Table of contents for July 2025 in ImagineFX

If you’re an enthusiastic hobbyist or not so far along your journey as a pro artist, you may well be wondering how you can turn your passion into something that pays the bills and allows you to stay creative. This issue we take a look at how you can sell your work, with stories from those that have done it before and advice on marketing yourself, as well as a collection of resources to help you make the most of taking that leap into the professional world. But no matter what stage of your career you’re at, it’s always good to learn some new skills or refresh those muscle memories. With that in mind, visit our training section where you can learn how to use composition to create eye-catching character…

Ksenia Kim LOCATION: The Netherlands MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/goldkanet A character artist and illustrator, Ksenia studied architecture but turned her passion for gaming and drawing into a career. She loves dark fantasy and has worked on Diablo IV and Magic: The Gathering. Ar Siu LOCATION: Hong Kong MEDIA: Clip Studio Paint WEB: www.artstation.com/arsiu Ar Siu works in the game art industry, primarily designing concepts for characters and scenes. He’s also been known to dabble in book design and board game art. Nico Lee Lazarus LOCATION: Thailand MEDIA: Clip Studio Paint WEB: www.instagram.com/nicoleelazarus Nico is a concept artist and illustrator for video games and films who is originally from Johannesburg. He enjoys experimenting with different styles and constantly considers himself to be a student of art. Anand Ramcheron LOCATION: South Africa…

Inkwell www.youtube.com/inkwell Dustin Panzino, a character and environment artist in the gaming industry, discusses his selling strategies, analyses different income streams, tells you which artist alleys are best, and dissects social media. He also has great guest artists who provide additional industry insight and advice. Brandon Chen https://bit.ly/42zUFVD Brandon quit his job in finance to make manga full-time and he now has a studio running multiple projects. Through his YouTube channel, he explains how he turned his passion into a successful business and tells you everything you need to know about making comics and publishing online. Creative Hive https://bit.ly/4lznfPy If you want to sell your work online, creative Mei Pak has a solid body of advice based on her own extensive experience of running a business selling art and handmade…

The leading digital art software available today provides more choice and variety than ever, from painting software that can simulate real physical media to photo-editing tools that provide the versatility for all kinds of digital art. We’ve tested and reviewed a wide range of art software using real-world workflows to compare all the options for different needs. And with all that experimentation in the bag, we put together a handy guide to compare and rate our picks of the very best in terms of features and tools, versatility, ease of use, and price. PROCREATE The powerful iPad software is a fan favourite with a wealth of brushes for a bargain price We still consider Procreate to be the best digital drawing and painting software that we’ve tested. It doesn’t have…

My focus has always been to stay true to my artistic vision. For years I tried to follow the “rules” of art, hoping to fit into what was supposed to be my style to get work. However, I realised that this didn’t make me happy or help me stand out. It was only when I decided to simplify my art and focus on the essentials that my work truly began to resonate with myself and others. In this workshop, you’ll learn to create characters that don’t need busy backgrounds or excessive details to stand out. I’ll show you how to strategically use poses, anatomy and composition to create striking and expressive characters. The key is focusing on the details that really matter and letting go of any unnecessary elements. What…

“These guns are a set of personal conceptual artworks. They belong to animals who fight against villains with weaponry made from different types of fruit and vegetables. Each gun is tailored to a different animal, for example the gun made from carrots is used by a little rabbit. Meanwhile, the shape of the food dictates the weapon, so a long spring onion becomes a sniper rifle, and a corn cob lends itself well to being a submachine gun. Once the firearms were made I began to create the cute characters that would wield them, which in turn helped me to construct the world they live in and the stories that I could tell within it.” Artist PROFILE Sail Lin LOCATION: China Sail is a senior game concept designer who has been…

Price From £1,000/$1,300 Company Huawei Web www.huawei.com We’ve had our hands on a couple of Huawei tablets before, finding them to be perfectly respectable hardware often let down by their software. This new model, with a 13.2-inch OLED screen and both a stylus and a keyboard case in the box, aims to be an even more tempting offering from the Chinese brand, though it’s not substantially different to the previous release. Once again we find potentially great hardware with a software offering that’s hard to get along with, though improving. So if you do find yourself considering the MatePad Pro as a tablet to sling in your bag, and even do some work on – and there are plenty of other options among the best tablets for drawing at this…

Sierra Noir Artist G.A.R.M Software Procreate Brushes 20 Price £17/$22 Rating For Procreate artists looking for a 1950s futuristic aesthetic, this set offers 20 brushes comprising pens and filler brushes, along with colour palettes to maximise their retro cool. The brushes can be bought for a suite of apps. https://bit.ly/4iYONMz Free Christmas Brushes Set Artist @di_syukov Software Procreate Brushes 18 Price Free Rating More a series of stamps than brushes, but for free it’s an easy win! With icicles, snowflakes, ice cracks and even a jumping reindeer, it’s easy to get ahead of Christmas illustrations. https://bit.ly/3XGJTLC The Comics MaxPack Artist Max Ulichney Software Procreate Brushes 75 Price £11/$15 Rating An insane amount of brushes for the price, which will aid any aspiring comic artists out there. The set includes pencils,…

