Inhaltsverzeichnis für September 2024 in ImagineFX

We have some real video game-themed treats lined up for you this month. If you’ve come looking for inspiration and a behind-the-scenes look at some of the best projects out there, you won’t be disappointed as we take a good look at the art of both Hades II and the latest chapter of Destiny 2, Bungie’s epic sci-fi project. There are certain artists who inspire everyone, from students and enthusiasts to their own peers, as well as fans of the projects they’ve worked on. Ben Mauro is one such artist, and we sat down with him to find out more about his work, from video games such as Halo Infinite to developing his own graphic novel series. We all enjoy discovering other people’s work and their workplaces, so why not…

Antti Hakosaari LOCATION: Finland MEDIA: Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/haco Antti is a freelance illustrator who works on book covers and tabletop games, and likes to create his own stories and characters in his spare time. These images are from a story he has been working on. 1 KEEPING WATCH “Here I just wanted to draw a soothing portrait of a character in his element.” 2 HIDEOUT “In this secret hideout, a horned lady and her goblin friends are playing cards. Who will win?” 3 SURPRISE ATTACK “This piece depicts a fight scene where a group of misfits attack a fisherman minding his own business.” 4 HAGGLE “My goal here was to illustrate a scene where the characters have a nice dynamic. It also shows the seductive persuasion of…

LOCATION: Indonesia MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/indigojrps Indigo is a freelance digital artist with experience in the VFX industry. He’s been a fantasy enthusiast ever since he was a kid, and finds digital art to be a great outlet for all of his ideas. 1 DUALITY “Two personifications of a black and white knight. They have tension in their eyes, which is the result of their tumultuous history.” 2 RIVER DRAGON “This is an amalgamation of two favourite childhood obsessions: knights and dinosaurs. It’s also partly based on the ancient myth that dragons were borne out of dinosaur fossils.” 3 SKY BATTLE “My most ambitious project to date, depicting a battle between a dragon and a griffon, with their riders ready to fight each other.” 4 THE CRYPTS “My interpretation of a…

Artists have been disillusioned with social media for some time, but Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, took relations with the creative community to a new low recently with its announcement that users’ images could be used to train its AI models. We knew last year that images from Instagram and Facebook have been used as training data for Meta’s AI image generator. But now the issue has been brought into the spotlight by an email sent to European users, which announced changes to its Privacy Policy and the intention to extend usage of people’s information to develop AI. Artists have had enough. And the sense of violation is compounded by the fact that it’s not just artwork that’s being misused. The Faeries of the Faultlines creator Iris Compiet…

1 Constantly watch and learn what’s being made in the game and film worlds. This helps you to stay on the cutting edge of the games that are being released and the stories being told. 2 Get out into the world and travel whenever possible to gain new perspectives. 3 Engage with a community of artists to find inspiration and get critiques on your work. 4 Develop personal projects that will challenge and grow your current skill set. 5 Stay updated with the advances in art tools and technologies in a fast-changing industry.…

I’m a fan of Souls-like games, and of dark fantasy style overall. The idea of creating this concept came to me after I played Mortal Shell, developed by Cold Symmetry. I like the mystic and foggy environments in that game, with their abandoned medieval-style architecture, so I wanted to create a location in a similar style. I decided to create a level that would lead to the main location boss. For the level design itself, I decided to make it simple, literally a straight pass. However, the environment design needed to be really epic, preparing the character for something dangerous inside. It was important to not only create a nice-looking image, but also to create a comprehensive location that would look attractive from any point of gameplay and convey the…

“For my Dune series, I wanted every painting to stand out visually in terms of each planet and faction. The art needed to be faithful to the books, while still exploring my own interpretations. For the Harkonnens, I used bold reds and harsh light to reflect their tyranny, and I also wanted to ensure their ornaments would show decadence. Gurney Halleck is a more sympathetic character, so I went for soothing blues and greens. Rather than depict him as a hardened warrior with a grudge against the Harkonnens, I wanted to reflect his sensitive side as a bard in his moments of solitude. For Paul Atreides as a main character, I went for minimalism. I used a bird’s eye perspective to show the endlessness of the desert, as well as…

Mike Butkus Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your art? My upbringing in Southern California may not have directly influenced my art, but the books that I read sparked my creative journey. As a wee tot, I observed my parents engrossed in the classics, science fiction, and mysteries. I’d then delve into these very same books, often illustrating my favourite scenes; a practice that has continued to shape my artistic expression. What, outside of art, has most influenced your work? Outside of art itself, observing my surroundings has had an influence on my work the most. When you pay attention to your environment, the people and their interactions, you’ll start seeing some peculiar things that can inspire you. And equally, keeping up with the latest advancements…

