B.C. artist takes designs to ‘new heights' with animations for Las Vegas Sphere
'I see a lot of stuff in my head, and I was never good at getting it out. I was never good at drawing or painting,' Mike Voskakis told Global's This is BC.
'As I was working, I just started teaching myself animation just for fun, just to get some of the stuff out of my head.'
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Voskakis is an electrician by trade, but the rest of his time is spent at his other job: creating complex visual elements for clients all around the world.
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'The last couple of years it's completely exploded,' said Voskakis. 'There are people who buy them for festivals, music videos, they might be in a show, they might be on the sides of buildings.'
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He quickly gained viral traction when he first started, going on to make YouTube videos for musicians. When Alex Grey, who does art design for the band Tool, started following him on social media there was no turning back.
'I like to push the limits, too. The technology. I like to show people things they haven't seen before,' said Voskakis.
Late last year, he got a job out of Las Vegas to design for one of his biggest clients yet.
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'My agent Hannah messaged me and said, 'Do you want to make some visuals for The Sphere for New Year's Eve?' And I'm like, of course.'
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The walls in his condo are a tech graveyard plastered with old computer components. His ceiling is a testing ground for new animation.
Production will continue for bands and DJs with different projects arriving in the pipeline all the time. There are no limits to the mesmerizing material that will be created.
'I'm excited to show people new things that couldn't have been made a couple of years ago,' said Voskakis.
'You're going to see a lot more from me. I'm going to take it to new heights.'
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