a great deal of their digital art courses (animation, 3D Modeling, etc.). The position was originally only for a year, but I have never left! I discovered that I have a huge passion for teaching. Working with students, assisting them in honing in on their creativity and helping them achieve their dreams is a tremendous privilege and I love doing it.
Last year, after 11 years of paperwork and immigration woes, I finally got my green card. This allowed me to do a bunch of freelance work so that I could finally start putting my own creativity to use outside of teaching (previously I was only allowed to work for my main employer).
Since receiving my greencard, I have been digitally sculpting characters for everything from video games, theme park rides and film to even the toy and collectible industry (where they 3D print the models to then turn into a physical, tangible, product).
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
The art I create is heavily inspired by the popular films I grew up with. Most of what I do is commercial art as well, so a lot of it is based on existing intellectual properties.
Almost all of what I create is made using a digital sculpting program, where you manipulate polygons that behave like digital clay. You are basically pushing, pulling and carving millions of polygons to get them to look like whatever it is you are wanting to make. It literally is like working with clay, except you are not making a mess.
Why do I create? I have always just had an urge to make things. At least as far as I can remember, I would just get itchy fingers and I would start drawing-now sculpting.
The digital characters I create these days are used mostly for video games and films. But the same techniques I use can make these digital creations useful for a variety of different forms of media. Most recently, I have been creating digital character sculptures that were then 3D printed to be used as the player pieces in a board game.
I think my artwork, though super commercial, really reflects the influence the media had on me when I was a child. There is no shame in loving something. Whether its horror films, creature designs or movie make-up. As long as you love it and let it fuel your creativity, you are absolutely doing the right thing as an artist.
As of right now, I feel like it is a tremendous privilege to be able to do what I love.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I define success as being happy with what you do and being able to sustain yourself with it. Success is a very objective term, but to me I think it is important that you can go to work with a smile on your face whilst at the same time being able to make a living.
For an artist, I think the main contributor to becoming better is the drive to create. The moment you stop creating you stop learning. Every passionate artist will always be working on something. They really need to have a hunger for creating new things…where they wake up in the middle of the night just wanting to make something. This drive to create will, I think, naturally feed into all other aspects of becoming a well-rounded artist.
Artists should be open to criticism and feedback (especially when creating personal work). I see a lot of young artists who either get discouraged by feedback or criticism or (even worse) not working from reference. As an artist, you never stop learning. You should always actively be seeking out to get better at your craft and honing your skills.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Most of my work can be found on my personal site:
http://www.ralphsutter3d.com
I am planning on launching a Kickstarter soon with some of my own 3D printed creature designs, which people can then order as resin statues and busts.
People can also support me by liking and subscribing to my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/foxhound1984
I upload a lot of my content to YouTube and occasionally will also live stream my digital sculpting sessions.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ralphsutter3d.com
- Email: rsutter@ralphsutter3d.com
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/foxhound1984
Image Credit:
Minotaur Image was created for Ragdoll Animation Studio. The rest are personal works.
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