Thierry says he moved very slowly from traditional to digital art. We have to admit that this length of time enables him to transfer his talent into these new tools.

Thierry Doizon attended the Kent Institute of Arts & Design (UK) where he graduated with honors with a B.A. in Industrial Design in 1995. He fell into the weird World of Videogames just a few months later and since then, he has worked in different companies such as Cryo Interactive, Acclaim Studios, Splash Damage and now Ubisoft Montreal on the forthcoming game Assasin’s Creed. At the same time, he has been working on various projects, including illustrations, comic books, short movies and digital painting seminars. Clients include Disney Imagineering, ReelFX, KingsIsle Entertainment, Atari, Peugeot, Canal+, Dreamwave, Orange…etc. Recently, Thierry and a collective of artists launched STEAMBOT Inc. a studio dedicated to creating and aspiring to push the boundaries of visual developments and concept art. Let’s meet a digital artist whose love of art transpires in each pixel of his works

Thierry Doizon : I started to work digitally about 6/7 years ago. It was a slow and quite painful transition from traditional painting to pixel, from markers, ink and pencils to a simple pressure sensitivity stylus! I use mainly PS nowadays. It’s very fast and efficient even though there is still so much to improve. We are using a tool which was made for photographers and graphic artists and it lacks a lot of things concerning painters’ needs. We saw Craig Mullins at the last Gnomon Workshop and he is a Beta tester for the next PS. Hopefully he’ll give Adobe some good tips! We need a color blending option please!!!!!

It has become difficult for me to spend time on traditional projects; I hardly fill the pages of my numerous sketchbooks, always starting a new one and never finishing the others! 2006 was the busiest year of my entire life. I wish I can enjoy more free time in 2007 to do that kind of things… but frankly, it doesn’t start the way I expected!
I plan to paint with oils when I retire ;-)

I.A. - Can you explain why you've chosen this career?

T.D. - I’ve always been a dreamer, always been drawing for hours as a kid, I naturally decided to study Art. My dad (he teaches Mathematics and Art… how weird) didn’t want me to end up at Les Beaux-Arts, certainly because of the “crazy artist” cliché, so I turned to Industrial Design and it turned out to be a good decision: a perfect mix of technology, conception and art (or style as they say). The only problem with ID is that you design real things; I love movies, games, comic books and animation films. Moreover, I had the opportunity to enter the world of videogames. In retrospective, it wasn’t much of a choice but more the result of a passion.

I.A. - What motivates you when you create a new artwork?

T.D - It does depend on my mood, my influences and my feelings. Every week I refill my “Idea folder”: a collection of ideas, concepts, sketches or impulsive doodles…etc. I do it either during my spare time or at work, even sometimes on my PDA. It’s an interesting reservoir of creative thoughts in which I can grab things when needed. Lately, I’ve been trying to challenge myself with difficult subjects that represent more a goal to reach (with training and experimentation) than a random idea.

I.A. - Do you think you're always looking for new ways to express yourself and to experiment? Do you have time to do this when working for companies which are looking for efficiency?

T.D. - There is always some time for us to sketch things, aside work. We don’t deal with super technical tasks. Our work needs to be driven by a creative input; so we aren’t working for 8 straight hours daily, you know! It’s part of our job to surf the net or do nothing, and you can always experiment things at work, try a new technique, new brushes…etc. The more you work and learn, the more efficient you are and companies usually understand this, so they give you some loose time on your schedule.