15

PHOTOSHOP SKILLS
STEPS TOBETTER
BOSS DE IGN

FREE!
WORKSHOPS
CONCEPT A STRIKING
GAME ENVIRONMENT
MASTER A MODULAR

6
ART WORKFLOW
SPEEDPAINT A MECH
NEW VIDEO
WORKSHOPS
FOR VIDEO GAMES
PLUSPHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES

FFXNIVEWART

FINAL FANTASY XIV

INSIDE
THE ART OF
Exclusive access! Become a better video games
artist with the team behind FFXIV: Endwalker
ART INSIGHTS FROM
YUSUKE MOGI ROKUMA SAITO
AYUMI NAMAE TETSU TSUKAMOTO
“Pro art secrets inside!
Learn how this cover
was made”– page 34 ISSUE 208
 Editor’s letter
Welcome to… EDITOR’S CHOICE Three of my top
picks this month…
42

Final Fantasy XIV is one of the

world’s biggest and longest-
running games. This issue we
meet some of the elusive stars
of the game’s art team. They The art of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
shun the limelight and let the They rarely sit down for interviews, but this issue we
game’s intricate creatures, meet the artists behind the hit MMORPG.
characters and worlds do the
talking, but inside this issue 64
you can hear from Yusuke Mogi, Rokuma Saito,
Ayumi Namae and Tetsu Tsukamoto. They reveal
insights into life at Square Enix, what it takes to
make it in the video games industry, and how they
approach creating the beautiful art for this hit
game. Look out for their work on Final Fantasy XIV:
Endwalker, releasing as you read this.
Tutorials this issue pick up on the video game
theme. Brandt Andrist shares his process for Improve your boss designs
creating a procedural environment using Blender Create a video game boss character with Tristan Tait’s
and Photoshop, Ubisoft’s Kobe Sek reveals how to tutorial, including designing attack phases.
speedpaint a mech design, and Thomas Scholes 92
demonstrates how to turn your art into a modular
workflow for speedy concepts.
Don’t want to miss an issue? Then subscribe
using our new Christmas offer on page 8, and get
a free laptop bag worth £90.

Editor Paint a fantasy portrait – Part 2: Sketching

[Link]@[Link] Part two of Patrick J Jones’ oils series sees the artist
begin to sketch the scene from reference.

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Contents
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SUBSCRIBE & SAVE!

Your art 18 30
10 FXPosé
News and events
18 Tetsu Tsukamoto on the
secret of concept art success
The Final Fantasy concept artist believes
team work and attention to detail are key.
22 Beyond a Steel Sky Tetsu Tsukamoto Yusuke Mogi
Dave Gibbons returns to video games.
23 A Day in the Life of… 42
Naomi Baker
This artist cuts down on online distractions.
24 Serif Affinity
How Serif Affinity Designer was used to
illustrate Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
26 Artist in Residence
Chuck Grieb on his multi-zone workspace.
Features
30 Interview: Yusuke Mogi
We discuss influences, workflow and design
approaches with Final Fantasy XIV:
Endwalker’s art team lead.
38 Sketchbook:
Sabin Boykinov
Fantastical environments abound!
42 The Art of Final The Art of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Discover how the art team creates the 22 26
game’s innovative worlds and characters.
Regulars
3 Editor’s letter
6 Resources
7 Next month
8 Print subscriptions
29 Letters
54 Recent editions Artist in Residence:
80 Digital subscriptions Beyond a Steel Sky Chuck Grieb
81 Reviews

4
 Issue 208
38 64 Workshops
56 How to design a limitless
game environment
Brandt Andrist’s landscape painting
workflow has countless possibilities…
62 Painting in watercolours
Isis Sousa covers Corel Painter 2022’s
three sets of watercolour tools.
Sketchbook: Sabin Boykinov Design a boss for a game 64 Improve your boss designs
Tristan Tait shows how to create a
powerful adversary for a 2D indie game.
56
70 Modular art workflow
Get more from what you already have,
says Thomas Scholes!
76 Speedpaint a mech design
Kobe Sek makes use of negative space.
92

Limitless game environment

70 76 Sketching for a portrait piece

Traditional Artist
88 Traditional FXPosé
Discover this month’s selection of the
finest traditional art, sent in by you!
92 Workshop: Paint a portrait
– Part 2: Sketching
See how Patrick J Jones directs a
photoshoot and draws a sketch in
preparation for his oil painting.
98 First Impressions:
Erik Krenz
Modular art workflow Speedpaint a mech Discover how nature continues to
inspire this US-based illustrator.

5
 Resources
Editorial
Editor Ian Dean
[Link]@[Link]
Art Editor Daniel Vincent
Operations Editor Cliff Hope
Contributors

Getting hold of this issue’s resources is easy. O

Brandt Andrist, Sabin Boykinov, Dom Carter, Tanya Combrinck,
Chuck Grieb, Patrick J Jones, Thomas Scholes, Kobe Sek,
Gary Stuckey, Isis Sousa, Glen Southern, Tristan Tait

Just visit [Link]/ff208endwalker 5 H VERS

of videoOtutUorR
Advertising
Media packs are available on request
Chief Revenue Officer Zack Sullivan
UK Commercial Sales Director Clare Dove
ials
WORKSHOP VIDEOS
from Advertising Sales Manager Mike Pyatt
to wapro artists [Link]@[Link], 01225 687538
learntch an
from!d
Account Sales Director George Lucas
[Link]@[Link], 01225 687331
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Create infinite environments Boost your watercolour skills Production
Head of Production Mark Constance
Brandt Andrist uses 2D and 3D tools to build See how Isis Sousa uses watercolours in Corel Production Project Manager Clare Scott
Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby
up a landscape for a video game. See page 56. Painter 2022. Her workshop’s on page 62. Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson
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Paint a boss, like a boss! Try a new creative workflow

is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot
accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You
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Watch Tristan Tait design a tough opponent Thomas Scholes reveals how he reuses old art to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and
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Quickly paint a mech Draw a sketch for a portrait

See how Kobe Sek works with colours and Watch Patrick J Jones sketch from the results
negative space. His workshop’s on page 76. of his life-model photoshoot. Turn to page 92.
PLUS CUSTOM BRUSHES…
Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne
TT_MAIN SOFT ROUND01 HARD ROUND INKER company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford
Tristan Tait’s custom bristled brush This brush is ideal for soft blending Tristan uses this brush for blocking London Stock Exchange
(symbol: FUTR)
Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
features Flow and Opacity settings. or adding effects, reveals Tristan. in flat colours and inking lines. [Link] Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

6
 Next month

Animation art
Learn new insights from the artists behind
Maya and the Three, Arcane and more!
Also in the issue…
Pro character Life-drawing Paint perfect How to animate
design advice masterclass backgrounds using Quill
DreamWorks and Fine artist Charlie Dia Jamandron Director Dan
Netflix animator Pickard begins his reveals how to Franke shares his
Jacqueline Droujko essential figure- plan and paint tips for starting in
shares her tips. drawing series. animation scenes. VR filmmaking.

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 1

THE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART

Alex Vede Cabalar

LOCATION: Spain MEDIA: Sketchbook Pro, Procreate WEB: [Link]
Alex says: “What inspires me the most is cinema.
I always try to make my art as cinematic as possible,
seeking movement and dramatic compositions.”

1 THE ASTRONAUT
“This is one of my
characters. He has a whole
2
story behind him that I hope
I can tell someday in a full-
length comic book.”

2 ASTRONAUT
EXPLORERS
“Leaving part of the frame in
darkness makes the details
and the light more vibrant.”

3 SOMETHING ON
THE BEACH
“This one was painted over a
very small pencil thumbnail. I
usually make the best
compositions from very fast
and small sketches.”

10 Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]

 4

4 BATTLE IN MOUNT FUJI

“Part of a series of illustrations
inspired by old Japanese
woodprints. I used traditional inks
then built up the colour digitally.”

