jeez thats sad to hear, he was a great artist - RIP Kevin. if I am not mistaken he did some of the characters in Unreal 2, then turned in to a great Environment artist. - inspiring work
Very sad. A great inspiration who raised the bar of sculpts/details in environment art to a level that was never seen before, and basically defined the workflow for every production since.
Kevin was a force of nature and will be missed. Not sure if there are still are sdk threads active, i haven’t visited site in ages, but i may paint the last sdk he released the “crowd pleaser” one.
A giant in the field, with work that is STILL stunning, all these years later with all the workflow improvements we've had. Condolences to everyone who knew him.
I had my differences originally with Rorschach. Mostly just on silly things like life outlooks. I got to know him better in Google Meetups when those were still a thing. I really enjoyed when he came on. He just had this down to earth nature to him. He will be missed, and I think to more than a few Polycount and/or Epic vetrans.
Funny side story, I did find out at one point, "Trainspotting" was one of his favorite films as it reminded him of his younger years in that area.
I just wanted to drop another R.I.P. and shout to Kevin AKA Rorshach. Such a decent fella to chat with on #Model_Design or the google-hangouts. Always inspiring art.
I think we should set up an event where folks can texture his old SDK's. Maybe there could be some fundraising aspect to it as well, for his wife and family.
This is sad news, Kevin was a huge inspiration. I adored his gear of war work and it was one of the first examples I’d seen of how z brush could be used on environment assets. RIP
condolences, missed this news somehow, glad i was around to see all the adventures he went through (Since Quake 3 Arena skins+and on) (Did not know him personally but still it hits home in a way, he beat us to the next adventure.) Speaking of the Q3A developments, i wouldn't mind grabbing his works of that to enjoy again if anyone has them
A message from his wife via Kevin's LinkedIn account:
Precious Johnstone -Wife Memorial Service is set for 1/11/25 11 am -2 pm 900 Bass Lake Road @ Bass Lake If you cannot make it and want to share photos / short message for me (family) about your time with Kevin send them to me via email no later than 1/4/25.
Thank you all for your shared stories here about my love, he loved ART and the ability to share his love of gaming and the craft itself with you all. Let's celebrate his life with fond memories and pictures.
Rorshach was one of the best and an inspiration to many in the early days. I had the honor of meeting him once at Epic around the time GoW was released. He was a kind person. Sorry to hear he has passed.
Replies
Kevin was a force of nature and will be missed. Not sure if there are still are sdk threads active, i haven’t visited site in ages, but i may paint the last sdk he released the “crowd pleaser” one.
Condolences to everyone who knew him.
Such a decent fella to chat with on #Model_Design or the google-hangouts. Always inspiring art.
https://www.kevinjohnstone.com/Polycount/
I think we should set up an event where folks can texture his old SDK's. Maybe there could be some fundraising aspect to it as well, for his wife and family.
Mind blown, so much knowledge shared, what a talent, and a great sense of humor to boot! Linked also in the wiki.
Enjoy, and pour one out
There were plenty of other artists too but Rorshach's Journal was one of the sites I would visit time and time again, always waiting for a new update.
Rest well fella, I'll be raising a glass to you.
Memorial Service is set for 1/11/25 11 am -2 pm
900 Bass Lake Road
@ Bass Lake
If you cannot make it and want to share photos / short message for me (family) about your time with Kevin send them to me via email no later than 1/4/25.
Preciouspearl.sieduke@gmail.com
[mod note: phone number redacted; DM if you’d like it]
Thank you all for your shared stories here about my love, he loved ART and the ability to share his love of gaming and the craft itself with you all. Let's celebrate his life with fond memories and pictures.
Thank you greatly
Precious-Pearl Johnstone
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-johnstone-3051551_precious-johnstone-wife-memorial-service-activity-7271955142432669696-r5XL
I had the honor of meeting him once at Epic around the time GoW was released. He was a kind person.
Sorry to hear he has passed.