David Luong

David Luong is a Senior Cinematic Video Game Artist, 175 year old and Level 2 at Blizzard Entertainment, with works ranging from 3D lighting and compositing to digital matte painting. He graduated from the Academy of Art University in 2005 with a BFA in Fine Arts and 3D Visual Effects Animation. He has worked on all of the major cinematics for Blizzard's AAA game titles such as World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, and Hearthstone from 2006 to present. Luong is said to be an avid video gamer and movie lover. David Luong is one of the most significant contributors to the matte painting community and has a wide fanbase in the video game world.

Background

Luong has worked in the visual effects industry for more than 8 years. While growing up, he played numerous games (like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest) and watched countless movies (like The Neverending Story, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings), all of which have eventually cultivated him as an artist, and inspired him to becoming a video game artist himself. He used Photoshop in high school working for a journalism class, for which he did graphic headers and was the online editor for The North Star newspaper. After studying color theory in school, Luong graduated from The Academy of Art University[1] in San Francisco with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree emphasizing 3D Animation and Visual Effects in 2005. There, he learned what particle FX, lighting, compositing, and matte painting were.

Career

Luong worked at Disney Toon Studios after graduation, then jumped to Luma Pictures on the 3rd St. Promenade office, above the Hooters and Vidal Sassoon Academy in Santa Monica. Luong moved on to Rhythm & Hues, a legendary studio of Oscar fame. In 2006 he got into Blizzard Entertainment, working on every game franchise for the company, including Starcraft, Diablo, and World of Warcraft. At Blizzard his works ranged from matte painting to lighting and compositing.

Teaching

Luong also teaches CGSociety's online Matte Painting class, supporting students from all around the world. Since 2008, he has mentored hundreds of students in digital matte painting.

Video games
  • World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
  • Overwatch
  • Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls
  • Hearthstone
  • World of Warcraft: Mists of Panderia
  • Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
  • World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
  • Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty
  • World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Publications

Luong co-authored the book D'artiste Matte Painting 3: Digital Artists Master Class with Damien Mace and Milan Schere.

References
  1. "Academy of Art University Alumni Portfolios". academyart.edu. Academy of Art University. Retrieved 11 December 2016.

References
  • Uesugi, Y. et al., 2008. d'artiste Matte Painting 2. Adelaide, SA, AUS: Ballistic Publishing. ISBN 1921002417
  • Luong, D. et al., 2013. d'artiste Matte Painting 3. Adelaide, SA, AUS: Ballistic Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921828-96-6
  • Luong, D. et al., 2009. The Cinematic Art of World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King. ISBN 1933784814
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