"Eagerness to experiment, willingness to fail (A LOT) in the process, and resilience” — this is how Joyce shapes her creativity.

We interviewed Joyce, who is the winner of the K-pop Mirror contest, and through the process, we gained many insights into the challenges and creative approaches involved in contest work, useful workflow tips, and smart ways to utilize CONNECT.

We’re excited to share her experiences and know-how with you—enjoy the read and watch!

✨ Watch Joyce’s interview video [Link]

[Part 1. Introduction & Participation]

Q1. Please briefly introduce yourself.

I’m Joyce @ Miu Vermillion Studio, a freelance 3D artist with a non-creative day job. 3D art used to be no more than a creative outlet, but it all changed during the COVID lockdown in early 2020. Several independent designers noticed my photorealistic 3D renders and asked me to collaborate with them to create advertising campaigns and lookbooks for their brand because organizing fully styled professional photo shoots during lockdown was not the easiest thing to do, and some of the brands wanted to create surreal-looking imagery. Also, 3D virtual humans were kind of on the rise back then before AI influencers changed the scene merely 3 years later. 

Since then, I’ve decided to explore the usage of 3D art for storytelling and video game development. Currently, I’m working on independently created Fortnite Islands that will hopefully be playable on all Fortnite-supported platforms. I’m also in the early process of creating a short film, music video, and an Unreal Engine based adventure game.

Q2. How did you come to participate in this contest?

I found out about this contest on CLO’s Instagram story. This contest is different from other contests I’ve seen on the CONNECT website in the past. The contest’s brief is to recreate and not to design something. Though I’ve worked with designers to create digital representations of their works in the past, the level of complexity and style of KOWGI’s design is unlike any piece I’ve made in the past. So, from the get-go, I knew that this contest was going to challenge, help, and push me to expand my skills; and these are always my primary reasons for joining a competition.

[Part 2. Creative Process & Production Insights]

Q3. What made you choose this particular look? 

The moment I saw the contest announcement, I knew I had to recreate this particular look from the Nxde music video by (G)I-DLE (now known as i-dle), the first K-POP music video that leaves a lasting impression on me beyond the production value and visual quality. Soyeon, the group’s leader, wrote and produced the song. She had to convince her record label to allow her to produce this unconventional/daring song and music video. It amuses me to know that the song's title pushes down inappropriate keywords and makes them harder to find online in Korea (details available on Wikipedia). I find the way she directed the members in the recording room and showed them how to achieve specific sounds impressive as well. 

Aside from that, I’ve also been a huge fan of the outfit ever since I saw it on KOWGI’s social media feed many months before I saw it in the music video. It’s one of the most extraordinary graduate collections I’ve seen so far. 

As I was recreating the design in a digital format , I discovered more and more details I didn’t notice when I casually glanced at it on social media, and this has made me appreciate this outfit even more.

Q4. What was the very first thing you did when starting this project?

I started the project by gathering as many photos and videos of the outfit as possible so I could figure out how it looks from every angle. Then, I enlarged the clearest photos and marked the locations of all the beads and other details to make it easier to get their placement right on the digital version. The outfit has more details than it seems at first, and some of these details look a bit blurry in the photographs and videos. So, there was a little bit of guessworking involved as well.

Q5. When designing the idol outfit, what did you focus on the most?

I always start by getting the overall silhouette correctly, then fill in the details.

Q6. How did you approach the overall creation process? 

I created most of the elements of the look (not just the clothes but also the nail art, front hair, metal trims, face gems, and necklace) in Marvelous Designer; and what I couldn’t do in Marvelous Designer, I did in Blender. I still use an older version of Photoshop to create the texture maps because it still does the trick (and very well at that).

Q7. Which part of your final piece are you most proud of?

The fact that I could push myself to find new ways to use Marvelous Designer and optimize my workflow.

Q8. Do you have any tips you think other creators should know?

Adjusting the camera settings (especially the field of view) can help a lot when we are working on the small details. It was especially helpful when I was working on the nail art.

It’s a good idea to register some trims as buttons because they follow the garments and we can turn off the collision during simulation then turn it back on later to speed the process up and make sure the garment doesn’t break apart during simulation.

Also, I didn’t know that we can hide the freeze, solidify, strengthen, and layer colors by right-clicking an empty space in the 3D window. 

[Part 3. Experience with CONNECT]

Q9. What impressed you the most during your experience with this contest?

I am impressed by other participants’ works. There are so many great entries. As always, I had a great time trying to predict which pieces might win which prizes.

Q10. Did you gain any insights or inspiration from seeing other creators’ works on CONNECT?

Seeing high-quality works by other creators always pushes me to hone my skills further. When I was a newbie, I used to download free 3D garments from CONNECT to study the pattern pieces and fabric settings.

Q11. What features or aspects of CONNECT did you find most useful? 

The abundance of resources we can use to jumpstart our projects and the opportunities to collaborate with companies/brands through contest participation.

[Part 4. Award Reflections & What’s Next]

Q12. How did you feel when you found out you had won?

It was a surreal moment. It took me a few seconds to take it in.

Q13. Lastly, is there a value or mindset that’s especially important to you these days as a creator?

Eagerness to experiment, willingness to fail (A LOT) in the process, and resilience.

✨ Watch Joyce’s interview video [Link]

See? CONNECT gives anyone the stage to turn ideas into reality.
And the next spotlight could be yours!✨

👉 Join the ongoing contest now [Link]