Sketches from a concept master Dune concept artist George Hull lets us take a look inside his epic sketchbook Planning your path to the top Get practical advice on how to rise up the ranks in the game art industry Inside a movie artist’s studio Philippe Gaulier shows us the space where he works for Marvel and more ISSUE 243 ON SALE 30TH JULY IN PRINT & DIGITAL…

LOCATION: US MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/criver24 Corey is a character designer and illustrator working in the tabletop and video game industry. His art gravitates towards the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and often takes on a look of stylised realism. 1 BULGRAVE, THE CONSUMMATE “Bulgrave is one of my deified wolves. He represents wisdom through experience.” 2 ASTRID “She is a woman with a prosthetic limb in the shape of a tree. Her feelings are expressed by the type of flowers that bloom from it.” 3 TEARWIN, THE UNSHACKLED “This is the design of another deified wolf, who represents the dual virtues of freedom and composure.” 4 AZEL “This is the pyromancer Azel. He is a tiefling mage who has mastered control over a rare blue flame.” Want to submit your…

LOCATION: Philippines MEDIA: Photoshop, Blender WEB: www.artstation.com/jpesmeralda Joshua is an artist with experience in creating environment concept art and marketing illustrations for various games. He has also worked as an illustrator for book covers and other tabletop RPGs. 1 TWIG BLIGHT “An illustration I did after experimenting with ZBrush and trying out different ways I could incorporate it into my workflow.” 2 WAITING “I’ve always found inspiration in Studio Ghibli films, and this is one of the illustrations where I used them as a reference for the colour, light and foliage.” 3 SACRED SWAMP “A personal illustration that I stumbled into after I did some random sketches and colour explorations, and then built a story around it.” 4 BALDUR’S GATE 3 TIEFLING WARLOCK “This is an illustration of my Baldur’s Gate…

The fact that you signed a social media platform’s terms of service shouldn’t give it the right to just take your data and do anything they want with it. We have more rights than we think. I’m part of EGAIR [European Guild for Artificial Intelligence Regulation]. EGAIR is a group of artists, creatives, publishers and associations from across Europe, united in bringing to the public’s attention how our data and intellectual properties are being exploited without our consent, on a scale never seen before. We lobby the European Parliament to put laws and regulations in place to protect creatives. We’ve already achieved a few legislative wins that work in the favour of artists. Together with other incredible associations we’ve helped to get this line added to the European Union’s AI…

Designing and painting characters that have the elusive ‘cool factor’ can be like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. What makes one character cool and another one not? Over a long career, I have boiled down a formula that leads to reliably cool results every time – and it all revolves around one key element. Shape is the most fundamental and powerful element of visual design. Our eyes just seem to recognise and process shapes more easily than other elements like value and colour – think of how you can identify popular characters just from their silhouette. Character designers can take advantage of this by designing directly with shapes. Instead of exhaustive sketching or line art (which is time-consuming and often gets painted over anyway), I find that blocking…

“This piece depicts a pivotal moment in my fantasy graphic novel The Wormworld Saga. I started by setting up a reference scene with simple 3D models in Blender, then I rendered and retouched the composition to create a rough greyscale version of the artwork. Next, I created a line drawing on top of the first composition and used it to guide the blocking in of my colours. Finally, I used overlay textures and the Mixer brush in Photoshop to enhance the painterly look of the artwork. I find that even a simple 3D model can help to balance the visual masses in your composition, and build a strong foundation for all the detailing work that you end up putting into your art.” Artist PROFILE Daniel Lieske LOCATION: Germany Daniel is a…

Tamara Nederkoorn LOCATION: The Netherlands MEDIA: Alcohol markers WEB: www.instagram.com/arts.by.tamara Tamara is a self-taught artist who specialises in subtle, earthy colour palettes. Despite having drawn all her life, she says it’s only recently that she’s developed a style that feels entirely her own. 1 AURELIA “Participating in challenges allows me to explore new subjects. It’s a great practice that pushes me out of my comfort zone, and allows me to connect with other creatives.” 2 CELEBRATING NATURE “One from my series that revolves around birthday flowers. This is January – Snowdrop. Each piece portrays a character with details that symbolise nature’s colour palette.” 3 WAY OF WATER “My characters often symbolise strength and have tribal, fantasy or warrior-like features. I find myself drawn to their fierce expressions and dynamic poses.” 4…

