Bio
I am from Richmond, Virginia and am a multimedia artist who specializes in many creative trades. My expertise lies within character design, world-building, concepting, 2D animation, and 3D modeling, but I love to experiment with many other mediums such as paints and clay. I am creatively inspired by the media that I love ranging from cartoons, comics, video games, movies, anime, etc. My passion for pop culture along with my fascination with the sciences and mythology fuel my creative endeavors. My main goal with my art is to entertain, inform, and to overall bring a smile to your face!
EDUCATION & Experience
I graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2023 with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts. I studied in the Creative Technologies major where I learned a variety of digital mediums, including Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter. Within the program, I made a variety of 2D and 3D animations along with doing work in video editing, compositing, and video games. We also studied a variety of physical mediums such as sculpting, woodworking, and welding. I have held a variety of jobs over the past couple of years.
The positions I have held range from creative development to artistic development. My first few positions were as a student-faculty at Virginia Tech. I was an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at the Pamplin College of Business for the class "Global Business of Pop-Culture" where I helped students understand the connection between media, business, and politics along with being tasked with editing lesson plans, grading assignments, and leading discussions. I also was a First Year Experience Peer Mentor where I was responsible for mentoring freshmen in the School of Visual Arts. I was tasked with organizing meetings, leading activities, aiding students with their projects, and offering guidance and critique. I also worked on several student-faculty grant projects, such as The American Soldier WWII Immersive Experience where I was responsible for creating concept art and 3D models of scenes. Another project was The Tale of Two Brothers where I assisted with narrative development and animation. In that same year, I worked with a VR design team on an asymmetric game where I designed and modeled characters.
After graduation, I obtained an internship with T'Sare Media where I was responsible for creating concept art and animatics for characters within the game "Galaxy Gang". I am currently a Teaching Artist with ART 180, a non-profit organization aimed at fostering artistic development within the Richmond Community. I teach an art studio during an afterschool program at River City Middle School where I guide students on a variety of artistic activities. Outside of professional work, I have been working on several indie projects such as The Hurstborne Grande, an indie-led video game where players ascend a hotel in purgatory through gambling and stealing souls, and Perception Complex, a narrative series about romance, relationships, and what it means to exist in the universe. Both of these projects can be found in the Works section.
I am currently working at Virginia Commonwealth University as an Adjunct Professor in the Communication Arts Department. There I teach several courses in 3D ranging from basic introductions to 3D modeling to advanced 3D Character animation. While I work at VCU, I continue to pursue new career opportunities and plan to further my education.
Contact Information
Email: ishraq.quasem@gmail.com
Phone: +1 (804) 615-7811
Social Media: @angrypvz
Thank you!