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Even Mehl Amundsen, Lois van Baarle, Dawn Carlos, Mélanie Delon,
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Rudy Siswanto
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Part of the
bookazine series
Contents
96
38
18 108
68
6
Workshops 141
96. Paint a bright
& dynamic figure
Learn how to use Photoshop’s colour
editing and drawing tools with Loish
118. Creating a
dragon knight
Painting a classic fantasy scene that’s
heavy on realism and details
87
120. Using brushes
in Rebelle
Introducing Rebelle, the natural media
painting program
7
THE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART
Luisa Preißler
LOCATION: Germany
1
WEB: www.luisapreissler.de
EMAIL: info@luisapreissler.de
MEDIA: Photoshop
Freelance fantasy
illustrator Luisa loves
character-driven art. She
works mainly on book
covers, games and comics,
and always tries to convey emotions
that allude to a larger story in her art.
“Watching Sailor Moon as a child
made me start drawing early on,” the
German artist reveals, “while in my teens
digital illustration opened up a whole
new world of possibilities for me. It
enabled me to grow confident with
colours, lighting and atmosphere – my
favourite things to paint.”
In her free time Luisa enjoys reading
urban fantasy novels, travelling to Italy
and testing out delicious new recipes in
the kitchen.
8
FXPOSÉ IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
9
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL FXPOSÉ
10
FXPOSÉ IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
2 Simon Sweetman
LOCATION: Canada
WEB: http://ifxm.ag/s-sweetman
EMAIL: si.f.swe@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
3 IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Despite the two
imaginative outdoor
compositions on
show here, my eyes are
drawn towards Simon’s
delicious-looking,
atmospheric Noodles
artwork. What’s that
sound? Why, just my
stomach rumbling!”
Cliff Hope,
Operations Editor
11
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL FXPOSÉ
Julia Metzger 1
LOCATION: Germany
WEB: http://ifxm.ag/jmetzger
EMAIL: julianatmetzger@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Between Julia’s
gorgeous depiction
of light, and her
harmonious colour
choices, she’s managed to
create lush fantasy art that
pulls the reader into the
scene. The scale and
grandeur in her painting
The Well is palpable.” 2
Claire Howlett,
Editor
12
FXPOSÉ IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
13
1
Eoghan Cowan 2
LOCATION: Ireland
WEB: http://ifxm.ag/e-cowan
EMAIL: eoghan783@hotmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
3 CUSTODIAN OF THE
NECRONOMICON “For this character
I was inspired by the works of HP
Lovecraft and the Dark Souls games.
I imagined that he was the keeper of the
Book of the Dead. He’s not necessarily
evil – he just protects the book from
falling into the wrong hands.”
14
1
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Like all the best
concept art, Joseph’s
paintings seem to
strike a perfect balance
between detail and
suggestion – but then,
when you look closer, you
discover even more and
learn more about the
subject of each work.”
Daniel Vincent,
Art Editor
16
FXPOSÉ IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Joseph Diaz
LOCATION: Spain
WEB: http://ifxm.ag/j-diaz
EMAIL: joseph@j21studio.com
MEDIA: Photoshop, Cinema 4D, ZBrush
3
SUBMIT YOUR
ART TO FXPOSÉ
Send up to five pieces of your
work, along with their titles, an
explanation of your techniques,
a photo of yourself and contact
details. Images should be sent as
300dpi JPEG files.
Email: fxpose@imaginefx.com
(maximum 1MB per image)
17
DIGITAL ART
REVOLUTION!
From art apps that punch above their weight to
inexpensive software that replicate traditional media,
artists who want to get creative are spoilt for choice…
he days of digital art GIRL, ORANGE Whether you want to go down the software that we think you’ll benefit
being monopolised by This issue’s cover artist, route of mimicking natural media from using. Many come in different
18
DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION! IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS
Procreate has powerful blur
effects, in the form of Gaussian,
Motion and Perspective blurs,
Sharpen and Noise filters,
along with colour
adjustments like HSB
and Curves.
REVVED- BRUSH
UP ENGINE TWEAKS
Each brush is
The new Metal Engine of customisable with over 35
Procreate 3.3 promises quicker, adjustable settings. Artists
more responsive mark-making, can use any of the defaults
a leap in the natural behaviour as a starting point to come
of mixing watercolour up with a brush that better
paints, and a faster fits their style. You can also
Smudge tool. create custom brushes,
either using source files
from the built-in library,
PROCREATE
record and play back all that creativity
Price with the new video capabilities.
£5.99
“It’s an app that can definitely
Available
iPad only compete with any advanced desktop
The small iPad app with the big artistic brain, Company program” says artist
Savage Interactive Chrissie Zullo. “It has
that’s designed for rapid-fire creativity on the fly Reviewed everything you need
Issue 146
Rating
as a digital artist, in a
or those who haven’t tried or use a key command – instead, they +++++ simplified interface, and
19
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION!
REALISTIC
WATERCOLOURS
Martin Hanschild says, “The
painting process in Rebelle is
unique and closer to the traditional
watercolour experience than
anything else. It has the best
digital watercolours
out there.”
NATURAL
PAINTING TOOL
The watercolour simulation is
the brainchild of artist Peter
ˇ who developed it as a
Blaškovic,
drawing projects. His aim was
to create the most natural
painting tool possible.
20
DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION! IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
REBELLE
Roll up your sleeves for the realistic
traditional media software that’s both
Price £48
Available PC/Mac
Company
Escape Motions
Reviewed Issue 123
Rating +++++
ebelle is all about getting making the jump to digital, and this
21
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION!
PRESSURE CUSTOM
PAINTING BRUSHES
You can modify your
Some brushes enable brush strokes after you’ve
you to change colour made them, create new
based on how hard you brushes using a huge range
press with your stylus – of controls, and paint
ideal when you want colour directly into the preview
variation without going window to see exactly
back and forth to the what each tool will
colour palette. do for you.
BLACK INK
Things can become a little abstract with this experimental
software, but we say embrace its non-traditional nature!
lack Ink’s publisher Bleank Bleank had the mobile phone user in
22
DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION! IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Images © Jort van Welbergen
EDIT
THE INTERFACE
The user interface is pretty
standard, but it’s easily
modifiable by dragging parts
of the menu items around.
GOING
PRO
The standard package is free,
although you won’t be able to
export except as a DAE file. If you
want OBJ and FBX exports then
you need the Pro version,
which comes in at a
hefty £490.
SKETCHUP
Build entire worlds from the ground up, with
this super speedy yet simple 3D art program
ketchUp definitely belongs tools and actions are reduced, which interface may be pretty standard, but
23
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION!
BETTER
USE OF REFERENCES
Version 5 refines the concept of using
reference images as part of your
painting process. Now you can pin
multiple images to your screen, but also
resize, move them around or even zoom
right into them, if you only need to
focus on one area.
CLASSIC INTUITIVE
TOOLSET
The default brushes focus on traditional
INTERFACE
The interface is intended to be
media: oils, pencil, pastel, felt pens, instantly easy to navigate, so that
watercolour and palette knives. Each tool it’s straightforward to choose
comes with a selection of default presets tools and colours. After all, who
Images © Phil Galloway
ARTRAGE
For artists with a traditional media
background who want all the benefits of
S ‘traditional media
experience’ class of digital
software, ArtRage has come
a long way since it was launched as a
straightforward oil-painting program
way back in 2007. Version 5, released at
the start of the year, came with a more
remains the same. “What sets ArtRage
apart is its ability to recreate the flow
and texture of oil paint like
a malleable medium, right
there on the screen,” says
Phil Galloway. “The paint
behaves as paint should –
working digitally, this is the natural choice developed pastel and pencil arsenal, and for an artist with a fine art
perspective guides, more options for background coming into a digital art
customisation and an altogether world, this is key. ArtRage ticks all
swifter nature – all welcome changes. these boxes for my loose style, enabling
24
DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION! IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
25
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION!
BRUSHES
There are over 140 brushes to
EXTRAS
SketchBook Pro has also just
choose from, most of which revealed SketchBook Extras, giving
are created by artists, in-app access to brand new brushes
with artists in mind. updated on a weekly basis.
Image © Paris Christou
SKETCHBOOK PRO
launch the software, unlike most
Price $4.99/month painting applications.”
or $29.99/year
SketchBook Pro’s best attributes are
Available PC, Mac,
(and iOS and its ‘straight to the point’ access to any
Focusing on sketching and drawing, this program Android with tool or action to speed up your
in-app pricing)
workflow. Tools are accessed using a
encourages creativity through simplicity of use Company
Autodesk circular toolbar on the canvas, or
Reviewed N/A lagoon, which you can fill with your
ketchBook Pro is here to Straight from the off, it’s made to most frequently used tools.
26
DIGITAL ART REVOLUTION! IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
PALETTES COMIC
Palettes are drawer-based
and can be opened and closed
TOOLS
Clip Studio’s core features
as necessary. The UI can be revolve around pencilling,
customised, and artists can inking, painting and
establish a range of settings colouring. The colour mixing
for different workflows. and blending options are
great, as are the vector
capable canvas and the
perspective rulers.
CHOICE
OF THREE
There are three main
Save settings:
Illustration (a blank
800x600 canvas that’s
easily customisable),
Comic (includes preset
or custom panels) and
Animation, for
frame-by-frame
animations.
Image © PJ Holden
CLIP STUDIO PAINT
This user-friendly software has gone through some major changes
over the years, but it remains the number one choice for comic artists
27
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST Q&A
Jia-Ying Ong
Jia-Ying is a freelance artist
from Singapore, who has
done work mostly for mobile
games, books, and dabbles
in animation projects every
now and then.
www.circus-usagi.artstation.com
Mélanie Delon
As a full-time freelance
illustrator, Mélanie spends her
time working for different
publishing houses and
developing her own personal
works on a fantasy theme.
www.melaniedelon.com
Tony Foti
Tony is an artist with Konami
who also contributes
Question
freelance work to numerous
books, trading cards, video
How do I paint curved glass on a helmet?
games, magazines and Rosie Ball, England
advertisements of all types.
www.tonyfotiart.com
28
ARTIST Q&A IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Step-by-step: Question
Capture the look of a Any tips for concepting a manga mascot?
futuristic glass helmet Christian Talbot, Australia
To create a sense of
harmony, I first fill in the
background colours, then
work over the main focus
with the determined
colour direction.
29
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST Q&A
Question
How can I paint decaying vegetation?
Morgan Winter, Canada
Answer
Mélanie replies
Painting decaying plants can its green stem and leaves are replaced by a
add a nice touch to a lot of brown, orange and even black and
composition, and they can be a grey parts. If you want to paint flowers
strong storytelling element. then the colour scheme needs to be treated
My example will feature differently. The flower colours simply fade
Eden gone wrong, with a gorgeous woman away, so for example instead of having a
surrounded by dead plants. I want to bright red the petals will be paler and
create a contrast between healthy and dead desaturated with some hints of brown.
vegetation. To achieve this I’ll play with The wilting plants and flowers quickly
the shapes and colours. A healthy plant conveys to the viewer that the vegetation is
will be basically straight and green in dying. Note that the petals and leaves react
colour, while a dead one will be bent and in a different manner: their oval shape
feature autumn-like colours. becomes distorted as they curl up and I add some dead leaves
The shape and the colour scheme are droop. To create this effect you just have to blowing all around the
character, to emphasise the
both important to create the sense of paint a crazy leaf shape – my walkthrough sense of decay and give the
decay. A dead plant loses all its colours, so will explain things in more detail… scene extra dynamism.
Artist’s secret
DEAD LEAVES BRUSH ess when I have to
To speed up my painting proc
leaves, I
do some repetitive elements like . I add some
Even in this basic
sketch, it’s clear which
brushes like this one
plants are in rude
usually create
the whole
shadows and light, and rework realism .
health, and which ones
are destined for the
compost heap.
thing to develop mor e volume and
30
ARTIST Q&A IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Answer
Jia-Ying replies
Before I start the painting, I scene. Here, I choose to soften the light around
consider the mood and the story the cheek and hair a little to suggest empathy
that I want to tell. I’ll go through a for the character, while contrasting with the
mental list of scenes that will be harsh reflection of the blade in her hand.
appropriate, or subjects whose intentions will Using light and shadows, we can highlight
be complemented by having dramatic lighting. the key parts of the composition, and guide the After a quick splash of light across the
In this case, I want to depict a darkly clad viewer’s focus on to certain areas. For this 3 background, I start to paint over the
figure who’s sneaking her way through a dingy painting, I choose hard, diagonally cast light, sketch, and erase away some of the
passageway, lit only by the light from the to not only emphasise the slant of the weapon, unwanted edges. I use large brush strokes
setting sun streaming from the air vents. but to cast half the character’s face in shadow, to fill in the rough shape of the folds with a
An important aspect of lighting is mood implying an element of secrecy. The intense rectangle brush. At this stage, I also Liquify
creation: the intensity of the light source and light that’s reflecting off the sharp blade parts of the initial drawing like the eyes
colour of the light both help set the tone of the further amplifies its deadly purpose. and mouth to improve on the overall look.