Carolina Soares LOCATION: Portugal MEDIA: Coloured pencil, alcohol markers, ink WEB: www.carolemellow.com Freelance artist Carolina explores magical themes and stories through her artwork by combining colour and whimsy to express her thoughts. Faith Schaffer LOCATION: US MEDIA: Watercolour, ink, gold paint WEB: www.faithschaffer.com Faith works in animation, illustration and publishing, with her backgrounds appearing in shows such as Amphibia and The Owl House. She’s inspired by turn-of-the-century illustration, medieval art and folklore.…

The best illustration isn’t just about craft – it’s about storytelling, rhythm and intention. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through an illustration from concept to final touches. The goal is to share not only techniques, but also the reasoning and philosophy behind each step. The subject I chose, a reversal of the classic knight-versus-monster dynamic, allowed me to play with the scale, tension and the viewer’s expectations, while still staying grounded in traditional methods. Pen and ink is a demanding, often unforgiving medium. Every line counts and there’s no undo button, so each mark must serve the bigger picture. That’s why I emphasise planning and structure from the very beginning; sketching, studying values, and understanding how line direction can enhance form. While I draw inspiration from 19th-century masters such…

Where did your journey start? I’ve drawn my whole life, starting at age three. I think the passion for art has been passed down through the generations, as my father and grandpa also drew. They were great at landscapes, while I’ve always had more of an interest in portraits, so I had to shape my own creative journey. What’s your main source of artistic inspiration? I find inspiration in almost everything. It’s fascinating how you can find little sparks of creativity in the world around you. Nature especially is a significant source of inspiration, like springtime with its abundant growth and renewal, plus all the feathers, branches and colours, especially the pastel tones that nature offers. The emotions I’m feeling also often have an influence on my artwork. Then of…

The making of Arcane season 2 We go behind the scenes to discover the secrets of the hit animation’s finale Develop visual style for games Discover how titles including Atomfall and Eternal Strands are brought to life In the mind of a manga icon Katsuya Terada tells us about the many inspirations for his revered artwork ISSUE 254 ON SALE 3RD JUNE IN PRINT & DIGITAL…

Sonic and the Flash racing? Batman and Shadow riding together? Fans were in heaven when Sega revealed the first DC x Sonic the Hedgehog collab created by writer Ian Flynn, artist Adam Bryce Thomas and colourist Matt Herms. A series of five comics has the Justice League meet Sonic and friends in an unlikely crossover. DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1 sports a cover by Pablo M. Collar with a variant cover created by Ethan Young. “There’s a lot going on in the book; finding a way to fit everything was engaging” First announced at Sega’s Sonic Central livestream event in September 2024, issue #1 went on sale in March. The story sees DC villain Darkseid cross dimensions to invade Sonic’s world. While Sonic has faced mad scientists and ancient…

For me, light and colour are everything. They define the mood, depth, and emotional core of an artwork. Over the years, I’ve developed my own approach to creating ethereal, glowing light effects, which I’ll be breaking down in this tutorial. I build my lighting up gradually, layer-by-layer, playing with various blending modes, opacity and subtle erasing to create soft, semi-realistic effects. It’s an organic process rather than a fixed method, which means there is always room to play and discover happy accidents, too. But for this breakdown I’ll try my best to give a more structured explanation that will help get you started. The tutorial follows my core workflow: sketching and refining line work; laying down flat colours; gradually building shadows and highlights; and experimenting with layer blending and all…

The topics of marketing and business aren’t natural for the creative soul, but learning about them in a serious way can make a huge difference if you’re not making the income you want from your work. Fortunately, some artists have studied them in depth and devised ways to apply the business principles they’ve picked up to the art world. One such artist is Kelsey Rodriguez, a painter working in oils who also offers coaching and resources to artists looking to improve their incomes. “The big mistake I see creatives making all the time is undervaluing the importance of selling, or avoiding it out of feelings of discomfort,” she says. “I’ve worked with artists who have over 100,000 followers but struggle to pay their bills because they’re afraid to promote their…

1) What is the name of the animation software launched by Procreate in 2023? A) Visions B) Move C) Dreams D) Action 2) The artist Loish was born in which country? A) The Netherlands B) Belgium C) Germany D) Luxembourg 3) What colour does the C in CMYK stand for? A) Crimson B) Carmine C) Cerise D) Cyan 4) Which famed artist designed the xenomorphs for Alien? A) Ian McQue B) H.R. Giger C) Moebius D) Alan Lee 5) What do you call it when all your parallel lines meet? A) Rule of thirds B) Vanishing point C) Golden ratio D) Layer mask 6) What year was the first Sonic the Hedgehog game released? A) 1991 B) 1992 C) 1993 D) 1994 7) What art style is made entirely of…

Price From £110/$90 Company Seagate Web www.seagate.com RATING The Seagate Ultra Compact drive lives up to its name. It’s tiny, for an SSD, and also noticeably smaller than the other portable SSDs we’ve reviewed in recent issues. At 24g it’s also very light, and is made from aluminium. There’s a rubber cap to go over the USB-C plug, which isn’t retractable, and a silicone sock to protect most of the rest of the drive. This sock is soft and almost sticky, and will attract dust and bits of fluff easily. The USB-C plug rather than a port for a cable gives the drive extra usefulness, as you can plug it straight into your phone or tablet if you need to; it comes formatted as exFAT so is pretty universal. It’s…