Today we’d like to introduce you to Heesoo Chae
Heesoo, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello, Voyage LA readers! I’m Heesoo Chae, also known as Eva, a 3D Generalist at GIANTSTEP Studios in Glendale, LA. I work on various projects including game cinematics, in-game videos, and film title sequences. While working on commercial projects at the studio, I always try to incorporate new approaches and techniques. What excites me most about the creative process is how each new medium I learn allows me to express my visual ideas more freely. Moving forward, I hope to continue creating experimental and innovative work that can inspire others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like everyone else, the COVID-19 period was certainly a challenging time for me. Everything felt uncertain, and the pandemic was something beyond individual control or effort. As an artist, I felt limited in my creative freedom and ways to connect with others, but what truly weighed on me was watching those around me struggle.
Looking back, I believe this period actually made me stronger, both as an artist and as an individual. During the increased solitude, I found comfort in the games and films I loved, which deepened my appreciation for my work. It also gave me time to seriously reflect on how to adapt and grow as an artist in this digital age.
With these realizations, I focused on what I could do. Connecting with other artists online and working on small projects became my anchor during those uncertain times. Our regular online meetings where we shared concerns and exchanged advice were particularly meaningful – I learned the importance of not rushing to conclusions on my own. While I still face new challenges today, these experiences have given me the confidence to embrace and overcome obstacles rather than fear them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Before 2019, I spent about a decade studying fine arts and illustration, working as an illustrator. A visit to LA in 2019 changed my path – seeing local 3D artists’ work in person completely captivated me, inspiring my transition into 3D art. Now I work as a 3D Generalist at GIANTSTEP Studios in Glendale, LA.
My greatest strength lies in being able to apply my previous experience to 3D work. The knowledge of anatomy, observational skills, and realistic rendering techniques I gained from traditional art have proved invaluable in my 3D work. To me, 2D and 3D are like sisters – though they might seem different, they’ve grown together, influencing each other, and I love both fields.
When creating visuals, exploring different areas certainly comes with challenges, especially when trying to maintain high quality across various disciplines. However, I believe it’s important to follow your interests steadily, even if you can’t achieve perfect results right away. The more experience you gain, the more clearly you understand your strengths – whether it’s areas where you naturally excel with less effort, skills you pick up easily, or concepts you find challenging. These experiences help you objectively assess your artistic talents and tendencies, while also enhancing your ability to collaborate with other artists through better understanding and respect for different creative processes.
Recently, alongside my commercial work, I’ve been pursuing personal experiments and challenges. My personal project ‘LUMINA’ was recently exhibited on four mega screens in New York’s Times Square on November 30th. Though it was a short film, I learned so much from handling every aspect of the process, from character design to final production. I hope to gradually expand the scale of my work based on these experiences.
What are your plans for the future?
As a 3D artist, I’m always dreaming of new challenges and possibilities. Above all, I look forward to working on larger-scale projects through collaborations with other talented artists. I want to explore new forms of work where different expertise can create synergy, with the ultimate goal of delivering novel experiences to audiences.
On a more personal level, I’m eager to delve deeper into projects that combine digital characters with real-time interactive experiences. As real-time rendering technology and AI-based tools continue to evolve rapidly, I want to create work that enables more direct communication with audiences through these new technologies.
I’m also interested in expanding my current short-form work into longer narrative pieces. Through this process, I want to gain more concrete experience with existing pipelines while testing new technologies and software to develop better workflows. My goal is to create work that can convey characters’ emotions and stories more deeply.
I know achieving these goals requires continuous learning and experimentation. But for me, this process itself is an exciting challenge, and I believe this passion will drive my growth as an artist.
Thank you for taking interest in my story. I look forward to sharing more work with you in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nowplayingeva3d.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowplaying.eva3d/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nowplayingevaddd/
- Other: https://www.artstation.com/nowplayingevaddd
Image Credits
3D <Lumina>
3D <The Tunnel Weasel> The original illustration is by Hyun Lee
2D <Pencil drawings>
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