For those of you that have seen his recent tutorials, Tim Von Rueden is new on the CG Cookie scene and already doing some sweet stuff! So far he has done two tutorials, each part of a series on drawing characters in Photoshop. He’s got one more to go in that series and then who knows, maybe he’ll do some GIMP tutorials! He has also been very busy doing some other secret stuff for us but we don’t want to give away too much just yet…
Anyhow, while eagerly awaiting his next tutorial he sent a few questions his way to give you all a chance to know him a little better.
Enjoy!
Hey Tim! If you could shout one thing right now, at the top of your lungs, what would it be?
ADVENTURE TIME!
You are pretty new to the CG Cookie scene, how’re you liking it so far?
I feel like the luckiest 21 year old, new graduate ever. You’re telling me I get to do exactly what I want to do and draw concept art and teach others how I draw? I feel as though this should be my job ten years down the line when I have more experience under my belt. I can’t say enough how fortunate and grateful I am to CG Cookie for taking me in.
It’s good to have you! However, is putting up with Jonathan really that difficult?
Haha, you have no idea. But really, I respect how passionate he is in any task he does and I am amazed when watching him work because I’ve never seen someone use hotkeys with their left hand more than actually clicking with their right.
You consider yourself to be primarily a concept artist right? Do you have a couple pieces that are personal favorites of your’s that you could talk about?
Oh man, yeah. The funny part is, I believe they are some of my worst pieces, but the ones I struggle and constantly fumble with are the ones I am most proud of. Things such as using a new brush, trying a new technique, or trying out what another person recommended to me – those have helped me to grow the most as an artist instead of just punching out another well done concept piece, rehashing the same routine as the last one.
When you dive into a piece, or gesture do you have the end “visual” in your head, or build on it throughout?
That is a good question. I feel like my most successful pieces come from both diving in without any clue of where it’s going and going in with an exact idea of what I’m looking for. I can say that the ones I spend more time with sketching out on paper and designing it differently are more comfortable for me throughout the piece. For the ones I dive in, I rely on pure instinct of what I should do next. Sometimes it doesn’t work out but the times it does are the ones I can say I am most proud of.
Favorite go to brush in Photo-shop?
I make an attempt to constantly try out new brushes but I’ve gone back to solely using the standard hard edge brush for most of my pieces. For a while, I would only use a skin brush that I downloaded, and I literally used that for everything.
When you are not creating art, what do you do to pass the time, relax or get out a bit?
If I’m not drawing, which is what you will normally find me doing, I enjoy going to the pool or the beach, playing tennis, going to movies, watching anime, and then slip in some videogames with friends.
I know your main background is commercial software, though with the recent joining of the CG Cookie team, what are your first impressions of some of the open source softwares? Blender, Gimp, etc?
I am trying to find the humor in it because the whole time I was at school, no one informed me about Blender even though I was the only kid in game art and design with a Mac, and Blender works on them. I am more than impressed with the open source software’s like Blender, Gimp, Alchemy and MyPaint. I am in the process of learning these and, especially with Blender, I’ve never felt more comfortable with a 3D program. Because it runs on a Mac, I am going to try that much harder to master it.
If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go and whom would you take with you?
There are four places that equal out in my mind, France, for the architecture and beauty. I would take my last roommate Dwight, because he has always lived in Europe in his mind. Japan for it’s art and culture and I would take my two friends Kat and Dan, because no one would appreciate what Japan has to offer more than them. Iceland, for the majestic scenery and lifestyle, and I would go alone with a sketchbook and stay there until I filled it. Lastly, good ol’ Wisconsin because of the people that live there and that’s where my heart is.
Back to the concept art, what subject matter is your favorite to do?
People. I believe people create the most interesting canvases. They are a collection of shapes, color, and personality. My favorite subject matter is the face, especially the eyes, they are a world all their own. I try to tell their stories through them and everything else is just minor details.
Any last words?
Just a big thank you to CG Cookie and to Jonathan and Wes. You guys have shown me nothing but respect and kindness, and I can’t say through words how appreciative I am for that, so instead I thought I would doodle something up.
If you want to keep up with with Tim more, check out his Facebook page or watch for more tutorials here on CG Cookie!
Nice interview, I’ve watched both of the photoshop tutorials and look forward to your future videos.
That last doodle was funny
But why do practically all the characters on this page look like picture-perfect models who just walked off the set of Beverly Hills 90210 or the cover of a fantasy novel?