31
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST Q&A
Tom Foster
Best known for his work
on 2000 AD and the
Judge Dredd Megazine,
comic book artist Tom
also writes and performs
stand-up comedy.
http://ifxm.ag/tom-foster
Tony Foti
Tony is an artist with
Konami who also works
freelance for books,
magazines and games
such as MtG and Fantasy
Flight’s Star Wars games.
www.tonyfotiart.com
Artist’s secret
Use custom
brushes wisely
dering
Custom brushes are useful for ren is
dif ferent materials aft er the form
hair
finalised. You could use a fur and a
e, and
brush for details on a creatur
ke. It’s
smoke effects brush for the smo first,
crucial to have the form pain ted
the
though. Layering fur brushes from ddy.
ke the form look mu
start may ma
32
ARTIST Q&A IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Step-by-step: How to
illustrate a fantasy
creature made of smoke
Answer
Tan replies and heavy industrial smog to wispy and
Smoke is fairly simple to light incense smoke. The Liquefy tool
depict, because the airborne comes in handy for adding random
particulates are typically movement to the smoke. Adding a creature
matte. Yet it differs in thickness and into the mix makes for an interesting
texture, and therefore requires a variety of visual effect, as it creates a contrast with
brushes with differing Opacity levels. You the solidness of the creature and the
can use a simple Round hard brush for the transparency of the smoke.
task, but it’s often more efficient to use For this article, I’ve chosen to depict a
custom brushes for wispier areas. mythical creature that’s a mixture of a
Search for photo references for different horse, stag and zebra, to reflect the
types of smoke, which can vary from thick mysterious smoky atmosphere. 2 I warp the smoke using the Liquefy tool into the
shape I want. It’s easier to lower the Opacity of
the smoke later than doing so the other way around,
so the current smoke is more opaque than the end
result. I’ve also roughly painted the creature in.
33
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST Q&A
Question
Can you give me some advice on foreshortening please?
Holly Mason, Australia
Pay attention to the lines coming out of the vanishing point that’s off to the left
of the image, and notice how I’ve used them as a guide for the gun and woman.
1
Start by loosely drawing the amount 2 Now figure out where the horizon line 3 Then redraw the image, but this time
of foreshortening you want in a sketch and vanishing point would be. Do this using your new perspective lines. As
from either your mind or reference, but by either finding parallel edges on an you paint, leave your perspective on its
don’t use perspective lines. Just mess object (like around the gun) and finding a own layer, on a low Opacity: you’ll have a
around until you have an amount of spot that they at least roughly point to, or constant guide to make sure everything’s
exaggeration that expresses what you’re create a vanishing point on its own layer correct in relation to one another. This will
going for with the image. and trying it out around the horizon line. ensure believable foreshortening.
34
ARTIST Q&A IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Although 3D tools
can make certain
aspects of the job
easier, a strong sense of
composition and
staging are still required
for setting a scene.
Question
How can I quickly paint
dramatic cast shadows?
Wilbur Hawthorn, US
Answer
Tom replies 2 After rendering in 3D, I use Photoshop’s Stamp
The great comic book artist, filter to create something approximating a line
Wally Wood, once wrote, drawing. I always upscale the resolution of the image
“Never draw anything you can first, because I want the filter to preserve as much
copy, never copy anything you detail as possible.
can trace, never trace anything you can cut
out and paste up.” Indeed, there’s no need
to make drawing and painting any more
difficult than it already is. Using photo
references, applying textures directly onto
an object… these are just two of the ways
art software helps you to realise an image.
If I’m in any doubt as to the way
shadows would fall in real life, I test them
out with 3D posing software. I mock up a
quick scene from some prefab models and Artist’s secret
primitive shapes and then I draw the
Seeing the light
of the light
Looking from the point of view s of my
finished piece over the top. This keeps my
shadows accurate and enables me to focus
source enables me to see whi ch area
atever’s
image will be lit, pre-render. Wh handy if
all my drawing attention on the details
that the reader is actually going to see.
obscured will be in shad ow. Thi s is 3 I create a new layer and draw the finer details
ents in the
I want to highlight specific elem
using the Pen tool, putting more character in the
face and making fixes to anatomy and clothing. In
scene.
this instance, with big block shadows covering so
much of the image, I barely had to do any drawing.
35
Ar t i s t Po r t f o l i o
38
44. JC Park
Park reveals that his best work was on a
project that never saw the light of day
52
36
44
58
37
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
SCOTT
GUSTAFSON
There’s more to this artist than his fantastically detailed
and nostalgic fairytale images, as Ed Ricketts find out
38
SCOTT GUSTAFSON IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
39
DRAWING THE REAL WORLD
“It’s always fascinating to observe from
life and see how that interpretation differs
from a photo-based reference. I find the
still-life elements, though not as accurate
as the photo-informed ones, literally
have more life, and I recommend giving it
a try.”
VITAL STATISTICS
The artist’s journey in bite size...
Age NC Wyeth,
59 Arthur Rackham,
Date of birth Gustaf Tenggren LITTLE SAMBHA…
7 December 1956 What’s the best …and the Tiger with the
Current location piece of advice Beautiful Little Red Coat, also
from Classic Bedtime Stories.
Chicago, Illinois anyone has ever
Favourite artists given you?
William Heath Spend some time
Robinson,
Rembrandt, J.
finding out what
you enjoy doing The idea of someday becoming an
Waterhouse, the animated
films of Walt Disney and
Warner Brothers Studios,
most, and then do it.
Web address
www.scottgustafson.com
artist was with me from just about as
far back as I can remember
he paints, harking back to the Golden
Age of illustrators, seem to cry out for the
gentle touch of media to canvas, rather
than the sometimes harshly delineated
tones of software.
Scott is unashamedly influenced by the
likes of NC Wyeth, Norman Rockwell,
Maxfield Parrish and Arthur Rackham, and
like those admired artists, he creates
nostalgic, glowing images that never veer to
the sickly or twee. It would be slightly
reductive to call him a children’s artist,
although it’s true that Scott has created
many illustrations for age-old fairy tales
and bedtime stories (if you’re of a certain
age and grew up in Britain, you might
be reminded of the classic hardback
Ladybird story books).
Yet he has also written and illustrated his
MERLIN AND ARTHUR own children’s book, Eddie: The Lost Youth
An original image imagining the
relationship between the two of Edgar Allan Poe, which showcases a
mythological characters, which was somewhat darker side to his talent, and
made into a limited edition print.
commercial clients include Playboy, The
40
SCOTT GUSTAFSON IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
OF DRAGONS
A chance to experiment led to one of Scott’s favourite pieces
OF DRAGONS
The finished piece, which
Scott painted on canvas
Exchange, DreamWorks and The
Greenwich Workshop.
using oils, was awarded
Scott was approached by a private with the three young women a Silver medal in
Spectrum 17, in 2010.
SINGLE-MINDED AMBITION
collector for a commission that had representing some sort of human “I grew up in a small town in northern
only three requirements: it should liaison, perhaps priestesses. On the Illinois, and attended elementary and
contain three young women, a Huskie ground and nearby boulders are ancient
dog and at least one dragon. “Here was runes, which were carved by members high school there,” Scott says. “I always
a chance to see what I could come up of earlier ‘confabulations’. liked to draw and was continually
with within a very wide set of “Soon, I began designing dragons as encouraged by my parents, relatives and
guidelines,” he says. well as setting up a photo shoot for the
“I had been looking for a word that I young woman who would pose for all teachers to continue drawing and painting,
could use to refer to a group or three of the young women in the so the idea of someday becoming an artist
gathering of dragons, much like a pod finished picture,” he adds. “Fortunately, was with me from just about as far back
of whales or a pride of lions, and I felt they were supposed to be sisters,
that I found what I was looking for in a so it was okay if the characters all as I can remember.”
‘Confabulation’ of Dragons. looked similar… However, it was animation that called to
“I envisioned the scene as a great “The final painting measured 46x34 the young Gustafson, so much so that he
meeting of dragons – a sort of draconian inches, and took several months to
summit, where representatives of the complete. The biggest challenge, as
eventually majored in animation at the
diverse world of dragons would gather always with a complex piece, was trying Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Ambitions
and confer. What I liked most about this to balance all the elements so that the changed when he realised that he could
idea was that it lent itself to a group of overall effect was one of harmony, yet
become a freelance illustrator, but he feels
dragons of all shapes and sizes.” with a variety of shapes, contrasts,
Scott decided that the dragons colours and details. This one offered that his education still aids his work today.
would meet at the base of a large tree, challenges on all those levels.” “In studying the work of the great
animators like Ollie Johnston, Frank
41
SOURCE REFERENCES
“Take time to do research. If the picture
calls for a throne, see if you can find a
few examples to work from instead of
making one up. A 15th century Spanish
DRAWING
throne is going to be way cooler than
anything I could have come up with on POE: THE
my own, that’s for sure.”
WONDER
YEARS
How the master of the macabre
inspired a fairy tale illustrator
YOUNG POE Several years ago Scott came across an
old paperback of Tales of Mystery and
“The wondrous words that had
crowded his brain earlier that night Imagination, the collected stories of
were gone…” The title page from Edgar Allan Poe, that he had bought
Scott’s illustrated novel. when he was about 13.
“It not only brought back memories
of how fascinated I was by Poe and his
stories at that time, but it also got me
wondering what Poe would have been
like at that same age,” Scott says. “As I
thought more about it and then began
to research it, the idea of Eddie just
seemed to take on a life of its own.”
The resulting novel was Eddie: The
Lost Youth of Edgar Allan Poe, written
and illustrated by Scott and aimed at
eight to 12 year-olds. It’s something of a
departure from his usual work, not least
because all of the 90-odd illustrations
are in monochrome, apart from the
cover art, shown here.
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SCOTT GUSTAFSON IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
“As far as illustrating the story, even in its earliest concept stages
I knew I wanted a lot of pictures and that those pictures would be in
black and white,” he explains. “Black and white not only seemed
appropriate to Poe and the story, but illustrating a book with
drawings as opposed to paintings was something I had wanted to
do for a long time.”
The story itself grew out of possible situations that the young
Poe may have found himself in, and the visual possibilities grew out
of that. “When illustrating it, I was mindful of an atmosphere that I
UNDER THE LAMPOST
Eddie stakes out the
wanted to evoke, as well as illustrating the actual story,” says Scott. mysterious Mephisto.
A typical Gustafson image begins as a paper, or by mounting an archival print out as well as depth of colour and overall
series of thumbnails, anything up to 12 of the drawing onto the panel.” richness to every picture.”
loose sketches to set the idea out. That then With the image complete, Scott turns It’s a complex process – though the
becomes a larger sketch: “I average about his attention towards colour. “On a results are certainly worth all of the effort
three of these to show the client, or just to mounted, reduced print-out of the finished – and it’s hardly surprising that Scott hasn’t
make sure I’ve tried more than one drawing, I do a loose indication of what really had time or inclination to investigate
approach to any given idea.” A more fully I think the colour will be for the final piece, digital processes. “Seriously, though, the
fledged drawing then comes next, with followed by underpainting. Depending computer is a fantastic tool, and I’ve come
reference, props and even a model shoot if on the piece, I do either a monochromatic to rely on it for many things, chiefly
necessary for the project. tonal underpainting to establish the communication and reference,” he says. “I
“Then I transfer this drawing to the values, or, referring to the colour study, leave anything more complicated than that
THE MAN IN
surface on which the final painting will be THE MOON
done – usually gessoed masonite. This is
done by either directly tracing through a
A limited edition giclee
canvas print, one of
several available to buy
When I was younger, living in a four-
copy of the final drawing using graphite through Scott’s website. room apartment, I got up late and worked
late, and it seemed like that’s all I did…
a thin, transparent layer of those colours in the capable hands of my wife and
in the corresponding areas of the business partner, Patty, who handles
transferred drawing.” all those aspects of our little business
quite marvellously.”
