What you can learn from Solomon, a student who has done himself proud as a 3D designer.

This is an interview between Mr. Solomon and Encore Africa where Mr. Solomon talked to us on his journey and experience in learning 3D design; how he was caught by the skill, what the journey means to him, what it takes to be a 3D designer – the difficulty, the market etc

Can we get to meet you?

My name is Solomon Idowu. I am into 3D Design and Visualization, with a focus on product, furniture and interior architecture. Primarily, I create product renders and archviz images for my personal projects and clients using the Open Source 3D Software called Blender. I also dabble into character art and abstract illustrations every now and then, also with Blender.

2. How did your journey as a 3D designer begin?

Well this is a funny story. Ever since I was young I have always been interested in art. I liked the fact that with a drawing, painting or sculpture you could practically create something out of nothing but your imagination and have this affect the people who experience it. This enthralled me a lot, but my practical art skills were pretty much zero, so I could not reproduce this by myself. My dad and siblings have pretty decent drawing skills, but I can’t even doodle to save my life lol. The best I could was simple drawings in Biology class or Technical drawing with lines and curves when I got in to study Engineering at the University. In my 2nd year in the University, I had a friend called Uche who was a computer whiz involved in pretty much everything from coding to design to hardware and so on. On his PC that day in class, he had Blender opened, I saw it and it interested me. I had a conversation with him about it and after our exams returned back home and started learning 3D in Blender as I saw it as an opportunity to help express myself with art without necessarily having the traditional practical skills. Fortunately, this was around early April 2020, the time of the pandemic so I had enough time to practice and explore without distractions. YouTube was my best friend in that time and with consistent practice, finding the right creators to follow here I am now.

What’s a typical day at ‘work’ like?

That would start with planning how the day goes, setting objectives for the day. What projects to focus on, who I need to reach out to, determining what resources I need to achieve my goals for the day. After this there is a lot of “feasting” on design feeds on Instagram, Twitter, Behance, sort of like fuel for the day. I believe a creator is only as good as the ideas he or she is surrounded by. You cannot create from a void, and these platforms have enough inspiration to literally drown you. Then I work with the plan created earlier and get to creating accompanied with good music of course. When the University is in session, as I am still an undergraduate, I might not be able to work as I would like to, with classes and school tasks interfering, but I make sure to have a structured plan to enable me still be productive day by day.

What are the difficulties you face?

The first will be the challenge of power. I remember earlier this year, when there was power generation issues nationwide, and then fuel scarcity. That had to be one of the most difficult times for me as a creator as the issue was totally out of my control. Normally when there’s no power you can get fuel for your generator or use a paid workspace, but at this time all alternatives were down and your productivity also down along with them. The epileptic power supply situation has to be the biggest challenge for me. There is also the challenge of school too. Balancing school work and creative work is something I have been learning on the go, because it’s easy for me to put too much on myself in those periods and then have a break down because I failed to properly balance things.

You said earlier, ‘I design primarily to stimulate the eyes and mind of those who view my work’. What’s the thought process behind this statement?

I have always believed that art and design have effects that are beyond visual pleasure for those who view them. To me asides from visual pleasure, art and design should also be an experience that stimulates you. It should invoke certain feelings in you, feelings that arise due to style of the design, the colours, the lighting, the mood it gives off. So this is what I prioritize in my work, that whoever sees it is taken on a journey, that it’s not just visual, but also an experience for them. Great art and design as always and will continue to be like this, and that is what I strive for.

Also, what’s the the ‘market’ like?

The market is quite amazing, there is a lot of areas where 3D Visual design work is needed and is utilized in. However, the market is a space I am still taking myself into. I am somebody that is obsessed with “perfection”, even though that is something not particularly attainable. I have spent just over 2 years in this space and a lot of that time has been me learning and “perfecting” my craft well enough to offer top notch services to people. I am putting myself out there now lol and getting gigs and collaborations.

Another design from Solomon

What’s the relationship with co 3D visual designers like? Is there a community? What’s it like?

Yes, I am in a community of 3D Designers on WhatsApp where we share ideas, our works, help each other out with challenges. I have also networked with other designers whose work I admire and them likewise on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. From what I have seen, it’s a space where people want to collaborate to get better and help other creators out too.

Aside from Design, what other things catches your fancy?

Music. Good music is a pretty big thing for me, as I also play the keyboard. It’s something I like as much as I like design. It’s like the other side of creativity for me. You could say design and music are two sides of the same coin called Solomon. Asides from music, I’m also a big fan of creating impact wherever I am, no matter how little. This led to me co-founding an Organization to address the needs of boys in society. It’s called Boys Without Borders and we carry out different activities to address these needs that society doesn’t pay enough attention to.