Peter Ocampo

Meet Peter Ocampo

(Freelance artist)
Peter Ocampo

About Peter

About Peter

Mentor of Concept Art

Peter is currently a freelance concept artist and has worked at DNEG as an in-house concept artist on diverse projects for film and TV. He has a particular passion for designing dark horror creatures.

He studied Computer Animation and Visualization at Bournemouth University in the early 2000s and has consistently worked since then to improve his art skills.

  

Peter's work

Credits include Thor: Ragnarok, Doctor Who, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Annihilation, to name a few.

Doctor Who
Thor Ragnarok
Annihilation
Dark Crystal Age of Resistance

Q&A with Peter

Which city are you currently based in?

London, England

What did your pathway into the industry look like?

I drew a lot throughout my school years and followed a lot of concept artists on the internet at that time, but I wasn't confident enough in my skills to pursue it nor did I know how to begin pursuing a career as a concept artist.

I studied computer animation at university, which got me a job at a VFX house in London and, after 8 years working in post production, I made a switch to the in house art department. This is why I'm such a proponent of online learning, as it let me study while working full time and eventually that's what got me the skills to switch departments.

What has been the best experience of your career so far?
Definitely designing the mutated bear for Alex Garland's Annihilation. It was the most open brief I think I've ever been given and the whole process of taking something from script to screen is something that I've rarely been able to enjoy in its entirety. While, sadly, it didn't get the release I think it deserved, hearing about how much that bear freaked people out has been really entertaining for me.
What’s your advice for your students?

Show people in the industry you're reliable and can get the job done, I think that can create a better impression with your managers than doing the most amazing art possible.

I think it's really important to learn how to focus and how to meet your objectives, and the students that stand out to me tend to be the ones who can apply themselves fully during the course, sometimes in spite of very busy schedules.

Lastly, I think lots of successful people in their respective disciplines learn how to learn. In your professional life, you'll always have to research and grasp concepts you don't know very much about, so don't expect to be spoon fed everything, be curious and avidly pursue your own interests to further your skills.

Learn Concept Art from industry pros 

What do you enjoy most about being a CG Spectrum mentor?
Although all our meetings take place online, there are definite moments when you can see something you're explaining click with a student, and seeing them feed that back into their work is really great. I still hold onto a lot of the knowledge and processes taught to me over the course of my own online education so I'm hoping the student will carry what they've learnt here throughout the course of their careers.
How do you stay creative outside of work?
Rock climbing and enjoying the outdoors are generally what get me away from being hunched over my tablet for too long.
What excites you most about the future of concept art?
Not knowing what the future is! I remember when I started, the internet concept art community was a rickety old forum and now we have ArtStation. I think the changing ways in which concept art is consumed and produced creates both positive and negative change within our industry, but it's always interesting.

Learn more about Peter's experience on ArtStation or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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