Want to submit your work? Visit [Link] 11

 Julian Vidales
LOCATION: US MEDIA: Photoshop, Sketchbook, ZBrush Core Mini WEB: [Link]
Julian is a full-time high school art teacher, and a freelance illustrator
and concept artist. He’s contributed designs to Elder Scrolls Online,
MX vs ATV Reflex, Mafia Wars Shakedown and Mafia Wars 2.

1 CASTLE OF DRAGONS
“This image started as an
example for my digital art
1
class to focus on fore-, mid-
and background, and mood.
Here our hero has discovered
the Boss’s castle.”

2 CAVEMAN ATTACK
“This image depicts a
caveman on the attack
against a fiery dragon. I
wanted to make use of an
old caveman silhouette
from college.”

12 Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]

 Alexandra Fastovets
LOCATION: Ukraine MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: [Link]/hanukafast
Alexandra is a freelance comic book artist who has always been
inspired by oil paintings and cartoons. “The variety of shapes, types
of faces and colour combinations are my greatest thrill in art.”
1 2

1 ASIAN
“It was only when I started
working with colour for
3 4
myself that I realised I’m
an absolute fan of pink.”

2 GYMNASTS
“Sports are a good way
to study the plasticity of the
human body. Gymnasts are
especially flexible and make
interesting poses.”

3 IRA
“I had wanted to paint a
rendered portrait for a long
time, and I’m happy how this
came out.”

3 MCQUEEN
“I really love the style of
Alexander McQueen’s design
house, so I took some
elements from it when
creating this portrait.”

Want to submit your work? Visit [Link] 13

 Kring Demetrio
LOCATION: Philippines MEDIA: Pencils, charcoal, graphite, Photoshop WEB: [Link]
Kring is a self-taught illustrator who’s inspired by folklore and popular
myths. Her drawings feature etchings made from empty ballpoint pens and
wooden skewers, usually depicting lines and other decorative images.

1 MIMESIS
“A cover art commission of a young
woman being dragged to the depths by the
2 LOVE SONG FOR A VAMPIRE
“A tribute illustration; the etched lace and
long gown give homage to Eiko Ishioka’s
2
rusalka while her lover tries to save her.” iconic Lucy Westenra bridal gown.”

3 SEVEN DEVILS
“Melancholia and mania (two-headed
snake), paranoia (spider), anxiety
(scorpion), stagnation (cockroach),
self-sabotage (ants), and my impostor
syndrome (blind crow) are my devils.”

4 KAKAHUYAN (FOREST)
“The myth of the tambaloslos is about
an evil pan-like creature that preys on
people passing through thick forests.”

14 Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]

 4

Want to submit your work? Visit [Link] 15

 Caner Soylu
LOCATION: Poland MEDIA: Photoshop, Painter WEB: [Link]/cango
Turkish-born Caner is a professionally trained children’s book illustrator
whose digital paintings are celebrated for their use of light and colour.
Having emigrated to Poland in 2017, he has illustrated over 30 books.

1 A GIRL’S ROOM
“This is a book illustration
where I tried to create a
2 THE INVENTOR
“A mysterious discovery
has occurred in a young
3
whimsical impression with inventor’s room. I wanted
two contrasting colours of to leave the object that has
light emanating from been discovered up to the
different sources.” viewer’s imagination.”

3 THE CELLAR
“I imagined where food was
stored in the Middle Ages. I wanted
4 ASIAN KID
“A child from the steppes is
playing on a goat. This was inspired
to study a burst of light and its by my ancestor’s homeland and
effect on different textures.” their lifestyle as Turkish people.”

16 Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]

 Insist
LOCATION: China MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: [Link]
Insist is a chief conceptual designer who enjoys the performance process of
2D rendering. Inspired by life experiences as well as film and TV shows,
Insist is also influenced by horror and Hong Kong films from his childhood.
1

1 DINNER
“A couple settle down
for their daily dinner while
2 MIRROR
“The child wonders
what the adult sees in
3 FAMILY PORTRAIT
“This looks like a
natural family. But what
3
eyeless portraits look on. the mirror. It looks like are those mysterious
Let’s hope the food was it’s reflecting something cloaked figures in
worth the wait.” that isn’t there...” the background?”

Do you want to see your art on these pages? Then email five pieces of your work and a short explanation
about each artwork, along with a photo and a few details about yourself, to fxpose@[Link]

Want to submit your work? Visit [Link] 17

ARTIST NEWS, SOFTWARE EVENTS

AT THE CORE OF THE DIGITAL ART CO Y

Tetsu Tsukamoto
reveals the secret to
concept art success
Anima class The Final Fantasy character concept artist
believes team work and attention to detail matter most
Few people would disagree if we Tsukamoto-san was inspired by the
said that character concept artist 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding
Tetsu Tsukamoto was born to create Story to begin his art journey, and has
weird and complex spent over 24 years inspiring us with
monsters for video his whimsical designs for the iconic
games. His father is a Final Fantasy VII onwards. His
graphic designer, his creatures – some of the most inspired
uncle a potter, his aunt and creative in video games – have
a furniture artist, and his cousin a dominated our imaginations and
manga artist, illustrator and crafter… influenced many.
creativity runs in the family.
The experienced character concept
artist rarely does interviews, especially
FINDING A FANTASY
Tsukamoto-san tells us that remaining
outside of Japan, so we’re honoured constant as well as inventive requires
he’s chosen ImagineFX to reflect on an understanding of the rules and
his art, process and career in the characteristics of each new Final
video games industry. Fantasy release in the long-running
franchise. Each has a unique feel,
“where the atmosphere and vibe
changes with every instalment,” says
the artist, while needing to remain
visually a part of the Final Fantasy
brand. In this regard Final Fantasy, and
its newest release, Final Fantasy XIV:
Endwalker, is a distinct conundrum.

“It looks like the battle planning team had a hard

time getting the whole body into the screen
because it’s so long, but I was extremely satisfied
with the huge tail and ability to ride on the back,
which added a lot of fun into the mix.”

18
THE SKY’S NO TIME BARGAIN
THE LIMIT
The 90s point-n-click
WASTERS
Marvel Studios concept
PURCHASE
Veteran illustrator and
game Beneath A Steel artist Naomi Baker animator Chuck Grieb
Sky gains a sequel, and tells us that she uses shows us around his
comic illustrator Dave a website blocker studio, which is centred
Gibbons returns to lend to avoid online on an antique table
the art a distinctive distractions during with adjustable top that
hand-drawn touch. her working day. cost Chuck just $20.
Page 22 Page 23 Page 26

THE ART OF
FANTFINASALY XIV The character concept artist
SPECIAL on how to get ahead

Do you have advice for

artists wanting to work in
video games?
You should be able to use 3D
tools and understand how
character implementation
works in games. Making sure
you have that covered will
enable you to avoid
producing designs that
demands high-
development resources. It’s
important in any industry,
but having a wide range of
design methods and models
is essential, as well as the
ability to flexibly change and
adapt the worldview that one
holds in response to requests.
How has the industry
changed since you started?
The graphics expressed through
home game consoles have
improved dramatically, and
realism is no longer a selling
point. There’s also been a huge
influx of mobile games and (I
feel) overseas titles are more fun
than before. Lastly, I think it’s
getting harder and harder to
accept new things in Japan.
What advice would you give
to your younger self?
I would say to avoid taking on
more work than I can handle.
When I was younger, I tried too
.devreseR sthgiR llA .DTL,.OC XINE ERAUQS 1202–0102 © segami llA

many times to take on every

piece of work that came my way.
Is a career as an artist all you
thought it would be?
If video games hadn’t evolved so
much and there weren’t so many
jobs in the industry, I think I
would have become a designer
of fantasy-themed furniture. I
consider myself lucky to have
become a monster designer.

