When Eva Cremers first started sharing her 3D art experiments in 2019, the internet immediately fell in love with her cute character designs and oddly satisfying looping animations. The Dutch illustrator’s playful aesthetic felt like a breath of fresh air amid the traditionally male-dominated world of digital media. “When I was starting out there were not many female 3D artists and it was kind of a benefit because I had this very different style, not this very gamey or masculine style,” she tells CR, as we catch up with her after her talk at Offf Barcelona.

There’s been a sea change in 3D over the last few years, with an abundance of open-source software and online tutorials making it easier for people to teach themselves 3D skills. Meanwhile, thriving online communities such as inclusive tech collective Digi-Gxl have resulted in the industry’s traditional gatekeepers finally making way for new talent, and particularly marginalised voices. “It’s so cool now to see it really growing and blossoming, you can see so many different styles and aesthetics emerging,” Cremers adds.

Having collaborated with brands ranging from Apple to On, it’s hard to believe that Cremers has only been working in 3D for the last four years. Her achievements are all the more impressive considering that a creative career wasn’t even remotely on her radar growing up. “I still have such a weird idea of an artist,” she says. “It’s actually mad because I am one, but if someone says, ‘I’m an artist’, I still have this old-fashioned view like, what do you do, paint? I think it says a lot about my upbringing, my parents are not creative at all.”