EVERY PAINTING’S A CHALLENGE With a new book in the making,
The final stage is painting. “Depending currently tentatively titled Storybook
on the complexity and size of a piece, this Fables and scheduled to be published by
can take anywhere from several days to Artisan in late 2017, life is pretty good. Scott
several months. Last week, for instance, admits that he has never really thought
I finished painting a vignette in three about what’s next beyond the current
days, but the picture before that one – project, and so far that has worked out
another illustration from the same story – well for him and his family. Of course,
took three weeks to paint. They are all there are always new ambitions circulating.
different and all present their own “I used to fantasise about illustrating
surprises and challenges.” editions of Alice in Wonderland or The
Scott has experimented with many Wind in the Willows, but John Tenniel,
mediums over his artistic career, but Rackham and EH Shepard are pretty fast
primarily he now sticks to acrylics or oils company,” he laughs. “If I were offered the
for his finished colour work. “In recent chance, who knows? I love illustrating the
years I’ve been concentrating almost classics, but I think it would also be very
exclusively in oils as they offer me the exciting to work with a contemporary
widest range of flexibility and possibilities, author as well.”
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
44
JC PARK IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
ROBOT MARKET
“When I painted this futuristic
market I used some photo references
for the texture on the side pillars, as
well as for the overall composition.”
45
THE WANDERER
“The vehicles of the Star
Wars universe have clean
shapes and simple colours.
Here, I gave the vehicle a
basic shape, and then
worked up the details.”
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JC PARK IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
STARTING OUT WITH THE COMPOSITION BASICS… … BEFORE WORKING UP ELEMENTS IN THE PAINTING…
“I drew this during one lunch break. I did it to practise scale, distance and developing a strong “I added the sky and desaturated the colour. Then I began to work on each of the characters,
silhouette, and I drew it pretty quickly. I wanted to do something simple – it was just a bit of fun.” almost as if they were separate images, and then decided who would be the focus of the image.”
… TO AN EPIC FINISH
“Then I looked at the
position of the figures.
The viewer should notice
the visual flow: how it
moves from in front of
the characters to the huge
beast and the background.“
SPEED IS KEY
JC often works late into the night.
Sometime’s he draws while watching
the TV or listening to a podcast. He
doesn’t have a dedicated workspace.
Instead, he sets up his Wacom and
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
48
JC PARK IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
49
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
FOLLOWING MY HAND
“This was done during a busy period of work –
I treated it as a bit of relaxing down-time.
I simply let my hand take the image forward.”
ONLINE ENCOURAGEMENT
With over 12,000 ArtStation followers and 6,000 plus Facebook followers,
it’s no surprise that JC says, “I felt my work was going in a good direction.”
MacBook on the dining table in the During the early stages of a project,
living room of his house, which he speed is key. JC carries a pencil and
shares with his wife and children. sketch pad with him, so he can quickly
“I prefer a laptop to a desktop,” he says, get down any ideas he has while on the
“because I like to be able to move my move. If he’s working on a particularly
workspace easily. It means I can take it detailed concept or illustration, he
with me when I need to go on trips. might begin a project with a paper
Sometimes I work in a nearby café. sketch, but usually he draws directly THE STAR WARS “If something isn’t working within a
That’s really good for a diversion.” onto his tablet in Photoshop. It means “Sometimes I draw fan art project,” JC says, “then I take a breather
while mixing in my own
In May 2016, JC moved to Hamburg, he can easily modify, rotate and layer design ideas. Someone for a few minutes – go out for a walk, or
once asked me, ‘Who’s
Germany, where he now works for images. He uses a large brush and a the guy at the front?’ Well,
search the internet – then I go back to
online games company Goodgame mono colour – grey or dark brown. he’s just my character!” the image with an idea of how to fix it.”
Studios. He also works as a freelancer, At this stage, he’s concentrating on the
not just on games, but also creating overall composition as he adds simple IMPRESSIVE STORYTELLING
art for everything from animations colours. Next, he gives the images JC uses Pinterest to gather references.
and feature films, to cover art and depth and lighting, then starts to work Sometimes, he’ll take a collection of
TV commercials. in more detail. images and combine them into a
single, new image. Occasionally, if he
So many talented artists are making really likes a picture, he’ll recompose it.
“I could be watching a film or TV
lots of great concept art every day, and programme when inspiration hits,” he
says. “I try to remember what it was
so much of it is lost or forgotten that fired me up. Sometimes the image
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JC PARK IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
SEASIDE TOWN
“I rarely use custom brushes, but I wanted
to try them for this piece, focusing on
traditional painting techniques. It wasn’t
easy, and took me a long time to complete.”
is so clear it comes quickly, but it’s not sure everything fits together properly,
always easy to maintain that positive and to create something that’s
feeling right up until the work’s done. beautifully engineered.
So I try to finish a piece very quickly, “I’m focusing on more realistic
usually within three to four hours.” concepts built around good
JC is currently creating concepts for a storytelling,” he says, “so every day
mobile role-playing game, and is I try to be more creative with that aim
hoping to work on a AAA console in mind. I want to create concept art
game in the near future. His dream that endures – for the audience and for
job? The next Star Wars film. His style me, too. So many talented artists are
and his meticulous attention to detail making lots of great concept art every
seems a good fit for the franchise. day – basically every moment – and
The artist says that his style has so much of it is lost or forgotten. When
NUMEN VILLAGE changed in recent years, but I reflect on my experiences of the art,
“I wanted to emphasise the village’s small size, underpinning everything he does is it’s something that has strong
hence the huge head of a creature on the hill.”
the desire to tell a good story, to make storytelling at the heart of it.”
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
FAREWELL
“One of my recurring
characters,
Birker, and his companions
saying farewell to new friends.”
WHITE HAIR
“One of the many gods
who are explored within
my sketch project.”
he art test called for a photobashing and other new skills for the
modern assassin with an first time. Even worked on the test for most
old-school weapon. Even of the “long, stressful summer” of 2011.
Mehl Amundsen created a range “Seldom have I felt as much dread as the
of thumbnails, various styles, week and a half it took them to get back to
different anatomical types, then Volta me,” the Norwegian says. He was visiting a
picked the design it liked most. Next, the friend when he got the nod: “I danced
visual development studio asked him to around his studio for a solid 10 minutes –
come up with an environment for his yelling incoherently, singing triumphantly.”
character. The stakes were high for the Even left Falmouth School of Art, the
young Norwegian artist. Even had just UK’s number one arts university, because
quit art school and needed a job. he felt the fees were too high, a gamble that
The Quebec-based studio provided him paid off when Volta offered him his dream
with a 3D mock-up, so he had to learn job as a concept artist. The Norwegian now
looks back on this as the greatest milestone
of his career so far. But his career faltered
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EVEN MEHL AMUNDSEN IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
HARLEQUINS
“I’ve done a good bit of work for
Games Workshop’s Warhammer
40K products. The Harlequins were
one of my favourites to play with.“
© Games Workshop
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
BIRKER
“Birker, with his two
friends, Hedda the Goat
and Mickel the Fox,
making a narrow escape.”
VOLTA STUDIOS
ART TEST
Even tells us more about landing his dream job
at the Canadian visual development studio
“I think my greatest career milestone,” Even Mehl Amundsen
says, “at least in terms of how different life was before and
after, was passing the art test for my first in-house job at
Volta Studios in Canada.”
Even had just dropped out of Falmouth School of Art and
was looking for freelancing jobs in Norway. A friend said he
knew of a job going in Quebec. “I had barely any notion of
where in Canada it was,” he says, “but I buckled down and
took on their art test, working at it all summer.
“The test was to do a character, going through the usual
feedback system that most studios use, and after it was done,
to do an environment to put that character in. The brief called
for a modern, Asian assassin, using an old-school weapon.”
The finished piece is a kind of urban ninja, dressed in a zip-
up coat and combat pants, wielding a couple of swords. The
backdrop was a narrow, cluttered street strung with Chinese
lanterns. “For the environment, I worked off of a 3D mock-up
that Volta provided. That was a far greater challenge. I had to
learn how to do photobashing and stuff like that. It somewhat
cemented my dislike of that process.”
It took Volta a week and a half – a week and a half of
discovered concept art and became – was creating characters for The Lord of the “dread” – to get back to him. “I was visiting a friend when
I received the confirmation.” Cue the celebrations. Even
hooked. After two years at the Einar Rings Online: Riders of Rohan. remembers it as “a very good day.”
Granum Fine Arts School in Oslo, he “As for challenges,” he says, “I think
earned a place at Falmouth. By his own getting over my own ego was the one that
admission, he wasn’t a very good student, taught me the biggest lesson, and allowed VOLTA ART TEST
“The assassin was a chance
but he was also dissatisfied with the me to grow the most as an artist.” to really put in some hours
teaching he received. So after a year, he left. At Volta, Even was asked to work with on rendering, and as a
result, it all came out looking
Even remembers a lot of time in an artist named Arnaud Pheu. The a little plasticy. Let that be
Falmouth spent sitting around in a local Norwegian’s “tendency to argue” strained a lesson – study your
materials, kids!”
cafe and art gallery called Babahogs, the pair’s working relationship, particularly
drinking coffee, sketching and talking: when it came to solving visual problems.
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EVEN MEHL AMUNDSEN IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
© Riot Games
while listening to a podcast to a place he WOODKIN
calls Embarrassing Company. He shares a “When their borders are
threatened, the elves of the Deep
workspace at the illustration studio with Wood send their warriors into
Danish artist Jesper Ejsing: “A glowing ball battle, armoured in living wood.”
of inspiration and 90s rap lyrics.”
For the first hour or so, Even replies to
emails and Facebook messages. Afterwards,
he works until around five or six, at which
point he begins his daily sketch, a project
that culminates with the release of an art
book later this year.
Sometimes he’ll sit down and actively
decide to create a certain kind of character,
then come up with an idea to go with it.
Other times he’ll have an overriding idea
that leads the pen around the page. “It
might be a pose,” he says, “it might be a
combination of colours, it might even be
a phrase that pops up in my head. The trick
is to always be searching.”
For Even routine and discipline go hand
in hand. But he does make room for his
other great passion: travel.
EUROPE CALLING
After three years at Volta, Even heard “the
strings of old Europe call.” Coming straight
out of a studio job, he was unsure how
much he could expect to make, at least
his first year, as a freelancer. So he looked
for somewhere he could live well but
cheaply. Prague seemed perfect.
55
CIRCLE
“A mellow moment for the
travelling trio, taking an
opportunity to explore some
landscapes in the little
world I came up with.”
PRESENTS
“Dwarves inhabit every corner of the world I’m
building. This one is an adoptive father to one of the
characters, presenting her with a fine new blade.”
DREAM
“Sweet sleep her gift, in all its many forms.
Be it for a blink of the eye, or the dreams that
never end, hers is the hand that grants them.”
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THE SINGER OF POOLS
“Sometimes you must indulge in
some Wendling-esque whims,
and play with flowing lines. You
can learn a lot from doing that.”
GUNNAR
“Gunnar the Giant, one of the many little side
characters who I hope I’ll get a chance to revisit.”
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
SCRAT SKETCHES
Peter created Scrat, a
sabre-toothed squirrel and
one of the stars of the Ice
Age franchise. He drew
these sketches in 2006
using wax crayon on film.
Courtesy of Netflix
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PETER DE SÈVE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
SCRAT DE SÈVE
This wax crayon drawing shows sees Peter looking a
lot like his most famous creation, Scrat from Ice Age.
How your
audience views
your work
determines how
well you’ve told
the story
They didn’t use much of his work, but it was
the beginning of a long career in character
design. His credits now include
CROCODILE TEARS A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo and all five
Ice Age film – he created the endearing
This unused New Yorker cover, created in
watercolour and ink, shows Peter’s love of an character Scrat for the franchise.
arresting image that’s full of character.
