It’s time for another ride in gorgeous fantasy environments! I am very happy to receive Jacinta Vu, 3D Environment Artist in freelance, who likes to get her inspirations from the games she loves most – but also the beautiful world we are living in.
As someone not really ‘making’ games, I am still amazed at all the work game artists can do by themselves – on their free time – because they love doing so. Spending too much time on something definitely makes my head hurt, but I can’t stop looking at Jacinta’s work. Hope you will enjoy learning more about her journey and creative routine while discovering some of her creations!
Hi Jacinta! Should we start with an introduction of yourself?
Hi my name is Jacinta, a Vietnamese American 3D environment artist who specializes in handpainted landscapes with a touch of PBR stylings. I am based in the Midwest of the United States and I’ve been freelancing with a variety of clients for the last 6 years.
When was the first time you were introduced to video games?
I come from an immigrant family who didn’t have the resources to play games, but my cousins had access to the Playstation 1 and we bonded over a bunch of silly games. Eventually we upgraded to the PS2 and started playing SSX Tricky every single day. The PS2 was where the floodgates opened because that’s where I gained access to the worlds of Kingdom Hearts, Rachet and Clank, MX Unleashed and so many other games I could play or watch with my cousins. This transitioned into us playing Pokemon and then eventually I was introduced to League of Legends and that’s when life changed for me.
Johanna: Phew, the memories…! I have played most of these games when I was in elementary school, though I have followed the entire Ratchet and Clank franchise over the years when it went on PS3. Fun gameplay, colourful worlds, while staying at home with nothing to worry about. There is something about the 00’s…
How did you end up working as a 3D Environment Artist?
Originally I wanted to be a splash artist for League of Legends, but then I quickly realized, I hate drawing. I love painting so much, but drawing wasn’t my niche and games had such an impact on me so I wanted to continue searching for something in that field. I tried everything, from being a concept artist for characters to a technical director for animation and in the end I realized I only enjoyed making the backgrounds for games. I love telling stories through environments and environment artists get to wear so many different hats! We get to make shaders, VFX, light scenes, set dress and so much more!
Johanna: YES! You not only do the props, but the scene as a whole as there are various components that play their role in giving a certain mood or atmosphere in backgrounds. In your Vanarana’s world, I especially enjoy the purple pastel sky and the cute herb lamps, not to mention the smol creatures chilling on leaves… I really want to live in one of these huts.
What are the main challenges you are facing when working on a project?
Technical blockers! For personal projects, an environment artist has to do SO MUCH. We have to set up all of our tools on our own and we have to put it all together on our own. For studio work, we share those responsibilities with Tech artists, VFX artists, art directors and other environment artists on the team. Being able to do it all is a blessing, but can be super overwhelming at first!
Do you have any favorite games in terms of environment and props?
I am absolutely in love with the game Genshin Impact because of how the environments look. I first started playing because of the look of the game and as I got obsessed, I got to watch as the art team grew together and the newer maps and areas of the game are exponetially better than the beginning areas! Every screenshot you take is stellar and it’s just a wealth of reference. It’s a gorgeous game that I learned so much from as a handpainter as well. I also love the environments in Kirby and the Forgotten Land! Everything feels so cute and lovely, but they don’t feel plasticy or toy like. The playful shape language of the foliage and shader work is so inspiring to look at.
Are there important themes you like to represent in your work?
I like consuming whimiscal and fantasy environments and my favorite thing to do is set dress a scene with a story or history in mind. Adding little nooks and crannys that have little stories draw the viewer in and also make players remember.
Have you worked on projects that now have a special place in your heart?
My Royal Library piece was a work of love because at the beginning of the project I genuinely didn’t know where I was going as an environment artist and I didn’t know what I wanted from myself. It took so long to finish because I was forcing myself to create when I should have let myself create with love and care and eventually the project evolved into a completely different vision than the one I originally had in mind. It was like watching myself grow as a person in a form of art.
Johanna: This is probably one of my favourites from your portfolio. The lighting in there is mindblowing, it’s almost as if we can feel the warmth of the sunlight coming from stained glass pieces. It reminds me of Piltover for some reason.
Do you have any creative routine to keep being inspired?
Take so many breaks and actually let yourself rest. When a game comes out or a new area or game mode in a game I’m already obsessed with releases, I let myself become fully immersed and I let myself actually have fun. In doing that, I find myself growing my artistic vision and reinspiring myself over and over again. When art gets hard, brute forcing it can hurt you and I personally learned to let myself chill and have fun. Unplug and go offline and see those environments in real life and get inspired by the same world your favorite games were originally inspired by. You live in it too.
How do you balance your work and your mental health?
Similar to the last point, I let myself rest when I don’t feel the motivation or feel like I am lacking. Something that is very hard for me as an artist is getting over my imposter syndrome and also learning to love and be more confident in myself. You can say that you like your art, but actually and truly believing that is hard.
Surrounding myself with people who love me and what I create and wholeheartedly support me has helped me tremendously not only as an artist, but as a person. Having that support network allows me to fail comfortably and fail often so then I can succeed. I have my friends to thank for my ability to keep creating, without them it would be exponentially harder for me to keep loving myself and my craft. However, little by little, I am learning to stand on my own and truly appreciate my skills. It’s a work in progress!
Any last words you would like to share?
I really wanted to thank Johanna for thinking of me and reaching out to me. It means a lot that people want to hear what I want to say! Overall, I think people need to learn how to love themselves and their craft. No matter how long the journey takes, know that they have people there for them and if they don’t think they do, I’m there for them.
Jacinta Vu – 3D Environment Artist
ArtStation / Twitter
Thank you so much Jacinta for taking the time to share your journey with us. You heard her: take the time you need when necessary by digging the worlds of your favorite games but also the one we are living in. See you guys in two weeks!
