Interview with Jeremy Hardin / CG Artist
by William “Proton” Vaughan

A master with Crayola Crayons, Jeremy has had his hands in all sorts of CG cookie jars, ranging from Architecture-Visualization, Music Videos, commercials, and more. Most recently, Hardin has been applying his skills on Steve Oedekerk's Barn Yard due out this year. Cg Focus sat down with Jeremy to find out where he gets his inspiration for his creations, how he got his start, and more.

Can you tell us a little about your artistic background?
It all started with a box of Crayola. Man I loved those things. Tasted great too. Though it took me forever to realize that you don't need the white crayon if you're coloring white paper. But seriously, I was much more concerned with expressing light and gradation than just staying in the lines. I didn't want to make a pretty picture. I wanted to reproduce reality. While very frustrating at the time (you can only get so far with child hands and 16 colors), the beginnings were there.
But enough about crayons.

I never got into formal art training, as I was more interested in the maths and sciences in school. I do regret this somewhat, but such is life. My attempts at reality were still there, though. I once painted a Tie-Fighter with perspective and shadows in Windows Paint, pixel by pixel, trying to get the shapes and shadows to look 3d. To be honest, it was nothing impressive to look at, but it had perspective and wowed a few friends.