TD: Bonjour Seb! First of all, tell us a little bit about your true self, French cheese, wine and baguettes. It may help us understand who you really are, and what is your role in this funny industry?

SL: Humm! How to start? A Frenchman eats a lot of cheese on a fresh baguette and drinks the best wines; he travels a lot as well… I went to an Art School in France (Photography and fine-arts) and I decided to leave this country few years later. I first started as a 3D Artist (animation, rendering, lighting, modeling… I even did some rigging) using all the software available like Lightwave, 3Dsmax, Xsi, Maya, Modo and ZBrush. I ended up logically doing some compositing with Digital Fusion. In short, after 10 years I can say I've tried almost anything. This is, after all, an excellent experience due to the fact that in France it wasn't good to be too specialized in one domain. Recently, I slowly moved from Matte Painting to Concept Art. It finally looks like a full circle; I went the opposite way of most of the 2D artists I know. Nowadays, we could work with a myriad of different Medias, our job and the whole industry is changing, evolving, and I think this is really cool!

I'm very passionate about learning and trying new techniques, new ways of thinking and the most important thing; sharing and exchanging this knowledge with others. It's what makes us so unique at STEAMBOT, we work as a team.

Hey where's my glass of wine? I'm completely dehydrated.

TD: I don't really understand the origin of your nickname, so maybe you can give me a clue? We are currently working at EIDOS Montreal on the game DEUS EX III, could you tell us a bit more?

SL: Ahahh!! I don't really remember for the nickname, I guess it was a couple's decision lol... or maybe I just love rain and not Art ?. No, seriously, I just needed one and there it is! Concerning Eidos Montreal, it is a very dynamic studio with the energy of a start-up and lots of experience to support it. The game Deus Ex III is a great challenge for us concept artists; the atmosphere at work is relaxed but also focused, check the website for more information (www.eidosmontreal.com).

TD: We traveled together in Canada, USA, France and Southern Brazil; all these trips were incredible experiences! How do you see yourself in few years from now, still traveling?

SL: Yes of course, I will be still traveling in few years! A comeback to Brazil could be another great trip! When we were there we met a friend, Stephane PAUQUET, Founder of GREENVEST (www.greenvest.org) to help him start a project about the conservation of South American national parks. In the future, I would like to spend more time working with GREENVEST in association with STEAMBOT. I think, it's your case too right?

TD: Any advice you could give to the students, tourists and other kids wanting to get in the entertainment/videogame industries, either as a concept artist, 3D artist or matte painter?

SL: Be as versatile as possible in your job. You'd should learn as much software and as many techniques as you can even if they seem quite difficult. Take your time to discover and experiment, it's always good to learn and try new things... even a stinky French cheese! I'm so thirsty now!

TD: What is your source of inspiration, any artists (famous or not) that inspire you or that you consider being examples for our industry?

SL: I'm still inspired by numerous artists, but it doesn't mean they are an example to follow. I think everyone has to find his own path, however someone like Craig Mullins had a strong impact on our community and spawned a lot of “clones”. Then, with no particular order, I love the art of Black Frog, Phil Hale and so many others. I have a lot of respect for so many guys, especially Sparth (salut l'ami !). He played an important role in my life. Of course there are my co-workers and steamfriends… and I don't forget you Mark.

TD: Which software is your favorite, and for which obscure reasons? I like the fact that you are using so many tools. How do you implement new software in your pipeline (which seems to be quite complex and unusual)?

SL: Hehe, always the same question about software... to make it simple, my choice is to go for a tool which is simply the most adapted for what I want to do. Let's say when it comes to concept art, I generally use, paper, Photoshop or Painter. Concerning Matte Painting, it's a bit more difficult so I try to follow the production's constraints. Maya is well spread and benefits from interesting tools, it's almost impossible to ignore ZBrush (even for sketching) and I love Fusion5 when compositing, I do like the color correction, different procedural effects and many more, a great product in my opinion.

TD: February 2008 is going to be a busy month with the release of your DVD: “From speed painting to matte painting”. Can you describe it? What is your target? And how is it linked with other DVDs coming from your STEAMBOT colleagues (Barontieri and David Levy)?

SL: Ahahaha! Yes, it's over. Suffering! Sweat and more Suffering! That's what I recall. The DVD title is; From speed painting to Matte painting: 2D/3D production pipeline with RAINART. It focuses on the creative process of a Sci-Fi rusty industrial building. I have tried to show the entire production pipeline from speed painting to Matte painting that I'm mainly using at Steambot. I hope it'll help the people interested in working in our industry. The goal was to create a full CG matte painting within the constraints of a real production pipeline, that's why I have tried to show a complex and efficient mixed-media process. I'm currently using the same pipeline to create environments for the videogame and Entertainment industry and specifically to design full CG Sci-Fi urban environments. The DVD shows some speed paintings, mood lighting, architecture design, textures and shaders, brush creation, modeling, sculpting and compositing techniques and hopefully you'd be able to understand the entire methodology behind which is very straightforward. Big merci to the Gnomon Workshop team!

TD: You are another co-founder of STEAMBOT Studios, can you tell us a bit more about this strange company and the exciting art book which will apparently be released soon?

SL: Steambot is a blend of style, talent, energy and creativity with different artists such as Vyle, Barontieri, Viag and Feerik. Montreal was an important milestone in the creation of the company because we were all living here at the time. We are currently very busy working on an art book (visual development of an Epic SF adventure) which will be published by Design Studio Press around Halloween 2008. It seemed logical for us to create DVDs that are somewhat related to this book, David Levy (Vyle) DVD shows the custom brushes techniques we use for speed painting and environment design, while Thierry “BARONTiERi” Doizon demonstrates his production art and research techniques for character design pipeline. The first line of DVDs finished, we can now focus on the book, meanwhile we are also working with some different companies on short-term contracts. Keep an eye on our website for more information and news about the Steambot crew www.steambotstudios.com.

MARK GOERNER (MG): So in your mind, what are the factors that inform your work the most?  For example, do you see into the imagined image and follow that vision, or do you start a dialog with hard points that come from the nature of the scenario at hand?

SL: Well, it’s not really easy to answer this question in just a few words, but actually I do both! When I start with a personal image it could be just a question of inspiration, I mean, a mere vision in my mind before I start to build it up.

On the other hand, for professional work, I try to be inspired by the subject while I get accustomed with the different constraints. But I think a lot before start a project. It’s very important to be inspired by the subject, and if the inspiration doesn’t come … try to find it somewhere else!

MG: I see you as a funny, perverted child trapped in a man's body; what are the childhood experiences that confirmed your love of all things art and design?

SL: AHAHAHAH!! Yes!! Many factors really! But the main ones: I spent most of my childhood traveling, drawing and playing. When I was a kid, the principal thing I did during a trip was drawing, writing and playing music. Concerning perversion … that’s another story! Did you mean the Nurs!

Sebastien “Rainart” Larroude - Concept Artist / Matte painter www.rainfx.com

*All images courtesy of Sebastien “Rainart” Larroude