Master Smith

Forged in Fire was a crafting RPG based on the hit TV show, and I was hired as art director on a project that was unlike anything I'd worked on before. It was built entirely on top of an existing game that was very, very different from what this needed to become — and we had just three months and a razor-thin budget to make it happen.

I was responsible for everything: art direction, UI/UX, wireframing, and every piece of art in the game except the characters (though I directed those too). Working with A&E was an experience — surprisingly, they didn't have much in the way of market data and didn't deeply understand their audience. So I had to do significant research to figure out who we were building for and how to appeal to them.

The project was spread across multiple studios, and we dealt with everything from budget constraints to communication challenges with non-English-speaking developers. It was an extremely fun challenge — exactly up my alley. I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable project to work on.

Most of the art was rendered in V-Ray and 3ds Max. I would assemble models, piece together scenes, and paint over everything in Photoshop to create detailed set pieces. I got to do literally everything, and I was grateful for every bit of it.

The only thing I'd ask for if I could do this project again? More time and more budget. I truly did the best I could with what I had.