STEPHEN PETER KAPLAN
Born in Tacoma, Washington; raised in Port Orchard, WA.
Entertainment has been a huge driving force throughout my whole life. I always imagined being inside the world of my favorite TV shows, movies and video games. They have inspired me to make my own artwork and my own worlds ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil.
I knew I wanted to get into 3D modeling when I first played "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" back in 1998, but it took me a while before I got my hands on any kind of software. Later in high school, I learned how to use Rhino and a bit of 3DS Max, as well as Photoshop, Flash, Fireworks and Dreamweaver.
Straight after High School, I attended DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA. There I learned a broad range of artistic mediums, and gained experience with Maya, Unity, and AfterEffects, while also strengthening upon the programs I had used prior to college. After earning my BFA in Digital Art and Animation, I took part as the character artist for "A Tiger's Last Song: Episode I - Wolves of Gondwana," a graphic novel written by my good friend Kevin Smelt.
I now have a strong interest in further building my 2D traditional and digital art skills, and still heavily aspire to be in the entertainment industry living among a family of people who, such as myself, do what they do because they love doing it.
As a side-passion, I also play piano by-ear solely for fun and without sheets. I generally play video game/TV/movie/anime soundtracks, classic rock and power metal, but I also like classical, contemporary jazz, and folk.
When it comes to video games, I'm an action-adventurer and classic RPGer. What I love most about video games is immersing myself in exploring the beautiful worlds within them, and interacting with their inhabitants the way I see fit. It's the reason I keep returning to games such as Zelda, Final Fantasy, Myst and Uncharted.
Entertainment has been a huge driving force throughout my whole life. I always imagined being inside the world of my favorite TV shows, movies and video games. They have inspired me to make my own artwork and my own worlds ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil.
I knew I wanted to get into 3D modeling when I first played "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" back in 1998, but it took me a while before I got my hands on any kind of software. Later in high school, I learned how to use Rhino and a bit of 3DS Max, as well as Photoshop, Flash, Fireworks and Dreamweaver.
Straight after High School, I attended DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA. There I learned a broad range of artistic mediums, and gained experience with Maya, Unity, and AfterEffects, while also strengthening upon the programs I had used prior to college. After earning my BFA in Digital Art and Animation, I took part as the character artist for "A Tiger's Last Song: Episode I - Wolves of Gondwana," a graphic novel written by my good friend Kevin Smelt.
I now have a strong interest in further building my 2D traditional and digital art skills, and still heavily aspire to be in the entertainment industry living among a family of people who, such as myself, do what they do because they love doing it.
As a side-passion, I also play piano by-ear solely for fun and without sheets. I generally play video game/TV/movie/anime soundtracks, classic rock and power metal, but I also like classical, contemporary jazz, and folk.
When it comes to video games, I'm an action-adventurer and classic RPGer. What I love most about video games is immersing myself in exploring the beautiful worlds within them, and interacting with their inhabitants the way I see fit. It's the reason I keep returning to games such as Zelda, Final Fantasy, Myst and Uncharted.