Peter says his work is as much about
concept as it is technique. He likes a strong
PETER’S BIG BREAK punk scene was in full swing – yet there image, a split idea – like a lion in a vegan
In 1995 Peter accepted an was still a faint whiff of the folk scene down restaurant. His character designs are often
offer from Disney to work
on The Hunchback of on Bleecker Street. There were hardcore about the little details that change the image
Notre Dame. It was the punks and stoned hippies all over the place, in a big way: a head tilt or an eyebrow
start of a long career in
character design. and that’s where friends and I spent most of raised. He doesn’t use too many references,
our free time. We’d walk through the snow because he doesn’t want to be “constrained
and hunker down at the Café Figaro. by the facts.” Yet any exaggerations in his
“I just loved to draw things that would characters must also feel real and credible.
amuse myself and other people. That’s kind He describes his own work as looking
of the job of an illustrator in a nutshell, isn’t contemporary, but “glazed with a 19th-
it? It’s not only about pleasing yourself but century patina.” And as a working illustrator
you have to communicate to and entertain and character designer, the viewer is
an audience. Every drawing is an
opportunity to make someone feel
something specific and to do it in the
cleverest, most economical way possible. I’ve PROFILE
always loved that challenge. I think I was Peter de Sève
hard-wired to be an illustrator from birth.” LOCATION: US
© Disney Enterprises Inc.
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PETER DE SÈVE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
WILD RIDE
Buck, an insane one-eyed weasel,
joined the cast the Ice Age franchise in
the third film, Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
‘YOUR CRUMMY
DRAWING’
Peter talks compliments, criticism and dealing
with knock-backs… some of them self-inflicted
Peter was already a successful editorial artist when Disney
asked him to design characters for The Hunchback of Notre
Dame. They didn’t use much of what he drew, but it was his
big break into animation. He’s since learned a few thing about
dealing with criticism and compliments.
“I take compliments as lightly as possible,” the artist says,
“and have a pretty good antenna to help me determine which
are genuine and which are just nervously polite. As for
criticism, I take that more seriously – though, again, my
antennae is crucial here. Sometimes a criticism can come
from a personal bias. A piece might have an off-putting
element in it – a rat, for instance. However, if enough people
don’t get what you’re trying to say, the fault is not in the stars
chum, it’s in your crummy drawing.”
Peter is perhaps his own toughest critic. He has trouble
looking at past projects – even successful ones: “When I look
through my work, I have real difficulty in looking at finished
pieces. Invariably, there’s something that bugs me about
them. Something I didn’t quite pull off. But for some reasons,
I’m much more forgiving of my sketches and looser drawings.
They are always much less self-conscious and to me are a
glimpse at the artist I’m supposed to be.”
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PETER DE SÈVE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
© Paramount Pictures
CRASH
“Every drawing is an opportunity
to make someone feel something
specific,” Peter says.
Ice Age images © 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
always an important element of what He’d been at Parson for a year when he
he does. was introduced to editorial illustration.
“To me,” Peter says, “the viewer is the The 1970s, he says, was editorial
second most important element in picture- illustration’s heyday. He came across a book
making, second only to the picture itself. called The Art of the Times. It contained
How your audience views your work – editorial art by illustrators “hired for their
meaning in which order he or she takes in hand as well as their brain,” such as
what is happening in your picture – American artist Brad Holland.
determines how well you’ve told the story.” “Man, I loved his work,” he says. “He fit
Peter is also known for his front covers perfectly into that rubric of exaggerated
for The New Yorker magazine. For 20 years, realism I mentioned earlier. But beyond his
he “worked in the trenches” of editorial drawing style, were images that insisted the
illustrations, submitting as many as three viewer engage with them. Not literal
pieces each week to Forbes, Business Week solutions that simply depicted what the
and The New York Times, among others. article was about, but visual companions to
He’s also created book covers and posters the written words, which made their own,
for Broadway shows. independent statement.”
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL ARTIST PORTFOLIO
SPOTTING MISTAKES
WHAT’S ON THE Peter has created around 50 covers the iconic
The New Yorker magazine, but finds it
MENU TODAY…?
Peter reveals through his process for coming up
difficult to look at old work. He always
sees the things he didn’t get quite right.
A NEW LEAF
Peter likes works built around a “visual dichotomy”, such as a lion in a vegan
restaurant. He then develops the character, capturing details like facial expressions.
CONSTRAINED BY FACTS
Peter doesn’t use many references for his
work. Early sketches are done in his head,
where he can’t be “constrained by the facts.”
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PETER DE SÈVE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
His dream working day looks something STUDY ON A SOFA time between the two fields, character
like this: he lives and works in a Brooklyn Even when shown in a design and editorial illustration. In both,
quiet moment, Peter’s
townhouse, where, second cup of coffee in characters still exhibit life his aims are similar: to create a character
hand, he sits down at his drawing board in their expressions and or an image that’s just one or step or two
body language.
and waits for “exquisite, heartrending away from reality, something that’s plays
images to spill from my pen. Hours later, of a bigger narrative, a bigger idea,
without having looked up from my work something that drives the pictures towards
even once, I turn out the light and go back its ultimate punchline.
upstairs to rejoin my family… None of this “Almost all of my biggest heroes, past
has ever happened, of course.” and present, are artists whose work is
somewhat grounded in reality,” Peter says,
A GAUNTLET OF DISTRACTIONS “with a general respect for anatomy and
His home studio “is a wonderful place,” perspective, while still disregarding them
which is part of the problem. Bookshelves for the sake of telling a story. Or a joke.
overflow all around the room. Art from “In my Rat Race picture, for instance, I
The Little Prince images courtesy of Netflix
friends and heroes hang on the walls. “Just make dead sure that the first thing you
crossing the room is like running a gauntlet absorb is a lone commuter standing on
of distractions. I often find myself staring at an empty platform waiting for a train.
a book or a picture, wondering what the I don’t want you to see the rat below
hell I was meant to do in the first place.” him doing exactly the same thing until
Ideas typically come to him away from the second beat.”
the drawing board, during those distracted Peter ends with this key advice: “Just
times, when he’s doodling in his like telling a joke: your setup is just as
sketchbook or out running. He divides his important as your punchline.”
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Sketchbook
I like to inject a
sense of youth
and playfulness
into my art… 68
78. Genzoman
Pirates, fairies and street brawlers in a
love-hate relationship
66
84 88
78
67
Artist
INSECTARIUM
AND THE QUEEN
MOTH-ER
“Studies from the insectarium in
the Montreal Botanical Gardens.
The Queen MOTH-er was originally
a sketch of a woman’s face that
never quite worked out, so it was
abandoned. After seeing all
manner of insects I was able
to return to it with some
fresh ideas on how to
salvage it.”
SPACEY ROGUES
“I love how far you can push the
weirdness of aliens – using animals,
insects, shapes and textures –
ROOT MOTHER
“From roots and turkey tail
but still retain a sense of mushrooms – rotting, blossoming
character and humanity – all while hiking through
through it all.” Muir Woods.”
68
FOUR
EYED SAGE
“Inspired by fishes, frogs and
tree bark. Using my trusty
brush pens and those
little label dots.”
YOSEMITE GROVE
“Ink drawing as a gift for my parents,
based on a grove I hiked through during
my first time in Yosemite.”
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DAWN CARLOS IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
TWO WHAELSTROM
“I felt like drawing a
EYES, THREE…
“These were postcard sized
monster whale. This one
is also based on a pun, a
drawings done shortly after play on the word
I had played the entire Mass maelstrom.”
Effect trilogy over two months
and my love for all things
sci-fi was rekindled.”
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL SKETCHBOOK
JERK MAGE
AND TROLL BIRD
“Mages can be real jerks sometimes,
picking whatever, whenever from whomever
for some potion or spell or magic stuffs. Poor
Troll Bird hasn’t even got that many
feathers to begin with!”
Played Overwatch
and had a horrible
losing streak, so gave
up and drew the
characters instead
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DAWN CARLOS IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
ITS A TRAP!
“Started with fishy mouth
up right, then scales, then
thought, ‘Oh, like scaly
armour!’ Then a hooded
figure, a squire and
an elf.”
73
PROFILE
Tom Fowler
LOCATION: Canada
ATTAINABLE
GOALS
“If nothing else, it proved
Knekbeerd’s vision-board
had worked.”
ODD
MAN OUT
“Rypurt suspected he was
being left out, but he
just couldn’t put his
finger on why.”
FAMILY
OUTING
“Even with all the noise from
the birds, no one ever
bothered the Grismunds’
aviary caravan.”
LIFE
OF THE PARTY
“He sang, ‘Mmbodumby
bodumbow bodumby
bodumbow,’ but no one
joined in. Hey ho.”
BAD JUR
He sang, ‘Mmbodumby “Bad Jur regretted little in life
– that was just his nature,
how he rolled.”
THE
LITTLE LAMAS
“Omsted was terrible with
directions. It was a wonder
he ever made it home
after a day trip.”
SCALLYWAGS
“It’s said that a ship is only
as hungry as its crew. In this
instance, it’s a perfectly
accurate observation.”
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL SKETCHBOOK
PRESTIDIGITATION
“Fongo only knew one spell.
And it was a good one.”
CHARTER
“Herbit hated the ‘nun
runs’, but the pig was happy
for the exercise.”
CHIN UP
“Gru’up had his pride,
if nothing else.”
EQUESTRIAN
“Krrun loved his unicorn.
No one had the heart – or
the guts – to tell him that,
actually Krrun, that’s
not a unicorn.”
NESTING
“Birt would give her
absolutely anything.”
SNACK
ATTACK
“Ba’a’all watched the
flame and remembered
his mother.”
PLYK
“He’d caught
them all, without
breaking into a
sweat. Something
to tell the lads
back home.”
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL SKETCHBOOK
HORUS
“Egyptian mythology is a great
source of inspiration. Usually the gods are
shown as thin characters, so I decided to
make Horus bulky and massive.”
PROFILE
Genzoman
LOCATION: Chile
Pirates, fairies and street brawlers in a love-hate relationship are just games. You can see examples of his art
in Udon Entertainment’s Street Fighter
some of the characters to appear in this leading artist’s sketchbook comic, and World of Warcraft.
www.genzoman.deviantart.com
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GENZOMAN IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
SPIKE SPIEGEL
“Back in the 1990s I was a big fan of
Cowboy Bebop and anime. Shinichiro –
Watanabe creates such interesting
worlds and characters.”
CLIDNA
“This sketch was done
for the Myths and Legends
TCG. I love to draw fairies –
they’re a fine balance between
strong magic and delicate
character design.”
PRIESTESS
OF ODIN
“Another sketch for Myths
and Legends. When the
editor sees this basic colour
sample sketch he’ll have a
good idea of what the
final design will
look like.”
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The Secret of
NIMH was my first
big inspiration to
start drawing when
I was a kid…
RYU VS KEN
“Here’s the cover sketch for Street
Fighter Unlimited #1, featuring
two eternal rivals and friends,
Ryu and Ken.”
ATHENA
“A rejected sketch for
an unreleased game.
I like the idea of a calm
Athena, instead of the
typical fierce warrior
stereotype.”
MRS BRISBY
“Don Bluth’s film The Secret
of NIMH was my first big
inspiration to start drawing
when I was a kid. I still love
that movie!”
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL SKETCHBOOK
THE
MERMAID
“A couple of years
ago, my office was
really close to a branch
of Starbucks. I used to
go there for coffee
and sketch there on
my break time.”
82
GENZOMAN IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
AQUERONTE
“Sketch for an unreleased game. I tried to maintain
a HR Giger vibe on Aqueronte’s design. Greek
myths are great!”
PIRATE GIRL
“A sketch for the
upcoming board game
The Pirate’s Flag. I love
drawing pirates – there are
a lot of cool elements
to work with.”
PATHFINDER
“Compositional
sketches for the covers
of Pathfinder: City of
Secrets #1 and #2.”
83
Artist
PROFILE
Stephan Martinière
LOCATION: US
French-born Stephan is an
acclaimed multi-award
winning artist, who was
voted one of the 50 most
inspirational artists by
ImagineFX. Stephan has worked on a
range of smash-hit movies including
The Avengers, Tomorrowland,
Guardians of the Galaxy, I, Robot,
The animator, concept artist and Hugo award-winning illustrator Star Wars Episodes II and III, and the
upcoming Aquaman.
shares sketches and concepts for unmade films and more! www.martiniere.com
SF ANTHOLOGY
IDEA 1 AND 4
“Sketch ideas done for a compilation of science
fiction stories. I like doing explorations with
no specific stories. This is usually when I can
push myself creatively and play with
ideas and shapes that I’ve not
explored previously.”
UNBREAKABLE
“Sketch idea for the book of
the same title. A babe with big
guns! Science fiction books are
like Hollywood films – they follow
or create trends – and so over a few
years I was commissioned to
illustrate stories about strong
female characters, usually with
very high-tech gear and
mean firepower.”
