Meet Kwame Thomas | 3D Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kwame Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kwame, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was younger, I wanted to be an architect. I was good at math and loved to draw, so my idea of combining those skill sets was architecture. Three people influenced me to choose an alternate career path. The first was an art instructor from a summer program called ArtsCool. Her name was Tracey, and she pushed me to pursue a career in the arts. The second was a high school teacher who taught AutoCAD. His name was Mr. Young, and he introduced me to 3D computer graphics. The third was a high school classmate who knew I was into the arts and made a suggestion that altered my choice of college. His name was Christopher, and he suggested I check out Savannah College of Art and Design. I visited the school and immediately fell in love with the city and the atmosphere of the school. With these three influential encounters and my interest in the creation of animated movies, I chose to pursue a career in animation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In the first few years of my career, I thought to myself what would be a good tagline for my work. “I make this look good,” a line by Will Smith in Men in Black stuck out. While I don’t actually use this line for my business, I do strive to make whatever I’m working on “look good.” I’m a visual person and like visual media that is intriguing and well-executed. To achieve this in my work, I do my research on gathering good references and use that to guide my creativity in fulfilling the criteria of a project. In the past few years, the way I create 3D art has involved more research and exploration due to the recent developments in artificial intelligence. Adopting new techniques has been challenging, but being at the forefront of how technology shapes our world is exciting. I’ve been a freelancer for a large part of my career, which has taught me to stay open to new projects and continue learning new techniques that improve my craft. Staying relevant and unique means being adaptable to innovation while maintaining core values.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For breakfast, we could start at Thumbs Up. Throughout the week, we could get fancy and go to Breakfast at Barneys or check out the Waffle Bar for a more relaxed environment. After breakfast, we could work off the food with a nice walk in the Cascade Nature Preserve. Or we could do a bike ride on the Atlanta BeltLine. I don’t expect my friend to get up at the crack of dawn for an early morning prayer, but by midday, my friend could accompany me to a local masjid to experience a communal prayer that keeps me spiritually plugged. We could go to the small quaint Community Masjid in West End Atlanta, which has a rich history. Or we could go downtown to Al Farooq Masjid to experience the ornate Islamic architecture reminiscent of iconic masajid worldwide. For lunch, we can get some tasty halal food around the corner from Al Farooq at The Greedy Bunch or travel a little further to the east side and eat at Springreens. I love the movie theater experience and wouldn’t mind watching several movies during the week. At Phipps Plaza, we’d enjoy the oversized luxury seats that recline back and allow us to kick up our feet. At Studio Movie Grill, we can eat a full meal while watching a movie. I wouldn’t mind checking out a good movie every day, but to switch it up, we could go to the Georgia Aquarium or the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. For a more techy experience we could check out the Illuminarium. For more outdoor excitement, we could go to Fun Spot or Six Flags. As the day winds down, I’d grab dinner at Wayback Burgers, specifically on Chamblee Tucker, for the variety of halal burgers. A more upscale alternative would be an order of the Philly Ribeye Cheesesteak or the Filet Mignon at Dantanna’s near Lenox, as you guessed is also halal. I’m not much into the nightlife, but to pack in a full schedule, I’d make an exception for my friend and take them to the Thunder Zone for bowling. If they’re movie lovers like me, we could catch a double feature at Starlight Drive-In Theater. For a midnight snack, we could check out Insomnia Cookies or Sublime Doughnuts. 

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my mother and father. Their love, guidance, and support are crucial to the fabric of who I am. My mother has supported me in many of the major decisions I have made, even when it seemed she wasn’t totally on board. We would talk about it and she would assure me of her support. My father has been and still is a positive influence on my spiritual development, which has led me to continuously examine myself and the people around me. This has helped me to be more empathetic toward others and to always work on improving myself. Many other people have helped me to be the person I am today. There is one additional person who stands out amongst them in deserving credit, and that is my wife. Without a doubt, her love and support are priceless to my success.

Website: www.kwamination,com

Image Credits
Personal Photo by Bonnie J Heath