"Hey, Babeh.."
A little about me...
I was born in Arizona and lived there until high school when my family moved to southern California. I have been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil and have dreamed of becomming an artist as long as I can remember.
High school in southern California provided me with the opportunity to delve into the world of 2D animation, under the excellent teachings of Mike Healey. As a Cartooning class we were able to do many exciting things, including touring Dreamworks Studios, meeting professional Cartoonists, and participating in the World Animation Marathon in 1997.
After graduating from Apple Valley High School in 1999, I put everything in my life on hold for 2 years to serve a full-time LDS mission in northern Spain where I learned Castillian Spanish (and a little Gallego) as well as being able to participate in many rewarding charitable organizations including Medicos Del Mundo, La Cruz Roja (Red Cross), Caritas, and the Special Olympics.
Upon returning to the States I took my first 3D application classes at the local community college (Victor Valley College, a beginner 3dsMax class, and a beginner SoftImage XSI class) and immediately fell in love with 3D art. I also happened to fall in love with a beautiful, talented young lady named Heather Whitman, and on April 24, 2004 I married her in the beautiful LDS Redlands temple.
After finishing most of my general-education classes I would need, my wife and I decided to check out the Art Institutes, leaving friends and family in California to forge a life of our own in the bristly winters of Denver, Colorado. During my time here at the AiC I have maintained above a 3.5GPA and participated in countless lectures and demos outside of the standard class schedule.
In early 2006 I began a school club geared towards students using their growing talents in a paying work environment. A good friend of mine by the name of Chad Perkins was expanding his architectural rendering studio, Aveconta, and my team of 3D artists freelanced for him, producing many high-quality renders for construction jobs in the High Desert area of southern California.
August 7, 2006 saw the arrival of my very energetic little boy, Thomas John Gibbons. Tommy has been a raging punk since day one and I couldn't be prouder!
Tommy's usual face after Spaghetti
Even though there is a strong focus at the Art Institute of Colorado on cinematic animation, I became quickly enamored with Video Game Art. Since the moment I saw my first character in a real game engine I've been hooked, and have spent countless hours researching and exploring game art on my own. I have taught several extra-curricular classes on game-character creation, UV layout, and normal map creation at the AiC, and briefly oversaw a group of 7 beginning students in southern California working on a project for WedgeKase Animation Studios.
I strived to attain as much training as I possibly could during my time at the AiC, and am now working as a 3D Artist, with a focus in Character Art.