Think Tank Spotlights: Sitting down with Brenda Santos

This article was originally published on The Rookies.

Stretching from Guadalajara to Vancouver to the Viking realm of Midgard, Brenda Santos’ journey in CG art has taken her across North America (and beyond!). In 2022, Brenda was learning remotely at Think Tank  from her home in Mexico. As she entered the final stages of her portfolio, she travelled to Canada, for mentorship-focused term alongside at Think Tank's North Vancouver campus.

This unique brand of in-person and virtual learning allowed Brenda to specialize in Environments for Games in a hands-on setting while also building and expanding the connections she made while studying remotely in a new and exciting “real world” environment.

I met Brenda near the Portfolio Production Labs at the Think Tank Campus on a rare sunny Vancouver day in early May. We discussed her path from a traditional art education to the career-oriented work she recently completed, what her dream job might look like, and how a hybrid lifestyle has opened up doors in a new country with like minded artists and mentors.

Creating an industry-ready portfolio

Think Tank: Hi Brenda, welcome to the Spotlight! We’re really looking forward to this conversation!
Brenda Santos: I'm looking forward to it. I'm happy to be here!

TT: You've just completed your final portfolio, Valkyrie Room. Congratulations! Can you talk a bit about this environment?
BS: First of all, it’s inspired from concept art made by MOOD Visuals for the 2018 God of War game. This is a game I really love, and playing it made a big impact on me as an artist. Initially, I always wanted to be an animator for film, but once I played this game I was like “No, I have to work in video games!”. So, when I started my mentorship at Think Tank, I really wanted to do something to honour God of War because of how important it was to my artistic journey.
TT: You used Unreal Engine 5 to create this piece. What did you think of using that software and how did it help you?
BS: Honestly, getting used to Lumen was a little weird at first, so it took me a bit of time to get the lighting right. But after some troubleshooting I was able to efficiently change the lighting which allowed me to really impact the mood and direction of the entire piece. It took a bit to learn, but once I got there, I could control the lighting in real time instead of painstakingly remaking this or that. And if I wanted a bit more light in one area, but not another, I could just use an emissive. It gave me a lot of options, and I felt like I could just do whatever I wanted.

TT: It's cool to see that once you figure out the software a bunch of possibilities open up.
Exactly! It’s just a bit difficult in the beginning, but then it becomes something that we as artists can exploit.

BS: In your write up about Valkyrie Room, you mentioned how your texturing and sculpting skills also evolved.
Yeah, when I started the project I wasn’t too familiar with ZBrush, but early on my mentor told me that because there is a lot of personality in each little rock, and every single asset, she suggested that I sculpt everything. And I agreed with her. I really wanted a certain look and feel, so I sculpted everything. And then it was too much–I was damaging the piece. So I had to then dial it back. But after sculpting rocks for basically a month, I felt very comfortable with ZBrush. I do think that practice makes perfect. I lived it.
TT: How long did your final project take you?
BS: Oh, like six or seven months. And most of that was sculpting.

Learning CG in a hybrid setting

TT: You completed this project after working remotely for most of your program…what was it like coming to campus for your mentorship-focused term?
BS: I was really happy. I knew some of my classmates online, but being able to be with them, talk to them, and work beside them was amazing. It felt right to be surrounded by so many people who have similar interests and goals as you.

There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel, but my colleagues- my friends- were the ones that kept me going even when I didn’t want to look at my project. On top of my amazing classmates, I was getting feedback from people that already work in a top studio.  And when they say “This is looking really good”, you know it actually is!

TT: Do you think being mentored in person was just as much- if not more- effective than if you did a full remote program?
BS: If it's remote, you can always do a video call. And these can be very effective in not getting off task! But working side-by-side meant that I could really brainstorm and even sketch with my mentor. Tangents are more likely to happen, yeah, but there is something special about hashing out ideas in person.
TT: What made working with your mentors so special?
BS: Well they are all industry pros, and often work at nearby studios. On top of my mentor, there are Global Mentors who would host talks and workshops with students at the campus. They were great at providing a different opinion, or outlook, from my personal mentor who was helping me finish my demo reel.

TT: You did a bit of education in Mexico before attending Think Tank...what were some differences from learning CG and animation there?
BS: My school in Mexico, Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara, taught me a little bit of everything. I did 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Rigging, and a bit of Game Design. Because it was technically an Animation degree, the video game stuff was limited. So I kind of knew the basics of everything before I got to Think Tank.

But once I got there I was able to focus on the technical aspects of CG and specialize within game environments. My work at Think Tank was also more geared to the industry itself–we met with studio professionals and learned exactly what to expect when looking for a job.

The inspiration behind the work

TT: I was just looking at your Intermediate Term project based on Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. Miyazaki is a very environmental artist; does his style continue to inspire you?
BS: Yeah, I'm a big fan of Miyazaki–he's definitely one of my heroes. The first movie I saw of him was Princess Mononoke. There’s a scene really early in the film where the character is running through all this grass and trees–and the environment feels more like a character than the actual character.

TT: There can be so much emotion in a setting.
BS: Totally. I always felt like seeing a very nice environment made me feel more than seeing someone crying. For example, my favorite cinematographer, Roger Deakins, once said about his work that he’s “not afraid of the dark”. So he's not afraid to have his characters and environments in a dark space, and embrace how simple adjustments to lighting can do more for the entire mood of a scene than perhaps anything else.
TT: What do you think the goal of your art is?
BS: I think there is just so much an environment can say about the characters, the person, or the meaning behind a film or game. Like, you can have a very messy room, so maybe you're a messy person. What I want to do is externalize how a character might feel, but in the environment.

TT: Last question! What’s next for Brenda Santos, the Environment Artist?
BS: Well, right now I'm looking for a job! But I am also working on a personal project that is inspired by Ghost of Tsushima. I’m a big fan of Japanese games and cinema, so I really want to do something that reflects that world, and perhaps a bit more cyberpunk too!

Connect with Brenda and her artwork through the following links:
Linkedin | Artstation