3D Animation & Visual Effects grad Matt Turner has the job he wanted, working as an environment artist at Seattle game developer Zombie Studios.

He also had the advantage of not one but two years at VFS, getting his footing in Foundation Visual Art & Design before jumping to the 3D program.

Matt, who mostly grew up in Washington State, was introduced to 3D art in high school, and his interest was piqued. He wanted to work in games: “Telling stories, building worlds… 3D felt like an ideal way in,” he says.

But Matt’s road to the industry had some detours, including a big one to Washington State University. “I majored in computer science at university. My dad thought that was a more solid foundation than an art degree,” he says. “Programmers work on games, so program I did. I worked for a few software companies and owned a web development company for awhile after graduation, but I never got my foot into the games industry.”

Of course, the story doesn’t end there, or we wouldn’t be telling you any of this. When we heard from Matt, he’d been on the job less than a week. In his own words:

What ultimately led you to VFS and the Foundation program?

Inside my head, you’ll find a swirling mixture of left-brained, order and right-brained, creative chaos. Software engineering, system administration, and all of the other technical hats I’d tried on didn’t satisfy the whole of my brain. I needed more of an artistic outlet.

I left the web development company I’d started and began looking for art schools. In all my searches, I was most consistently impressed by the work coming out of VFS. The 3D program was my end goal, but Foundation seemed like a better starting point.

3D itself is just another tool. Knowing a modeling package doesn’t necessarily make you an artist. I wanted to make sure that I had a solid grasp on the fundamentals before I tackled 3D.

Some students at VFS spend one pretty hectic year here, but you had two to settle in. What was it like?

My transition was almost seamless, quite literally. My friends and family came up for my Foundation graduation ceremony on a weekend, and I started on 3D the following Monday. I was still polishing up my final animation for the Foundation DVD through the first week of 3D classes.

Having Foundation under my belt was incredibly helpful. In the first half of the 3D program, you study a number of subjects you’ve already been exposed to. It’s great to be able to leverage what you know and push your work a bit beyond the requirements of an assignment. You have more practice expressing yourself visually, knowing how color and form and composition can help you showcase your work.

I think I can guess what your answer might be, but seriously now - how does it feel to have been hired on at Zombie Studios?

I had butterflies the size of pterodactyls in my stomach when I got the job offer. I think I bounced off the walls for a few minutes. It’s great to have finally broken into the games industry. It feels like ten years of hard work just paid off.

I’m just finishing up my first week at Zombie, but I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned already. Being in the midst of a development team, I’ve quickly come to realize how intertwined everyone’s jobs are. As an environment artist, the props and buildings I create are vital to the work of the level designers sitting beside me. Seeing my art put to use in the game world is pretty thrilling, doubly so when it’s finally released to the public.

Any advice to up-and-comers thinking about following in your footsteps?

If you want to explore your artistic side and see where it might take you, VFS is a great place to start. Take advantage of the talent that surrounds you, in both the instructors and your classmates. Pour yourself into your work, even the assignments you don’t particularly care for. You’ll get out of the program what you put in.

At the same time, don’t forget to eat and sleep. Without blood sugar and rest, your brain will be reduced to oatmeal. You cannot possibly make good decisions with hot cereal in your head. Eat. Sleep. Make art.

Chase your dreams long enough and eventually they’ll get tired and you’ll wind up catching hold of one. Don’t despair if you aren’t offered a job straight out of school. There’s always a place for talented people. Keep practicing, network like crazy, and eventually your job will find you.

Thanks for the insights, Matt, and good luck at Zombie! Readers can see Matt’s portfolio and reel at mattturner.us.