From the mind of "Avatar" creature effects artist Alex Alvarez, founder and president of the Gnomon school of Visual Effects, The Gnomon Workshop announce an all-new instructional video for download and DVD formats titled The Making of 'Dirge.' An all-new release from The Gnomon Workshop, the leader in professional training for artists in the entertainment and design industries, The Making of 'Dirge' features the technical and artistic creation process behind Alex's animated personal project.
From concept to completion, Alvarez takes viewers on an eight-hour journey through the fiendish world of 'Dirge.' Beginning with his initial sketch, Alvarez demonstrates attention to detail as he creates a frightening, fully sculpted 3D character, then brings the world around it to life with atmospheric effects like volume fog, burning embers and falling ashes.
Utilizing tools with rich feature sets like Maya, ZBrush, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects and Mental Ray, Alvarez explores the entire workflow used in the creation of 'Dirge,' including character and environment design, modeling, sculpting, texturing, shaders, dynamic effects, compositing and more. Throughout the process, Alvarez also explains the artistic decisions and discoveries made during The Making of 'Dirge' to bring a dynamic and cinematic 3D digital environment to life.
Alex Alvarez is the founder and president of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, The Gnomon Workshop, Gnomon Gallery, Sketch Theatre, Gnomon Studios and the president/CEO of CG Channel. Having dedicated more than a decade to educating students and professional artists around the world, Alvarez has helped change the face of computer graphics and design education. Alvarez has been published in industry magazines, websites and books and has also taught courses at several major trade conferences. He recently worked as a creature development artist on the James Cameron film "Avatar" and J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek." Alvarez is an alumnus of the Art Center College of Design and the University of Pennsylvania. He has said that he would have attended Gnomon if it were in existence at the time.
To purchase a downloadable version of the video or a DVD, or for further information, please visit: http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/943/.
