Deep Dive 3D Illustrations with Yippiehey

Jacob Eisinger aka Yippiehey is a freelance illustrator, designer and art director. In our interview, he provides exciting insights into his creative process and his distinctive 3D style. He shares his experiences with various projects and talks about the technical challenges involved in realising his artwork.

How did you get into 3D and CGI?

Even before I studied design, I was always most enthusiastic about illustration. However, as I'm not good at drawing and don't like it, I didn't see it as an option for me. During my studies, I then bravely applied for an internship in a pure illustration studio. Shortly beforehand, a fellow student showed me his first 3D artworks that he had made with Cinema 4D and I was instantly in love! I started to familiarise myself with the software using online tutorials and was able to get the internship thanks to my first 3D artworks in my portfolio. In the end, I hardly did any 3D during the internship, but spent all my free time learning it.

How would you describe your general style? What makes your 3D illustrations unique?

I like to say that I specialise in "The Cute Arts", but that's probably only half the truth. My style is generally very bold, colourful, quite cute, but also very detailed to very realistic elements. I love playing with a lot of colour and bringing a certain whimsicality to my work. But I have just as much fun bringing worlds to life for clients with a reduced colour palette and a photorealistic look and textures.

What are the advantages of 3D compared to traditional 2D illustrations?

3D illustrations enable a more realistic representation of objects and scenes, which is particularly important in the areas of product visualisation, architecture and character design. They offer the possibility of depicting different perspectives and lighting scenarios, which 2D illustrations often struggle to achieve. In addition, the flexibility of 3D software allows for quick changes and adjustments, which makes the creative process more efficient.

What role do textures and materials play in your work?

Materiality plays a very important role for me, as it allows you to create a certain haptic and feel for the objects. Through my initial work with photorealistic renderings, my area of expertise in this respect has expanded enormously over the years. There are almost no limits to what you can depict. However, sometimes I deliberately do without complex textures if they don't add value to the image or even get in the way of the message.

Could you tell us about some of your projects? What were the challenges and why was the realisation in 3D important for the project?

PTA Woman:

An editorial set I created for PTA Woman Pro magazine about habits that can lead to heartburn and how you can change your life to get rid of it. Especially in character work, I love working in 3D as I find it brings the characters to life even more. Food, on the other hand, is a challenge! I like to work a little more abstractly here to avoid confusion. But there are also great opportunities to combine photorealistic elements with illustrative styles.

Fairtrade:

Here, a style was developed that suits the brand and is intended to convey a natural, warm feeling. The result was a kind of miniature world with light wood textures reminiscent of toys. Thanks to the 3D realisation, the whole thing doesn't come across as too playful and can therefore convey important themes in a friendly way.

FC St. Pauli:

Together with Viva Con Aqua Arts, I have visually realised one of the club's principles for FC St. Pauli. "Paulirama" shows St Pauli in a nutshell. This is a project close to my heart, as Hamburg and St. Pauli have been my adopted home for almost 10 years. I fell in love with the city and the vibe of the Schanze and St. Pauli on my very first visit - and capturing that in artwork for the club was a dream come true! By realising it in 3D, I was able to perfectly depict the ambivalence of the neighbourhood and the diversity through different materials and depths in the motif.

What software and tools do you mainly use for your 3D illustrations?

I have been working with Cinema 4D since my studies and can hardly imagine my life without 3D. I was completely fascinated from the very first rendering, I'm still hungry and love getting to know new facets of the programme. Of course, I also use the usual tools such as Photoshop and After Effects to prepare the renderings.

How long does it usually take to complete a full 3D project?

There are no fixed rules for this - it can take anything from half a day to several weeks or even months, depending on the project. There are so many styles and possibilities within the medium of 3D that you can easily adapt the amount of work to your requirements. The initial outlay may often be a little higher, but once the data is in 3D, there are endless possibilities for colour and texture changes as well as changes in perspective. It is therefore very often worth going down the 3D route.

For which industries do you think 3D illustrations are particularly interesting and relevant?

3D illustrations offer a high degree of flexibility and realism, which is an advantage in many industries. In the healthcare sector, for example, complex medical processes can be made visually understandable. In the technology sector, detailed 3D models enable precise product visualisation and development. In the sports and culture sector, vivid and captivating visualisations can be created that capture emotions and dynamics.

What trends and developments in 3D and CGI do you find particularly exciting?

I find it exciting to see how 3D illustration and CGI are constantly evolving - new technologies and software updates are always opening up new possibilities. I find the development towards even more realistic renderings and the integration of 3D illustration in various media formats such as AR and VR particularly interesting.

What do you think about AI in the 3D sector?

I see exciting approaches, but I believe that it will take some time before AI becomes really relevant in the 3D sector. In general, I'm constantly keeping up to date with the latest innovations, but I'm concentrating on my strengths and developing my area of expertise in the direction that I think makes sense. I don't see much overlap with AI at the moment - and I don't think it's necessary for everyone to just learn how to write the best prompts. I'm concentrating more on storytelling and concept, because I think that will become increasingly important.

What are you currently working on and what are your plans for the future?

After focussing more on character work, I've been working for some time now on moving even more in the direction of animation. Everything has to move these days, for almost every medium. I really enjoy doing this and I'm looking forward to bringing my art work to life even more! In the future, I would like to bring my art even more into the real world, be it through my own products such as art toys, prints, sculptures or exciting collaborations with clients for events, brand collaborations, murals or fashion - the sky is the limit!