3D art is relatively new as an art history term. But the genre has seen an enormous progression in a short time.
The 3D art world is now a thriving and ever-evolving industry. It is also an artistic medium in its own right. Recently, 3D artists are gaining more recognition in the art world by selling their work as NFTs.
We’ve listed 33 amazing 3D artists working today who capture unique aspects of the genre. Check them out if you are looking for inspiration for your own 3D art!
What Is 3D Art?
In theory, 3D art is any three-dimensional creative work—from sculpture to 3D printing. These days, 3D art most often refers to the digital rendering of characters and concepts for video games, movies, or other artwork.
3D artists use specialized software. And they creatively produce photorealistic, abstract, or otherworldly visuals from scratch. Cinema 4D or Maya are popular choices. Also, excellent and free 3D software, like Blender, is available for download.
A plethora of educational resources are also available online to help you learn this new form of media. Many of the 3D artists on our list also have a YouTube channel.
33 Influential 3D Artists to Follow
Let’s look at the fantastic 3D artists who have inspired us recently! Each of these artists uses some form of 3D software to bring something unique to their different styles of art and design.
1. Beeple
Mike Winkelmann (Beeple) is a star among motion designers and 3D artists. He became an overnight household name when he sold an NFT of his work for $69 million!
Beeple gained popularity for originating the “everyday'” movement. He created and posted original 3D art daily for over a decade. And you will see that many other 3D artists on our list have joined this movement.
His portfolio shows us a variety of playful and often grotesque reimaginings of familiar pop culture icons.
View this post on Instagram
2. Antoni Tudisco
Antoni Tudisco is a creative director and 3D visual artist, born and raised in Hamburg. His 3D-rendered characters look like they are on a music video set or a high-end conceptual fashion shoot.
He has brought his unique flavor to advertising campaigns for Nike, Versace, Google, Sony, and many more.
View this post on Instagram
3. Visualdon
Visualdon was born in Zimbabwe but is now based in the UK. This 3D artist creates sci-fi-inspired animation, visuals, and loops.
He mainly works with Cinema 4D and After Effects to create hauntingly beautiful dreamscapes. The image below is a rare still from one of his psychedelic looping short movies.
View this post on Instagram
4. Fvckrender
This talented digital artist is based in Vancouver. Fvckrender works in many forms. But his 3D work is mainly created in Cinema 4D.
An icy color palette and geometric forms are a staple of his animation and images. The disembodied forms in his futuristic 3D artworks remind us of relics from a beautiful but terrifying potential future.
View this post on Instagram
5. Studio-JQ
Jonathan Quintin (Studio-JQ) is another artist on his list who gets inspiration from the cosmos. His passion for outer space can be seen throughout his futuristic images. These visions are embellished with neon and candy-colored surprises.
He works on advertising campaigns for clients (such as Mitsubishi Motors or Tommy Hilfiger) and his own freelance projects. Whatever the project, he brings creativity to everything he does!
View this post on Instagram
6. Annibale Siconolfi
Annibale Siconolfi is an Italian 3D artist. His background in architecture is clear in his stunning portfolio of dystopian cityscapes.
Environmental concerns also influence his intricate sci-fi scenes. This includes issues like global warming, overpopulation, and pollution.
He does complex 3D modeling. He uses Maxon Cinema 4D, Otoy Octane, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe After Effects.
View this post on Instagram
7. Sarper Baran
Sarper Baran is a 3D artist and concept designer from Turkey.
His portfolio reveals cinematic visions of a dystopian future. Fantastic characters confront our gaze in futuristic portraits. Neo-noir automobiles seem to sail through liquid cities at night.
Sarper is also a founder of ArtGrab, where you can find more incredible artwork from many 3D artists.
View this post on Instagram
8. Josh Pierce
Josh Pierce is a 3D artist and motion designer focusing on surreal themes within sublime landscapes. His masterful use of color and composition is quickly gaining recognition in the digital art world.
