Karen Laur

(650) 591-1628

klaur@mindspring.com

 

 

OBJECTIVE

Finding a creatively fulfilling position that both challenges me and gives me room to grow professionally.

 

EXPERIENCE

Forterra Systems Inc  (an offshoot of There)                                           March 2002- present

Art Director

Worked closely with producers, marketing and clients to develop project plans that reconciled feature and asset needs with our technical capabilities, time constraints and budget

Managed art team, including off-site employees

Set look and feel of environments

Maintained art team schedule

Contributed heavily to asset development

Worked closely with eng team on new features and tools

 

 

There, Inc                                                                                               Feb 2001- March 2002

Senior Texture Artist

Art directed small teams on project level.

Engaged heavily in tool and process development.

Created textures for buildings, vehicles, clothes and other objects under extreme texture budget constraints.

Perfected existing mapping on 3d Max files.

Layout of 3d assets in world.

Lighting of interior and exterior scenes.

Conception and development of StyleMaker, a modular clothing tool..

 

 

Simbiotic Games Inc                                                                                 Sept 1999- Feb 2001

CEO

Developed comprehensive Game Design, Business Plan and Budget for independent game company.

Pursued funding through alternative (non publisher or VC) channels.

Developed web demo and sample levels.

Did contract work assisting Solus Studios with business and game design development.

 

 

Contract Texture Artist                                                                            Feb 2000 - April 2001

Texture Artist for Disney's "Atlantis”.

Did level, character and texture work for bid to obtain contract for Zombie from Disney.

Contributed to game design.

Created textures to closely reflect the look of the movie.

Worked with level designers on texture placement and architecture.

 

 

Valve Software Kirkland, WA                                                                 Jan 1997 - Mar 1999

Texture Artist

Solo Texture Artist for Half-Life and some of Team Fortress 2

Creation of over 3,500 textures for all environments in the game

Lead direction toward realistic look of game

Extensive use of Worldcraft for final texture passes as well as creation of architecture examples for level designers

Directed level designers in use of textures, lighting and architectural integrity

Created skyboxes combining photographic and generated elements

Collected over 3 GB of photographic reference material

 

Starwave Seattle, WA                                                                                       Aug 1995 - Jan 1997

Artist

Assembler on Castle Infinity

Responsible for arrangement of all sector art in editor

Creation of art and animations

Assistance in development of SP4K assembly tool

 

Starwave Seattle, WA                                                                                               March-August, 1995

Animation coordinator/ background artist for "Eastwood "

Design and production of menus, animations and intro

Design, specs and work with audio lab on mixes of audio for animations

 

Rainsound Seattle, WA                                                                                                1994-1995

Assistant Art Director for pre-production of "Zork Nemesis" for Activision

Research, scanning and production of resource material

Development of Materia Prima texture library for publication by Rainsound/Valis Group

Creation of original textures

Manipulation of images for seamless tiling

 

The Maya Romanoff Corporation, Chicago, IL                                                              1992-1994

Head Designer (New Product Development)

Designed handmade high-end wall coverings

Developed new methods and technologies for original product designs, including purchasing of all new materials Formulated colorways and researched current market color trends

Instructed production staff in processes of new product manufacture within budget requirements

Custom designed wall coverings to meet needs of individual clients, including matching color and texture of existing design parameters

 

Cairo Nightclub Chicago, IL                                                                                                   1994

Designer

Design and execution of new decor for The Pyramid Room

 

 

Black Cat Enterprises T/A Dante's Restaurant Washington, D.C.                                  1989-1992

Owner/Vice-President/Manager

Worked as Assistant General Contractor on a 50-seat restaurant, including conceptualization, design, and construction, work with blueprints, structural and lighting design, interior decor and faux finishes

Managed staff of 25-30, including payroll, sub taxes, personnel scheduling, hiring and firing, purchasing of materials and supplies, supervision and training of staff

Handled public relations and special events with local theaters and night clubs

Functioned as creative consultant for menu design, ad layout, and art curation

 

EDUCATION

1984-1987 University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Major: Anthropology/Equine Studies

 

1991 Architectural Digest/Smithsonian Institution Interior Design Seminar

 

Skills/Technical Competencies

Extensive use of Photoshop, Debabelizer, Word, Excel, Worldcraft, and Source Safe, 3d Studio Max

Familiarity with Front Page, Studio Pro, Power Point

 

Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Especially adept at critiquing artwork and maintaining vision throughout project.

Prefers collaborative design environment.

Able to communicate well with programmers.

Solid understanding of business side of production.

 

DIVERSIONS

An unhealthy compulsion to accumulate tanks of fish, currently obsessing on a reef tank and some African cichlids. Fond of reading, cooking, wine, painting occasionally, camping and sudden long drives.