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Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Available for asset work.
Beaverton, United States
vfxart.ds@gmail.com

Summary

Visual artist and storyteller across media and genres.
Previous employers include Lucasfilm, Nike, Universal, Activision, with clients including NBC, Electronic Arts, Playmates Toys, and more.
I've been an illustrator, story artist and fiddler, as well as hard surface vehicle, prop, environment, and creature creator.
My creative history spans game dev (12 titles as concept and production artist, plus additional pitch and dev/bible art titles), animation (Star Wars The Clone Wars television series in particular), illustration (various book and magazine works), interior design/concept (Universal Studios storefront properties), footwear (digital materials at Nike), as well as traditional drawing, painting, and sculpting.

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Skills

Concept ArtDigital PaintingIllustrationStoryboarding3D ModelingDigital SculptingHard Surface ModelingTexturingPaintingSculptingDrawingStorytellingModelbuilding

Software proficiency

Modo
Modo
Maya
Maya
ZBrush
ZBrush
Substance 3D Painter
Substance 3D Painter
Substance 3D Designer
Substance 3D Designer
Photoshop
Photoshop
Illustrator
Illustrator
After Effects
After Effects
3DCoat
3DCoat
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
Octane Render
Octane Render
Plasticity
Plasticity

Productions

    • TV Production
      Star Wars The Clone Wars
    • Year
      2009
    • Role
      ATD
    • Company
      Lucasfilm

Experience

  • Hard Surface Artist at OTOY
    Beaverton, US
    November 2022 - February 2023

    Hard surface(model and texture) on starship assets for The Roddenberry Archive/RNDR project.

    Knowledge of the ship assets, their real world construction, history, and elements used in their construction were faithfully replicated.

  • Virtual Material Artist at Nike
    Beaverton, Oregon
    March 2017 - May 2022

    Material and shader development for high end footwear visualization. Aim of works is for output to be indistinguishable from real product imagery.

  • ATD at Lucasfilm Animation
    Nicasio Ca
    March 2009 - May 2013

    'I fix spaceships (and props, and sets, and Jedi).' Asset technical direction/conforming/fixes for episodic development of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Specific tasks related to ensuring that the modeling, texturing, rigging of digital assets met pipeline needs, visual standards, and best practices. Directed internal and outsource artists. Exceptional scheduling and communication was a must. Identified and tracked asset bugs, secured engineering and artist resources, verified fixes, and performed final review and approval for those fixes via asset renders, dailies submissions, notes/feedback/tracking of information to/from dailies sessions. Additionally, facilitated “lessons learned” reports and created strategies to mitigate future issues.

  • Digital Artist at vfxart- Battlestar Galactica
    July 2009 - October 2009

    Hard surface model, texture and look dev. for hero vehicles and sets for a pitch/trailer to remaster the visual effects of the 1978 series, utilizing the intended formatting and sequences lost to budget constraints. Pitch team consisted of artists who produced the visual effects for the reboot series. 'Battlestar Galactica brought to you by the creators of Battlestar Galactica.'

  • Character and Hard Surface Artist at Spin Punch Games
    June 2013 - September 2013

    As other SP listing.

  • Character and Hard Surface Artist at SpinPunch Games
    September 2014 - January 2015

    Contract artist for numerous html5 games, new IP and established/released IP works.

    Concept, model, texture, rig, animation on character, creature, vehicle and weapon assets.

  • Concept and Texture Artist at Activision - Raven Software
    Middleton, Wisconsin
    July 2002 - December 2006

    Concept and texture work on AAA video games. Five titles in a 4 1/2 year period, plus art support on others.

  • Concept and dev artist at vfxart
    January 1997 - Present

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