Welcome to Quill Corner!

A new series at the intersection of traditional art and immersive technology, the Quill Corner will explore a fresh batch of immersive animated moments and stories — and the artists behind them — each month. The Quill community produces dazzling work from week-to-week, from quirky vignettes to epic dramas, and we’d like to spotlight some of our favorites while hearing from the talented folks holding the virtual brushes.

Quill is a VR animation and illustration tool for creatives of all skill levels. Over the past few years, artists have come together to celebrate everything from national holidays to pop art through immersive animations made entirely in Quill. Each month, we’ll scour the Quill community for submissions and select three pieces to showcase in a future installment in the series. For consideration, simply upload your creation to the Oculus Media Studio. Quill aficionados may already know about the Quill Weekly Challenge, but if you don’t, head over to Quill’s official Facebook page for animation ideas and artistic inspiration. To view animations in VR, jump into Oculus TV on Oculus Quest, or Quill Theater on the Rift Platform. 

This month, we’re exploring a theme many of us can relate to: Working From Home. The past several months have challenged many of us to rethink every facet of daily life, and we’ve all turned to different avenues for solace and escape. To some, that means getting to work on a virtual canvas. Below, you’ll find three unique perspectives on working from home from three different Quill animators.

Daniel Martin Peixe

The Scene: "This scene was created following the Weekly Quill Challenge topic "Working from Home." It was a very timely topic since it was proposed soon after we started working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I tried to capture a moment when my daughter comes to say hi to me while I’m on a virtual work meeting."

The Experience: "This scene is pretty special to me because it captures such a precious moment. I took my daughter Clara’s voice from a video of her playing with her toys and babbling in her cute language. The video included my laughter and I was going to cut it until I decided it would make the scene more authentic and relatable."

The Tip: "I would say that Quill might look challenging at first, but after some practice you’ll find the workflow that fits your style. I always advise to first recreate 2D reference material in Quill with full volume and three dimensions. This will give you clear goals to improve your technique. Check the Virtual Animation Facebook group and Discord channel for awesome tips and tutorials!"

Grab your headset and watch this animation in VR! To explore more from Daniel Martin Peixe, check out his Facebook and Instagram page.

Goro Fujita

The Scene: "I wanted to recreate my office with accurate proportions, and wanted to see if I could walk into my room with the headset on. I created a ruler with Quill strokes and made sure the measurements matched my real office. Once I matched the angle and scale of the virtual office with the real one, I was able to walk around freely and find every object in the right spot. It was a surreal experience."

The Experience: "The fact that people can visit my office from anywhere in the world, and really grasp how it feels to be here, that can only be achieved in VR. Also, this piece will be part of my memory and my life now. If I lived in a different place 20 years from now, I could always go back to my good old office (and see it and feel it) exactly the way it used to be. That to me is magical!"

The Tip: "VR is a new medium we haven't fully figured it out yet. There's a lot to discover, and the opportunity to define a new medium doesn't come around that often. I tell all creators out there to hop on the 'VR train' now to discover this new land. There is a high chance that you'll come up with storytelling techniques that no one has attempted. It's a great time to be a pioneer in the world of immersive storytelling."

Grab your headset and watch this animation in VR! To explore more from Goro Fujita, check out his Facebook and Instagram page.

Nick Ladd

The Scene: "The goal was to recreate your COVID-19 home working environment. I decided to both recreate my room and paint it throughout various stages of the day. I aimed to get all the little details including the prints on my wall and the reflection in my mirror. I was initially planning to include more animation of myself doing various tasks and model the view from my window to scale, but in the end, I ran out of time."

The Experience: "This is a unique piece because it allows anybody to project themselves into my work space. I went the extra mile and measured all my furniture so that I could build it as accurately as possible. I also took dozens of pictures at four different times throughout my work day. Those images were all imported into Quill and used as reference as I painted the environment."

The Tip: "To new artists, I would highly recommend attempting a project where you work closely from reference images. It can be an incredibly educational experience to take a photograph or a piece of 2D artwork and recreate it in 3D using Quill. Without a goal or reference, people tend to stay in their comfort zones, but when trying to match an image made with another medium, you often need creative solutions you can apply to Quill projects."

Grab your headset and watch this animation in VR! To explore more from Nick Ladd, check out his Facebook and Instagram page.

If you’d like to see additional artwork from Quill’s ever-growing community of illustrators and animators, be sure to check Oculus TV often for new material. And if you’d like to get creative in VR yourself, give Quill a try today on the Rift Platform.

Stay tuned for a new installment of Quill Corner next month!