19
 ImagineNationNews
“It makes me incredibly
“I learned from Tetsuya Nomura happy to see that
[Final Fantasy VII’s legendary Anima is being used
again, with the
designer and director] to always think appearance this time
in Final Fantasy XIV.”
of something new, something that
others don’t think of. But it’s equally
important to make sure we don’t miss
out the basic conventions and themes
too,” says Tsukamoto-san.
The artist has a structured way of
working. After reading over the
concept of the project, he’ll collect
images, descriptive text and three-
dimensional art to create a document

The ideal design would

be one that I’ll want to
display in my room…
comprising a few pages that can be It’s refreshing to discover an artist
when preparing the design to avoid
used to formulate ideas “and wait for as experienced as Tsukamoto-san has difficulties in the preparation of the
inspiration to strike”. his pet hates. models and motion while also
After watching anime and reading ensuring they look good without
manga to drive his inspiration
Tsukamoto-san says, “I’ll then take a
TEAM WORK MATTERS
Tsukamoto-san explains how thinking
increasing the cost,” says the artist.
There are some interesting
deep breath and look up while bigger and considering the game’s constraints on Tsukamoto-san’s
imagining the monster is actually team is important for good design. design process that stem from his
there, in a large space before me. While he may begin with designing a experience and understanding of the
“As such, I’ll usually take my “single point of appeal” to ensure his video game production process.
notebook and materials to a large design is unique, he always considers He shares how hair textures are
park to come up with ideas.” how this creature will be made and difficult to express. UV scrolling and
The concept comes easily. Yet used. Tsukamoto-san explains how he other animation expressions can’t be
colouring, says Tsukamoto-san, can imagines the creature will be animated used, while transparent expressions
be fraught – but nothing anime can’t and how the VFX will be implemented. are difficult to use because of the
subdue. “I’m not sure if I have a He’ll then create three-dimensional heavy processing not associated with
complex about colouring, but when drawings and reference art that are an online MMORPG.
I’m painting this process is usually easily understood by other staff Just as importantly he considers the
extremely unpleasant for me,” he says. Tsukamoto-san
working on the game. moral nature of his art, and if it’ll
“As a result, doing that just at the level considers how other The artist believes creating good trigger trypophobia and other
where I’m not concentrating seems to teams in the studio will
use his art, such as this designs is about teamwork: “I’ll think conditions in players. “What I mean by
actually be just the right thing for me.” concept for Hades. about finding a point of compromise that is, even if it’s a monster that I’m

20
 Artist news, software & events
Boss characters in Final Fantasy XIV are
complex and often feature multiple
phases, here Tsukamoto-san
illustrates Hades’ transformation.

Tsukamoto-san
was eight-years-old
when he decided to
designing, the ideal design would be become an artist,
and went on to win
one that I’ll want to display in my room art competitions
if it’s made into an action figure!” while at school.

LIVING THE FANTASY

Tsukamoto-san comes across as a
humble person, who takes pride in his
work, considers the player’s
experience and uses of his art, but also
the Final Fantasy XIV team as a whole.
Having worked on the offline series
since 1997, he tells us moving onto the
online version, Final Fantasy XIV, was
an eye-opening experience.
“I didn’t have any contact or
.devreseR sthgiR llA .DTL,.OC XINE ERAUQS 1202 - 0102 © segami llA

involvement with other players when I

previously worked on offline games,
and consequently I didn’t know how
my drawings were perceived by the
players,” he tells us. “Final Fantasy XIV
marked my debut into the realm of
online games, and I feel both proud
and also a little embarrassed when I
hear players talk about past Final
Fantasy games with such enthusiasm.” Hraesvelgr is an iconic
Tsukamoto-san’s approach to his creature design from
FFXIV: Heavensward,
work is summed up when he says, “I and is one of seven
feel lucky to have been involved with great wyrms found
in the game.
Final Fantasy for a long time.”

21
 ImagineNation News

“There are great similarities,

such as the ability to tell stories
very economically and succinctly,”

Dave Gibbons goes

says Dave Gibbons about moving
from comics to video games.

scanning and pixelating his art into

back to the future

the game. For the follow-up, Dave’s
drawings, schematics and “little
scribbles” are turned into three-
dimensional worlds, but with the aim
of creating something that “looked
like it could have been drawn”.
Game’s afoot The acclaimed Watchmen artist returns Dave continues: “I think with
to video game development with Beyond a Steel Sky Beyond a Steel Sky you get the feeling
that you’re stepping into the comic
and kind of reading the comic, and
LegendaryWatchmen restrictions, because when you have then the comic starts to move and
artistDaveGibbons has restrictions, that does kind of force then you start to move within the
[Link] you to really think about what you’re comic book imagery.”
the1990shewasoffered doing and work very efficiently, and To accompany the game’s release
“anobsceneamountof actually rise to the challenge of doing Dave has created a comic. He did the
money”tohelpdevelopadventure something that’s a little restrictive.” same for the original 1994 game, but
gameBeneathaSteelSkywith This is where comic art and video that was a practical decision to show
point-and-clickauteurCharlesCecil. game art merges, says the artist. New its hero as best they could. Now, says
Davewouldfaxarttothedeveloper, game Beyond a Steel Sky, “a spiritual Dave, it’s vice versa: “All the objects
butnowit’satthepressofabutton successor,” says Dave, has the tech to are so wonderfully rendered and
fromhisWacomCintiq. make the game more realistic – but drawn that it was the question of
The process has changed, but just that comes with its own challenges. bringing the comic book up to match
as Dave found the constraints of the the visuals of the game.”
16-bit era – limited colours, data sizes,
and fax machines – a creative
THE HUMAN TOUCH
“What we didn’t want to lose was the
Video game or new comic, we‘re
confident fans of Dave Gibbons’ work
Dave Gibbons has
challenge, even now on PlayStation 5, hand-drawn, handcrafted feeling that created a new comic to
accompany Beyond a
won’t be disappointed.
he loves the trials technology offers. the first game had, with textured Steel Sky’s release. The You can see more of Beyond a Steel Sky at
He tells us: “One of the things I’ve painted backgrounds,” comments artist says he loves
the efficiency and [Link] and [Link]/game-
always enjoyed creatively is having Dave. The first game was created by restrictions of comics. beyond-a-steel-sky.
erawtfoS noituloveR © tra llA

“One of the things I’ve always

enjoyed creatively is having
restrictions,” says Dave.

22
 In partnership with

CLL tnemniatretnE evitcaretnI ynoS ©

Personal character art by
Naomi Baker from earlier
this year, entitled The Pact.

Naomi created this art for one

of the loading screens from the
video game Ghost of Tsushima.

CLL tnemniatretnE evitcaretnI ynoS ©

A day in the life of…
Naomi Baker
Staying focused This concept artist advocates keeping
online distractions to a minimum during work hours
I wake up at 7am, make some coffee, when I’ll send my piece in. Some days,
and then shower, assemble an outfit, I take a quick lunch break at noon and Naomi’s concept art for Ryuzo,
do my hair and makeup while will usually eat a sandwich outside for Concept Art one of the supporting characters
from the Ghost of Tsushima.
watching YouTube cooking videos some vitamin D. Association is an
and checking emails. It’s important Feedback from the client will organisation
committed to
to me to get ready because that’s generally come back within either a elevating and My biggest piece of advice is to be
how I’m able to get myself in the couple of minutes or a couple of raising the profile mindful of where you’re putting your
office mindset. hours. While waiting for notes, I’ll of concept artists, energy. Don’t invest too much on the
their art and their
Around 9:30am, I sit down at my work on some loose ends, clean the involvement in the internet and social media. I’ve found
computer and check social media. house or do some laundry. Depending entertainment
industries. Its
that focusing on having fun with your
Then at 10am my website blocker on when the feedback comes in, I’ll annual Concept art and not placing pressure on
turns on and I put my phone out either do the revisions before dinner, Art Awards Show myself has been important for my
of reach. I find that using a strict or come back for a couple of hours showcases and mental health and success.
recognises
blocker for distracting sites such after dinner to finish. After work, my behind-the-scenes Naomi is a concept artist who’s
as social media really improves partner and I will watch an episode individuals worked in film, video games,
my productivity. of something or play a video game working in TV and animation, and is
entertainment
I usually start my day knowing what together. Then around 10pm, I start concept art. currently full time with Marvel
I’m going to be working on and I my night-time routine and then read conceptart
[Link].
Studios Visual Development Team. See more
generally power through until 3pm for a bit before bed. of her art at [Link]/naomibaker.

