Originally, I had instant messaged Justin Spice (one of our concept artists) to discuss his bio for the ZeroTransform website. The conversation quickly expanded into an interview about what he stands for as an artist, his introduction to virtual reality, and level two of Vanguard V.
Spice has a true passion for creating art, the kind of passion that couldn’t be muddled by instant messaging. Even through text on a computer screen, the intensity for his work couldn’t be missed.
I had started by asking him where his love for video games had come from. Spice explained that his love doesn’t lie with video games, but with the concept of what virtual reality can deliver.
“I think we need to put our differences aside and explore like we were meant too.
I want to use games as a means to show people what is hard to imagine”, Spice said. As an artist, his goals is to unify humanity into one unit; one “common goal”. He continued to tell me that he believed humanity needs to focus on expanding ourselves through exploration, and virtual reality will push that idea forward.
Anyone who sees Spice’s portfolio can easily see his love for the unknown. He has an undying fascination with space that has become the driving force for his art. Spice had a natural talent for visual arts, and it became the most effective / efficient way to communicate his passion.
In 2014, Spice experienced GoogleCardboard and experienced the demo for Vanguard V. If you haven’t tried it yet, you can download it in the Google App Store.
“Justin’s work was some of the first (virtual reality) I had ever really experienced and it melted my face off, so I emailed him that night”, Spice told me. He’s been contributing concept art to Proton Pulse, Pulsar Arena, and Vanguard V ever since.
“Justin gave me full freedom to interpret his world however I wanted”. His most recent work has been on slime parasites and level two of Vanguard V.
Spice wanted the level to flow like cinema; where colors, shape, and texture transition meet the needs of the plot. He focused on creating demanding and colossal shapes that would intrigue players. Spice remembers thinking, “What would it take to hold all that water back? What kind of strength would be able to punch a whole in (this planet)?” Rocks containing the leviathan appear to be “peel(ing) out the planet like a massive gunshot”.
Spice also created the slime parasite. He used references of jelly fish, eels, and soap bubbles to make the image below. He wanted to create a semi-aquatic, transparent animal that could fly. You can find them in the cave during level two.
Justin Spice currently resides in Raleigh, NC where he is working on freelance concept art and fulfilling his goal as an artist.
Check Out His Website: http://www.justinspice.com
Follow Him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinSpiceArt
ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/artist/justinspice
Instagram: @elliottspice
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