In his portfolio, abstract forms of neon light are juxtaposed with natural landscapes. This creates surreally beautiful effects.
View this post on Instagram
9. Marco Zagara
Marco Zagara is a 3D and 2D Digital Artist based in Italy. He mainly uses Blender to create his playful and dreamlike visions.
We often see fantasy characters throughout his portfolio going about their daily business. But this is a day in another reality we can almost recognize from a movie or a dream.
View this post on Instagram
10. Kaiwan Shaban
Kaiwan Shaban is a photographer who taught himself to create 3D art during the pandemic. He utilizes his background in cinema to create unique neo-noir artwork.
His images often show us a mysterious lone figure on a strange journey into an unknown night.
View this post on Instagram
11. Davansh Atry
Davansh Atry is a self-taught 3D artist from India. He mainly uses Blender 3D and Photoshop to create his eerie works of art.
Davansh finds inspiration in the aesthetic of film photography and night photography. His skillful use of neon lighting enhances his dark scenes.
View this post on Instagram
12. Alexy Préfontaine (Aeforia)
Alexy Préfontaine is a 3D artist from Montreal, Canada. He blends surreal landscapes and digital portraiture to create unique narratives.
We are amazed by the emotional impact of his surrealistically pretty pictures. His complex 3D artworks focus on color, balance, and emotion—down to the smallest details.
View this post on Instagram
13. Eliseo H. Zubiri
Eliseo H. Zubiri is an art director and designer from Argentina. He is a master of blending tones. A dreamy, muted palette complements his cinematic visions.
Unsurprisingly, many of his surreal narrative scenes are collaborations with filmmakers. He has also worked with clients such as Microsoft and Spitfire Audio.
View this post on Instagram
14. Lumi
Stepping into Lumi’s 3D world will leave you dazzled. His futuristic designs are rich in color and full of possibility and positivity. He has freelance projects. And Lumi has created incredible images in collaboration with Adobe, Netflix, and Universal Studios.
View this post on Instagram
15. Matt Mills
Matt Mills is a digital artist and software engineer from Texas. He creates stunning psychedelic abstract designs using Photoshop, FilterForge, and Cinema 4D.
His meditative work invokes a range of emotions. Over 300 musicians and producers have also used his work as album artwork.
View this post on Instagram
16. Eashan Misra
Eashan Misra is a self-taught artist and self-proclaimed astronaut from India. He works in graphic design with a background in advertising. His passion for space is evident in the unique style of his CGI renders of an astronaut exploring daily life.
View this post on Instagram
17. Dizzy Viper
Dizzy Viper has made one 3D artwork every day for over five years. He is versatile in his themes. But automobiles and other modes of transportation are prominent features.
He uses Cinema 4D and Octane Render to envision futuristic cities or natural scenes.
View this post on Instagram
18. Rolands Zilvinskis
Rolands Zilvinskis is a 3D artist and designer from Latvia, now based in Ireland. His 3D Art is highly conceptual, with a sci-fi aesthetic.
His humanoid characters are highly detailed and beautifully rendered. Their surreal narratives are also strangely relatable. They stir up a range of emotions in the viewer.
View this post on Instagram
19. Seventh Voyage
Seventh Voyage’s portfolio is very diverse. We often see familiar characters from movies and popular culture but in surprising situations. His 3D world is a wonderland with a horror or action movie vibe.
The self-described Photoshop addict also uses Blender to create skillful 3D artwork.
View this post on Instagram
20. Marischa Becker
Marischa Becker is a digital artist based in South Africa. Her work is mainly inspired by superhero movies and her love of space art. The contrast of electric skies and natural elements with cosmic characters is a feature of her stunning work.
View this post on Instagram
21. Liam Pannier
Liam Pannier is a freelance 3D artist from France. His work follows the narrative of a lone astronaut floating in space or exploring unfamiliar planets.
His beautifully rendered images conjure a range of emotions. As we never see his hero’s face, we can only guess what he is experiencing on his voyage.
