Myst III behind-the-scenes

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How did you first get involved in designing game graphics? Was it a natural progression for you?

Presto Studios is what I would call my legitimate beginning with game graphics, although I did some really funky stuff for a few independent companies prior to Presto. I was introduced to Presto by a good friend and great comic artist, Scott Benefiel. He was involved with Presto at the time, working on costume and character design for The Journeyman Project 3. They needed more designers for a new game they were building and I joined the crew. The transition into games was very natural. Designing to me is just drawing a lot of pictures, at least on the surface it is. It’s actually deeper than that, but bottom line for me is, am I happy? Drawing pictures makes me happy. The transition was very easy.

What things inspire you? Where did you find the inspiration for the Age you created for Myst III?

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Everything inspires me. I’ve been called eclectic by many and I believe it to be true. The only thing I am all-consumed by is creativity. Beyond that, anything can give me inspiration. I think if I had to narrow it down to a tangible answer, it would be safe to say that music is a very big influence on me. In order for me to see something in my mind, I also have to entertain my other senses to a certain degree. Filling my ears with sound helps me depart to that creative plane. Jimmy Hendrix is a big influence, as well as John Singer Sargent.

For the Age of Edanna specifically, I was inspired by the rainforests of Borneo and the South Pacific. I haven’t seen nature portrayed very well in many visual creative endeavors, and I really wanted to try and tackle this from a unique direction. I am enamored by big plants that can consume you, not literally but physically; large palm leaves, ferns that grow 20 feet into the air. This stuff, to me, is a video game just waiting to happen; and I wanted to make it happen. Our team pulled it off very well.

Could you describe the process you go through to develop a game’s look?

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