23
 ImagineNation News
Steve Simpson used Once Steve had
Affinity Designer on the produced the art, the
iPad to create the whole book was put
illustrations for this together in Serif’s
collector’s edition of Affinity Publisher, the
Alice’s Adventures company’s desktop
in Wonderland. publishing software.

Illustrating a classic
Against type Steve Simpson on how he used hand-drawn text with
his art for a new edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Illustrating a book with a Sir John Tenniel’s work in the
strong cultural presence original book broke new ground by
is a challenge for any integrating text and illustration, so it’s
artist. The work must perhaps fitting that Steve has built on
walk a fine line between Steve is known for his
lively packaging
this by combining his illustrations
being original, but also recognisable. designs and his style is with hand lettering.
English illustrator Steve Simpson is inspired by the Arts and
known for his whimsical characters,
which he put to good use in creating
Crafts movement, and
1950s advertising. USING SERIF’S ART TOOLS
This special edition of Alice’s
his own unique take on Lewis Adventures in Wonderland was
Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s produced by Serif to showcase
Adventures in Wonderland. the capabilities of its Affinity
“I’m a huge fan of the apps. The book itself was put
book,” says Steve. “I was together with Affinity
introduced to Alice’s Publisher and Steve used
Adventures in Wonderland at Affinity Designer for his Placing lettering within the illustrations, Steve added
an early age, growing up just illustrations. The process of another dimension to Lewis Carroll’s story.
a few miles down the road creating the book is one of
from Lewis Carroll’s birthplace, the projects detailed in the Publisher Workbook during the Black
and over the years I’ve collected Affinity Publisher Workbook, Friday/Cyber Monday fortnight, which
several vintage illustrated copies.” which contains advice and tutorials starts 22 November.
from leading designers, publishers Affinity approached Steve a few
Switching between vectors and other creatives that will teach years ago to enlist his help with beta
and pixels and back again you everything you need to build
your own magazines, brochures and
testing the iPad version of Designer
and at this point he didn’t have a
was a real eye opener books. You can get a 30 per cent
discount if you buy the Affinity
tablet, so trying out this app was his
first experience of using an Apple

24
 Advertorial

The illustrator describes his

xperience on this unique project
hat was the initial brief for
his project?
he outline for the brief was
ery simple: to illustrate Alice in
y own style using Affinity
esigner. I was given a lot of
reedom as to how best to
pproach it; however, the
lustrations had to be created
ery much with the original text
in mind. Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland is such a classic
that I was initially a little
apprehensive in my approach
– how do you illustrate a classic
and make the art look original?
Which characters did you
most enjoy drawing?
So many of the characters are
full of personality, but probably
the Cheshire Cat is my favourite.
Coming from Cheshire, I’ve
always felt proud my home
county’s name was put on the
world stage by this guy.
Apart from bringing your
own signature style to these
illustrations, was there
anything else you looked to
do differently?
I’m always trying to experiment
and develop my style, so this
was a great opportunity to push
Pencil. He had been using a mouse for The ability to working with Affinity Designer on the pattern, colour and graphic
25 years up until this point. manipulate vectors as
well as paint with pixels iPad,” he says. “It has a lot of great shape a little further. The
“The first thing that really struck me was something that
Steve loved about
features and effects that allow characters have been illustrated,
was how I could work in both vectors Serif’s Affinity Designer. illustrators to work in many different animated and appeared in live
and pixels. My style is very graphic in styles, and it has allowed me to action movies many times,
its design but painterly in its rendering, develop my style when I thought I’d meaning that there’s a certain
so being able to switch between hit a plateau on the app I was using.” way the public expects to see
vectors and pixels and back again was Steve sees this aspect of the them represented.
a real eye opener,” says Steve. For his software as being one of the greatest I was looking for a way to add
work on this project, he found that the benefits that Affinity Designer offers something different and in my
ability to move vectors around and to illustrators. He explains: “It’s an app research I hadn’t seen anyone
then paint within masked shapes sped that allows illustrators to create work incorporate hand lettering into
up his process considerably. that when you look at it, it’s not their illustrations, so I decided
obvious which app it’s been done in to use a mix of graphic design
PUSHING ART BOUNDARIES
Despite having over 30 years of
– which is important when developing
a unique style.”
and illustration. Incorporating
the hand-drawn chapter titles
experience as a professional illustrator Affinity Designer, Affinity Publisher and and Roman numerals into the
and 50 awards under his belt, Steve is Affinity Photo are available on Mac, PC layout of the drawings is the
always looking to push boundaries and iPad for a one-off payment with no part I enjoyed most.
with his aesthetic. “I’ve really enjoyed subscription. Visit [Link].

25
 ImagineNation Artist in Residence
We have three cats. When I’m working
digitally, River, our Maine Coon mix,
likes to sit with me at my computer.
When painting, I keep the cats out of
the studio to ensure they aren’t harmed
by the pigments.

The art on the walls and on the drawing

board depicts the world I’ve created,
which I call the Garden Clan. You can
learn more about the Garden Clan
Faeries and piggy Goblin Tribes at my
Patreon ([Link]).

Chuck Grieb
Imagining worlds What began as a $20 drawing-table has
in a comfy living-room chair. A large
format printer and VR headset
complete the digital picture.
TRADITIONAL ART ZONE
evolved into a dedicated multi-zone workspace If I turn my chair 180 degrees from the
Cintiq, I enter the traditional art zone,
which is centred on an antique oak
For a long time, I digital space we, at the time, shared. drawing table. The table’s top can be
created art in different We swapped her desk and Cintiq into rotated vertically when painting or
locations throughout the closet I’d been using and moved lowered flat and used as a work bench
our home. Before my traditional art stuff into the for sculpting, cutting and so on. I also
commandeering the formerly shared space. have a cutting ruler with a guard to
space I now inhabit, my traditional The studio is divided into zones. The protect my hand. I learned the hard
‘studio’ was a converted closet off digital zone is centred around my 21- way that such measures are important.
the family room. I shared a room with inch Wacom Cintiq. My tablet is now I spent an evening in the emergency
my wife (also an artist) where we vintage, I suppose, as I’d acquired it in
created our digital work. 2006, but it continues to soldier on. These days I actually draw
Seeing how I was bursting at the
seams of the closet studio, my wife
These days I actually draw more
often on my iPad Pro than the Cintiq more often on my iPad Pro
took pity on me, and suggested I
consolidate all my artmaking in the
and enjoy breaking free of my studio
space to sketch and paint while sitting than the Cintiq…
26
 Artist news, software & events
I installed 5,000K LED track lights for accurate The palette box, outfitted with a glass palette, can I love dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts. The art on the walls are
colour rendition. They are fantastic at lighting the be closed to preserve the paint and protect pets hand-tinted etchings removed from a 19th century German palaeontology
workspace and can be redirected if needed. from stepping in the wet paint. text, along with examples of my original art.

When shopping for a taboret, I found myself

A phone holder, useful for recording process frustrated at the lack of affordable, quality
videos. A sturdy clamp and an arm that can be options. Home Depot was having a sale on tool
tightened to hold its position. I’ve found this phone chests and it struck me that this was just what
holder has proven itself a reliable and robust tool. I needed. I bought two and love ‘em!

