Tabla de contenidos para June 2023 en ImagineFX

Hello and welcome to issue 226 of ImagineFX! This month we bring you the usual features, workshops and more that we always do, but I also wanted to highlight that we take a deeper look into AI. We’ve covered the use of AI as part of creative pipelines before, but felt it’s time we discussed the ethical nature of these tools and what it means for artists. I’ve often said that tools should be considered as just that, something to take or leave, depending on your working practices. I believe that still, but that should never come at the expense of the rights of artists. As it stands, most AI tools use methods to generate images that infringe on the copyrights of artists, with no acknowledgement or pay. It seems…

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 Carrion Comfort YEAR CREATED: 2022 MEDIA: Photoshop, Procreate “This piece introduces the final boss arena in a D&D game I’m running for my friends. The focus was on storytelling, since this was their first impression of the space.” Artist PROFILE Elias J. Hereña LOCATION: US Elias is an illustrator and concept artist from Chicago with a love of games and animation. He has a passion for storytelling, and uses vibrant colour, dramatic lighting and dynamic composition to build…

Artist PROFILE Julian del Rey LOCATION: Spain Julian is a concept artist, illustrator and visual developer working in the video games industry for companies including Riot Games. He is a traditional artist who likes to grab his sketchbook and explore imaginary worlds. When he isn’t drawing, Julian can be found hiking, looking at artbooks, and watching anime and movies. www.artstation.com/juliusking DELICATE “I wanted to combine the elegance of fine lines with the fierce expression as a point of contrast. I’ve always been interested in fashion and trends, and it’s something that I try to incorporate into my designs.” I wanted to combine the elegance of fine lines with fierce expression FIRE AND WATER “Twins possessed by the elemental guardians Fire and Water, ready to defeat the forces of evil.” BAT…

Artist PROFILE Etienne Savoie LOCATION: France Concept artist and illustrator Etienne lives in the mountains, with his inspiration outside his office window. http://etiennesavoie.fr For this image, I wanted to create a universe that is both an attractive place to live, and somewhere you would want to spend your holidays. However, I also wanted to add a touch of magic to make something that catches the eye. The idea of the flying island was an obvious one for me; I’ve drawn a few in the past, and it’s a subject I like. With the natural lighting at around 2pm, the colours are vivid throughout the scene, and balanced between the cold tones on the environment and the warms on the windmill. The whole image is based around the windmill. I like…

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 No more AI Greetings! I’d like to ask for more coverage on a sensitive subject. I’ve noticed in the last many months that you’ve been covering AI, but I’ve found that coverage to be remarkably onesided. Blindingly so. I’d love to see IFX do a deep-dive into the abuse, harassment, manipulation, gaslighting, and outright lies the long-time artistic community has been facing from those who use image generators. All it takes is one look at YouTube to see this is a popular subject with no definitive solution. I challenge you to draw upon…

Workshop assets are available…  Download your resources by turning to page 5. And if you see the video workshop badge, you can watch the artist in action, too. This issue: 54 Paint culturally inspired fantasy character artwork Ann Maulina shares a step-bystep guide on creating a portrait from her webcomic’s universe. 60 Build a dreamlike fantasy setting Learn the tricks behind Etienne Savoie’s stylised environment, made with 2D and 3D tools. 64 Worldbuilding through shape How the components of Leo Li’s artwork combine to hint at greater meaning in his scene. 66 Add pop to your character art Alix Harris shares her workflow for creating vibrant portraits with personality in Procreate. 72 From big shapes to small shapes Discover the process Léa Pinto works through in Photoshop. 74 Create fantasy…

“The initial idea for this piece was inspired by the topic ‘ancient alien planet’ and the TV show Raised by Wolves. I thought of suggesting something mysterious behind the scenes by mixing alien buildings with African-style architecture. I used gigantic triangular and circular shapes as the dominant foundation of the building and layout, as it can suggest both geometric sci-fi architecture and brutalism. Adding ritualistic, churchlike decorations helped to dress it up. I used an upside down triangle shape because I wanted to push a feeling of evil and horror. When the camera angle moves down, an abstract evil face presents itself from all the details. I used Blender and Eevee to create this piece, as they provide easy and realistic previews.” Artist PROFILE Leo Li LOCATION: Canada Leo Li…

Seth Boyden LOCATION: US MEDIA: Watercolour, pencil, hot pressed watercolour paper WEB: www.instagram.com/seth.boyden.art Seth uses his animation experience to create fictional worlds filled with imaginative creatures. He is inspired by fairy tales, and 80s music and fantasy films. 1 2 1 BATTLE OF THE TREETOPS “I usually start an illustration by designing the characters first and then developing a story around them. In this case, these acorns and pinecones are fighting to claim the best spot in the forest to grow their trees.” 2 GEMTROLL DISCOVERY “I like to make the most of watercolour’s versatility in a single painting, whether it’s using a lot of water to allow light to pass through a wash, or placing heavily saturated, opaque colours next to each other.” 3 SAWTOOTH PASS “Suggesting a…

Léo Chiola LOCATION: Canada MEDIA: Pencil and ink, Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, Photoshop WEB: https://leochiola.myportfolio.com Léo is an artist in animation, comics and video games. He recently became a storyboard artist at Gearbox Software, and previously worked as a character designer, concept artist and illustrator. 1 MOON KNIGHT “The recent TV show Moon Knight inspired me to create a creepier design of this iconic character, almost like he was more of a creature than a human.” 2 EL ZOMBO FANTASMA “I was commissioned to do this illustration of the character El Zombo Fantasma. I wanted to show how brutal and fun the character is. Action was the way to go!” 3A SHARP DRESSED MAN “An homage to my favourite band, ZZ Top. The band is known for being…

Artist PROFILE Alix Harris LOCATION: US Alix is an illustrator and character artist whose primary medium is digital, creating in Procreate on iPad, and occasionally working traditionally in gouache. www.cyanaliart.com For this workshop, we’ll be creating a portrait that gives your character, well, their character! Whether you’re a beginner artist or more experienced, a portrait can be a great way to explore characters. While the design can focus on anything from their build to setting the character’s tone, the portrait can show who they are at an intimate level. Try to focus on the overall shape of the portrait design. Be aware of negative space around your character and how that can help with clarity, like how the hair can frame the face or the full portrait. As for colour,…

There was one phrase in Dark that enchanted me right away: “The question is not where. But when.” I had a dream project with Netflix, and Dark was one of the series I illustrated for a mural at their headquarters. As a huge sci-fi fan, I dove into exploring the layers of symbolism woven into the plot. I moved to Berlin several years ago and was curious about German cultural heritage. Dark is the first German Netflix original series, full of clues and hidden meanings, including drawing inspiration and aesthetics from Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder. I used symmetrical composition, surrounded by meaningful elements and profound symbols. This type of split screen supports the narrative of travelling between the worlds of Adam and Eva. The kaleidoscope visual creates…

Where did you grow up and how has this influenced your art? I grew up in the frozen tundra of Syracuse, New York, and still live there today. The list of things I love about Syracuse is too long to explain, but I can tell you the one and only thing that I hate is the winters! For a good six months of the year it drops below hypothermic temperatures, so growing up I spent a lot of time inside. From a young age my friends and I spent much of this time playing fantastic nerdy games, flooded with fantasy creatures and environments. Surrounding myself with creative friends, fictional places, and highquality artwork most definitely played a huge part in shaping what I create today. What, outside of art, has…