Compositor • Animator • Art Director
Making After Midnight - Realistic and Stylized CG
Episode one of my upcoming YouTube program Making After Midnight features a full CG recreation of my living room. Every object is modeled, textured, lit, and lit by me. As the environment slips into something haunted, CG and compositing offered total control over mood and reality.
Tools used: Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Octane Render, Nuke, Divinci Resolve
Thinking it would be funny to feature a Panic Room-inspired opening to what is supposed to be a simple YouTube video about drawing in a sketchbook, I began by taking a 3d scan of my living room to act as a sketch, using it as scale and placement reference for each object. This was followed by modeling and texturing each object.
Inspired by the ornate mechanical window displays along 5th Avenue, Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, and the era when studio idents were built as practical models, this CG ident for Making After Midnight blends theatrical design with handcrafted, mechanical charm.
The second episode of Making After Midnight shifts into a film-noir aesthetic, and the opening titles follow suit. The dual sun-and-moon structure was relit and rerendered to feel like a practical FX miniature, moving away from cel-shaded CG while still being rendered entirely in Octane.
Tiny Husband - CG Maquette Reference Head.
For my animted short-in-progress I made a cg maquette head for drawing reference and to aid in being on-model when animating.
Made using Blender, including texturing, which was a simple and quick polypaint process.
Readyverse - CG Game Prop and Level Design Concept Art
For Readyverse, I created level and prop concept art using rapid blockouts and modeling in Blender and Octane. Designs were presented as either polished CG for client approvals or looser paintovers to convey tone, mood, and gameplay direction to the internal team.
As part of a rapid pitch for FC Barcelona, I designed a two-level clubhouse environment combining lounge, hotel, and play-area functions within a custom stadium setting. Spaces were blocked out in Blender and Octane for quick client review, prioritizing spatial layout and mood over final surface detail.
Below are designs for interactive in-game objects. Because many were pieces of tech, I considered both their physical function and the UI displayed on their screens.
For motion design or compositing inquiries: JessIdlehart@gmail.com