Sarah Malcom talks through her route into environment art, studying at Gnomon, studio and contract work, and building Wizard Cleaning Simulator with the team at Three Frog Studio.

The project walkthrough shows a development build and the team's planning board. Sarah explains how shared references, a realistic budget, communication and a weekly view of the work help a small team make decisions. She also reflects on uncertainty between jobs and learning from collaborators. The footage records work in progress at the time of the conversation. Follow the linked project pages for current updates.

FOLLOW SARAH

Three Frog Studio: https://3frogstudio.com

Wizard Cleaning Simulator on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4431630/Wizard_Cleaning_Simulator

CHAPTERS

00:00 Episode highlights

02:15 Meet Sarah Malcom

07:50 Finding a route into games and education

32:46 Gnomon work and environment-art lessons

51:47 Contract work at Meta

1:02:43 Wizard Cleaning Simulator development build

1:18:51 Shared references and art direction

1:32:10 Team workflow and the Figma planning board

1:46:46 Sarah on access to game-industry careers

1:59:14 Where to follow the studio and game

Follow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.

Watch this full conversation and its visual demonstrations on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4sbJFfZUtU

Hosted by Alex Fridlyand for 3DWay / Original 3D Artists.

Explore 3DWay: https://www.3dway.io/

Originally published on YouTube on August 9, 2026.

Artur Artinian shows how cultural references, composition and lighting give a 3D environment meaning. His Path of Pomegranates scene leads into a practical discussion of reference boards, modular pieces, unique props and planning light through a Photoshop value study.

We also explore his smaller interior project and the choices behind presenting an environment-art portfolio. Artur credits teacher Jon Arellano for the lighting-planning approach and distinguishes a portfolio image from a game-production scene with different resource constraints.

FOLLOW ARTUR

Artur's portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/arturartinian

CHAPTERS

00:00 Episode highlights

01:35 Armenian roots and artistic influences

08:06 The inspiration for Path of Pomegranates

10:45 Composition, emotion and the scene breakdown

26:31 Organizing references

36:34 Modular pieces and unique props

58:22 Lighting the scene and planning its values

1:17:26 Moving to a smaller interior project

1:30:10 Portfolio selection and first impressions

Follow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.

Watch this full conversation and its visual demonstrations on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgXLfT0pbeM

Hosted by Alex Fridlyand for 3DWay / Original 3D Artists.

Explore 3DWay: https://www.3dway.io/

Originally published on YouTube on July 9, 2026.

How do you make your portfolio fit the role you want while keeping the work that makes it yours? Environment artist Kendrick Russell talks through that balance, his route from game modding into professional work, and rebuilding his creative focus after layoffs.

The conversation also looks closely at his environment art: what individual lights contribute, how composition directs attention, and why experimenting with skyboxes and shapes can lead to useful surprises.

FOLLOW KENDRICK

Kendrick's portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/kendrickrussell

CHAPTERS

00:00 Episode highlights

01:05 Meet Kendrick: from modding to 3D art

07:07 Learning through courses and feedback

11:41 Layoffs and personal artistic growth

16:07 Make creative practice easier to start

20:01 Opening the Blame!-inspired artwork

31:36 Building a landscape environment

54:10 Lighting as a painting decision

1:07:19 What each light contributes to a scene

1:14:09 Experimentation and happy accidents

1:31:49 Portfolio focus and personal voice

Follow 3DWay: Original 3D Artists for more conversations behind the work.

Watch this full conversation and its visual demonstrations on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLcU61eva90

Hosted by Alex Fridlyand for 3DWay / Original 3D Artists.

Explore 3DWay: https://www.3dway.io/

Originally published on YouTube on May 29, 2026.