interview: Markus vogt
This self-taught 3D artist got the sci-fi bug early, and has been modelling epic space scenes and dark surreal imagery for covers and magazines ever since
Growing up in the 1970s in a sleepy town outside Frankfurt, Germany, Markus Vogt was drawn to science fiction, getting his fix from a string of US films such as Alien, Bladerunner, Terminator 2 and Robocop. There was something in their dark dystopian realities that captured his imagination then, and a glance at his monumental spaceship designs and epic sci-fi scenes on these pages reveal they still inspire him today.
Making a name for himself on the online community Renderosity as MHV, Markus sought out critiques, swapped ideas with artists and honed his craft. After experimenting with 2D illustration programs, he turned to 3D software to give form to his metal mechanical sci-fi visions. “I started out in 2003 with vector-graphic-oriented programs like CorelDraw,” he says. “Shortly after I became interested in the fantastic possibilities of 3D modelling and rendering packages like Cinema 4D, ZBrush, Bryce, Vue and so on. In combination with Photoshop these are my main tools.”
Today Markus concentrates on 3D stills of epic space scenes – a three-dimensional John Berkey world touched by the dark arts of HR Giger. “Variety is definitely my key word,” he says of his art, and the best way to experiment with variety is to master the technical side of things first. “Master all the working tools you need as best as possible so that you can focus on the art creation process itself. Struggling with too many technical issues or problems is not the correct way to work.”
When he’s creating pieces for album covers, book covers, magazines or simply to display in his many online galleries, his proficiency with 3D tools allows his creativity to flow. Inspiration is all very well, but a worker must know his tools. “I mostly enjoy Cinema 4D’s logical interface and workflow. It’s very fast and very stable and has a great render engine built in,“he says.
Unusual ideas, complexity, attention to details and a bit of plausibility are the main characteristics that Markus strives for in his spaceships. “For defining scale, the best way is to bring in some other vehicles, characters or objects for comparison,” he explains, “when using references I always try to mix and match different models and objects in order to come up with something new and interesting. The end result is not always predictable, but that is one of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of this workflow.”
With online communities having opened up Markus’s eyes to art in the far reaches of the world, his favourite artists are mainly from Asia. “They are perfectionists and have incredible imaginations, skills and knowledge when it comes to art creation,” he says of artists Yang Xueguo and Allen Wei Ming. Other influences include nature and Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Earth From Above.
Eleven years in, and Markus can sum up the most important lesson he’s learnt on his self-taught path: “Do what you really want to
Master all the tools you need as best as possible so that you can focus on the art creation process
do. You are the artist, not the computer or any other medium that you might use. Don’t hurry, take the time that it needs… and keep in mind that becoming a really good artist is a complicated process that needs a lot of patience, practice, passion and knowledge. It is not just a matter of pure talent only.”