I built this ball/socket

room after I’d cut half my fingertip off stop-motion animation
when cutting illustration board. armature when a
student in college.
I’ve installed shelving in the closet Ray Harryhausen’s
where I store various art supplies, as creations had a
dramatic impact on me
well as my all-in-one scanner/printer. as a young person, an
impact that still
The large format printer sits on top of resonates today.
an old pastel storage box. The second
tool chest holds more supplies.
Making do for many years, whether
with a small drawing table stuck in the
corner of the dining or living room, to
the closet space in the family room,
has made me appreciate all-the-more
this dedicated art making space. Now,
if only it were a little bigger, the ceiling
higher, and where am I going to put
that easel I have on order?
Chuck is a story artist, teacher, animator,
and illustrator who’s worked for studios
including Disney and Nickelodeon. Check The converted closet where I used to paint. Note Used as reference for an illustration of
out more of his art, comics and animation the closet doors – they could be shut, hiding the
work area when not in use. This space now houses
Grendel bursting into Hrothgar’s hall.
I sculpted him in Sculpey and painted
at [Link]. my wife’s Cintiq workstation. him grey to help with lighting decisions.

27
 ImagineNationNews
Repainting Illustrations are created

the past
in traditional media
as well as digitally.

Retro revival How the

Intellivision Amico is
picking tips from the 80s
The upcoming Intellivision Amico
games console treads the fine line
between being a modern platform
and a retro revival. Illustrator Marty Davis painted
“We don’t want to be perceived as this new yet vintage take
on Missile Command.
a retro console,” says art director
Mike Dietz. The hardware
picks up design notes nod towards that 1970s illustration Creating the art, like the console,
from the 1980’s console, style,” he confirms. Mike explains that was a balancing act between creating
including a woodgrain the cover illustrations are created from illustrations that recalled the era of
version. But it’s the a mix of traditional media in brush plaid shirts, Space Invaders and
vintage box art we love. “I really pen, inks and watercolour, as well as wood-panelled everything without
wanted to not make it entirely retro, digitally in Photoshop. feeling like a simple reproduction.
but I wanted to kind of tip my hat to “It’s a very fine line to hit,” says Mike Mike explains: “We want to do
the old designs,” comments Mike. as he reflects on achieving the tone something new that hasn’t been done
“As soon as we started talking with the vintage-looking art. “You before, but with an eye on our past.”
about what we wanted these Art director Mike Dietz know, I think having lived through the We get it, and you can too very soon.
illustrations to look like, we knew we wanted to combine a 1970s I’m a little bit more sensitive to Get a closer look at the Intellivision Amico
retro style with modern
wanted them to have a little bit of a game art techniques. what’s right and what’s not.” console at [Link].

Comic comedy
Flawed heroes Indie artist Kendra Wells explains why
their comic, Real Hero Shit, packs a comedic punch
Real Hero Shit is the characters, their conflicts and their
name of Kendra Wells’ flaws felt very real to me, and I
latest comic. “It’s very realised almost belatedly how much
much a title that fits the I was relating to a lot of their struggles
mood, I think, the story,” and a lot of their journeys,” adds the
they tell us about a book that follows artist, who’s based in Brooklyn, US.
four flawed adventurers. It’s The comic‘s fantastic art and its
Dungeons & Dragons meets pacing sells every joke with
Seinfeld. “I mean, they’re ease. “It’s about the timing,”
all a little dickish,” reveals says Kendra, comparing it to
the artist. a theatre production.
These characters are a “I’ll find myself at my desk
part of their creator: and I’ll be like, ‘why am I
“They’ve been living in my getting a headache,’ and I’m
brain and in my heart for realising that I’m doing the
so long at this point. I joke facial expressions as I’m
that they’re my children. drawing what the face is
But it really does feel like supposed to look like. I know
each of them sort of come from a a lot of cartoonists that actually keep
facet of my own brain,” says Kendra. a mirror at their desk so they can
The extravagant
The comic follows a party of four look at their own face. It’s a very
Prince Eugene characters on a mission to save a physical job.”
is a latecomer
to the party of village from an unknown evil. “I Follow the Real Hero Shit Kickstarter at
hardy adventurers. realised as I was writing these [Link]/real-hero-shit.

28
 Letters

New works that have

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS grabbed our attention
Contact the edit r an Dea n
mail@[Link] or write to
ImagineFX, Future Publishing, Knowledge of 3D tools is a growing industry trend, but
Quay House, The Ambury, that doesn’t mean you should give up painting in 2D.
Bath, BA1 1UA, England Ian replies Hi Callum and Abigail, thanks
Follow us on Twitter: for reading and saying such nice things! We
[Link]/imaginefx love that our magazine can become a
Find us on Facebook: companion to such a great film, and expect
[Link]/imaginefx some more issues like this coming soon.
Share your artwork via #imaginefx: Mark, sadly cover artist Dave Keenan
[Link]/imaginefxmagazine couldn’t create video for this workshop, but
the issue did come with video training for the
Dune wish list other content that we hope was useful.
Wow! I stepped out of the theatre last
night and thought to myself: “I’d really 3D or not?
like to see some production art for this!” I’ve yet to make the leap into 3D, but it Royal Nine
Callum Isaac Moscovitch feels hard to avoid. Every artist @plutolori
(@ravenswild), via Instagram ImagineFX talks to seems to urge us to
move into 3D and away from 2D
Frankly, it’s great digital art. Is this really necessary, and
After watching Dune there was no better DID YOU MISS if so, what would you recommend?
way to relax than with a copy of
ImagineFX and pages of concept art and THE PREVIOUS Oscar Daniels, via email
PACKED
advice. It was great to find I’m not alone Don’t worry ISSUE? Ian replies Hi Oscar, while some artists
–
in finding the old movie and books a you can get hold say you must learn 3D it’s always down to
source of inspiration. I only wish my of issue 207 you and how you use it. Adding 3D into
work could reach the same level as the at [Link]/ your workflow can’t harm, but it also
amazing Simon Goinard. single-ifx. doesn’t mean you should drop doing what
Abigail Brookes, via email you love. Some 3D tools can simply
enhance your 2D art, for example. I’d
Cover star recommend turning to page 82 to read our Andy Suriano
I love every issue of ImagineFX, but I’m review of Procreate 5.2 that enables you to @andy_suriano
also always left wanting more! This paint over 3D models in the 2D app. Also
issue’s cover art tutorial [issue 207, The reviewed is ZBrushCoreMini, a free version of
Art of Dune] was great and took me the main software that offers a taste of
through the whole process, but I wish sculpting in its 3D clay. It’s addictive.
there was video to go with it. Sorry for Reader Mark Davies
moaning, it’s just one small gripe with wanted video to Make it Moebius
what was a great issue. Keenan’s cover workshop While I loved Dune and your recent
accompany Dave
Mark Davies, via email from issue 207. issue, I’m not sure the art direction was
right for this adaptation. The book is a
weird mix of sci-fi and fantasy, a new
wave vision of the future, and it needed
to be weirder. What I really mean is, it
needed to be more Moebius.
Sarah Thomas, via Facebook
Ian replies Hi Sarah, while I get exactly
where you’re coming from, I think Dune’s
production design and art direction hit the Bryn Jones
mark. After speaking with the art team it was @artwithbryn
clear Dune was designed as a ‘timeless’ movie,
and I think there is something transient about If you’ve created art that you want us to
the approach. What do other readers think? shout about simply tag us on Twitter or
Instagram, and use the hashtag #imaginefx
Did you want more Moebius?

