Meet the artist: Mike Griggs
We chat to the veteran digital artist about his career journey and work life
The veteran 3D artist takes us behind the scenes of his studio
Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by how images on screens were made. When I was very young, I thought that the BBC must have had a time machine, as it was the only way that it could have shown Star Trek and the original version of Poldark after each other.
After I learned the sad truth that, unfortunately, the licence fee wasn’t being used in such a fashion, I endeavoured to find out how these shows were really made and then utilised that knowledge to build a career which has been as eclectic as it has been fun.
Do you have a background in 3D design or are you self taught?
I have a degree in Interior Architecture from Manchester Metropolitan University. This was mainly because of an aptitude I had developed in my art foundation course in spatial design. I used that to land me my first job in museum and interpretation design at a small London agency in 1995. After moving to a much larger agency in 1998, I was allowed to combine my hobby of computer graphics with my day job as I had been learning Strata Studio Pro, an early 3D visualisation program. I was allowed to create the preview renders for the Dynamic Earth Centre in Edinburgh.
How do you keep things fresh?
The best way I have found to keep things fresh as well as maintain a career momentum is to say yes to nearly every opportunity that comes through the door. With experience, you can start to sniff out the clients or projects that could be difficult. Thankfully however, since I went freelance in 2012 the work that I have had has been both varied and fun with an exciting range of clients.
I have deliberately maintained myself as a ‘jack of all trades’. The main reason for this is to keep me on my toes. I have a ‘magpie’ brain; I am always looking at how to combine toolsets, to create new and more
efficient workflows, both for myself and by extension, my clients. That is the challenge that gets me up every morning.
This had led to a career of ‘problemsolving’ digital content issues from pitches for TV ads, international exhibition concepts and websites, to animating and rendering a wide range of motion work and filming and editing documentaries.
How would you describe a typical work day?
My typical day is based in my home office studio, which is separate from the family home, which helps make it feel like ‘work’.
I try to be in the ‘office’ at 7.30am, where I can get an hour or so of work in before I potentially need to take the kids to school or walk the dog. Then I work from 9.30 until around noon; the morning is usually when I try to schedule calls for Uk-based clients. Then the afternoon is 1pm-6/7pm, with the occasional break for dinner or picking the kids up from school.
If there is nothing pressing I will then try to leave the ‘office’, and only have access to work via an ipad or iphone. It is then family time and relaxation which involves typically far too many hours on video games or Youtube. If work is pressing, I will work in the evenings, but I usually try to be done by 10.30pm.
How long have you been creating in 3D and what software do you use?
I have been creating ‘stuff’ in 3D since the late 1980s; I had an Amiga 500 when I was a kid and was overjoyed when I managed to create an extruded shape. I did not use much 3D software in college, and what we were taught was CAD based, which I hated.
Instead, I focused on 2D apps like Adobe Photoshop and Pagemaker, as I could use these to augment my drawn 3D work and this ‘slap and dash’ approach served me well for many years. In terms of 3D software used when I went to work for agencies, I moved through Strata Studio Pro, Lightwave and 3ds Max. I then left 3D for a few years. This was to work more in new media and advertising using After Effects. In 2005 I came back to concept visualisation, so I relearned Lightwave, and then very quickly transitioned to Modo. In around 2009 I could see that I needed something more. I invested in fxphd training for Cinema 4D and Maya; I fell in love with Cinema 4D and that’s been my bedrock ever since.
“I’VE KEPT THINGS FRESH BY SAYING YES TO NEARLY EVERY OPPORTUNITY”
How do you approach a typical project?
The great thing, as well as the most stressful thing, about the way I work is that there does not tend to be a ‘typical’ project.
That being said, I still have some rules that I apply to creating motion work, whether in 3D, motion graphics or just a plain edit. The first rule is to get a timing animatic created at the very first opportunity, ideally with music and if required, a voiceover. As many of my clients are not familiar with the technical process in creating the work, giving them an early preview of the work, even if it’s just a storyboard frame placed together in an edit, with my voice as a VO, is essential.
This timing animatic, which I usually host on the review platform frame.io, gives everyone in the project something that they can look at quickly to make sure the messaging is correct. From then on, it is just a case of filling in the scratch footage, with CGI or graphics as required. Another handy thing about having the animatic is that it allows me the opportunity to time 3D animation. This gives me an early indication of the frames that will be required for the final render.
Could you tell us a bit about your current studio setup?
I run a hybrid macos and Windows platform studio, as I have found that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ OS for the full range of creative work that I am asked to create.
My macos workflow is centred around a 10-core imac Pro. I use macos for all of my video, photography and 2D Mograph work.
The Windows side is three PCS, two desktops and a Razer 15-inch laptop. I use the laptop as my primary 3D machine, and the desktops as a 6 GPU Redshift render farm managed by AWS Thinkbox Deadline. I use the laptop for Cinema 4D, VR and anything that requires 3D, as there is no getting around the fact that with a few exceptions most 3D software just works better on Windows. There have been some instances when the imac Pro has been useful for Cinema 4D especially when volume modelling, and I look forward to seeing how Redshift works on a Mac with
Metal support when it is released, which is hopefully soon.
How often do you sketch?
Not enough is the simple answer. Still, I do enjoy photography, especially since switching back to Fuji cameras a year ago. I find photography is both relaxing, keeps me looking at the world and aids in my understanding of composition. With the advent of GPU rendering, understanding scale and how light works with aperture and focal length is a critical skill to keep honed when not at my desk.
As for sketching, when I do it, it is usually on my ipad Pro with Procreate or similar, as to be honest I am more likely to have that to hand than a sketchbook. I have trained myself not to compare my sketching with contemporaries, which is a route to misery, and instead just enjoy sketching for what it is, a means of relaxation.
“THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BECOME A CGI ARTIST”
How often do you work on your personal portfolio?
I try to update my showreel at least once a year. As for personal work, I have found that with the demands of a young family and my work schedule that is something that
I need to put on the back foot. I have been lucky with the clients that I work with that if I want to sneak in a technique or skill set that I want to use, on the whole, they are receptive. Usually though I do not tell them, and just make sure that they are happy with the results.
Going forward, is there a dream project that you would like to work on?
I would love to create more training, I have been dabbling with my Youtube channel and want to do more. I also would like to see a bit more of the world. I have been lucky to attend NAB working for a client, which was a great way to both get to know the client as well as meet more fellow artists and designers and realise how lucky we are to be doing what we are doing. This can be easy to forget when you are stuck in the studio on a rainy day in the middle of winter with a pressing deadline.
What advice would you have for anyone wanting to get into CGI?
My main advice is to just start making CGI. There has never been a better time to become a CGI artist. Tools like Blender, Blackmagic Design Resolve, and Epic Unreal Engine and Unity, mean that a complete digital content creation suite can be downloaded for free and will work on practically any computer. Having a young family, it is reassuring to see that they are taught tools like Scratch at a young age, which helps get over the fear of computers. I am constantly amazed at what a great free resource online training on Youtube and others has become for artists of any skill level. So if you want to do what I do, stop reading this and start making.