Explore the inspiring career journey of Ashley Gray, a leading digital artist renowned for blending 3D sculpting with digital painting to create uniquely captivating artworks. Based in London and transitioning from game art to independent artistry, Ashley shares invaluable insights on navigating the creative industry, adapting to evolving technologies, staying motivated, and the importance of community support. Whether you’re an aspiring digital artist or a seasoned creative professional, Ashley’s story offers a fresh perspective on making an impact in today’s digital art world.
How did you first get into the industry?
For me I would say here at Creativepool.
I was on a few websites before this but this is the main one; most of the others are gone now, and more importantly, I have a strong belief that I have made the most impact here. When I get emails reporting that they have seen my work online and have a proposal, I believe they have seen my work here. I also use to do game and art stuff through social media contacts and such my first thing as a band CD covers, because my artworks were being stolen by bands. I have been here for a long time, and then recently in the last few years been doing more contemporary artist-type things which, as I say they must be seeing my work here.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I'm still based in London, Greenwich, Woolwich, but I currently work for a council at the other side of London. Its strange, its not my kind of job at all as itys not an industry role, but everything else is ten out of ten so I'm a little stuck, for example the distance is two hours each way making my commitment more like 12 hours, but then I get a few work from home days, the job is technical and has a vast amount of knowledge which I do not excell at in this area but I have a very good team that help and many supportive leads, I get good outcomes people like me, but its taxing, so I guess I'm still looking for a change, but interestingly the fresh out of uni kind of, I must find a job to get really good and then do some personal stuff for whatever plan, that is gone, its more a I would rather do something I enjoy or that has some remote connection to what I'm interested in.
What is your personal background and what role did it play in your career?
My background, I guess, would be a games art master's graduate, because in my career I'm transitioning into an independent artist. My journey was school, college, uni, no connecting job, websites, creativepool, independent artist. As my work is 3d digital art, my background in computer games art is fundamental, without it I wouldn't be able to make the things I do. But as it's not part of my job or work at the moment, I'm just an independent artist making images.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
This seems easy, I would be working for the council? Or maybe a lesser job as my art is not really connected to my work in any way its kind of like a second life, I don't really have the view that if I wasn't independent I would be in the industry, its more the other way around, What I'm doing now is what I would be doing if I didn't get into the industry. I'm not really sure where someone like myself can fit, I do have a lot of skills but I just like what I'm doing zbrush images, being a video editor or something would be better than my current role sure but I don't see roles where I can do things I'm doing now.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
From the digital side my work is different because of what I show, my work isn't about technical clean renders of creatures or games stuff, its more art like, and for the art people, they are confused and slightly impressed when I show them its not a 2D digital painting its a 3D sculpt that I took many renders of to paint. In this space between 3D rendering and digital art is where I have the freedom in my process, I can add as many paint layers as I like, I still have my own rules, I don't really merge images or files into one image.
How would you describe your style?
Places will speak about my work being surreal or colourful or introspective, for me, it's a bit like if you gave a ZBrush render to a digital painter to finish. I spend a lot of time around the composition of the shot and the colour tones of the images I make. I put a lot of subtle colour tones in my work as layers; they add a kind of depth, a lot of hand-painted lights and things merged with the base, which is a 3d render.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
I am not as clued in on the industry experts now. I used to admire the works of Viki Yeo, Mike Thompson, Raf Grasseti, you know, character artist type artists. But I have shifted to more traditional or classical artists also because of the more art scene I seem to be emerging into. As for inspiration, my work is inspired by my view of life or what I think, not really people, in that sense I'm not really inspired to create because of other people, in that sense I'm very solo orientated again not really by choice it just happened how it did, I still watch a lot of videos of artists both zbrush and digital painters but my idea are very much my own thing.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
Most importantly, I would say, you are in the right place here. Connect with places and the company's message, people use the website's functions. I know that sounds like a sales pitch but what I know is, I have been here for some time and my work goes to gallery's.... if this can support me to get there, it can defiantly get you into creative work, just keep creating and showing, because you have to do both and for me the long road is the hard part.
You have to keep making things that are relevant in your field, you have to keep growing and holding your edge or growing it and you have to look for work. But you can do that all here, don't think I have looked for any jobs, but I live in the community aspect, the community of people who work or are connected to these jobs or projects you will be looking for.
Can you share a memorable experience from your career journey that shaped your approach to creativity?
I won the people's choice for my category in the Annual 2023. I have been supported by this website for many, many years; it has seen my growth, and I have had a few features and credits. When I came, my images were just me; I was very shaky and unsure. I can't say I'm super confident now, but there is a certainty that was not here before that point; it's hard to explain. It just made it very real as everything else is just a digital thing on a profile. And then one day, I get to meet the creator and what I can only assume is the lead, these people and this place having such an influence on my creative path. I was definitely in a type of shock. To me that night, I met the people who believed I could be here now way back in 2014, when I, had no idea.
After that, there was a break, something strange happened, like life caught up with me for a second and then this year, more art based awards from places. That confidence, it's not more skills or I can do things I can't do, but there is more I can make what I like, I used to be very caught up in the technicality, and I still am, but I have become more relaxed and made less technical or smaller works and I have the confidence to do that now.
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
Photoshop and zbursh, I have a OK computer, in the 3-5 grand range, one screen a mouse and keyboard, no graphics tablet or other technology for art, I don't use internet models or any things like this either, so it's just the two programs I use and my computer, which if I lost any component, everything falls apart.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
This is hard, I'm tempted to say support, again I have had so much support from this org and some of my work colleges are very supportive considering I'm working and not an artist at my job, as a digital artist rather than an industry specialist I would say mind set, my view is fairly driven by less than awesome forces, I don't think anyone wants to hear darkness and misery will force you.
