DEREK BLAIR

07/15 - 02/19
Artist II / 2D/3D Animator / VFX Animator / 2D Technical Artist

PROJECTS

RESPONSIBILITIES

Game Art assets from concept art to final implementation in Unity
2D Character Animation in Unity
VFX Animation and implementation in Unity
Implemented Production Art assets in Unity
Designed and outlined feature-specific art tools with Engineering for implementation in Unity to speed up art production and solve creative problems
Worked with Engineering to reduce memory and shader usage to increase performance
Created documentation for in-house art tools and art pipeline best practices
Feature Design and planning
3D Character Animation in Maya
UI and VFX pre-visualization in After Effects
Traditional 2D Animation and cleanup
Storyboarding
3D Modeling, texturing, animation
Created Marketing assets and videos

12/14 - 03/15
Contract 2D Concept Artist (Wimmer Solutions Corp.)

PROJECTS

RESPONSIBILITIES

Created concept art, visualizations, and animations for applications on Microsoft Hololens.
Created UI/UX mock-ups for use in Augmented Reality.
Designed HUDs for use in Augmented Reality.
Provided storyboards for video presentations.

01/12 - 03/14
Art Director / Lead Artist / Lead Animator

PROJECTS

RESPONSIBILITIES

Managed a team of artists and provided art direction throughout the production of Ironclad Tactics, Ironclad Tactics DLC: The Rise of Dmitry, Ironclad Tactics DLC: Blood and Ironclads, as well as Metabosim and FAKTR for Amplify Education, Inc.
Conceptualized characters for all in-game units and story characters in Ironclad Tactics + DLC.
Created character assets, rigged, and animated all in-game units in Ironclad Tactics + DLC.
Hand-animated all effects animation in Ironclad Tactics + DLC.
Conceptualized, created, rigged, and animated all weapons in Ironclad Tactics + DLC.
Storyboarded 100 in-game comic pages.
Provided Pencils and Clean-up on 100 in-game comic pages to ensure all characters and locations were consistent and on-model.
Created key art and marketing materials for Ironclad Tactics + DLC, including gameplay and teaser trailers, and PAX booth banners and installations.
Conceptualized and created all in-game assets in FAKTR, for Amplify Education, Inc.
Collaborated with Tools Programmer to create proprietary animation software that utilized the Zachtronics engine.

06/11 - 01/12
Visual Data Specialist

Utilized proprietary mapping tools and Google MapMaker to deliver projects on aggressive deadlines.
Interpreted customer feedback, monitored satisfaction, and helped drive programs to improve individual and team performance.
Assured quality and accuracy of Google Maps by making fixes and reporting bugs.
Provided user feedback as a Quality Control Associate.

Redmond, WA

03/10-05/11
Contract 2D/3D Animator (RUN Studios), Contract UI Designer (MAQ Consulting)

PROJECTS

RESPONSIBILITIES

Created and animated UI elements for Kinect Fun Labs: Build-a-Buddy and Kinect Fun Labs: Bobbleheads for Xbox360.
Conceptualized, designed mock-ups, created wireframes, delivered final assets for UI/UX designs at Windows Gaming for the Bing Bar.
Modeled, textured, lit, and animated several 3D shots in Maya to be used as transitions for the Microsoft XBox360 E3 Presentation.

04/08 - 03/10
Contract 3D Modeler, Contract Animator

Modeled event spaces for Microsoft events. Events included: Company Meeting, MGX, and concepts for The 2010 World's Fair in Shanghai.
Utilized Maya to render photo-realistic event spaces using Mental Ray and HDRI.
Designed and animated motion graphics spots for Microsoft Company Store and Microsoft Library.

PAX Dev 2013 Speaker - August 28, 2013
From SpaceChem to the Civil War: The Evolution of the Zachtronics Art Process

2013
PENS: Player Experience of Needs Satisfaction Course
Immersyve Inc.

2005-2009
Media Arts, Animation Art and Design
Art Institute of Seattle - Seattle, WA