What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Titouan OLIVE, I’m currently working and living in France and I freelance my work all over the world since several years now.  As a freelance 3D artist I work in many fields and offer a large variety of services I work for games, films, prototyping, add, architecture, etc.. I really enjoy working this way, I learn new things on each project and each project is a new challenge.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing really crazy I’m afraid. I’ve made some gardening and also worked in a supermarket during the holidays to pay my studies.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I think I don’t really have a favorite project in particular but I’m happy to have been lead character artist on an animated short film and to have been able to work for various clients all over the world in Miami, San fransisco, London etc.. I’m proud, to have been able to drive each mission with success and to see my clients happy and pleased with my work.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I think I always wanted to be an artist. First I started to draw comics and I then discovered 3D through the first 3D videos games. It was something new but already incredibly promising for artists. Since I was 10, I’ve been drawing and have always been interested in art, more specifically in illustration and character creation, so I naturally chose to orient my studies towards drawing, painting, and… 3D of course ! What I enjoy the most is character creation. I always try to improve and to push my work higher.  I started to show my work on internet and got some attention followed by several offers and I eventually started to freelance my work this way.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
I wake up every morning at 6 O’clock. Since I work from home I don’t need to take my car to go to work so, it’s a good point. Sometime, I need to draw some sketches or plans and I do that directly on paper, I then plug my computer and check my emails. When it’s done, I start the 3D work till 12 O’clock. I lunch and take a break during about 1 hour and I continue to work till 5 O’clock.  Sometime I work later and during the week-end when the deadline is very short but I try to manage my time correctly to avoid that as much as possible.
What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I love sculpting and also the first render tests when you start to see what your render will look like after having done so much efforts 🙂
What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Softwares are far to be perfect and the part I hate is when you haven’t saved your work since something like two hours and at this moment you say to yourself ”Oh I really need to save my work, I just need to finish that and I’ll do this right after !” and at this very specific moment you see your soft freezing with a nice ‘Fatal error’ message. So yes, bugs and crashes are the worst thing and are time wasters.
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What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
I work with Maya, Mental ray and ZBrush as main 3D tools. Sculpting apps like ZBrush were a revolution and have changed many things. You can now add much more details to your work. Technology is constantly changing and evolving and we have to adapt our work, I think 3D Printing and Scanning will change many things… I hope in a good way !
What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Being on a chair watching a bright screen every days is very hard for your back and for your eyes. It’s also very stressful when you have short deadlines. But I consider myself as someone very lucky doing what I love to do and living from my passion !
In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
To say the truth ?… well no, not really in fact 😉
Describe a tough situation you had in life.
No way ! I can’t do that on internet ! 😀
Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
I can’t speak about my current professional work but I’m working on a personal project on my free time. I’m working on a small character who looks like a hobbit, smoking in the front of his door and enjoying his life. I want to create a peaceful and original image. I hope I’ll be brave enough to finish it.
Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
Nothing special. I try to do sport as much as possible. I play tennis, I swim and I also do some cycling.
Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
I would say, try to understand that softwares and technology are constantly changing but they are only tools. You have to be proficient with those, but the most important is to learn the basics of art, like anatomy, drawing and composition. It will always be present in each of your creations, no matter what technology you use.  Also always think before to start something. Think about originality even when you create something that has already been explored by many artists before you. Try to keep a style (yours) and try to add something unique to your work. Watch the world with an artistic eye. keep your mind alert and always open to experiment new things.
