25 MATTE PAINTING TIPS
- PUT YOURSELF IN
THE RIGHT LIGHT
When big productions are hiring matte painters,
they’re looking for great artists certainly, but
they’re also looking for team players. “A good
matte painter would be able to see where things
are off,” says Christian Kugler (www.
matteartist.com). “[They should also know] how
long it would take to fix things, and know how to
navigate their way around situations that really
push limits. In terms of technical and artistic
foundations I look for someone who knows
whatever software they use to the best of their
ability. They should know shortcuts or hotkeys,
how to find the horizon and set up perspective,
know their black levels, work as non-
destructively as possible, know how to set up
their computer for the best workflow possible,
know how to find good useable reference and
source images for their work, and have a good
attitude to go along with it all.
“Being open to critique and knowing how to
navigate through difficult shots certainly helps, as
well as having a really good sense of knowing when
things look right. It is also super important to know
when to ask for help, as well as to pick up on other
techniques and ideas that can help further you
along. Observation is super important as well,
seeing how light interacts with each surface and
knowing how to balance your work out to really
make the right first impression. An individual only
has a few seconds for something to register so if
the shot does not work right off the bat, then
chances are there is something off. Learning how to
create super awesome masks is essential as well.”
© USA NetworkPush yourself: For Müller, every project is challenging in one way or another. “I love challenges,” he
says, “Everyone wants to grow and learn to become better [and] faster... Without challenges that is not
possible. The most significant parts of my career were always connected to projects I was afraid to take
because I was not sure if I was capable of them. But I never regretted taking projects that were too big
or too complex. It always pushes me beyond my current limits.”
© Tomáš MüllerFinding your niche: “I was always big fan of movies and from my childhood it was pretty
obvious that I was going to end up in some creative field, says Müller. “I was always drawing
and painting something somewhere... During my studies in high school I found out what
matte painting is and I was immediately blown away by nature of this technique. It was
something that connected my two favourite things... Movies and art. At that time I was
mainly interested in old matte painting masters such as Albert Whitlock.”