Today we’d like to introduce you to Rui Rou Teo.
Hi Rui Rou, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a 3D character artist currently working at Riot Games. Before this, I worked on titles such as WarCraft III: Reforged and WWE: Undefeated on mobile. I love making stylized character art with fun shapes and colors, whether they are in 3D or illustration form.
Born and raised in Malaysia, English wasn’t my first language. My parents spoke Mandarin to me at home, but they were adamant about me learning English. They believed that being fluent in English will open up many opportunities for me. While I did take extra English classes outside of school, one of my main sources of learning was cartoons and games. One of my biggest eye-openers was watching playthroughs of Ratchet and Clank when I was younger after a friend recommended it (I didn’t have a console back then), and being so engrossed in the dialogue of the characters. I was also looking up CreatureBox, the artists that designed the critters in the game. At that moment, it made me realize that working for games is a thing and that I could also be designing characters and creatures for games one day.
After high school, I enrolled in a local art college for digital animation; that was the only course they offered that aligned with what I wanted to do. During those years, I found my love for 3D art, especially digital sculpting. After graduating from art college, I worked as a junior 3D artist at a game company called LemonSky Studios. Eventually, a recommendation from my instructor then brought me to the Academy of Art in San Francisco to study game development. I stayed in San Francisco for four years before moving to LA for my job at Riot Games.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
While I still got the chance to do what I love doing as a job, it hasn’t been easy. The first challenge was trying to convince my parents to let me go on this career path. My parents were both science and tech-oriented people that lived simple lives. They don’t watch many movies or TV shows except for a few Hong Kong TV dramas. Occasionally my sisters and I would convince them to watch animated movies at the theater, and from there they were exposed to some Disney and Pixar movies. Their initial reaction to my decision was that I would become a “starving artist”.
I think one of the movies that changed their mind was Avatar (2009). My dad was very impressed with the fidelity of the movie, and he was in awe of what “animation” could be. Of course, as a high school kid still figuring out what to do, making a big blockbuster movie was not on my mind. But it made my parents feel more hopeful about what an art career would look like for me, so I took it as a win.
After graduating from art college, looking for job positions made me realize how small the animation and game industry is in Malaysia. At the time, there were only a handful of studios and they were mostly doing outsourced work. I appreciated the opportunities I had to work on some really cool projects and the challenges that came with it. As an outsourced artist, there was only so much that I could do, but I wanted to be more involved in the production pipeline. This was what led me to the US. Being so far from home and trying to adapt to a new environment brought its own set of struggles, but they shaped me into who I am today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a 3D character artist, I translate 2D concept art into 3D models for games. The model has to align with the game’s needs and technical constraints, and also retain the appeal of the concept art. To do that, I use several 3D software such as Zbrush and Substance Painter, along with other game asset creation pipelines and tools. My job also requires me to work with a diverse team of designers, technical artists, and animators to create believable and memorable characters.
I specialize in highly stylized character art. Instead of making extremely realistic-looking characters, I love playing with shapes and simplifying details to achieve a certain style. There are so many ways to stylize something, and it’s so fun seeing other artists’ interpretations of a person, an object, how textures look and feel, etc. It’s also a fun challenge to figure out how to turn a 2D character into 3D while still retaining much of their personality and appeal. Having a background in traditional art supplements my 3D workflow and helps push my work to a higher level of polish. Sketching helps me generate ideas for when I’m stuck, and figure drawing helps strengthen my anatomy knowledge.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I would encourage talking to artists already in the industry. There are events such as GDC, Lightbox, and WonderCon where you can get more insight by talking to those working in the industry directly! Another alternative that is more accessible would be LinkedIn. Find a person that is in a position you would like to be in and send them a message. I have had several coffee chats with devs and also people getting a start in the industry, and there is always something to learn from those conversations. Of course, be respectful of their time and be polite when asking questions. Some people are busy and might not be able to answer your questions but don’t be discouraged by it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ruirou.artstation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reyruo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruirouteo/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rui_rou
