Table of contents for September 2023 in ImagineFX

A strong natural affinity has always existed between fantasy artists and the tarot, but a recent surge in popularity is creating an opportune moment for anyone who feels called to paint their own deck. Tarot is now seen by many as a component of self-care, similar to yoga or meditation. Rather than approaching it as an occult practice or divination tool, people are using the routine of drawing cards as a therapeutic method of making sense of life events by viewing them through the lens of the archetypes and narratives of the tarot. A huge variety of decks have been produced to meet this demand, with different art styles and themes to connect with all kinds of people. There are endless ways to interpret the ideas of the tarot, so…

Contact the editor, Rob Redman, on mail@imaginefx.com or write to ImagineFX, Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA, England Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/imaginefx Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/imaginefx Share your artwork via #imaginefx: instagram.com/imaginefxmagazine Abstract joy Hello there. I’m writing to you to share my love of your last cover and the accompanying workshop. I always enjoy the training in ImagineFX and have learned many techniques following them, but this one, while as good as ever, also struck me in a different way. I would never have thought about adding those kinds of graphical elements into my own illustrations. It seems an obvious thing to do now, but I’m so glad that you covered it. What a fantastic idea, and one I’ll be sure to start playing…

Artist PROFILE David Nakayama LOCATION: US David is an illustrator best known for Marvel and DC cover art, and has also worked for the likes of Hasbro, Warner Bros. and Epic Games. https://bit.ly/3NfccL1 Catwoman is a complex, fascinating character who’s stood the test of time, having recently celebrated her 80th anniversary. As the story goes, Selina Kyle starts as a thief on the streets of Gotham and almost immediately becomes Batman’s definitive female counterpart. In that role, she might be his greatest threat one issue, or mostpassionate love in the next. In the most recent storyline, The Gotham War, she becomes a crime boss in her own right, putting her and Batman on a collision course and into the worst dilemma they’ve faced yet. When a new storyline is about…

Artist PROFILE Léo Chiola LOCATION: Canada Léo is a storyboard artist at Gearbox Software and has worked for the past seven years as a comic artist, illustrator and character designer in the entertainment industry. https://bit.ly/3J0rdyQ The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has always been one of my favourites. I’d love to work on the actual comics for IDW, so I created this illustration as a first sample of how I’d draw the characters. The concept was simple. I wanted to show all the Turtles together in a ready-to-fight kind of pose with the threat of the main villain Krang in the background. So much TMNT art has been done, so I tried to bring something new by differentiating the shapes of the Turtles and setting the scene in a futuristic…

1 POWER RANGERS “Variant cover for a Power Rangers comic published by BOOM! Studios. Jason David Frank was my favourite Ranger, and drawing him on a published book was a dream.” 2 COSMIC BLACK PANTHER “This piece was challenging for me. The gauntlet has many colours and trying to balance them all at once seemed tricky. I had a few attempts on a smaller copy.” 3 COSMIC GHOST RIDER “One of my favourite Marvel characters and stories. I was so happy to get the request to draw him. I had to add all the small details and easter eggs.” 4 GAMBIT “My favourite X-Men character. I get excited every time I get a request to draw him, and feel like the kid who watched the cartoons years ago and doodled…

Glenn Arthur Influences from Disneyland shape the artist’s work Where did you grow up and how has this influenced your art? I grew up in Orange County, California, within earshot of the Disneyland fireworks. Growing up in such close proximity to several amusement parks and tourist attractions really taught me to pay close attention to storytelling and details. All of the intricately themed lands and the ornately detailed designs have inspired me endlessly. What, outside of art, has most influenced your artwork? Rococo and Victorian women’s fashion and aesthetics have always had a profound influence on my artistic style. Old fairy tales and spooky lore have also heavily inspired my work, as well as pop culture and cartoons from my childhood during the 1980s and 90s. And of course, I’ve…

Paulo Loveranes Galamgam LOCATION: Philippines MEDIA: Procreate, Blender WEB: www.artstation.com/paulog Paulo is a licensed civil engineer who has been studying concept art alongside his full-time job. After his long grind and sleepless nights, he is now creating designs for game studios. 1 WANDERER “A mercenary in a fantasy Middle Eastern world, hired to assassinate its corrupt ruler. He only takes jobs that involve executing bad people.” 2 RED SAND “Exploring an underground cavern containing otherworldly rock formations, searching for the hidden society that has lived in secrecy for hundreds of years.” 3 ABANDONED “These warriors returned to their hometown after a long-fought war against invaders, only to find everyone had fled after they were defeated.” Natalia Sorokina LOCATION: Serbia MEDIA: Photoshop, Paint Tool SAI WEB: https://nataliajw.artstation.com Natalia is…

The future may be impossible to predict, but thanks to the art of Brian Sum we have a decent idea of what it may look like. That’s because the prolific cyberpunk artist, who has worked with the likes of ILM, BioWare and Microsoft, has developed a style that has defined the mech genre. With hundreds of his illustrations recently released in AFTRMRKT (www.aftrmrktstore.com) – an artbook that has been over seven years in the making – we caught up with Brian to learn more about his work and what putting the compendium together has taught him. Tell us a little about your background as a concept artist. How did you get started, and what has your career been like so far? I got my first real experience as a concept…

