LO: My Inspiration

David McLeod – Wacom Cintiq Pro Visuals

David McLeod is a Australian digital artist who does mostly 3D animation and modeling and who I’ve followed on social media for multiple years.
As a lover and studier of architecture, I have always been fascinated with models, especially with varying textures.
What I admire so much about this piece is how he was able to really bring to life one of these models, which really opened my eyes to the power of digital art.
Much of his other art inspires me as well. McLeod does a lot of exploratory simulations with different materials and textures, which can be incredibly satisfying or incredibly disturbing.
I think that’s where this kind of art holds its power, in its ability to provide as close to a tactile experience as possible, which can facilitate visceral reactions and inform design and material choices. I could certainly see this kind of exploration coming closer and closer to reality by possibly incorporating virtual reality to create an experience that activates all sensory facets.

To my knowledge, David McLeod is a solo artist, who works from a studio in Manhattan.
I would guess that each project takes a week at the least to reach its final form.
He says that he uses mostly Cinema4D for his work, which is a commercialized software.

As far as inspiration goes, I think McLeod is influenced largely by surrealism.
I can definitely see a connection to Salvador Dali’s work, in terms of playing with material and the rules of reality.
Even some Picasso, although more rigid than McLeod, are reminiscent of his work.
And of course, legendary animators like Hayao Miyazaki, in his very texturally oriented anime work, as well as anime as a general animation style.