I like the tutorial-pilot-chick, but how about some rough-looking / fat / weird / … more varied characters?
Oh, and btw, those two guys on the far left and right look uncomfortably like Justin Bieber… just saying.
I was thinking the exact same thing. Either way though, those drawings are way better than anything I could ever do.
hahaha! +2 I thought,’well…he’s got the ‘pretty people’ look down. I missed the Beiber thing tho, hilarious Lars! Got skill fo’ sho’ tho’. I cracked up at that thank you doodle! awesome.
Yes, but don’t get me wrong: I loved the tutorials so far. Very easy to listen to, and the pilot-chick is a cool character (although I would also love to see some more rugged or weird characters). I’m just not a big fan of that overpolished Justin Bieber-guy.
No worries. My second sentence was directed at Tim, not you. I just thought it was funny that someone else thought they looked like Bieber. LOL.
great work!!!!! awesome but would be great if he teachs with tools at reach of we all tools free and easy to get like gimp… but i say it again great job XD
I think what he teaches transport easly to Gimp
Insanely easy. Why do people complain about this over and over again? Thanks Tim for sharing your skills with BlenderCookie, you’re an amazing addition to this site☺
I agree totally! To use the open source is the way to reach and develop more artists, due to it’s FREE!!!! I have photoshop and still I use Gimp more often than photoshop. I guess I haven’t dibbled in PS enough or downloaded any extras for it. Gimp so far has quenched my needs for what I create. Looking for more tutes on open source programs.
I have really enjoyed both of your tutorials and look forward to more.
I agree with Lars. When I saw the two tuts Tim did, they were good and don’t get me wrong, very professional, but the figures he made belong on the cat-walk. Lets see something ugly the next go around, maybe a biker or a monster or something with edges. I would of course watch his tuts again.
waiting gimp tutorials
WELCOME TO BLENDER COOKIE TIM! I have seen your fighter pilot character tutorials and thought they were incredibly good! I look forward to learning how to draw from your tutorials. Just keep doing what your doing
Tim, you are unbelievably talented and extremely proficient in your tutorials! Thanks for sharing your time and talent – I will be tuning in to everything you do! I love the last thank you image as well
Don’t want to sound negative, but I do not (repeat, do not) agree with Lars. I believe that, at the end of the day, all art is about idealization. We go to the movies to see the way we things to be, which is not, not, not (!!!) the way they “really are”. And afterwards, having taken a break, we can hopefully stomach yet another week of the way things “really are” without resorting to chemicals (too much) and/or going on a shooting spree in a supermarket. So thanks Tim, and by all means keep coming up with beautiful characters that inspire people to be better. And if someone wants the ugly, the fat, and the weird, all they have to do is step outside… or (bite your tongue!) in front of a mirror. And no, I am not a fan of Justin Bieber, and not Gen Y either: haven’t made it into it, by a couple of years.
Sounds like we don’t agree (taste is subjective after all), but well spoken anyway
Oh, and btw, I do love the angry looking eyes with some kind of bleeding tears in the second to last drawing… Sort of captures the mood here in Norway after the national disaster caused by a nationalist gunman/bomber.
LOL, everyones entitled to their own opinion and thats yours.
“all art is about idealization”
1. No it isn’t, there’s plenty of art that makes you feel BAD in general
2. Most of what you see in the movies ISN’T art. And even if they were how would you explain movies like Final Destination, Saw, and other movies where things just go wrong.
3. Yes it is his opinion, which is why he was sharing it.
Nice interview. Welcome to the CG Cookie team, Tim!
I would like to appreciate some gimp tutorials here, but i’m hating gimp a bit because it looks we can’t rotate the canvas in gimp like in photoshop, so it difficults the way to draw straight lines free handle. Does anybody know how to rotate the canvas in gimp( i’m not talking about rotate the image by pressing shift+r )? I think it’s not possible actually.
I would say that the dudes to the right and left looks more like Luke Skywalker (because they don’t look like girls trolololo) but I guess Beiber is more famous :/
Welcome to BlenderCookie Tim and I guess I gotta thank BlenderCookie as well because if Tim Had not joined them I would probably never have discovered his art.
Tim’s art gallery is easily one of the most inspiring things I can look at, I love his ideas and the style is just the way I like it
Very much like the drawings and its great to see the team of CGC growing. Welcome Tim!
Welcome Tim! this feels like a great addition to blendercookie and I can’t wait to see more from you.