As a freelance artist over the the last year I've contributed models and materials to several projects, many slated for social and mobile platforms.

Most notably I made a ton of work for an upcoming Facebook title, rendering my 3d assets into stylized isometric sprites for use in a Flash-based isometric engine.

Prior to this I worked with Escalation Studios on the multiplayer component of id Software's Rage. I designed maps for the vehicle deathmatch modes, modeling them out as one dense, gigantic mesh -- a novel approach to art production given my prior experience with the more modular, kit-bashing Unreal Engine environment.

On Rage I also contributed to cooperative multiplayer scenarios, based largely on existing single player content. This pretty much involved riffing on and adding to existing geometry, creating entirely new assets only as MP gameplay demanded.

Sadly, I'm not sure what actually shipped in the final product, not having played the game yet. I do know one of my maps shipped, considerably modified.

Either way it didn't seem appropriate to include screenshots -- but the experience is certainly worthy of mention.

My experience on Borderlands began when asked to collaborate on a new direction for the game -- a risky endeavor at the time, given the project's advanced stage of development.

A small team set out to rapidly prototype this new direction, resulting in a level vignette that resolutely determined the "concept art" style associated with the franchise.

In order to be successful the new art style demanded an unsuspected increase in production oversight.

This situation was further challenged by the sudden need for artists unfamiliar with traditional art or illustration to hand-paint or "ink" thier work -- quickly.

Additionally, the process had to be retroactively applied to existing assets.

As part of the effort to goodify and streamline the proceedings, I was made environment art director -- a title that smacked of the titular.

In short turn however, the position became a patchwork of Art Lead, Level Designer, Prop Artist, Shader Technician, Illustrator, Orator and Assuager-in-Chief -- most with equal parts management and scheduling. In short, it was required to be simply and unassailably nimble.

That's to say, I:

- assigned tasks, provided feedback and iterative review of assets, mentored younger artists, organized and helmed design meetings, integrated and assessed outsourcing contributions, authored design documents, created style guides, sample assets, level vignettes and numerous discrete assets.

I also gave Clap-Trap and Moxxi thier names -- a dubious legacy, perhaps.

After leaving 3DRealms and joining Gearbox, I began working as an Environment Artist on Aliens: Colonial Marines, a pure inheritor of the film canon.

More pointedly, the means the game was concieved as an extension of the canon as divorced from the comics, novels, the Predator mash-ups or any prior game incarnation.

This naturally created challenges familiar to any developer working with an established property. The particular challenge for Art however, was the translation of a beloved (and rather strident) set-design scheme into real-time assets.

This became increasingly problematic as the project evolved and shifted focus, creating a need for some form intermediary art leadership.

In an effort to address erupting production issues, I moved into a position where I:

- co-created a Visual Design group to improve planning and communication, particularly integrating with Level Design; constructed map "vignettes" to establish tone, style and the modular use of art; generated asset lists and schedules in tandem with relevant Dept. Leads; tasked the environment art team, supervised progress and adjusted our pipeline for greater fluidity; reviewed and integrated outsourcing contributions; managed art packages and organizational conventions; created master materials, textures, props and construction sets emphasizing a "kit-bash" aesthetic; collaborated on game design documents and, lastly, served as the primary point of contact between Environment Art and the rest of the project.

The experience was a powerful one for me, shifting the trajectory of my career significantly.

When our Visual Design team was suddenly tasked with devising a new approach to Borderlands, processes developed on Aliens formed the core of moving forward.

NOTE: Because Aliens is still in-development, I'm restricted -- at least publicly -- to officially released screenshots.