29
Feature
YUSUKE MOGI THE ART OF
FANTFINASALY XIV
The impression of a SPECIAL
line-drawing style has
been around since
Akihiko Yoshida’s time
so I try to preserve that
as much as possible
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’s art team lead
Yusuke Mogi reflects on his workflow, influences
and approach to design. Ian Dean takes notes…

T here’s a sense of
responsibility that comes
across when discussing
the art of Final Fantasy
XIV’s with art team lead
Yusuke Mogi. He speaks with a
reference to the series as a whole, but
also on creating concept art.
As a veteran Final Fantasy artist
Mogi-san is aware of the traditions of
3D assets or photobash at all. In that
sense, it’s almost like a ‘traditional’
way of doing things.”
THE FINAL FANTASY LOOK
For many, Mogi-san’s art is the
epitome of the Final Fantasy style. One
glimpse of an elegantly sketched figure
swathed in colour washes and flowing
robes and you know you’re in Square
the world’s leading RPG series. “The Enix’s long-running RPG series.
impression of a line-drawing style has Despite the traditional watercolour
been around since Akihiko Yoshida’s feel of Mogi-san’s illustrations, he lets
time, so I try to preserve that as much us into a secret of how he captures the
as possible,” says the artist, who GUNBREAKER facial expressions that fans love so
explains he works almost wholly THANCRED
Mogi-san’s concept art
much. “I draw the characters’ faces to
digitally using Photoshop and Clip and character designs convey the impression of actual 3D
Studio Paint, “ but in my case, to give have defined the look
of Final Fantasy XIV for models, instead of the faces that I’d
it a hand-drawn feel, I don’t use any many years. want to draw.”

30
 Yusuke Mogi
DEATH UNTO DAWN
Yusuke Mogi’s iconic art for
the fifth update to FFXIV:
Shadowbringers – Death Unto
Dawn update showcases the the
leaders of the game’s
world of Eorzea.

All images © 2010–2021 SQUARE ENIX CO.,LTD. All Rights Reserved.

31
Interview
MONSTER DESIGN
FFXIV has some of the most inspired and
detailed monster design in the MMORPG genre.
Mogi-san’s work is both inventive and functional,
a necessity of great game concept art.

It’s an eye-opening approach but Artist

one that shows the artist’s connection
to the game he’s helping to make.
Many of Mogi-san’s designs are created
PROFILE
Yusuke Mogi
as mood pieces or marketing art to LOCATION: Japan
promote the new game’s feel – for The lead character concept artist
example, his sublime Jobs roster – but has been working in games for
over 16 years.
he still considers how modellers will MEDIA: Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint
use them. WEB: [Link]
“Even if the idea is good, it’ll be a
waste if it can’t be expressed effectively
course, there are influences and
in the game,” says Mogi-san, revealing numerous things that have served to
his advice for any wannabe video inspire me,” he tells us.” When I design
game concept artists: “Concept artists something realistic and compelling,
and 3D modellers are inseparable. I’ll start off with textual references, ECHOES OFA
So, if you have a chance, do be sure such as a novel. FALLEN STAR
These days Mogi-san
to take on the challenge of 3D “As for catchy designs, I look toward uses Photoshop and
modelling. You can also learn more anime and manga as reference. For Clip Studio Paint for a
traditional watercolour
about concept art and it also expands something that will leave an feel to his art.
your range of expression.” impression, I’ll refer to movies. In
such a way, I separate how I use working in the industry, is to play
FINDING INSPIRATION
The age-old artist’s dilemma of
reference materials.”
The artist feels that taking in a broad
other people’s games.
He explains: “I believe it’s crucial to
figuring out when an illustration is spectrum of references can foster fresh play games from our competitors in
‘finished’ can be taken out of a game ideas. New artistic discoveries are order to foster new discoveries if one
concept artist’s hands, shares Mogi- made when you can be open to ideas finds themself in a situation (or state
san. “The design is complete (‘works’) from other media. However, Mogi- of mind) where they’ve reached a
when it can be produced in-game with san’s biggest piece of advice for a video stumbling point about their abilities or
the modelling and animation, and game concept artist, even if you’re ideas as an artist.”
without any bugs in the data,” he says. All of this comes together when the
While the process of creating art can
be framed by the production process, As for catchy designs, artist starts designing memorable
characters. For Final Fantasy XIV
it doesn’t hinder Mogi-san’s need to I look toward anime and Mogi-san reveals he likes to give them
be creative, and find new inspiration
for his characters and artwork. “Of manga as reference a little more of a manga or anime feel,
“to make them more unique.”

32
Yusuke Mogi
REFLECTIONS IN CRYSTAL
Mogi-san’s dramatic illustration to promote
the FFXIV: Shadowbringers’s Reflections
in Crystal release shows the mysterious
Crystal Exarch character. The artist says
he draws inspiration from books, anime
and even other video games.

33
Feature
COVER DESIGN SECRETS
Yusuke Mogi painted this issue’s cover. Here he reveals some of the thinking behind its creation…

T THE COMPOSITIO
The moon needed to play a big role in the illustration,
Mogi-san explains: “I did consider how to plan it out in
landscape, but since it would be desirable to have the
moon […] above everyone’s heads at the top, I started with
the portrait composition.”

DRAWING THE PALA

“Initially, I had drawn the paladin in a pose where he’s HARACTER PLACEM
sitting […] but because he was seated, his face was slightly “Since a lot of figures have black costumes, I placed them so that they
below the centre of the image. I received feedback [from wouldn’t be so close together. I tried to balance the difference in heights and
Naoki Yoshida]: ‘He doesn’t look like the protagonist; sizes of the weapons so that the whole body of the characters could be
please adjust the face so that it is more in the centre.’” included in the picture.”

34
 Yusuke Mogi
FINAL ARTWORK
To the moon
“Since the key Job this time is Paladin and the
moon is an important location, I decided on the
overall concept around these two elements.”

Setting the composition

“The most fun characters would be the
Warrior of Light and Estinien, especially
because this time around the paladin’s AF
[Artifact Armour] is based around plate mail.
As such, the design doesn’t have a great
affinity with the costumes of either Thancred
or Alphinaud.”

A“I decided
sense of variety
to express the wide-ranging world
of FFXIV by intentionally placing the Warrior
of Light between Thancred and Alphinaud,
while placing Estinien with his heavy armour
at the back, having them blend in with the
others as a whole.”

35
Interview
SAMURAI AF
AF, or Artifact Armour,
is new gear gained
through levelling.
Mogi-san says great
care is taken to ensure
each new gear feels
unique and unified.

DRAGOON AF
COLLECTION
Mogi-san will contrast
his realistical character
designs with exotic
armour concepts.

The artist shares his way of

working: “For the face, I’ll make the
nose slightly small and the eyes a little
far apart. I guess I try to create a face
that’s somewhere between anime and
real life. By doing so, they look good in
the striking and unrealistic costume
designs, but also it enables me to
provide ideas that are in line with the
game’s graphics and capabilities to
express those characters. However, we
don’t want to make a game with just
beautiful faces, and in this regard I try
to employ ingenuity to recreate many
unique faces in the game.”
COSTUME DESIGN
Games such as Final Fantasy XIV are “On the other hand,” he reflects, “I
successful for their must-own costume endeavour to prepare crafted sets and
and asset design as much as the instanced dungeon rewards with a
impact of the characters. Here Mogi- combination of materials, so that
san also invests time and creativity in players can enjoy relative freedom in
coming up with unique ideas he how they want to equip each
knows gamers will love to collect. individual piece as they play.”
He explains how there’s not a set
policy in regards to which pieces of
gear they expect players to want or
STAYTHE COURSE
Mogi-san talks as an artist constantly
wear in-game as sets, and which are adjusting to the new rules and
designed to combine themselves. “This workflows of game design. But within
isn’t everything but as a general policy. that strict production setup he still
There are some pieces of gear that we manages to eke out his own style –
want players to wear as a full set and one that offers a graceful link between
others that we’d like players to pick digital art and a deft traditional
and choose various combinations.” approach to design.
There is, however, game design at “I’m constantly changing my taste
play. “Raid rewards and token rewards in drawing and the direction of my
[…] motivate players to collect gear, so ideas, but I’d say that my approach to
I try to design gear that has an design basically remains unchanged,”
integrated and impactful design, reflects the artist. “Having said that,
which would make players want to the times are changing at a very fast
gather the full set,” says Mogi-san. pace, and I don’t know what will
happen in the future.”
I try to design He jokes: “I always just give out
a plethora of ideas, so it would
gear that has an be an easier job for me if an AI
could produce the clean versions
integrated and FUTURES REWRITTEN
Promotional art created for the of the designs…”
impactful design FFXIV: Shadowbringers 5.4
update. Mogi-san says he’s
often inspired by anime.
Somehow we think AI couldn’t
replace Mogi-san’s talent.

