Today we’d like to introduce you to Zhaochen Wu.
Hi Zhaochen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name is Zhaochen Vincent Wu, and I am an associate concept artist at Blizzard Entertainment. I grew up in Beijing in a family that loved and appreciated art, so I was exposed to it from a very young age. I can remember reading vivid illustrated books by Jimmy Liao, Hergé, and Christian Jolibois, which had a profound impact on me. I could spend hours lost in these captivating stories, and eventually, I started creating my own. My mother recognized my desire to create and gifted me my first pack of crayons. I started drawing on anything I could find, from napkins to notebooks and even the walls. Later, I discovered my love for building with Legos, making my own Bionicle characters, and developing complex stories for them, filled with twists and turns to keep things interesting.
As I grew older, I watched The Lord of The Rings for the first time and immediately felt drawn to the beautiful world that was so believable and alive. This work has been the most influential in my life and has inspired me to create such worlds with my own hands. I started drawing about adventurers and a world of wonders almost every day. But it wasn’t until my second year of high school that I learned about an awesome profession called Concept Artists, where people design characters, environments, and props for films and video games. I decided that this is what I wanted to do, so I attended ArtCenter College of Design to make my dream a reality. Overall, it was a great experience. I honed my skills, met mentors, and most importantly, made inspiring friends along the way.
Currently, I work at Blizzard Entertainment, and it’s a dream come true for me. I’m grateful to my mentors, friends, and my parents for their continuous support in my life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. When I was younger, I feared not fitting in among my classmates. I would try to explain my character stories and magic systems to them, but they weren’t as interested as I was. This left me feeling lonely at times, and I worried that I might never find someone who is passionate about world-building. Fortunately, that was not the case at all. Since entering college, I have met many people who share my interests, and now we can chat about the worlds we’ve created, just as I had dreamed.
Another struggle I faced was uncertainty about what I wanted to do. At ArtCenter, I initially wanted to design characters, but I became unsure about my decision when I discovered how much I could play with environment designs. I struggled for a while, but in the end, I decided to put character design on hold and focus on environment design as my career direction. I’m glad I made this choice.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an environment concept artist, so I’m responsible for creating environments based on gameplay, storytelling, and emotional beats. My goal is to create environments that feel immersive and authentic as if they are lived-in spaces with chairs that have been sat in, candles that have been lit, and people who have gone about their daily lives. Achieving this often requires extensive research into the culture, whether it’s real or fictional. I especially enjoy building fictional cultures based on their living environment, resources they have access to, technology they have developed, the beliefs they hold and so on.
In addition, I am also passionate about graphic design. I love incorporating graphic design elements, such as a magic sigil, a clan symbol, or a storytelling mural, into my concept designs to add another layer of believability. I also keep the principles of graphic design in mind while working on environments, ensuring that my paintings are memorable and impactful at first glance.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Yes! I am a big fan of conlang (constructed languages.) This may seem unusual at first, but J.R.R. Tolkien created several realistic languages for his Middle-earth world, and Game of Thrones has featured languages such as Dothraki and High Valyrian in speech. I want my fictional culture to have its own language and script. The charm of speaking and written language will always hold a special place in my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vincentwuart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vincent_zhaochenwu/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhaochenwuvincent/
