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Surfacing & Storytelling: Chris Nichols on Crafting Emotion & Realism in Digital Design for Film

by Michael Ratcliffe
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Introduction

At first glance, you might not expect the digital artist behind Thanos, Alien Queens, and Mobius to have much in common with fashion designers or digital garment creators. But as this interview with Chris Nichols proves, there’s a surprising – and deeply valuable – overlap between industries. 

For me, as an avid Marvel fan, speaking with the person who helped bring such captivating characters to life in the MCU franchise, was not just a professional conversation, but a personal thrill. But beyond the fangirling moment, what stood out most was how relevant Chris’ creative approach is for anyone working in design’s digital future.

Chris is a seasoned character and texture artist whose credits span some of the most iconic blockbusters of the past two decades. From layering real-world references into fantasy characters to maintaining emotional resonance across digital surfaces, in this interview, Chris shares a powerful creative perspective that holds just as much value in fashion as it does in film. His journey through modelling, texturing and concept art offers rare insight into how high-fidelity assets are brought to life – and why fundamentals always matter, no matter the tech available.

🎥 Watch the full video interview below!

Don’t have time to watch the full video? Scroll down for a summary of key takeaways and noteworthy quotes.

💡My Key Takeaways

1. Design Foundations Are Everything

Colour theory, tonal value – all those things are intrinsic to texturing.

Chris credits his background in graphic design with grounding him in the fundamentals he uses every day. Understanding light, colour, and structure is critical not only for cinematic characters but for any digital design success.

2. Realism Starts With Reference

The quality of the reference really is going to propel you forward.

Whether it’s a creature’s skin or a piece of clothing, Chris emphasises the importance of a deep reference library. For fashion designers, this echoes the need for accurate material scans and real-world inspiration when building 3D or digital twin assets.

3. Collaboration Shapes the Outcome

You’re not just one person on an island in the visual effects department.

Chris explains how he collaborates with upstream and downstream artists to bring characters to life. It’s a reminder that even the best assets fall short if they’re not aligned across design, animation – or in fashion’s case, across merchandising, marketing, and tech.

zbrush screenshots of detailing work in progress

4. Detail Delivers Emotion

I put blackheads on Thanos’ nose, I put tiny little scars in places, really paid special attention to the crow’s feet…I was trying to put tan lines in as well – as if he’d been exposed to the sun.

Chris’ surface work is about more than polish – it’s about storytelling. His meticulous attention to imperceptible features creates characters you believe in. Fashion brands can adopt this thinking when designing for emotional impact in physical or digital spaces.

5. Texture Tells a Story – Even When You Don’t See It

The calluses on Thanos’ hands, the cracked nails, even goosebumps on his neck — those subtle layers help sell him as a living, breathing character.

Some details may never be seen clearly or acknowledged on screen, but Chris adds them anyway because believability comes from treating even invisible parts with care. It’s a reminder that good design is often felt more than seen.

6. Technology Accelerates, But Doesn’t Replace

You have to deeply understand how light interacts with a surface – how reflection, colour, and bump details work together – to create something truly believable and emotive.

While Chris embraces new tools, including scan data and smart surfacing software, he stresses that technology only enhances the craft and doesn’t replace the need for artistry.

Character design moodboard and inspirations

7. Real-Time Tools Are Changing the Game

We’re seeing our results in real time, and as a result, we can do iterations much faster.

Drawing from experience in both film and gaming, Chris praises real-time engines like Unreal for accelerating iteration without compromising fidelity. For fashion, this has implications for faster prototyping, virtual fittings, and immersive storytelling.

8. Practical Experience Makes You Better Digitally

I went back and learned how to make creature masks…it just made me a more well-rounded digital artist.

Chris believes deeply in learning by doing – whether that’s sculpting in clay or building assets in ZBrush. For digital fashion creators, this is a call to remember craft: how something is made still matters, even in pixels.

9. Emotional Impact Begins in the Brief

You’re looking for the nuances, the little things you can put in that help with the storytelling.

Even minimal creative briefs can offer environmental or narrative clues. Chris shows how to extract emotional storytelling from limited inputs – a valuable skill for fashion teams interpreting trend concepts or digital campaigns.

10. Nail the 80/20 Balance

For me, you want to try to get to 80% as quick as you can…and then really polish it in the remaining 20%.

In high-pressure environments where deadlines rule, Chris’ workflow is rooted in pragmatism. Getting to a solid draft quickly allows time for the refinement that creates magic. Whether in film or fashion, that final 20% – the polish, the emotional nuance, the unexpected detail – is what sets great work apart.


Up close and personal with another of Chris' character designs

🤔 My Final Thoughts

Chris may not work in fashion, but his creative approach, mindset, and respect for process mirror many of the challenges and opportunities facing any of today’s product creators, whether they’re designing characters, clothing or something else entirely. For me, Chris represents a breed of digital artisan who beautifully blends artistry and tech with humility and precision, and I hope that showed throughout our conversation.

For those of you fashion professionals working in 3D, DPC, or digital transformation at scale, this interview is a reminder: cinematic quality doesn’t come from tools alone. It comes from detail, emotion, and a collaborative spirit.

👏 A huge thank you, Chris, for your time! I know you have exciting projects coming up (all very hush, hush I know!) and I for one, can’t wait to see more of your work brought to the big screen!

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