Eric van Straaten And His Realistic 3D Printed Sculptures

Dutch sculpturist Eric van Straaten makes ‘realistic’ 3D sculptures. His creative process involves a 3D printer that produces the objects of his complex computer creations.

“There is no technique that is capable of achieving such a great degree of hyper(sur)realism as 3D-modeling. At the same time, 3D printing is the only technique with which virtual models can be made actually physically touchable.”

“Physical expressiveness in form and content is the biggest strength of the work of Eric van Straaten: while the sculptures remain to have a certain digital feel to them, the pieces contain a weirdly corporeality. Balancing on the edge of kitsch, the marzipan-like quality of the material resonates beautifully with the apparent innocence of the scenery.”

Eric creates his sculptures in graphics software and get them printed at a 3D printing service company.

“I call myself a sample artist, a mash-up artist. Often I use existing designs and masks and keep adjusting until I think it is ‘real’ enough. Eventually my images are kind of collages.”

It is time for this digital sculptor to get his own 3D printer, but he can not do it alone!