View this post on Instagram
22. Perry Cooper
Perry Cooper is a 3D motion graphic designer from the United States. He has worked with Cinema 4D for almost 20 years and has an expansive portfolio of 3D motion graphics.
He renders both abstract forms and product designs. And vibrant pastel shades and fluorescent colors are consistent.
View this post on Instagram
23. Teun van der Zalm
Dutch artist Teun van der Zalm’s portfolio is a range of cosmic formations he calls nebulae worlds.
Hubble’s images inspired him. And Teun developed his method for creating nebula structures in 3D using mathematics and physics. Most of his works are 3D animation loops that will leave you starstruck.
View this post on Instagram
24. Yomagick
Yomagick is a freelance designer and talented 3D artist from Poland.
His work reminds us of surrealist paintings that have come to life. He combines the beauty of nature with abstract elements to present unique visions of a world that is strangely close to our own.
View this post on Instagram
25. Ahmed Emad Eldin
Ahmed Emad Eldin is an Egyptian artist. Adobe has listed him as one of ‘The Most Creative Visual Artists under 25.” And he has also won awards for his creative work on Pink Floyd’s last album art.
His beautiful 3D renders are very cinematic. They remind us of surreal dreams or fantastic nightmares.
View this post on Instagram
26. Boltron
Boltron is a versatile 3D artist based in Barcelona. He has collaborated with clients such as Adobe, Facebook, and Nike.
His incredible fluorescent forms explore color, shape, balance, and texture. They remind us of futuristic liquid sculpture in a neo-modern gallery.
View this post on Instagram
27. Mostafa Khaled
Mostafa Khaled is an art director and 3D artist from Cairo. He uses Cinema 4D and Photoshop to create his stunning visions of a hypnotic alternative reality.
Mostafa posts daily renders of his fluorescent night visions on his Instagram feed.
View this post on Instagram
28. Fesq
Fesq is a Brazilian 3D artist and art director.
His work focuses on cyborg or humanoid characters who often seem to be in a state of transformation.
These images share a deliciously dark and saturated color palette. It may be a dark reality, but it’s bathed in neon light.
View this post on Instagram
29. Lorem
Lorem used to create a new poster of his artwork every single day. This amazing 3D artist has an obsession with geometric forms.
His incredibly realistic renders glimmer with photoelasticity. The motion and color of his 3D renders have a unique ability to encapsulate the viewer’s emotions.
View this post on Instagram
30. Brellias
Matías Vivanco Brellenthin (Brellias) is a CG digital artist from Chile. He uses Blender to create stunning 3D images of dystopian landscapes. Hypnotic neon purple and blue tones are present in most of his sci-fi-inspired conceptual art.
View this post on Instagram
31. Shaun Jonas
Shaun Jonas uses 3D Blender and Photoshop for his incredible art. Movies often inspire his renders.
Scrolling through his images, we see recognizable characters and a few unique new heroes. Shaun’s detailed descriptions of each image’s story are a joy to read.
View this post on Instagram
32. Maskarade
Brandon Bolmer (Maskarade) is a self-taught audiovisual artist from California. His sci-fi-inspired combination of music and 3D artwork is powerfully unique.
In his portfolio, we see cyborg forms encrusted with gold and jewels, lost in their own narrative.
View this post on Instagram
33. Tuomo Korhonen
Tuomo Korhonen is a Finnish artist who primarily makes artwork for the music industry. He has also collaborated with clients like Adobe, Netflix, and Sony.
His surreal characters are both beautiful and disturbing. They are brought to life by his mastery of light and color.
View this post on Instagram
Conclusion: Most Influential 3D Artists to Follow
3D art is a hot topic that continues to grow in popularity. With the rise of NFTs, gaining recognition, making money from digital art is much easier.
If you want inspiration to start creating 3D art yourself, these 33 artists should get your creative juices flowing. Do you agree with our list? Drop us a comment with your favorite 3D artist under this post!