I frame being a creative like a fighter in an arena, battling the creative energy to create because creating something good is not easy at least for me, so it would be that I must keep fighting in the arena, being an artist to me is a gift for any human mind, creativity is a beautiful thing, the way your mind picks out things from the world and puts them together and shows you for you to create them. A kind of, I am very lucky and so I must keep going.
Also my mind moves very fast and it takes so long to create something, I use to have more time and now I have less with the extra art things I do, so I have a list of ideas and they just stack up.
I wouldn't be able to keep up if there were two of me or I would love to be twice as fast, but then I would change that for being twice as skilled.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
This is going to sound arrogant but hear me out.
The achievement I will always be mostly proud of no matter whatever happens is being rank 1 digital artist here, not for the clout I don't know digital people who care and I'm not really in the community. When I was young in collage or the start of uni I would come here and look at all the creative amazing talents, I use to think if I can ever create anything good, over time at uni I developed and thought more, if I can get enough skill to create anything anyone can understand I will be pleased, as my skills developed further I joined and saw my self rise, I use to think it was a bug that something was wrong after assurance and encouragement over many years I have grown, I have a few awards for like art stuff and they are cool, they are defiantly helping me, but its like this place the community and the org built me supported me, featured me so many times.
I have only two things on my wall in my room apart from one of my art works, they are my two short lists from here. I know there are massive brands here many 1000s of profiles I met a creative team at the award night that has so much power its amazing to me (we are 17) and I think, I am rank one in my field here, it is the greatest honour, I tie it proudly to my creative art it is part of my creative theme I even make a image reflecting this in 2023 'the hands that lift me' I am very grateful I can not begin to explain my gratitude, I have a project called digital artist you will see that I have had the honour of a few things, this title, to be your champion of the area as I say, is a great honour, one of many champions of their category.
As someone with experience in the industry, what trends do you foresee shaping the future of creativity?
As a digital artist at the moment there is a thing going on with the AI art stuff, each to their own but im not a fan no AI for me, but I do think that this trend will change creativity.
There is the element lowering the bar for creativity and this is a good thing I think. I'm not talking about how prompters or video generators are artists, that's for someone else, I'm talking about how the tools are easier, you can get children to make prompts for generative art, so now we get to see what children who would create, create. I think we miss these kind of things in the battle for creativity against the AI or however people want to put it.
Like most I see two general outcomes AI will either enhance creatives creativity or AI will capitalize on it, and there are forces a play its not as simple as saying corporations will use it and everyone will just go there because its quick. Which could be true, but negates art or creativity itself and we as consumers can just reject it, I was asked if I was afraid of AI as an artist and at the moment I'm not, it has no self to create art, and if it does I will want to see its art, very much. But on the more practical level of creativity and AI, it is impressive, it will only become more impressive and cheaper or easier to use and more effective, but at that time, it will be a question of integrity which I do hope we can hold onto because that is very much under threat, I know this phrase “AI were suppose to do the jobs we don't want not the jobs we do want” is a little funny and a little extreme, but its also a little dark and a little too real.
What do you think sets apart truly exceptional creatives from the rest of the pack?
There are many factors we all have heard of creatives before their time, because time is very much a factor in how your creativity is received but there are many factors we can control, such as dedication, passion and ability but they are very sensitive. I would say just work like a psycho, find your energy and use it, and what I mean there is many people think good creatives are super innate and have some gift and sure there are many of those but for me to me my energy wasn't, I am awesome, more a I want to be good enough and I still do and it is still very frustrating, I'm not half as good as I want to be and in hindsight could always be better, work herder blah blah blah.
So for me its that energy that makes me, partly as good as I am, but people are different and I'm certainty no exceptional creative. I find myself wanting to say play the cards you have like your life depends on it but I also know mental health is a thing.
How do you think technology has influenced the creative industries and how have you adapted to these changes?
Technology has made things easier and faster but more time consuming, more complex and expensive. I think many people can guess that most creative teams can create amazing things but there are always constraints such as budget or time, somewhere there has been a shift, its more of a cap that is imposed by us rather than technology like it use to be when I was young. To that end I think people or creative teams are just having to be more inventive to keep up with deadlines or demands, I don't think everyone is like this but I do feel the sense that technology hasn't made it easer to do thing with less people, there are massive teams with specialists in like light rending or typography and you will need more than one for the work load and they better be good, which is difficult to tell.
I think that's a lot of pressure of creatives and teams. I'm very much we are people not robots so to that end for me I have just had to accept that things will be slower if I want them to be better or I need to be faster, I would love to be fast enough to create something every day, in the same way I want my new tv program to just pump out high quality media with no years long wait, but I have to wait, money doesn't buy it, humans, leave their familys for very long times dependiong on what they do, to give their live which they only have one of, to a palce that will create this for you, if, everything goes well.
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
Its hard to say for me, again not being a lead anywhere or anything like this, but I would say give people a chance, but then to me that happened here for me which is why I would say that, I ended up sadly in a meat factory after my masters, so a few years after trying and I guess doing something wrong to get no where, I came here and just posted images things I was making, I joined in 2014, I can only humbly say I have come very far and to me it is very much because I was given a chance here and I guess a few other places and I'm sure some will say well you did earn it and I'm not talking about that, there was a time that my art carer?
Was just this website and one other where I was also a top 25 artist. Sometimes all someone needs to keep going is their eyes, some words of faith. I often say thank you for your faith. To me, that's a big thing here and to me, my career? again was born from the faith I got here, so have some faith.
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
You are here? You don't need to be anywhere else really, join the place where your craft is the focus, also tho. Have your own website if you need also tho, but you can do it all from here with your programs and your email address. I'm not here to hype, again, if you're interested, look at my project Digital Artist. All from my bedroom and this website.
