Just in case she’s wondering: Mom, this is a 3d model (Porcelain Elephant).

Javad Rajabzade is Making Substantial Art that Works

Art that Imitates Life in a Satisfying and Realistic Way

There’s an art to the way an artist thinks about doing art. I mean to say that there’s more to it than just “place a line here to indicate shape;” it’s just as much about where they chose to put no lines at all. Some artists have the ability to look at a block of clay and imagine all the things they will make. Art is the magic of being able to take any combination of materials and make the mind of the viewer believe that it is something else.

A friend once brought me one of these as a souvenir. It’s made of bones, though (Dragon Marble Statue).

Javad Rajabzade is a texture artist whose work manages to take the unreal and make it look tangible. His profile states that he creates, “photoreal CG imagery for product marketing and 3D models for apps & web solutions,” and from his portfolio and Artstation store, it’s clear that his skills are an equal match of substance and form.

I wasn’t double entendre-ing with program names on purpose. At first (Glass Smart Materials for Substance 3D Painter).

As per the usual with Artist of the Week, there were plenty of choices for which post to choose as a focus. Rajabzade has materials that cover everything from horror and gore to a variety of leather armors, but the posts about glass (here and here) really drew my attention. It’s not just because of how colorful some of the glass is, although that certainly didn’t hurt. The process of creating realistic glass, mirrors, and other reflective surfaces in a 3d-environment has come so far, and these posts really demonstrate that. Over time, the toolkit has become much more robust in this regard. Rajabzade’s glass textures have variety and depth, and his textures demonstrate a fundamental understanding of what makes reflective surfaces so appealing to the eye. As a bonus, there’s video of the process for the jar.

The other day, my mom told me she has jars of beans that will be good for thirty years (Substance Painter Tutorial | Glass Jar Texturing Breakdown).

To close out this week, I hope that I will get well soon. Yep, still sick. I have a lot of catching up to do on projects and education that I haven’t felt like doing. It’s hard enough to look at a screen when I don’t already have a splitting headache. When I’m feeling better, and when it’s not so blisteringly hot outside, I’d like to get out to the park or a trail and walk around in nature for a while.

There’s a name for people who get excited about rocks (Rock Smart Materials).

It’s “Geologist” (Rock Smart Materials).

Check out Rajabzade on Artstation and Artstation Marketplace!

Or, browse his Instagram and Youtube!