Sculpting celebrities

Discover CG artist Hadi Karimi’s striking 3D celebrity likenesses

- Meleah Maynard

CG artist Hadi Karimi (hadikarimi.com) has been creating remarkably photoreal 3D likenesses of celebrities for years, including the likes of Adele, Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse, Drake and Freddie Mercury, among others. Karimi started out doing 2D digital painting, video editing, logo design and other work, before eventually moving into the field of 3D. Based in Tehran, Iran, he is now increasingly becoming known for the realistic likenesses he creates, primarily using Cinema 4D, Maya, ZBrush and Arnold. Read on to find out more about Karimi’s work, career and his inspirations.

Tell me about yourself and your work. Did you study anatomy or art or both?

When I was a kid, I used to draw a lot, all sorts of different subjects like portraits, animals and even cars and architecture. Unfortunately, I’ve never been to art school. I didn’t have enough motivation to convince the people around me, or even myself, that I could make a living out of my passion. After wasting a couple of years in college, I made up my mind and started to take things a little bit more seriously. But I’m struggling to find my way into the industry, mostly because of the difficulties caused by politics. It’s hard to have a reliable career in art where I live.

What are the 3D/CG artist communities like there?