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LOCATION: Denmark MEDIA: Photoshop, Blender, Gaea WEB: www.artstation.com/maliksigrist Malik’s love for epic fantasy universes has instilled a sense of adventure and discovery in his work. When creating environments, he likes to take them as far as possible in Blender before painting in Photoshop. 1 TEMPLE OF THE ACCURSED “When you go places that you’ve never been before, there’s always danger hiding in the shadows. That was the feeling I wanted to convey in this piece.” 2 GOLDEN CANE CO. “This piece was inspired by a recent trip I took to Trinidad and Tobago, where I loved seeing these old industrial buildings slowly being taken over by nature. It was a magical sight!” 3 FORT PAX “Fort Pax is a location from my own worldbuilding project. It started out life as…

Discover your potential with The Rookies; the launchpad for emerging digital artists. With The Rookies, your work won’t just get seen – it gets noticed and featured, just like this! Join a community where your journey from hobbyist to professional artist is supported every step of the way.  WWW.THEROOKIES.CO Aves Company: Elena YEAR CREATED: 2023 MEDIA: Photoshop +++++++++++++++++ “The image was part of a class assignment in which a character with a background story, prop and environment was created. Honestly, it was a really fun process, especially being able to conceive my own character and story. This is also the first piece of concept art that holds significant meaning for me, and I was able to learn so much from it, such as character proportions, design concepts, and improving my…

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 X: x.com/imaginefx Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/imaginefx Share your artwork via #imaginefx: instagram.com/imaginefxmagazine Sketchbook pointers Hi Rob. I just read ImagineFX 241 from cover to cover and loved it, especially the interview you did with Nathan Fowkes! I wasn’t as aware of him as I should have been – but I’m definitely going to go out explore more of his work after reading all of his thoughts. I’ve never really thought of my sketchbooks as being useful for much, other than doodling some ideas. That’s changed for the better now, and I’ll be using them in a much more constructive way. Thank you for talking to him…

Halo and Call of Duty are just two of the landmark video game franchises on Ben Mauro’s impressive CV. And when he’s not helping to bring major films and video games to life, he’s also busy working on his own graphic novel series, HUXLEY. We caught up with Ben to hear how he juggles everything and manages to stay inspired. Can you tell us a little about your background as an artist? How did you get started, and what path has your career taken? I always had a passion for drawing and storytelling. I was deeply influenced by my love for movies, video games, anime and comics from a young age, but it wasn’t until maybe 17 that I took it more seriously and tried to pursue it as a…

“This piece is from my Warriors series, which features mediaeval characters in adventurous scenarios. I wanted to capture the changing of the seasons through the colours of the sky and the golden leaves against the knight and her horse. When you create an autumn scene, focus on balancing light and shadow to make key elements stand out. Use vibrant colours in the background to capture the viewer’s attention, and save subdued tones or complementary colours for central figures to create a sense of depth and focus. If you’re struggling with colour or anatomy, refer to photos or Old Master paintings with an established colour palette.” Artist PROFILE Raja Nandepu LOCATION: India Raja is a freelance concept artist and illustrator who works in gaming and film. His previous projects include Stranger Things,…

One of my passions is creating worlds for others to explore. This has manifested itself in many ways, from being an avid Dungeons & Dragons player to my work as a concept artist. In this workshop, I’ll walk you through my process for completing visual development art for movies and video games. Vis dev is more specific than just being a big image full of highly polished characters doing cool things. Its main goal is to give the rest of the art department a shared vision. With a well-thought piece, every other artist will have a clear vision for their own projects; it shows the character designs, lighting, mood and environment, and can even show VFX and UI design. When I create one of these pieces, I use every tool…

LOCATION: Australia MEDIA: Coloured pencil and gouache  WEB: www.alfredliuart.com Alfred is an artist who primarily works with galleries in Australia and the USA. He loves fantasy, science fiction and history, and he tries to explore these themes in his work. 1 WIND IN MY SAILS “The idea of sailing has always felt romantic to me: the vast oceans can take you anywhere, so in a sense it’s very nomadic. I wanted to capture that feeling.” 2 EXODUS “Although I’m not great at painting deserts, I wanted to test myself by making a piece about tiny travellers venturing through the sands and stone.” 3 THE FOOL “My son was born in 2023, which was the Chinese Year of the Rabbit; so I wanted to make a painting that celebrates optimism and…