Artist PROFILE Henry Wong LOCATION: England Henry is a senior concept artist and is currently working for Thatgamecompany. He has worked extensively in the video game and animation industries for companies such as Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount Animation and Netflix. https://bit.ly/3qwxzzN Doing art studies and sketches while trying to explore and learn new techniques on a daily basis can be extremely daunting for some people. You can so often find yourself frozen in front of a blank canvas, not knowing where to start, or you find yourself unable to finish a painting forever while attempting to achieve your perceived idea of perfection. It could also be a simpler problem, where you’re just having difficulty finding time to do personal art, or to improve yourself. I’m here to help troubleshoot your…

Ornélie LOCATION: France MEDIA: Polymer clay WEB: https://ornelie.com Ornélie is a self-taught sculptor who works as a 2D animator on feature films. Her sculptures are inspired by her dreams and fantasies of past eras, as well as gothic, surreal, and Victorian visions. 1 BLUEPEONY “I emphasised the delicate ivory shades here to contrast with the bright, Asian-influenced colours. It retained a Victorian spirit that is dear to me.” 2 ODONATA “This sculpture depicts a dragonfly queen revealing her magic colours, such as the iridescent insect crown that sits upon her head.” 3 GHOST BRIDE “What tragedy happened here? The ghost story was a pretext to a floating spectre and to work on the transparency of the character’s fabrics.” 4 UNDERWATER “I focused on suspension here; everything is liquid…

Let me introduce you to Commander Frankon. He’s mean, militaristic and doesn’t really like people. I’ve been slowly building my own dark science fiction universe and this is a character I’ve drawn a few times over the years, and I wanted to do a polished painting to give him a definitive look. In the story, Frankon is from a dystopian industrial world that has a harsh chemical atmosphere and an even harsher political climate. I wanted him to be a reflection of his environment, so many of the design choices were made to accentuate his gritty character. I like his military trench coat, cybernetic modifications and general demeanour, which add to a hard, unforgiving aesthetic. Outside of getting him down on paper, I had no more goals other than to…

The Rookies is a platform to help digital artists get discovered without having to compete with professionals for attention. You’ll get to the front page of those sites one day, but for now, we’ve got your back and want to help turn your passion for creative media into a successful career. WWW.THEROOKIES.CO Kiyoko – The Wind Master YEAR CREATED: 2023 MEDIA: Photoshop “This splash art was created during a workshop with Félix Donadio at Artside School, based on a character I’d made previously. During the session I came up with the idea of creating a promotional image for the character to build a fuller project, as the VFX were also made during the school year.” Artist PROFILE Julie Lafeuille LOCATION: France I’m an aspiring concept artist and worldbuilder currently studying…

Artist PROFILE Nadav Yacobi (AKA SpectreIV) LOCATION: Israel Nadav is an independent artist creating fantasy art that features creatures and mysterious beings inspired by his emotions, stories and real-life experiences. He shows and sells his art online. www.instagram.com/spectre.iv "There are times we need someone to watch over us, or instead let us fly freely" "My subjects often speak of inner insights and expression of emotions" Do you want to share your sketches with your fellow ImagineFX readers? Send us an email with a selection of your art, captions for each piece and a photo and bio of yourself to sketchbook@imaginefx.com…

Artist PROFILE Steve Ellis LOCATION: US Steve paints, draws and writes comics and fantasy art. He has co-written, penciled, inked and coloured work with clients like Marvel, DC and AMC TV. His focus has been on bringing to life personal projects like Iron Killer, Thornclaw Manor and Moonshine Bigfoot. www.steveellisart.com DID YOU MISS OUT ON PART ONE? Grab a copy of issue 227 by visiting page 54! Welcome back for the second and final part of my workshop on creating a comic page for a new project. In the first part I talked about designing the characters, and drawing and inking the page for a new project called Iron Killer, which I’m working on with Shannon Eric Denton and Kevin Grevioux. It’s a Mad Max-like setting with demons. In this…

LOCATION: US MEDIA: Sketchbook, ink pens, markers WEB: www.jwintleart.com 1 RECOMBINATOR “Sketching spaceships is the ultimate design exercise, with as little or as much functional complexity as desired. My drawings begin with random ink marks or marker splotches from a previous page.” 2 DRAGONET “Sometimes I begin a sketch as a simple colour pattern with markers, and the spaceship becomes a vehicle for conveying that colour palette in an interesting way.” 3 REDTRO “My work is heavily influenced by the sci-fi greats of the 20th century. Syd Mead, Ron Cobb and Chris Foss are among many artists whom I constantly strive to learn from.” 4TWINHULL “I develop and accentuate the shapes and forms that I discover in this noise, at the same time considering the functional aspects such…

This sculpture of my character Kronen Dhalo combines old techniques with the modern, and more traditional sculpting materials with old toys, among other assembled objects. Dhalo’s face was modelled using clay and casted in plaster, which I carved to better define the shapes and give it a texture that resembles an old wood. I created the composition from a real wooden frame, and the head with plaster, clay, and reused objects such as broken toys. Through a silicone mould I created a resin version, to which I added new assembly objects, before finally wrapping up the project by painting it. I love playing with the contrast between the ancestral and futuristic, to emphasise what is eternal in our history.…