SKETCH
1 AND 2
“These are interesting
exercises for me, where I try to
do a clean sketch in one shot
with no sketchy lines. It’s a very
instinctual process, but
also forces me to be
very careful with
every line.”
THE SOFTWIRE
“These started as a series of
concepts for a film. The film
didn’t happen, but a book was
made instead. It was an
interesting universe with a mix
of sci-fi and fantasy.”
TRANSCENDENTAL
“Another sketch idea for
a book cover. Sometimes
simplicity is what works best.
I liked this idea much better
than the other one the
publisher ended up choosing,
but that’s fine, it’s part
of the process!”
GULLIVER’S
TRAVELS: DEAN’S HOUSE
“This project was for a full CG animated feature,
and I spent over six months developing all
kinds of different concepts, from characters
to environments and props, as well as doing
storyboards. This was a really cool
87
PROFILE
Cosmin Podar
LOCATION: Romania
Fantasy figures and grotesque creatures mingle with hints of caricature art first, before
securing a job at video
Romanian urban and rural life in this artist’s sketchbook game developer Gameloft in Cluj.
After two years he was promoted to
lead artist, and spent a further four
years at the company before leaving
to become a full-time freelance artist.
He says his quest to become a better
artist is never-ending, and that he’s
his harshest critic.
www.behance.net/podarcosmin
WOMAN
FACES
“I’m usually reluctant
to draw female faces,
especially beautiful
ones , but I gathered
my courage and
put the pen to
good use.”
FATA
CU BUCIUM
“An homage to a
traditional singer of
our country.”
88
COSMIN PODAR IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
I had the
urge to draw
something gross,
that resembled
insects…
DAVID
“I was inspired
GHOST
by a picture online,
then remembered
RIDER
“This was a funny one,
the David vs Goliath I guess. I wanted to draw
theme and produced an exaggerated
my version of it.” perspective.”
MONSTER
“I had the urge to
draw something
gross, that resembled
insect creatures.
I was just keen to try
different things.”
89
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL SKETCHBOOK
HORNED
ALIEN DEMON
“No real story behind this one,
“This is an exploration of
but I was pleased with this
head decoration on an alien
character’s design.”
head. I was just passing time.”
AMPHIBIAN
“This was a special sketch, I wanted to see
how you could make a recognisable face just
by scribbling with a pencil.”
90
COSMIN PODAR IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
CIOBAN
“This is my
homage to a
traditional Romanian
FACES
“This was an
sheep herder.”
exploration exercise
– taking a shape and
rotating, flipping it and
making different faces.”
BLACKBEARD
“This is a popular
pirate character, so
I thought I’d try my
hand at drawing him.”
91
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL SKETCHBOOK
HANDS
“A study of hands,
but how to make it
more entertaining?
Maybe this way…?”
92
COSMIN PODAR IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
PUNK
“I just wanted to
draw a dynamic guy
singing at a mic.”
BUS
“This is an
example of what
it’s like to travel
on one of the
city’s buses.”
I imagined how
an underground
DJ travels with his
TRIP
bulky luggage… “I imagined how an
underground DJ travels
with his bulky luggage.
Just out of shot: his
decks and speakers.”
MAN FACE
“I really like drawing
men with ugly faces.”
93
Workshops
96. Paint a bright
& dynamic figure
Learn how to use Photoshop’s colour
editing and drawing tools
96
102. Bring fantasy
portraits to life
Achieve realistic portrait paintings and
make them stand out from the crowd
114. Collaborate on
an airship design
See how three artists work together to draw,
design and light an airship
118. Creating a
dragon knight
Painting a classic fantasy scene that’s heavy
on realism and details 118
120. Using brushes
in Rebelle
Introducing Rebelle, the natural media
painting program
Bringing an original
character to life is exciting
94
122
108 120
112
95
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
PAINT A BRIGHT
& DYNAMIC FIGURE
Follow Lois van Baarle’s process and learn how to use Photoshop’s
colour editing and drawing tools to create a sense of movement
or this workshop, I’ll be ensure the lines, shapes, colours and of the detail. As I work towards the
Artist
PROFILE F showing you how I make
a colourful, playful and
bright image. Flow and
composition all contribute to this
feeling of movement.
The early phase of my process is
finished piece, new problems
sometimes present themselves and
the image may evolve in unexpected
movement are very important to the mostly about getting the mix of ways, so I try not to stick to my initial
paintings that I create, because this colours to feel right. Colour editing sketch too much.
helps lead the eye around the image. tools and gradients play a big role The most important things to keep
An energetic pose and bright during this phase, in which my goal in mind is to choose colours
Lois van colours generate energy and life, is to create a striking colour scheme. intuitively, and to start rough and let
Baarle (Loish) making the artwork really stand out. Later on, it’s mostly a question of the image evolve naturally. So
LOCATION:
The Netherlands When I paint a figure, my goal is to gradually painting in more and more basically: just go with the flow!
The artist, known to her
numerous fans as Loish,
is a digital painter and
concept artist living in
the Netherlands. She’s
worked with LEGO,
Guerrilla Games and
Marvel to bring their
characters to life.
www.loish.net
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
LOISH_OIL PASTEL
LOISH_HARD ROUND
LOISH_SPLATTERNAME
Gradient tool
Combined with layer
modes like Overlay,
Screen and Soft light,
the Gradient tool can
help bring depth to a
colour scheme by
lightening or darkening
specific areas,
intensifying colours, and
developing colour
transitions. With this
tool, I can create subtle
variations in colour, so
that the eye is led around
the image. Be sure to
choose the Foreground
to Transparent option
Colour editing
tools
Once I’m happy with my
base colours, I start
tweaking them with
Photoshop’s Color
Balance, Hue/Saturation,
Replace Color and
Selective Color tools to
achieve the combination
that feels right to me.
I continue to use them
throughout the painting
process. Experimenting
with the sliders enables
me to try different colour
combinations before
settling on something
that works. My favourite
tool is Selective Color.
14 Final paintwork
I now apply the very last finishing touches to the piece. I zoom in and paint more detail on the character’s trouser design and belts. I also
add more details to her iris, as well as some more refined detail in the eyelashes. Finally, I smooth out the edges of the painting along the outside
border, so that there are no rough edges visible in the final version. And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed reading about my process.
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Artist insight
BRINGING FANTASY
PORTRAITS TO LIFE
Mélanie Delon talks through the tips, tricks and techniques she uses to achieve
realistic portrait paintings, ensuring they stand out from the crowd
antasy portraiture is my advice I can give, because nothing good example), I don’t hesitate to redo
Mélanie Delon
F favourite subject. Bringing an
original character to life is
exciting, but can be difficult
comes from rushing a painting.
It’s worth spending time and effort
trying to understand how a face ‘works’,
everything… and have a coffee break!
The main challenge in a portrait
painting is to make the character stand
LOCATION: France to achieve. To avoid mistakes and save such as under a particular lighting setup. out. Usually there’s no surrounding decor
Mélanie is a time I try to follow a few rules. But they’re Such a skill won’t be grasped overnight. in the environment to help you achieve
freelance really just guidelines, so feel free to adapt, Spend time experimenting with several this goal, and a finished, polished portrait
illustrator who change and test other techniques that techniques, and don’t be afraid to fail. can often end up looking flat and boring.
specialises
in fantasy
might better suit your painting process. I’ve learned – and still learn – a lot more Thankfully, there are several simple and
subjects. She spends her The most important thing to bear in when I struggle on a painting, and when effective ways to achieve a striking
time working for mind is to take your time. This is the best I’m stuck (on a mouth or nose, for portrait that will be remembered.
different publishing
houses and developing
her own personal works.
www.melaniedelon.com
1 Preparatory sketch
Before starting an illustration,
I always do some quick pencil sketches
to lay down my ideas. This helps me to
see more clearly what I want to do and
express, and be more confident about
the direction I want to take. I use these
sketches to build the composition,
reworking them slightly in Photoshop if
necessary. Usually I like to keep them
rough, because this gives me more
freedom during the colouring process. I
feel restricted by perfectly clean line-art.
FANTASY PORTRAITS IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Proportions of the
2 head and face
It’s important to be aware of the
proportions of a human face. Of course,
they’re only guides – everyone has a
different face shape that doesn’t
necessarily meet the beauty standard –
but it’s essential to know these rules, if
you’re going to play by them and break
them. I recommend practising with
facial proportions, until it almost
becomes instinctual to apply them to a
portrait piece. I always start with a basic
oval and then slowly add the facial
features, steadily building up the
character’s face.
Slightly tilting
the character’s
head helps to add
visual interest and
life to an image
An outlandish hair
style helps to elevate my
character’s importance.
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FANTASY PORTRAITS IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Eye contact
8 Even in the busiest of
compositions, a face will always catch
the viewer’s attention. And to make the
face even more powerful and striking,
ensuring strong eye contact remains the
most effective trick. The viewer is
instantly connected with the character.
It’s an effect that I use a lot in my
portraits… perhaps a little too much!
But I also love to play with more subtle
glances, which are less direct and help to
develop a sense of mystery, raising
questions in the viewer’s mind.
Source your
references
References are
important. You can
always do some internet
searches but the most
simple and obvious
approach is to use
Capture the eye’s shape Develop light and volume Introduce a sparkle of life
1 First I quickly sketch the shape of the eye. It’s 2 Once I’m happy with the shape of the character’s 3 I further define the eye and add shadow under
essentially an oval, but you can play a bit with it because eye, I can start to apply the colour base, along with some the upper eyelid to enhance the sense of volume. The
nobody has the same eye shape. I quickly sketch my lines volume and light. The upper eyelid will catch a lot of the final touch is the eyeball’s bright dot of light which is
so I know where to add the light and the shadows. It’s all light and will give volume to the eye. Here I decide to use essential: it’s the sparkle of life in any kind of portrait
about curves because the eyeball is round, and the a pale mauve for her make-up, which will work pretty painting. After that I can add more details such as
eyelids must reflect this shape. well with the blue of her eye. eyelashes, to increase the sense of realism.
105
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
11 Captivating eyes
The eyes are usually the main part of a portrait, and are my
favourite element. They can look sad, sparkling, mysterious or
dangerous… and done well, can bring any character to life. I like to
give them a lot of intensity with unusual colours such as purple or
yellow. The trick to make them really stand out is to play with the
light and saturation. I use a precise brush to create some colours
variations in the eye and finish it a bright dot of light that will give
volume to the eyeball.
A clean outline
helps to make a PHOTOSHOP
character stand
out, especially when CUSTOM BRUSHES:
SMOOTH
the background
is very bright.
It’s the brush I use for
almost everything, and
especially skin. I like the
soft texture it brings to
any element and it’s
perfect for skin. It’s not
too soft or too textured,
so I don’t have a lot of
blending work to do.
PRECISE
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FANTASY PORTRAITS IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
13 Good lighting
The light is crucial in a portrait. If you get this right, it adds to The shiny golden headdress
the atmosphere of the piece, and brings life and volume to the face. I breaks up the huge amount
always start a portrait with neutral mid-tones and gradually add of shadows on the top part
shadows and light. I love to accentuate the light in a chiaroscuro of the composition.
style; I think it brings a classic feeling to my fantasy theme. However,
I keep my shadows very soft, and my gradients are usually very
smoothed, because the face is made of curves and not sharp angles.
107
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Krzysztof
T touch with me to create the
cover image for their film art
issue. Their interest was
from Naughty Dog’s game. This workshop
will take you through my creative process.
I anticipate this image will take me
becomes a high-resolution illustration.
This part will include tablet sketching, a
lot of pen and pencil drawing and some
Domaradzki piqued by my fan art piece for the video about four or five days to finish. I’ll start intense colouring. The final stage will
LOCATION: Poland game The Last of Us, and the series of by explaining my approach to the concept involve drawing tweaks, and adding final
artworks I created for The Witcher 3 stage, where one needs to focus on effects and enhancement layers.
