Javier Avendano

Review

Tell us about yourself: Who are you, what do you love to do and where are you from?

My name is Javier Avendaño, a concept artist living in Mexico. I love to draw and play games. Sadly, I don’t have enough time for the latter. I moved close to the forest to live with my dog and to focus on painting.

Minions

Illustration done during David Ko’s (Riot concept artist) mentorship

What were the biggest problems you faced when you started out as a 2D artist?

Technically, there is always something. First, you have to learn all the basic skills like perspective, anatomy, gesture, clothes, color, etc. However, the hardest topic I have found was design. I’m trying to juggle all of them at the same time. Moreover, another problem I have faced was knowing what I like the most: characters, environments, or illustrations. Focusing too much on finding a voice was something that has been holding me.

Centaur

Centaur Character Design for games

What made you decide to take a mentorship at CGVerse?

I was having problems finding a job, but mainly I was lost on what path I wanted to follow as a digital artist. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to work for the animation industry or the game industry or do environment design or character design. Also, whether going realistic or stylized when it comes to the art style. Therefore, I needed help to focus my efforts.

Priest

Riot style inspired Character for games

What did you do during the mentorship and what helped you on each task?

I developed four characters in four months. My mentor, David Ko, helped us to see things the way a professional artist does. For instance, sometimes you don’t apply the theory that you might think you know to your artwork. David helps you not lose direction on what you are trying to reach, as an art director.

Feedback

David Ko provided detailed suggestions and drew over

How did you feel about your mentor and mentorship?

I won’t lie, it was very hard in the beginning. I was coming from lots of rejections at finding a job in the entertainment industry and it was clear to me that something needed to be improved. During the character design mentorship, David never held back and was always honest with his critiques. And even though I almost quit at first, I’m glad I didn’t. I understood I was there for a reason. I tried to listen to everything he said and that lifted weight on my shoulders. In a word, I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Mayan Golem and The Priest

The thumbnails I did during the mentorship to help sell the story and solve problems upfront