FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE on June 10, 2009

THE GNOMON WORKSHOP RELEASES
NEW gears of war creature design DVD
WITH james hawkins

This week The Gnomon Workshop is thrilled to announce a new title in
collaboration with Epic Games: Gears of War Creature Design with James
Hawkins. In this DVD, James demonstrates his production techniques while
designing an actual in-game creature from the Gears of War series by Epic
Games. Viewers are treated to an inside look at the design techniques of
one of the industry’s most talented artists, as well as to his personal take
on being a successful concept artist in a production environment. Filled
with lots of useful tips for designing your next crazy looking creature,
this DVD will be a great addition to your training library.

“Working with Jay was an Art Director’s dream," said Jerry O’Flaherty, Art Director for Gears of War. "He always tries to find new twists to bring to the mix, both in form and composition of his concepts, but also in his workflow and methodologies. From characters to creatures to weapons, and even the iconic Crimson Omen, Jay’s skills as an artist shine through in all parts of the projects he works on."

DVD Description:

Gears of War Creature Design:
Sketch, Model and Paint with James Hawkins

In this lecture, Jay covers everything from the intial thumbnail sketch to the final rendering of the concept used for production. He explains his design process using a combination of Adobe® Photoshop® and Autodesk® 3ds Max®. Jay also delves into his experiences in the game industry and at Epic Games, discussing what it takes to be a successful concept artist in today’s ever changing and highly competitive market, and emphasizing the importance of teamwork for developing a successful game.

Instructor Bio:

James Hawkins is a Senior Concept Artist at Epic Games located in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelors degree in fine arts. He worked at several companies including Timeline Entertainment, Ritual Entertainment and Legend Entertainment. In 2003 Jay joined the Epic team and has been the primary concept artist for characters, weapons and vehicles. His credits at Epic include Unreal Championship 2, Unreal Tournament 3, Gears of War and Gears of War 2.

ABOUT THE GNOMON WORKSHOP:

Since 2000, The Gnomon Workshop has provided artists and students with the educational resources they need to succeed as artists in the entertainment industries. Whether they’re interested in design, modeling, effects, animation, storytelling or matte painting, these DVDs provide a valuable educational resource for students around the world. The Gnomon Workshop is the sister company of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, which provides professional caliber visual effects instruction to students and professionals in Los Angeles, California.

Visit www.thegnomonworkshop.com for more information on The Gnomon Workshop and our library of over 200 training DVDs.