The graphic
designer and limited edition steelbooks. I was asked to defining the idea for the artwork and I encourage you to create the image at a
artist works in paint a piece of art based on the 1982 the general composition. Later on I’ll large enough size so that you’re able to
various fields
science fiction film Blade Runner, by explain how to find the right tone for the print it out for displaying as wall art. I
of visual
communication. He focusing on the character of Rachael and artwork by choosing the best reference imagine this sort of image looks best
specialises in illustration then incorporating futuristic architecture photographs and colour scheme. when it’s printed quite large.
and likes making
typography experiments.
www.studiokxx.com
Reference images
2 Searching online, I find a few portraits
of Rachael, some shots of the iconic Tyrell
building , the flying police car and the
futuristic LA panorama. I try to keep sides of
the image empty for now and I put Rachael
Visualising the brief in the middle. I make a selection of her and
1 I start with a super quick sketch on paper. I visualise only two ideas, because start to incorporate various photos onto her
the brief from ImagineFX is quite specific. I’m asked to focus on the character of using Hard Light and Screen layer modes. I
Rachael, but then think of ways to bring in the neo-noir environment of Los Angeles like how Tyrell building’s interior works with
into the illustration, which is almost like another character in Ridley Scott’s film. I go her hair and top part of the face, especially
with the first sketch, and decide to flip it horizontally. how the floor lines “cut” across her face,
creating a sort of architectural sketch.
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Consider the
High Pass filter
This works best with all
sorts of detailed work
such as drawings and/or
photography where
some of the elements
need to be very sharp.
In order to achieve extra
a crisp look, duplicate
the target layer and go
to Filter>Other>High
Pass. It’s best to use
0.3 to 0.4 Pixel Radius for
smaller images that are
Implementing the revision requests Sketching over the concept
roughly 1,200px high,
and around 1.4 Pixel 5 I lower the police car and move the portrait to the right. 6 Once the concept is approved I add a plain white layer on
Radius for images as big
ImagineFX suggests I should add more city lights, so I find a top of the flat concept image at 40 to 50 per cent Opacity. I use a
as 5,000 to 6,000px. For
best results, use with good reference from a Blade Runner image. I distort the image’s simple Round brush (2-3pt) to sketch each element of the image,
either a Soft Light or perspective so than all the vertical lines are straight, and then focusing on the head while keeping the rest loose. I draw all the
Overlay layer mode. modify it with neon lights. I apply blue and orange gradients to vertical and horizontal lines while holding Shift, which helps to
make the colours pop more, especially from the top. tie together the image’s architectural structures.
w
CMYK previe
)
Cmd+Y (Mac
Ctrl+Y (PC)
to see
Enables you
w the scre en colours
ho
when
would change
de.
in CMYK mo
Step Backw
ard
Undo
Cmd+Alt+Z (M
ac)
Ctrl+Alt+Z (P
C)
Use when yo
u want to go
back a few ste
p when
using brushe
s.
Futureproof
your artworks
I often create my art at a
much larger size than
necessary, for two
reasons. First, once
scaled down to the
proper size the image
DEVELOP A STRONG
LIGHTING SCHEME
Rudy Siswanto shows how intelligent lighting choices can help
to turn a straightforward composition into a compelling book cover
Rudy Siswanto
B I had a lot of fun doing,
especially because animals
and creatures are my favourite
than focusing on developing my brush
strokes on the canvas and steadily
rendering the painting.
I find the real challenge is to simplify a
complicated image that contains a lot of
elements. That’s why I increase the contrast
LOCATION: Indonesia subjects to paint. The client, Metal Because of the simplicity of the in the main focal area, both in value and in the
silhouette. I also make the lighting come from
Rudy is a
Wave Games, approached me with composition, I needed to put a lot of behind the beasts’ infancy phase, to create a
passionate a simple brief: to create a mirror expression into my characters. In stronger silhouette. I also want to direct the
illustrator who composition. I found it a challenge particular, the focal point was my audience to explore the owl bear’s face by
loves animals. illuminating its face with a strong lighting.
He works on
because I needed to make a simple opportunity to ramp up the visual interest
fantasy card illustration composition look interesting. in the composition. I already had Light
and concept art, as well I usually begin a painting by adopting something in mind about the flow of the
as character design.
a workflow that’s used by many artists. image. I wanted the audience to follow
http://ifxm.ag/rudysis
I start by producing thumbnails to help the beasts’ journey through life, starting
me decide on the overall composition, from their infancy and all the way
then proceed to put together a basic through their adulthood. This means
colour rough, before eventually finalising I needed to treat the lighting in this
the colours by rendering the scene. This painting in a very specific way, in order Subsurface
approach enables me to focus on the to tell the story behind the image.
How I create…
BEASTS THROUGH THE AGES
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
FEATHER BRUSH
RENDER BRUSH 1
112
STRONG LIGHTING IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Lighting up
the griffin
I use an additional light
source from the front, to light
the expression of the baby
griffin. I use this to help the
viewer explore this area more.
Sometimes we’re allowed to
ignore realism a little, so our
painting can deliver the
message we want to send.
Exaggerate the
expression
Expression is important for
me. Here I try to exaggerate
the faces of the beasts. I want
to make their faces adorable
and cute, based on general
references. The main focus of
their face will be on the eyes.
113
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
114
AIRSHIP DESIGN IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
John Park
LOCATION: US
John is both a
concept artist
working in
the film and
video game
industry, and a teacher
and co-founder of
Brainstorm School in
Burbank, California.
www.jparked.com
Why work
traditionally?
When in doubt, sketch
it out! One thing that
traditional media allows
for is rapid, loose
exploration. There are
times when we become
too precious while using
software because we’re
Lay in your markers Refine your lines
3 Now I select a few of the silhouettes to explore. With a 4 Here we have three sketches all in difference phases.
afraid to destroy our
image. With traditional
sketching, we know that
30 per cent grey marker, I lay in a three-quarter perspective The middle design is in the original markers, while the top
the sketch isn’t going to
view version of my ship. This will help me visualise my forms one has been loosely sketched on top of, and the bottom is be the final result, so this
and loosely sketch on top to reveal the designs that I have in been refined a little more. Consider blowing up the sketch, enables us to loosen up
and explore some really
my head. This is a technique that’s used by professionals, and reducing the opacity and further refining your drawing,
cool ideas in the process.
helps to quickly generate variations and new ideas. because this will help save time later on down the line.
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Daniel Park
LOCATION: US
In 2006 Daniel
graduated
from ArtCenter
College of
Design, and is
now a visual artist busy
working in the industrial
design, entertainment
and architectural sectors.
http://ifxm.ag/daniel-p
Grasp the
basics today!
Some art beginners try
to bypass this lesson, but
always to their cost! So
perhaps they’ll listen if
we don’t put it in art
terms. So, just like with
learning any new
language, you first need
to know the letters in the
alphabet, in order to put
them together to create
words, in order to put
together to create
Kit-bash individual assets Finalising the rough 3D model
7 As you can see, utilising the contents of the SketchUp 8 Here’s an almost complete version of the model that
sentences, and so on.
You can attempt to write
Warehouse can give you a great head start on designing a we’ve been building. You can tell that I’ve utilised pieces from the most intricate novel
out there, but without
fantasy vehicle. I’m only using parts and pieces of models the Warehouse throughout the model: there are turbines, knowing the alphabet it
here, and I’m still staying true to the original design. Most of boats, drills, and so on. At this phase, I’m also unconcerned may become a challenge.
the hard work was done earlier when we laid out our sketch by the texture information provided from the pieces because
– now I’m finding pieces in the Warehouse to bring that idea – just as with real-life kit-bashing – we’ll be painting it grey
to life. very shortly…
116
AIRSHIP DESIGN IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
se
Create/Relea
ng Mask
Clippi
ac)
Cmd+Alt+ G (M
C)
Ctrl+Alt+G (P
nt layer to
Bind the curre
rneath
the layer unde
as a mask.
Matthew Zikry
LOCATION: US
Matthew is
a concept
designer in the
entertainment
industry, who’s
working on film, video
game and theme-park
designs in Los Angeles.
www.matthewzikry.com
TEXTURE BRUSH
beginning to read on the ship. Now I make use of additional darken some shadow areas on the boat itself, to further
photo textures on Normal layers, while adjusting Levels and reinforce the lighting scheme. With all textures, materials Create a solid shape with
Curves to match the layers underneath. The benefit of and shadow information in place, the airship is ready to be no transparent opacity,
enabling you to lock the
working in greyscale is that it enables me to focus purely on passed on to the next phase of the production pipeline.
layer and paint within it.
values, and not complicate the process with colour. Thanks for joining us!
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Dragon details
Here I pay more attention to the
design and form of my dragon. All
the small scales and horns need to
be painted over correctly – and all
following the lighting scheme.
Photoshop
CREATING A
DRAGON KNIGHT
Dongjun Lu
COUNTRY: Singapore
Dongjun Lu uses his film concept art experience to paint
Dongjun is
a classic fantasy scene that’s heavy on realism and details
a full-time
concept artist his is a personal piece, which I classic fantasy elements of a knight and At first I toyed with the idea of
working in
the film and
video game industries,
on titles that include
T completed in under three
days. Before this I was busy
creating concept art for a film.
dragon. However, I still had to draw
on my film concept art experience to
achieve my goal. Because I was short
depicting a knight on a horse, but then
I wondered if it might look a little odd,
seeing a horse in such a dry, hostile
Toukiden, Romance of This assignment had lasted a number of of time, I used textures to help speed up environment. So I changed my mind
Three Kingdoms, months, and before moving on to my next the painting process. and settled instead on a dragon with black
Uncharted Water V and
Ninja Gaiden 3. He also project I was keen to paint an image that The origins of this piece came from scales, so that it contrasted nicely with
has five years of art was the opposite of my concept art. the sandy building image that I eventually the sandy desert.
teaching experience. I wanted it to be realistic and heavily used in the background. It gave me the Once I was happy with my initial idea,
www.ludongjun.com
detailed, and decided to portray the idea of painting a knight in the desert. I started to sketch out the scene.
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DRAGON KNIGHT IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Painting
the rocks
Here I knock back the
details on the foreground
rocks by painting over
them. This was because
I needed to emphasise
the lighting and colours
on the rocks.
How I developed…
A DESERT ENVIRONMENT
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES
DONGJUN BRUSH 1
DONGJUN BRUSH 2
Rebelle
USING BRUSHES
IN REBELLE
Martin Hanschild introduces Rebelle, the natural media painting
program, and looks at more of the software’s painting tools
he Watercolor tool is Watercolor); and Dry media brushes, on how you use all of Rebelle’s other
Artist
PROFILE T probably the best tool in
Rebelle’s toolkit - it’s also
the most commonly
such as Pencil, Marker, Pastel and
Airbrush. There’s the Eraser too,
which is dry by default but has some
features, such as Canvas Wetness,
brush textures and so on.
Here I’ll introduce these remaining
utilised as well. However, there’s special features, as you’ll see. painting tools, point out their specific
more to Rebelle than Watercolor - The parameters for all of Rebelle’s attributes and behaviours, and
there are many other painting tools tools are set to predefined values demonstrate the range of effects you
in Rebelle that are well worth taking to start with, and they work fine ‘out can achieve with them on the canvas.
Martin the time to explore. of the box’. But you can tweak them Rather than a step-by-step tutorial,
Hanschild They can be divided into two according to your preferences. You I want to give you some tips and
LOCATION:
basic groups: wet media brushes can always reset them to the defaults. advice to help you better understand
Czech Republic
(including Acrylic, Ink Pen and Remember that the results depend Rebelle’s painting tools.
Martin is a 2D and 3D
character designer
who works in Prague for
motion art house Eallin.
You can change
Brush strokes with a high
www.hanschild.com
brush textures Loading value totally cover
the canvas texture.
Dry Media
Brush stroke
preview. You can change
If you want to bring back some brush textures to
of the canvas’ texture, start achieve different
Comparing painting tools painting on a new layer. impasto effects.
1 All tools have a Pressure parameter for controlling a
brush’s pressure sensitivity, and a Size setting to control the Working with the Acrylic tool
size of your brush stroke. The maximum size is always 100, but 2 You’ll find the same properties for the Acrylic brush as for Watercolor,
the actual size is different for each tool. Dry media tools don’t but of course it works in a different way. Colour spread is reduced, and it
have a Water parameter, and Pencil and Pastel will dry a wet occurs more slowly on the canvas. If you increase the Loading and Pressure
canvas. You won’t find an Opacity setting, as in other painting values you’ll have a thicker brush with a lot of mass, producing an impasto
programs, but there’s a Loading parameter that controls the effect, which totally covers the canvas texture. For better colour blending,
amount of colour loaded on your brush. especially with a high Loading setting (close to 100), switch to Dirty mode.
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BRUSHES IN REBELLE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Combine tools
Rather than using tools
as standalone steps in
your painting process,
why not experiment by
combining them for
more interesting results?
For example, I love to
put together watercolour
strokes with thin, sharp
and sketchy lines drawn
with the Pencil, and the
fuzzy lines of the Ink Pen.