36
 Yusuke Mogi
REAPER
Mogi-san created this
dramatically whispy illustration
to showcase the new Reaper
Job (classes in the game) for
FFXIV: Endwalker.

37
 Artist
PROFILE
Sabin Boykinov
LOCATION: Bulgaria
Sabin is a concept artist
working in the games
industry. He’s based at
Ubisoft Sofia and is
involved in many popular
titles. He also creates traditional
illustrations and outdoor art inspired

s and thoeookcean
by nature and fairy tales. When he’s

sterious sw am p not painting or drawing, you’ll find him

al forests, my rtist’s sketchb

hiking up mountains, listening to

Explorepththesmthaagticfeature in this concept a

music or poring over his art books.
[Link]/boykinov

de
TALES
FROM THE LAKE
“Pencil work inspired by my
favourite fairytale topics: knights and
mysterious swamps. I tried to tell a story
of a long-forgotten battle and the
remains of a knight who’s gradually
become part of the environment,
Now he’s a home or a resting
place for animals.”

SWAMP
KING
“This is another one of my
fairytale interpretations of a
character who lives in a mystical
place. I love to explore certain
ideas in the tales and to use
symbols when creating my
personal vision of
the character.”

SEASIDE
STORIES
“I created this illustration for a
contest run by an amazing
illustrator, Dimitrios Pantazis,
based on his artwork of a fish in
a plastic bag. I draw a regular
day by the seaside, as
seen through the eyes
of this character.”

38
 SketchbookSabin Boykinov

THE
EXPLORER
“This is my interpretation
of how a diver can have an
interesting experience

past three or four years, I’ve

even at the bottom of
the ocean.”

done a tribute pencil work

COLOUR THE
SKETCHES
“A small collection of colour
SAMURAI’S TALE
“Every Halloween, for the past three or
pencil sketches. I try to four years, I’ve done a tribute pencil work.
combine regular subjects in This is last year’s Halloween piece, which
each one, adding some is inspired by samurai tales of heroes
visual storytelling.” who can take either human or
animal form.”

39
 THE LOST FRIEND
“A pencil illustration inspired by tales of
knights. It shows the idea of how medieval
people imagined nature, especially forests, as
a place full of secrets and perhaps
ghosts, too.”

FOREST SPIRIT
“The idea of how nature acquires the spirit of
a long-time dead warrior. There are some Norse
elements in the helmet and the birch
tree in the background.”

idea of how medieval

people imagined nature,
especially forests…

YOUR
BODY IS A
TEMPLE
“A sketch I did for Alex
Hovey’s ‘draw this in your
style’ lockdown contest Your
Body is a Temple. It contains
some of my favourite
symbolic objects from
knightly tales, such as a
spear, a dragon on a
helmet and
a thistle.”

40
 SketchbookSabin Boykinov

ST NIKOLAS DAY DEEP

“St Nikolas Day is a highly anticipated
day of celebration here in Bulgaria, for all
people connected with the sea. Because
OCEAN TATTOO
“I love tattoo culture so
my childhood related to the seaside I did a small tribute to
and with many cats who live in the it, creating a kind of
fishermen’s houses, I did this sketch underwater studio
to show a day in the life of a of an octopus.”
fisherman’s cats.”

SKETCHES
FROM THE ROAD
“I love travelling and spend a lot of time doing it,
exploring the coastline of Greece or places like my
home city. I always keep a small sketchbook in
my bag. This is a collection of sketches
I did during my travels.”

Do you want to share your sketches with your fellow ImagineFX readers? Send us an email with a
selection of your art, captions for each piece and a photo and bio of yourself to sketchbook@[Link]

41
Feature

L et the art do the

talking is something
you don’t hear too
often in the social
media age. A new
illustration is often accompanied by
interviews, hot takes and reactions.
The art team behind Final Fantasy XIV
and its latest expansion, Endwalker,
are a little more old fashioned. They
rarely appear for interviews, safe in
the knowledge that the art they create
is some of the best in the industry.
Speaking exclusively to ImagineFX,
we meet some of the talented artists

FINAL FAN
behind one of the longest-running
video game series. With Final Fantasy
XIV: Endwalker releasing 7 December,
the latest expansion for the successful

THE ART OF

MMORPG, the famously shy artists Final Fantasy is one of the world’s most
behind the worlds, creatures and popular and long-running video games
characters reveal their approach to
producing consistently beautiful art series. Ian Dean discovers how the art team
and game designs. creates its innovative worlds and characters
BACKGROUND BY DESIGN
Like many, background concept
specialist Rokuma Saito knew from an
early age he wanted to be an artist. At
high school he’d “visually express the
landscapes that I imagined in my
head.” It was an obsession that led
him to “try my hand as an artist in
game production”.
The names of the places he’s helped
create – Thavnair, Eulmore and
Abalathia – play on the tongue; the
dextrous titles suggest magical,
extravagant worlds and they don’t
disappoint. Saito-san’s landscapes
feature rocky plateaus teetering on
crystal points and colourful towns
nestled in green mountains that recall
southern European villages by way

ENDWALKER JOBS
Jobs are the classes players can use in the FFXIV
online MMORPG, and art team lead Yusuke Mogi
has illustrated them all…

42
 TASY XIV
SPECIAL
THE ART OF
FANTFINASALY XIV

.devreseR sthgiR llA .DTL,.OC XINE ERAUQS 1202–0102 © segami llA

Feature

RADZ-AT-HAN (INSIDE)
This city region is now new and
explorable in FFXIV, Saito-san says
it’s a vibrant and colourful space,
and paired with intricate details.

EULMORE AETHERYTE
Concept art created by Saito-san to illustrate the town of Eulmore, first introduced in Shadowbringers.

of Mumbai. The worlds he paints while still at high school. He read the
appear to be in motion and inspired manga Record of Lodoss War,
by competing influences, but they illustrated by Akihiro Yamada
work together to create innovative – “that totally blew me away,” he
spaces for players to become lost in. says. This, shares Saito-san, became
The artist says he’s inspired by “the the starting point for his current art
scenery of places I’ve visited in the style. The artist clarifies: “The final
past, photos of places I’ve never been turning point for me to join the games
to, pictures by various artists,” as well industry was Vagrant Story, which was
as films, games, anime and manga. released by Squaresoft [prior to the
“Like many artists,” continues Saito- merger] in 2000. I was quite heavily
san, “I get my inspiration from the influenced by Akihiko Yoshida, who
things around me. In the last few years handled the art for this title.”
I’ve learned a great deal from the
Impressionists of the 19th century.”
When creating an environment
BRINGING LIFE TO SCENES
The concept art for the city of Radz-at-
Saito-san will look to the real world Han inside the land of Thavnair, new
but then clash, crush and combine to Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker,
locations to find new ideas. His style showcases Saito-san’s ability to draw
is unique in video game concept art in the viewer. The scene is bustling
because it’s defined and stylistically with activity, the characters urge us
unique while remaining identifiable into the painting, and the use of
as Final Fantasy art. The artist uses colour rarely lets the eye settle. We’re VIERA SAGE
vibrant colour to create restless spaces forced to scour the scene picking up Mogi-san’s new Viera concept
that demand to be explored. He tells visual clues and cues as to what this for Endwalker, created with a
line-art style influenced by
us his style was developed early in life, place will be like to roam within. Akihiko Yoshida.

