Chuck Wadey, GW Username: ChuckWadey
Austin, Texas
www.chuckwadey.com

Image Challenge Contests Awards
1st Place: 2D, June 2008, Theme: "Street Vendor"

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GW: How did you hear about the Gnomon contest?

CW: I think that I was just randomly browsing the forums the month of the first contest. I submitted an image without much luck, and then a year or so later my friend Mike Corriero told me that he thought I could win the current topic "marketplace" if I submitted again. He was right.

GW: When you won the challenge, were you a student, professional or hobbyist?

CW: Professional.

GW: Has your status changed since, and if so what influence did the DVDs have? Where do you study/work and what do you do?

CW: Status has not changed. I'm the art director / illustrator for Challenge Online Games: www.duels.com, www.warstorm.com, www.planetstorm.com, more to come...

GW: Of the titles you won, which do you feel had the biggest impact?

CW: David Levy's Speedpainting to Concept Art had a huge impact during the production of Planetstorm. It allowed me to create large quantities of card art in a fraction of the time I would have spent otherwise.

GW: How important do you feel communities, like the Gnomon Workshop Forum, are to your growth as an artist?

CW: Online art communities are extremely valuable in terms of portfolio development. In forum contests you get an assignment, a deadline, and competition to motivate you. You're guaranteed to produce a lot of work if you participate.

GW: After viewing the DVDs has your career path changed in a direction you didn't expect? For example, new interest in design, rendering, matte painting, dynamics, etc?

CW: No. I think I've only been doing the same kind of stuff more efficiently. But I haven't chosen DVD outside of my 2D discipline.

Actually, coming back to this question, I had forgotten that I saw your Ryan Church DVDs early in my career. They were pivotal in getting digital painting to final snap together for me... and I haven't looked back to paper since.

GW: Any other feedback regarding The Gnomon Workshop or individual DVDs? Are there any specific areas you would like us to cover more?

CW: I like watching some of the guys who demonstrate traditionally (J.P. Targete, Dave Dorman, Sid Mead) and I try to replicate some of their techniques digitally within Photoshop. It's also been a kick reliving college by watching some of my former teachers Bob Kato and Richard Keyes.