Use the Wet tool to You can achieve this look by using
diffuse Ink Pen lines. the Wet tool on your drawing.
With the Pastel tool, using lower The Eraser is not only for
Pressure values will bring out the removing mistakes. In this
paper texture. I typically use quick sketch I rendered the
values between 15 and 40. light with the Eraser
Choose different
paper to change
the look of the
Pastel tool.
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Photoshop
PAINT ICONIC
GHOST IN THE
SHELL ART
Guweiz creates promotional art that explores the
theme of identity in the iconic anime film universe
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GHOST IN THE SHELL IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
s a devoted fan of the Ghost this question, having both depth Artist
PROFILE
A in the Shell franchise,
especially of its more
introspective,
of character, yet also the ability to
become emotionless and inhuman
in the line of duty. I felt that a clear
psychological side, I jumped at the composition would be an effective
chance to illustrate a promotional tool to set the mood from the get-go.
piece for Paramount’s new film. The This explains my choice to present
theme given to me was ‘Identity’. The the physical juxtaposition between
Guweiz
story is set in the future where her two contrasting character traits. LOCATION: Singapore
humans can opt to have entirely In this workshop I’ll explain how
Guweiz is a freelance
synthetic bodies. However, when one I turn a rough line composition into illustrator who likes cool,
physically becomes an A.I., does it a structurally accurate value sketch, kickass female
mean that he/she also ceases to be and then into the final painting, characters and just feels
happy when he gets to
human, or have a soul? while trying my best to maintain draw.
Major Motoko Kusanagi is the the initial mood and feeling that http://ifxm.ag/g-z-w
female lead that often personifies I had for the piece.
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
How I visualise…
MAJOR KUSANAGI’S DUAL IDENTITY Gives a thinner stroke on
low pressure, and is ideal
for airbrushes when set
on high pressure.
Black Ink
CREATE A SCENE
IN BLACK INK
Ayan Nag breaks down his process of concepting and composing a dramatic
environment in this novel GPU-based painting program
irst of all, if you’ve never used in four equal spaces. I’ll then sketch painting while making small changes that
Artist
PROFILE F Black Ink before, it’s a
relatively simple program to
use, so you should soon be
rough thumbnails into these spaces,
helping me to explore the possibilities of
my initial idea while keeping all the
help to improve the image.
I’ll be using Black Ink’s default brushes,
although you can create your own custom
up and running. concepts in one place. brushes. So everything you need will be in
My approach to art is straightforward Then I pick a sketch that appeals to me the software when you install it
and my techniques can be easily the most, and start to develop a colour (download it from the official website at
introduced into your own workflow. I’ll palette that fits it. You can do this using a http://blackink.bleank.com).
Ayan Nag be explaining them in detail over the reference image, such as a photograph, a So without any further ado, let’s get
LOCATION: India
course of this workshop. particular painting that you like, and so started. I hope you have fun and learn
Freelance concept artist I generally start a project by first on. Just try not to pick colours directly something useful from my painting
and illustrator Ayan loves
travelling, plein air
choosing the canvas size and dividing it from them. From here on out I’ll start process with Black Ink.
painting, dancing,
playing cards and
learning new things!
www.artofayan.com
Check values
regularly
If you have a strong
value statement in your
painting then everything
will work out well. You
can create a black layer
on top and set the mode
Put down the underpainting
to Color. Turning this
Coming up with thumbnails 2 The underpainting is the stage where you fill out
layer on and off will
toggle the colour to 1 This is the most important stage. It’ll help you build the canvas with a single colour or gradient as a base for your
greyscale and make it
easier to check if
the foundation of your painting, and gives you the chance to painting. It’s a standard method in traditional paintings. For
everything you want explore your idea and see how it can be improved. I divide this step, I create a layer below the sketch and fill it with a
people to notice can be the space into four equal parts and start sketching rough colour. Use a complementary colour (or a variation) of your
seen properly or not.
ideas. I then pick one sketch to develop further. main colour scheme to get started.
BLACK INK IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
Eliminate
errors quickly
Regularly flip your
canvas so that you see
your work-in-progress in
a new light. Doing this
will also ensure that
minor mistakes stand
out, enabling you to
correct them easily.
You can even keep a
duplicate window
floating, where the
image remains flipped.
This enables you to keep Getting rid of the sketch
track of both aspects of
the composition.
5 After painting and further defining the shapes I erase
most of the sketch. Now I have a rough painting that’s free of
any line art, which means I’m free to change objects and
shapes around, to enhance the image. I recommend keeping
the main objects on separate layers, because this will come in
handy later on.
Start simply
Don’t get lost in detailing
an object too soon into
the painting process.
Start your image by
using a big brush. Try to
Get the most from Color Dodge
11 I use a lot of Color Dodge and other blending modes in 12 Final touches
I play with the value of the image and refine it that so
accomplish everything
with fewer strokes of
the brush. Make it simple
my general workflow. Here I create a new Color Dodge layer the content reads better. I also carry out some colour and straightforward. You
and paint into it with bright colours and a Soft brush to adjustments and refine the brush strokes by sharpening can always add details
indicate bounce light and refracted light. I’m now in the them. To finish off the image I place minor noise on top of later on – or not, as the
case may be.
closing stages of this illustration. everything. This gives the image a more natural feel.
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL WORKSHOPS
BEGINNER’S GUIDE
TO USING BLACK INK
Ayan Nag passes on a few key tips to help you get going with Black Ink and shows
how you can adapt its features to your established workflow
Brush panel
3 Press the small downwards arrow
to extend the panel. This will give you
access to all of the available brushes.
There’s also a panel just on top of the
Brush panel where you can store your
favourite brushes for easy access. I
mostly use the default Charcoal Dual
Texture brush. It’s a great brush to paint
– indeed, it’s often the only brush I use
to complete a painting.
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148
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FXPosé SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL FANTASY ARTISTS
Abhishek Singh
LOCATION: India 1
WEB: www.abhishekart.com
EMAIL: abhi.s82@gmail.com
MEDIA: Acrylics, gouache
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Abhishek’s use
of colour is the
standout aspect
in his compositions,
followed by the strong
character designs and a
real sense of movement.
It feels as if these images
are just moments from
coming to life.”
Daniel Vincent,
Art Editor
2 ANAHATA NADA:
THE UNHEARD SOUND
Acrylics/gouache on paper, 6x4ft
“Sing to the barren sky, like rain does to
a famished tree, be the sound that lives
between the murmur of leaves and
chirping of birds, become the song
which dwells in the silence of listening
and in braving the storms. I wanted to
show the gods without any weapons,
and have them pay an ode to nature.”
INSPIRATIONAL ART IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
2
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
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INSPIRATIONAL ART IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Charlie Dixon 3
LOCATION: England MEDIA: Pen, pencil
WEB: www.charliedixonillustration.com
3 LYCANTHROPE
“This personal piece reimagines
an age-old myth and explores the
4 THE ENCOUNTER
“An exercise in exploring
textures and forms alongside
classic themes of transformation, narrative storytelling.”
decay and death.”
1 SHAMAN
“This piece started out as a
textural experiment, but then
4
gradually evolved into
something more. I’m happy
with how it turned out.”
2 OVERGROWTH
“I was keen to combine
texture, form and intricate
rendering in a single piece,
using graphite.”
Karolina Larienne
Heikura 1
LOCATION: Poland
WEB: www.larienne.deviantart.com
EMAIL: larienne@vp.pl
MEDIA: Markers, watercolours
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“While the art style
takes its influence from
manga, it’s great to see
Karolina tackling the
subject with traditional
media, which adds a
visual texture that’s so
often missing
from its digital
equivalent.”
Daniel Vincent,
Art Editor
1 HEART OF GOLD
Markers and watercolours on paper,
210x297mm
“In this illustration I wanted to portray
the idea that sometimes we’re kind
towards people who don’t deserve it,
and sometimes there are people who
care for us whom we don’t notice.”
2
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
Vivian Mineker 1 3
LOCATION: Slovenia
WEB: www.vivianmineker.com
EMAIL: minekervivian@gmail.com
MEDIA: Watercolour, gouache,
acrylic, graphite
1 FAT CAT
Fabriano paper, watercolour and
ballpoint pen, 9x12 inches
“Inspiration comes to me often while
I’m between waking and sleeping,
and this is a product of one of such
occasion. An image popped into my
head one night while falling asleep, and
I thought that I must draw this because
it amused me. Who doesn’t love a fat
cat getting into peculiar situations?”
2 ARMADILLO
Fabriano paper, watercolour and
ballpoint pen, 11x14 inches
“The start of my alphabetical animals
series. I wanted to create images of
animals in surreal situations along with
plants that they would interact with in
real life, but in an unusual way.”
2
3 CAPYBARA CLOWNFISH
Fabriano paper, watercolour and
ballpoint pen, 9x9 inches.
“I wanted both capybaras and clownfish
for the letter C of my alphabetical
animals series, so I combined the two.
Capybaras are famous for being docile
and friendly to other animals, allowing
others to sit on them – so much so that
there are blogs about this fact.”
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INSPIRATIONAL ART IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
IMAGINEFX
CRIT
“Vivian’s got a great sense
of the absurd and
abstract, and fortunately
she’s able to capture both
on the canvas. One can
only wonder how that
overweight feline got
itself into such a
predicament…”
Claire Howlett,
Editor
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
GET INSPIRED BY
DEL TORO
Illustrator JANA HEIDERSDORF creates an atmospheric mixed media painting that’s
inspired by the world and works of acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro
O
ne of my most treasured I’ve been fortunate to work on several
possessions is a DVD box film-based projects this year. When you
set made up of the watch a film with art in mind, you
Guillermo del Toro films become more active as an observer. I
Cronos, The Devil’s believe the goal isn’t to simply enjoy the
Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. I bought it movie, but to understand and analyse it,
about five years ago on a class trip to to find reoccurring themes, symbols,
London. I hadn’t turned 18, so somebody strong imagery and important details,
else paid for it on my behalf. while trying to get a grasp on the film’s
My obsession with film has had a emotional core.
strong influence on the work I do In this case I’ve decided to create a
nowadays. Having been only mildly collage of the three box-set movies and
interested in old and new masters of fine ARTIST INSIGHT Crimson Peak, which seem to me to be
art and illustration, I learned most of WORK WITH A WIDE del Toro’s most personal works so far. My
RANGE OF MEDIA
what I know about visual language, aim is to study their visual language and
The more you
atmosphere and composition from film. compose a strong image that works in its
experiment with
Film taught me what it means to have own right, but utilises del Toro’s artistic
different media, the
an artistic voice, a vision. Especially del vocabulary, the taste of his filmography
broader becomes the
Toro, with his world of eerily beautiful and ultimately includes elements, scenes Jana is an illustrator from
palette of tools at your
monsters, haunting atmosphere and disposal. Knowing
and familiar characters. Germany who creates moody
poetry in both image and narration, how you can combine I’ll be working in a mix of acrylic paint, and fantastical mixed-media
showed me what it can look like when you media to create the coloured pencils and charcoal, to create a artworks to accompany
weave your own web of personal right textures and close to monochromatic picture. Most of everything you can read, watch and listen to.
mythology and symbolism. So you can effects will save you my works also receive a digital colour She’s worked with Titan Comics, Bracken
imagine my excitement when ImagineFX time and frustration. finish, which I keep to a minimum for Magazine and Bottleneck Gallery. You can
asked me to create an homage to his work! this workshop. see her art at www.janaheidersdorf.com.
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INSPIRED BY DEL TORO IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
MATERIALS
PAPER
Q Moleskine Cahier
Sketchbook
Q Copy paper
Q Lanaquarelle hot-
pressed watercolour
paper, 31x41cm
PENCILS
Q Derwent charcoal
pencil dark
Q Derwent charcoal
pencil white
Q Derwent drawing
1 Start with research 2 Thumbnail sketching concepts
pencils (chocolate
I watch the four films, and take notes on reoccurring I condense my notes to compositions, aiming to
6600, Chinese White
and defining imagery and ideas. This leads to a messy array include elements from several films and to keep the overall
7200, Sanguine 6220,
of words, phrases and scribbles – the foundation of my dark atmosphere. Working digitally at this stage makes it
Brown Ochre 5700)
concepts. I also take screenshots of scenes that I might easy for me to get a good idea of the overall shapes and
Q Faber-Castell
Polychromos (Sky Blue,
need for reference later on. tonal values I need to create a strong image.
