I’ve been fascinated by Reynante’s work ever since I first saw one of his renders. Each of them tells a story, and I was curious to know how these stories take shape. Read on to find out how Reynante creates his art, about his entrepreneurial side and about what it meant to launch a product in the Blender world: the Cycles Material Vault .
Marius Iatan: First of all – why Blender and not a programmer? 🙂
Reynante Martinez: This might sound cliché, but I chose digital art/Blender because it’s closer to my heart. I have been a programmer by schooling but felt that it’s not for me—well, not at the moment. I feel more blood pumping in my system when I create stuff out of nowhere using my digital tools, colors, and digital space. Looking at lines of code churns my gut, and this is something I would love to learn and overcome in the near future. And I welcome willing mentors. 😉
Marius: How do you get inspiration for your artwork? What does your creative process look like?
Reynante: I really don’t have a concrete process and/or workflow that I follow habitually. I make artworks when I feel like it—when random thoughts strike me on moments like washing the dishes, taking a bath, walking, etc.
Paradigm by Reynante Martinez
And once inspiration strikes me, I take a firm hold of it and never let go. I do this by either sketching or taking notes until I have unburdened my mind of the details. I forget fast, that’s why I make sure to jot down whatever comes to mind. Then from there, I do a rough sketch of what I want to achieve until the elements come together coherently. And seamlessly, in Blender, the composition, shapes, and colors come to life.
Marius: How do you manage to be productive? How do you fight procrastination or lack of inspiration?
Reynante: For a long time now, I’ve been practicing a low information diet. That means I watch less TV and I rarely check my social news feed. Instead of burning time with non-productive things, I spend that time—and lack of inspiration thereof—to work out (calisthenics, yoga, running, etc.) and learn something new like playing the piano and music in general.
Meditation has also been a huge productivity booster to me, where I simply shut off my monkey mind and focus at the present moment, feeling my heart beat and hearing my breaths. It might sound counter-intuitive but it worked wonders for me and my productivity.
Tree Bark with materials from CMV
Marius: With the release of CMV, you entered the world of entrepreneurship. What new challenges are you facing, what’s different compared to an artists’ life?
Reynante: Oh, gosh! It’s an entirely new realm if you ask me and it’s something that I’ve been meaning to traverse for a long time already. And now that I did, it feels both compelling and scary. The primary challenge that I’ve been facing so far is how to sustain this entrepreneurial mindset and not get lost in futile details.
As an artist, the end goal is usually not as comprehensive as the process itself. But on the entrepreneurial side, the output/product has more weight over the process itself. And I have to admit that I’m still on this challenging journey of gauging things myself and there’s still a lot more to learn.
Pendulum – with materials from CMV
Marius: What was the hardest thing or moment in the journey to release a new product in the Blender universe?
Reynante: It’s the release time! That moment when the countdown is at 10 seconds and you hoped that all the angels and saints could help you out. And the Blender community has been notorious for not easily getting swayed by commercial products—that’s something that scares the hell out of me. But I’m very glad to realize that they’ve been very appreciative of what I have made for them and has propelled me to give more value in the future.
Pain by Reynante Martinez
Marius: Did you have a ‘make it or break it’ moment in your path? How did you get past it?
Reynante: I have had a lot. It pertains mostly with my employment with corporate companies in the past. And I know our readers had this experience as well. I loved my job and what I did but it was just too taxing of my time and energy that I had to decide to quit, with no clear end-goal in mind but to just create stuff that I love—which sounds pretty scary and stupid. But I always had to follow my gut and this is where I am now, happy and satisfied as ever.
Marius: Name one artist and one entrepreneur that you’d like to spend an afternoon with. Why them?
Reynante: The artist, definitely Andy Goralczyk. He indirectly fueled me to push forth with Blender and CG. His mind-blowing artworks are a constant reminder to me to keep pushing the envelope, even at times when I wanted to give up and relinquish my goals.
The entrepreneur, undoubtedly Andrew Price. As my employer via Blender Guru, he has been mentoring me indirectly and has taught me a lot of lessons pertaining to the universe of entrepreneurship and communication.
If I can sit with both of these guys over tea or coffee, that would be one of the best days ever!
Bond by Reynante Martinez
Marius: What do you think makes the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t?
Reynante: Attitude, perseverance, and positive habits.
Marius: What are your plans for the next year?
Reynante: I have always said this in the past, but I’m hoping that this time it will be a reality. I really wanted to attend the Blender Conference and meet awesome guys like Andrew Price, Ton Roosendaal, Andy Goralczyk, and many more!
In addition to this, I plan on releasing the second volume of The Cycles Material Vault along with other more cool surprises. 🙂
Stone Stack – with materials from CMV
Marius: Anything you’d like to share with the Blender community readers?
Reynante: Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the entire Blender community for their undying support in the endeavors that I made and will be making. Without their empowerment, I wouldn’t have been the artist that I am now.
And to those struggling in their journeys right this moment: don’t give up.
Rock On! by Reynante Martinez
