Michael McKinley
3D Artist
Physical contact info available upon request.
My LinkedIn page
STUDIO EXPERIENCE
3D Artist - Zombie Studios, Seattle, WA
February 2008 to Present
I predominantly am working on interactive and static props and environment models and textures, including normal maps (high resolution modeling), rigging, and utilizing Unreal 3.
Contract 3D Artist - Golden Goose Games
January 2008
I was an off-site contractor doing Character modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation. I also did environment modeling.
Senior Artist - iWin Division 90, Seattle, WA
July 2007 to December 2007
My duties include modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, and particle effects. For Garden Defense, I created nearly all of the characters, creatures, enemies, effects, and gameplay props. I was laid off when the studio down-sized.
Environment Artist - Buzz Monkey Software, Eugene, OR
March 2006 to June 2007
My responsibilities were to create environments and props (modeling, texturing, and lighting). I also had many hands in porting our games to other consoles, such as PSP and Xbox 360. I left the studio to move to Washington to get married.
Lead Artist - Fever Pitch Studios, Austin, TX
May 2003 to Jan 2006
My responsibilities were to lead and mentor a team of 6 artists to maintain the look and style of our projects. I was also the Lead Character and Environment Artist. I left the studio when it went out of business. My work here included modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, shaders, and particle effects.
Promoted to Senior Artist (2004)
3D Artist (2003)
Web Designer, McComb, MS
May 2002 to Feb 2003
I was a freelance web designer, primarily designing website UI and putting templates together for clients using HTML and Photoshop.
Assistant Maya Instructor - Collins College, Tempe, AZ
Feb 2001 to Oct 2001
I assisted instructors in beginner and intermediate courses covering Maya at Collins College. I taught modeling, texturing, and animation.
3D Artist - Walrus Corp., Phoenix, AZ
Feb 2000 to Jan 2001
My responsibilities were to create low-poly environments to demonstrate the capabilities of the Walrus Corp. web applications. It didn’t catch on and the company folded in early 2001.
SOFTWARE/SKILLS
WRITING WORK
Primary Artist/Author, The Game Animator's Guide to Maya - July 2006
Wiley Publishing/Maya Press
Book content focused on video game rigging and animation techniques. Rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.com.
Artist/Author, The Game Artist's Guide to Maya - Jan 2005
Sybex Publishing, Maya Pres
Wrote book for the general Game Art field. Received 4.5 stars on Amazon.com.
EDUCATION
Collins College, Tempe, AZ, Associate of Arts Degree in Visual Communication. Major in Computer Art and Animation. Dec 2000.
I have multiple references available upon request.