Rory Björkman
Jesse: This world feels so vivid and real. What was your inspiration for it? Especially curious to know more about the knight.
Rory Björkman: The main inspiration for this world is our own. Growing up I read and watched a lot of content set in the medieval era and it resonated with me a lot. I was always fascinated with the horrific torture devices, witchcraft, princesses, knights and castles. There are some castles and forests near where I live in which I would draw and write poems using berries with homemade feather pens. Having a vivid imagination manifested itself into artworks and stories of my own.
J: What role does narrative play in your art? In the case of Curiosity, did it start with a particular story, idea, or character?
RB: Narrative plays a heavy role in my art. However I also do not like to be too literal either. I think it's more entertaining and respectful to the viewer of the art to leave something to the imagination.
For the piece Curiosity I had been inspired by a painting called Maid Reading a Book in a Library by Swiss painter Edouard John Mentha (ca. 1908). I liked the idea of this and expanded it into my own universe.
J: What challenges do you run into when building out such a painterly scene that has so many different elements?
RB: Having multiple artifacts can be a compositional headache. My main concern is to balance out the shapes and colours so they draw the eye around the scene and do not feel too cluttered. Often I will swap out objects and move them multiple times before settling on a nice balance. Although there are some I just have to have in certain places for the narrative to work. The worst part is having to make each piece before realizing it does not work in the scene, so I’ll try to offer simplified versions of each first to get a broad layout.
J: How does Substance factor into your workflow?
RB: Substance is my go-to tool for all things texture and pattern now. Its quick iteration capabilities for swapping out textures and editing patterns on the fly in Designer have been a gamechanger in regards to speed and workflow. Admittedly for me Designer was a bit of a reluctant learning curve as I already had so many other things I needed to learn in other softwares, but it’s worth the time ultimately.
J: Does working in 3D change how you experience your daily reality? Does your brain ever expect to see a knight like this in your office?
RB: Sometimes I want to Ctrl-Z things that happen in reality but I’m pretty good at disconnecting. My main concerns and excitements for the future of art are AI and AR. It would be cool to see the robots in an augmented reality situation walking around my office. Although I do think I’m probably among the last generation of artists to exist who are unassisted or unsurpassed by AI.
The next 20 years there will be a dramatic shift in how art is made. I think there will be less need for technical skill or even imagination to an extent. The only requirement will be the ability make good decisions on what the AI generates and how to art direct it into a story. It’s likely to be a great time for art directors at least! It will be a lot easier for us to create entire universes and make epic movies in our own home.
“The next 20 years there will be a dramatic shift in how art is made. I think there will be less need for technical skill or even imagination to an extent. The only requirement will be the ability to make good decisions on what the AI generates and how to art direct it into a story.”
