Inside 3D Illustration with Elements Author Amrit Pal Singh

3D illustration has become a big design and illustration trend in 2020, enabling designers to lift their ideas off the 2D page and bring their drawings to life.

Elements author, illustrator and Creative Director Amrit Pal Singh has been turning heads all over the web with his eye-catching 3D illustrations. Best known for his ‘Toy Faces’ series, Amrit has been commended not only for his incredible design skill, but also for the wide range of diversity, individuality and representation in his work.

Previously working with Fueled and Snapchat as a product designer, Amrit went on to found his own interactive game and product company Mister Bumbles in mid 2019. Since then, Amrit has been focusing on developing his unique style, as well as selling and sharing his incredible 3D illustration projects online. 

With recent projects including Abstract In Quarantine, Toy Faces and The Rooms Project, Amrit’s work has garnered him massive praise and an impressive Instagram following.

We sat down with the amazing 3D illustrator to learn how he creates his work, what inspires him, and how he’s leading the way for representation and diversity in design…

AMRIT: Growing up, I loved Studio Ghibli, Disney and Hanna-Barbera – so my interest in 3D was meant to be. I got into design and animation when I was 16. I ended up graduating from Vancouver Film School at the age of 22 where I learned most of the tools and techniques.

I was lucky enough to get a full-time job right out of college at Fueled, a technology consultancy based in New York City. I worked with Fueled for two-years as a motion designer and eventually returned to India to start my own design practice. I spent the next few years as a Product Designer working for clients from all over the world and doing a bit of 3D on the side.

From 2017 to 2019, I worked as Head of Design at a fintech startup based in New Delhi. After selling design assets with Envato as a side-hustle for one year, I left my job in 2019 to pursue a solo practice focusing on 3D illustrations and design assets.

AMRIT: Storytelling and childlike wonder – I love focusing on that. All my art is inspired by stories and a sense of wonder. I love it when something takes me back to my childhood, so most of my work is about making others feel the same.

My mission is to offer designers and companies tools or assets that make their work pop and shine while promoting diversity and representation.

AMRIT: I spend a lot of time thinking and chalking out my ideas and I keep a detailed notion journal. Then there is a research phase where I make mood boards on Pinterest and see what’s out there and how I can be different. Once I have a sense of what I want I get into the software right away. I use Cinema4D and Adobe Illustrator. I usually first draw things in Illustrator and then take them to Cinema4D to model a 3D version. Then I think about textures and lighting and what kind of look I want. After the final render, I do some touch-ups in Photoshop and then I’m done.

AMRIT: The diversity in my work is absolutely intentional. I have a mission to always be more diverse in my work. We need to consciously think about representation at every stage. On my website, I request everyone to give constructive feedback on how I can make my work more diverse and inclusive.

Illustrations and character design over the years have really established wrong standards of beauty and importance. Almond-eyes, fair skin, and particular body types; we have grown up watching cartoons that establish these biases. As creators and artists, it’s our duty to fix that.

AMRIT: There are a variety of tools I use. I believe digital journals are the best and I journal every decent idea I get. Below are some of the tools and programs I swear by for different stages of the creative process:

AMRIT: Envato Elements introduced me to the world of mockups and passive income. That absolutely changed my mindset and approach to my work. Initially, I uploaded 2 or 3 products just to see if it was something for me. I noticed a certain amount of money consistently coming in every month and that really got my attention.

I started making products weekly and researched a lot about the categories I could contribute to. I had a full-time job as Head of Design for a fin-tech startup, but I still made time because the idea of getting paid passively for my creation was fascinating. I eventually found my niche of making device mockups using my 3D skills, and that enabled me to upload 4 to 5 items monthly.

In 2019, I was tired of the startup ecosystem and didn’t want to be part of it any longer. Sturdy income from Envato Elements gave me the push to leave my job and pursue making assets full-time. It has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my career. 

Other Envato Elements authors I love include FlashFXbox – they have some amazing animated effects that I use all the time – and also brushes by pixelbuddha_graphic are pretty dope.

AMRIT: I was fortunate enough to spend the quarantine in a highly productive mode and to focus on 3D illustrations. Since then my work has been featured on a lot of platforms like Architectural Digest, VSCO, Behance, Wacom, and Design Taxi. Apart from Envato Elements, I also sell on my website and promote my work on Behance and Instagram.

AMRIT: An exciting project I’m working on right now is a personal one called “The Rooms Project“, which is a series of iconic rooms illustrated in quarantine.

Since the launch of Toy Faces Library in June, I have had several job offers from the best of companies and have fortunately been in a position where I can politely decline them and not get major anxiety about it. The current major accomplishment seems like the ability to thrive without a job and turning the global crisis into an opportunity. I’m very glad that I’ve been commissioned by some big companies like Google, NFL Teams, Snapchat, and Ola.

Play to your strengths and stick to your natural style. If your work is cute and not provocative, focus on being as cute as you can or vice versa. As an illustrator, your unique style will make you stand out. Don’t worry about what’s trending or what other people are doing, just master your style and try to be great at it. This is going to take time, be consistent and things will eventually flow. And turn on auto-save for all your projects!

For more illustration inspo, check out these trending illustration styles for 2020, or catch up on more Inside Illustration Q&As over at the Elements Blog!