May Green)
Q Faber-Castell Colour
Grip (dark blue)
Q Staedtler 8B graphite
pencil
Q Lyra Rembrandt
Black Pastel Pencil
Q Charcoal
Q Coates Willow
Q Charcoal Sticks
Q White charcoal sticks
of unknown origin
PAINT
Q Store brand black
acrylic paint
Q Guardi Gesso White
BRUSHES
3 Layout drawing
Q Da Vinci synthetic Before I start working on the final artwork I want to
4 Transferring the drawing
Q brushes sizes 0, 8 make sure I won’t run into any unexpected problems. By I print the final layout drawing and roughly transfer it
SOFTWARE sketching both portraits separately and editing them to watercolour paper using an old lightbox. For this I’m
Q Photoshop together in Photoshop, I get a good idea how the artwork using a charcoal pencil that will blend in nicely with the later
will look like. Additionally, I can adjust proportions and add a painting. I also make sure not to apply too much pressure to
few details to the concept. the paper, so this initial drawing can be reworked easily.
6 Start painting
I roughly block in the tonal values and continue to
5 Time for the underdrawing built up depth and volume using black acrylic paint that’s
At this stage I establish the foundation for my painting by creating a detailed been diluted with water. During this stage accidental
drawing with a black pastel pencil. To avoid mistakes that would be difficult to correct splashes or smudges can and should happen. My goal is to
afterwards, I use screenshots of the film, photos of hands and faces in the required create an organic, loose texture with precision following
poses and lighting, and the print of my layout drawing for reference. further along in the painting process.
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INSPIRED BY DEL TORO IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
WORKPLACE
TIP
EXTRA SUPPORT
Plywood boards can act
as portable surfaces for
your drawings, if your
desk isn’t big
enough.
ARTIST INSIGHT
KEEPING LINES ALIVE
When you’re using lines
to form volumes and
values, make sure they
follow the form of your
object. If you avoid
cross-hatching in neat
10 Getting splashy 11 Bringing white into the picture
rows of parallel lines I add splashes of acrylic paint to areas I want to gain I use gesso to paint thin layers over faces, hands and
and orthogonal angles more texture, whipping my brush around like a wand. If too hair to soften the underlying textures and lighten the areas. I
you’ll develop an many droplets accumulate at one spot, I use my fingers to work on details such as the eyes using opaque paint. I prefer
organic, natural feel. wipe them off before they can dry. Areas I want to remain using gesso over white acrylic paint because its chalky
untouched by the paint can be covered with scrap paper. nature leads to a surface that takes dry media very well.
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INSPIRED BY DEL TORO IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
ARTIST INSIGHT
GETTING YOUR
HANDS DIRTY
Fingers are great for
art making. Without
Oils
GETTING STARTED
WITH OILS
HOWARD LYON is here to boost your knowledge of oils. If you’ve been putting off
using this age-old medium, there’s no time like the present!
T
here’s an undeserved mystique generally the same as those found in To begin we’ll go over the key materials
around oil painting that has watercolours, pastels and acrylics. needed for you to get started. Most art
put up some intimidating Oil paints offer a richness of colour and materials are sold in at least two grades:
barriers for some artists its surface allows the creation of beautiful student and professional. Whenever
wanting to use this wonderful textures. You can paint thick or thin, possible, purchase pro-grade materials.
medium. I hope to remove those concerns directly or use glazes. Oils can be used on I find the difference in price is offset
and provide a basic foundation of paper, wood, metal, plastic, canvas and because pro materials almost always last
knowledge to help you get started. many other surfaces. longer and the paint goes further.
Oil paint is pigment bound in a drying If you’re just getting started, don’t get Howard has worked as an
(siccative) oil. The most common is overwhelmed. Be patient with yourself illustrator and art director as
linseed oil extracted from flax seeds, but and recognise that it’ll take a little time to well as a fine artist for galleries
you’ll also find paint bound in walnut, get the hang of this beautiful medium. and collectors. Explore his art
safflower or other oils. The pigments are Don’t overcomplicate it, either. by visiting www.howardlyon.com.
1 A spectrum of colours
There are hundreds of colours Three Master Choice A small synthetic
to choose from, but start with a basic Flats from Rosemary & mongoose round for the
palette that covers the spectrum and Co. Can be chisel shaped finest detailing, from
will give you a good mix of warm and or soft and fuzzy. Rosemary & Co.
cool hues. Pro-grade oils will contain
more pigment, which will result in more
accurate colour mixing, and will be
resistant to fading in sunlight.
A long Ivory Filbert and
Titanium white Round – great for fine
Cadmium yellow detail and hard edges.
light
Yellow ochre
Cadmium red light
Alizarin crimson
Transparent red
oxide
Burnt umber
Raw umber
Phthalo green
Phthalo blue Bristle brushes
are excellent for
Ultramarine blue scubbing in thin
Ivory black. paint as well as Master Choice Filbert
laying down An Ivory Flat Bristle from Rosemary from Rosemary & Co.
thin impastos. & Co. Excellent for thin and thick It’s made from badger
ARTIST INSIGHT strokes, and very durable. hair and very versatile.
BE DELIBERATE
Every stroke you make should have
purpose. What shape, colour and value
2 Oil painting requires a variety of brushes
is the stroke you’re trying to make? Stay I prefer Rosemary & Co. brushes, but I also recommend Silver Grand Prix and Trekell. Hog bristle
focused and paint with intent. brushes are versatile, not terribly expensive and allow for a variety of applications. Finer-haired brushes,
both natural and synthetic, can give you an even smoother finish and make very fine detail possible.
GET STARTED WITH OILS IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
ART TIPS
REGULAR DRAWING
IS ESSENTIAL
Sketching from life is the
fastest way to improve
your observational skills
and your paintings.
5 A comfortable easel
A solid easel is important so
that your work is stable, safe and
remains at a good working height
while you’re painting. You can
purchase small, metal tripod-style
easels that can be used sitting or
standing, or consider a folding wood
easel, or larger studio models that are
meant to remain in situ.
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JOHN HOWE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
S
ubterranean Press
contacted me to create
full-cover dust jackets for
a new and limited edition
of Robin Hobb’s Farseer
trilogy. In reply to my query about
a cover brief, the publisher replied I did all three sketches at once and
that there was none: I had free rein sent them off. These were pencil
to do as I wished. scribbles, scanned and rendered in
Naturally, this sounded like a sepia with white highlights, which is
dream commission, but of course it an efficient way of adding focus and
meant making many decisions above depth. I was also aware that hiding
and beyond the actual subject matter: the dragon’s head behind the vignette
layout, placement of titles, fonts and was a bit risky, and considered trying
more. I was intent on installing two to shift it, but in the end it stayed
things: a proximity to the characters, where it was. Approval came back
and a depiction of wide landscapes. I from both publisher and author with
decided that the best way to avoid no revisions, so I got going on the
“posing” characters – equivalent to originals themselves straight away.
a modern-day snapshot taken in The main image was done
front of a tourist-friendly vista – was separately from the vignette. It’s never
to make use of vignettes. a good idea to paint one image over
another unless there’s some purely
pictorial or decorative reason for
doing so. Should the smaller image
need to be moved, it’s best to have it
as a separate original. Equally, for
sub-rights use, a third party just
might want to licence the main image
without the vignette.
John is a full-time illustrator
and concept artist, who
© Subterranean Press
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
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JOHN HOWE IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Dragons for
beginners
I have plenty of references
on lizards, snakes and
crocodiles, but only for the
textures. For the structure
of dragons, I find one’s
imagination is more
reliable. It’s best to design
fantastical creatures
without help, relying on
memory and imagination,
before going back to the
photos to paint any details.
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IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
PENCIL & WATERCOLOUR IMAGINE FX ANNUAL
Pencil Watercolour
PENCIL AND
WATERCOLOUR ART
Renown animal illustrator KATY LIPSCOMB reveals how to bring a wolf to life,
using watercolour washes and pencils to create a stylised scene from nature
G
et ready to learn how ARTIST INSIGHT round brushes to detail brushes;
I colour a howling wolf CATALOGUE YOUR however, much of this is personal
using unconventional ART DIGITALLY preference. If you’re unsure about
methods and materials! I create a digital what to start with, I recommend a
Here, I’ll teach you my catalogue of all my size four Round brush and a thin
works, for posterity and
approach for creating my drawings detail brush with a fine point.
just in the case the
using a range of media: watercolours, As for media, I’ll be working
worst should happen.
colour pencils and more. I scan my works in at
primarily back and forth between
I’ll start proceedings with a light least 300DPI as a PNG watercolours and colour pencils. In
watercolour wash and move towards file. I then crop, rotate, this workshop I’ll specifically be
darker heavier marks with colour and colour correct my using PH Martin’s concentrated You’ll also want a cup of water for
pencils. This workshop is focused on image using image- watercolours, but other watercolours cleaning your brushes between
how to colour using a variety of editing software. and inks will do just fine. My colour colours, a pencil for a primary sketch,
materials rather that how to draw. To pencil of choice is Prismacolor an eraser and paper towels.
begin, you should first select some premier soft core, but as with the If you’ve gathered all of your
heavy-duty paper. I prefer to use watercolour or ink, this is also very materials, clean up your workspace
Strathmore Smooth Bristol board; flexible. Last but not least, I’ll be and let’s continue to the workshop!
however, illustration board, a hot using a white gel pen and white Katy is famous for her
press watercolour paper or a cold liquid acrylic for finishing touches. fantastical scenes and
press watercolour paper with a Other materials that will be representations of the beauty
smaller tooth will also work. important are an artist’s watercolour found in feral creatures. She’s
You should also be ready with a palette. I find disposable palette has gained attention from Time Magazine,
watercolour brush. I enjoy using a sheets very useful, but you can also National Public Radio and more. See her
range of brushes, from flat brushes to invest in a longer-lasting solution. work at http://katylipscomb.com.
IMAGINE FX ANNUAL TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
MATERIALS
PAPER
Q Strathmore Smooth
Bristol Board
BRUSHES
Q Size 2 or 4 Flat,
Round, and Detail
watercolour brushes
PAINTS
Q PH Martin’s
Concentrated
Watercolors
Q FW White liquid
acrylic
PENCILS
Q Prismacolor Premier
Soft Core
Q Faber Castel
Polychromos
OTHER
Q Mechanical pencil
Q Eraser
Refine the sketch
Q Gellyroll white
gel pen Draw a basic outline 2 I continue to block out details and define shapes
Q Water cup 1 I begin by drawing the basic frame of the wolf’s into more organic forms. Now I have a more definitive
Q Watercolour palette head. I find it easiest to block out large shapes when shapes for the snout, ear and fur. It’s important that the
drawing, rather than trying nit-pick details when fur feels organic, rather that stiff. It can be tempting to
beginning a sketch. For example, here I’ve started with a want to draw pointy triangles; however, try to keep your
circle for the head and a triangle for the ear. wrist loose and let the shapes flow naturally.
ARTIST INSIGHT
PAINT REALISTIC FUR
The easiest way to
learn how to create
believable fur is to
study photos of fur.
Notice which way the
fur flows over different
contours of the body.
WATER
TIP
LIMIT YOUR WATER
APPLICATIONS
When working on Bristol
board, limit the amount
of water you use to
prevent the paper
from warping.
Continue with light washes
5 I now start to work with lighter washes across the Put down a fourth wash layer
rest of the wolf. In this step, I’ve chosen to use a
6 After waiting for the previous layers to dry,
complementary colour (those colours located directly I continue with a fourth layer of wash. Once again I work
across from each other on the colour wheel) on the wolf’s from light to dark; this layer is slightly darker and more
chest. Because I’m using blue for the top of the wolf, pigmented than the previous layers. I create the illusion of
I choose a golden yellow-orange for the chest. shadows and fur with a few selective dark strokes.
COLOUR
PENCIL TIP
DON’T DROP THEM!
Prismacolor pencils are a
soft lead pencil, so be sure
to keep them secure to
prevent dropping. One
drop can shatter
the lead.
ARTIST INSIGHT
BURNISHING WITH
COLOUR PENCILS
Burnishing is a helpful
technique when using
colour pencils. To
burnish, lay down a
layer of colour pencil.
Next, take a pencil of a
lighter colour and then Develop abstract fur patterns
firmly press the two 11 When I draw my animals, I enjoy laying down abstract patterns and details to the surface to add visual interest.
layers together. These patterns always flow with the natural forms of the animal and can either be interpreted as adornment or fur. In
this step I use a burgundy and navy blue to bring in these surface details.
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