Helicoprion

The Art of Helen Zhu

Employment History

Freelance Illustration

  • Octopi Games: Created Illustrations for Pox Nora expansion pack 2008.
  • Created character designs and illustrations in Flash for over a dozen PHP based web RPGs and games
  • Convergences in scapula morphology in small bounding mammals by Lauren Seckel, Brown University

GAMFE Technology Institute, Game Development Division: Guest Lecturer: April 2008

  • Instructed students ages 16-20 in observational drawing, and life drawing techniques.

Turbine Entertainment Software: Associate Production Artist: June 2006 to January 2007

  • Created designs and detailed concept illustrations of creatures, equipment and armor.
  • Created, Rendered and Polishing detailed texture maps of characters, equipment, décor objects, structures and terrain.
  • Created low poly equipment models and geometry variations on existing creature, décor set and equipment assets
  • Created degrade geometry for models
  • Created User interface elements

The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab: Special Assistant 2003 to 2006

  • Designed and constructed exhibits
  • Cared for live animals
  • Gave informative tours to a variety of age groups
  • Responsible for the identification and cataloguing of donated specimens
  • Responsible for identifying, cataloguing and organizing of the bird skins collection

ISB Computer Lab Student Assistant 2004 to 2006

  • Responsible assisting and tutoring students with graphic software, print and image formatting
  • General computer and printer maintenance.

Skills

Art Related

  • Proficiency in traditional and digital Illustration and Graphic Design
  • Experience in sculpting and model making
  • Basic metalsmithing.
  • Extensive experience in creating and texturing of 3D models and reconstructions using Maya 7 and Cinema 4d
  • Web Design, Web Page Construction, and Html skills
  • Familiarity with print processes and formats

Language

  • Native Oral Fluency in Mandarin Chinese, with extensive travel experience
  • Networking experience and professional experience with several entertainment industry outsourcing companies in China.

Software Proficiency

  • Photoshop CS2
  • Flash MX
  • Adobe Illustrator CS2
  • Dreamweaver MX
  • Cinema 4D
  • Adobe InDesign CS2
  • All Microsoft Office Programs
  • Html and CSS coding

Biology Related

  • Extensive understanding of Evolutionary Biology, Anatomy and Ecology
  • Expertise in on sight identification of osteological specimens of North American mammals
  • Expertise in on sight identification of North American Birds
  • Ability to skin, manually deflesh, and prepare skeletal remains for display
  • Firm grasp on common Laboratory procedure and following protocols
  • Proficiency in standard techniques of molecular biology

Education

Rhode Island School Of Design:

  • Bachlor of Fine Arts in Illustration 2006

University of North Texas:

  • Took two years of undergraduate courses in Biology, Physiology, Anatomy and Chemistry

Brown University:

  • Comparative anatomy of Vertebrates, with Dr. Christine Janis
  • Scientific Visualization with Dr Sharon Swartz

Harvard University:

  • Patterns and Processes in Fish Diversity taught by Dr. Karel Liem.
  • Mentored by Mark Nomura of the Harvard Prep Lab in preparation of animal specimens for Harvard Museum

Shipped Titles

Dungeons and Dragons: The Demon Sands

Dungeons and Dragons: The Reaver's Bane

Publications and Research Experience

Gene Bank EU254488

  • Ecotoxicology and molecular response of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii

Bat flight aerodynamics: new insights from three-dimensional kinematic analysis In Functional and Evolutionary Ecology of Bats (2006) Oxford University Press by Sharon Swartz

  • Collaborated in the design and programming of a virtual reality, fully interactive model of airflow patterns in bat flight, allowing the user to analyze patterns of air direction, vorticity, and varying pressure over the flight membrane.
All artwork copyright Helen Zhu unless otherwise noted. No portion of this website may be reproduced without written permission.