VR Artist Rosie Summers on Art and Virtual Reality

Everything started with a video of Glen Keane painting Ariel in Tilt Brush, Rosie Summers recounts when asked about the beginnings of her creative journey with virtual reality. She said she was enamored by how he brought the little mermaid to life, so much so that she decided to buy a Vive headset the following day. It came with Tilt Brush, a tool that she has been using ever since.

That was back in 2016.

Summers has made a name for herself in this growing niche in the art world. Now, she is inspiring countless other artists to experiment with art in the realm of VR.

VR artist Rosie Summers spoke to ARPost about her journey over the years and the importance of immersive technologies.

Why People Should Care About Virtual Reality Art

People should care about VR because it adds a new dimension to art. That’s what Summers remarked when asked why VR art should matter. Other artists, more traditional ones, often refrain from using digital mediums as it obscures the tactility of creating art. However, you can’t say the same about VR.

Creating art in VR gives you that same experience of tactility. Without complex UI, the virtual realm becomes easier to navigate. Sometimes, it’s even easier to use compared to well-known photo editors with never-ending dropdown menus.

Painting in VR pretty much feels like a performance, Summers told us. That’s what she fell in love with. She loves how the movement of the arms and body determines the strokes on the virtual canvas.

Summers makes most of her virtual art in Tilt Brush. It’s the VR art software she enjoys using the most. According to her, it’s a perfect art-creating space. It has paint sound effects and a delightful UI. Moreover, it offers an incredible user experience.

Who She Creates Art For

Most of the time, Summers makes art for herself. Virtual reality changes an artist’s experience with art. In VR, she says, she can get lost in her own little virtual world with nothing but her artwork. There are no distractions in the virtual space unlike in the physical world. Thanks to VR’s immersive nature, Summers can enjoy painting realms where she can exist inside, like forests.

Through her art, Summers aims to inspire others to appreciate the medium as much as she does. She hopes her viewers would consider the huge potential of immersive mediums.

In this relatively new platform, there is so much to experience and create. Pioneering its path is what makes it so exciting. Back then, she used to think that virtual reality was too technical for an artist like her to understand. However, it’s a different story now that there are several VR experiences that require no coding skills at all.

Tools like Tilt Brush, for instance, make it easier for artists to create virtual worlds out of nothing. “We are world-builders, space-shifters, reality-makers, and founders of the future,” she said.