44
 ALPHINAUD
LEVEILLEUR
Namae-san created
this concept to show
how faithful companion
Alphinaud Leveilleur
will look in Endwalker,
the first redesign of the
character since 2013.

RADZ-AT-HAN
Saito-san’s colour-
packed art teases
how the new city of
Radz-At-Han will look
to players of FFXIV:
Endwalker.

Humbly, Saito-san says he feels itself,” divulges Saito-san, explaining I let the image develop on paper, and
colouring is one of his weakest skills colour use in concept art is vitally when I’m satisfied that I’ve reached a
“because during my time as a student, important. “In the case of game stage where I feel it’ll work – even if it’s
I’d always draw in monochrome”. It’s production, I think that colour can not fully drawn – I’ll scan it,” he says.
an area of his art he’s been working help modellers and designers The scan marks the start of the
hard on since becoming a professional. understand the concept art. Based on digital phase for Saito-san, who then
“The impact that colour has in art these ideas, I’d say that in addition to uses Photoshop mainly for his
on the viewer is so great that it can ‘enriching the appearance of the background paintings and switches to
evoke emotions and stories all by picture’, I place importance on Paint Tool SAI for the character’s line-
‘conveying the elements contained art, importing these into Photoshop
I think that colour can within, without misunderstanding’.”
Saito-san begins a new concept with
when detail is needed.
Saito-san says this is his new
help modellers and designers paper and pencil to come up with the workflow: “There used to be a time
understand the concept art raw ideas. “I don’t often start
immediately with drawing digitally.
when I’d complete the production of
design and concept art using only

45
Feature

traditional ‘analog’ materials, but

now I’ve settled on this way of doing
DANCER
Namae-san says:
“I often create
things, considering the combination design illustrations
of time, quality and freedom.” or promotional
illustrations by using a
GIVE ART CHARACTER
Lead character concept artist Ayumi
combination of various
tools such as pencil,
pen, watercolour, and
airbrush so that no
Namae has been on a similar journey ‘analog’ lines remain.”
with her art. There was a time, she tells
us, that she would only use
Photoshop, but for the past five years
Clip Studio Paint has been her go-to
software for Final Fantasy XIV designs. THAVNAIR BUILDING
Saito-san says: “The
“Functionally,” she begins, “there’s reason I started
not much difference between the drawing in the first
place was due to the
two, but I feel that the touch when huge influence of Neon
drawing and/or the sensation of it Genesis Evangelion,
which I watched when
feels better for me.” I was a young boy.”
As with Saito-san, Namae-san
begins most concept art for her game “I’m not very particular about how I materials are important design
projects using pencils for her line- draw, and I still haven’t settled on a elements, I may include the texture of
work, “but sometimes with certain way of drawing because I go dirt and so on in the illustration.”
mechanical pencils or ballpoint pens,” through a trial-and-error process every Namae-san has been designing
she adds, telling us she’ll then digitally time, depending on the motif, subject characters since 2006’s Final Fantasy
paint the scanned sketches. matter and technique I want to try at XII, but she’s become more known for
the time,” she reveals. her work on Final Fantasy XIV and its
I feel that the touch when “When I want to minimise the time
spent on a design illustration, I leave
expansions, concepting and updating
some of the main heroes and villains
drawing and/or the sensation the ‘analog’ lines in place and only of the online series.
of it feels better for me lightly colour and adjust the lines, but
when the texture and feel of the
Her love of the Final Fantasy series
comes through as we delve into

46
 THE AMANO INFLUENCE
Iconic Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano became
a crucial influence, reflects Ayumi Namae
Ayumi Namae was lines. When Naoki Yoshida was
responsible for the appointed to Final Fantasy XIV and
various forms of the during the gear selection process,
Bard’s costume but the idea of Choral Attire was
says the Choral Attire selected for the AF1 series [AF
that was created for the 2006 refers to Artifact Armor, gear
expansion A Realm Reborn is one earned with level increases], which
of her favourites. we were working on as the
“It’s a particularly memorable centrepiece under the statement of
set of gear,” the artist says. ‘creating a Final Fantasy’ for Patch
“Looking back now, I think it was 2.0. I was, of course, happy, but
the first step in incorporating at the same time I was confused
MALE VIERA Amano-san’s graceful Final and worried.”
You’ll be able to play as a male Fantasy design lines into Final She continues: “The designer
Viera in Endwalker, and
Mogi-san gives us a glimpse.
Fantasy XIV’s equipment.” team, including the 3D team, now
Now, some years later, the line- has more experience and is able to
work and designs of the legendary create designs with a higher
Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka degree of freedom than when we
Amano are incorporated into, and were working on Patch 2.0.
inspire, much of the work of the However, when we were working
Final Fantasy XIV art team. on the Choral Attire there were
Looking back before A Realm many asymmetrical parts and a
Reborn, Namae-san says: “At that large area of soft cloth that was
time, the designs were mainly difficult to express with polygons,
rugged and there were no pieces making the production quite a
of gear close to Amano’s design challenging process.”

Namae-san’s influences, particularly

on her rendering of armour. She has a
WHITE MAGE
Namae-san says she
designed this mage
clear passion for the RPG series, saying character based on
“the Job images from the early Final medieval fantasy film
costumes and as a
Fantasy pixel art days and Yoshitaka reference to the older
Amano’s design lines in the Final Final Fantasy pixel
art games.
Fantasy series,” have been a major
inspiration for her. But Namae-san
also looks to the real world, historical
fashion and fantasy series such as
Game of Thrones and The Lord of the
Rings for new ideas.
“Final Fantasy XIV has many
different cultures, so I gather motifs
that suit each of them and reconstruct
them to create the base of the design,”
she tells us, offering an example. The
Paladin had an orthodox platemail- A“TheDESIGN THAT LOOK TO THE PAST
bard’s Tier 1 Artifact Armor, Choral Attire, was designed with Yoshitaka Amano’s design line in
based design in the new game. “[It the Final Fantasy series strongly in mind.”
has] a little bit of glamour,” says

47
Feature
CREATING THE ICONIC
ALEXANDER PRIME
Tetsu Tsukamoto details how he approaches concepting the stages of a classic boss
Give it legs Work
“The planning team asked
me to give Alexander legs,
backwards
“In the past, when I
and I had already designed designed Summons in Final
an Alexander Prime with Fantasy XIII and figures
legs, but it was rejected. So based on transformation/
when I accepted the combining elements such
request, they wanted me to as Brute Justice, the
transform Brute Justice and methodology that I
Cruise Chaser, and merge employed was to ‘design
the two together.” backwards from after the
transformation’. I couldn’t
use the same technique for
Perfect Alexander, and I had
no choice but to take the
safe road and make the
Cruise Chaser plug into the
body to form the head.”

48
 Namae-san, who says the design
was kept more realistic to match the
series tone of this final expansion.
“When [Naoki] Yoshida made the
rough selection, he had a vision for the
opening act of the trailer,” says
Namae-san. His words, she tells us,
were: “a ‘Warrior of Light’ in a hooded
robe is walking on the moon, looking
down, and every step is shown in the
shot, and then comes the heavy sound
of clanging armour”.
She continues: “I expanded on the
visuals from those words, bringing to
mind the heroic image of the Paladin
in the Final Fantasy series.”
TELLING STORIES
At the heart of Namae-san’s approach
is for concept art and character design
to tell a story. “Each design is a piece of
the world of Final Fantasy XIV, so the
task is to create a design that visually
expresses the cultural sphere and
setting while incorporating elements
that are appropriate for that piece.
With each update, the world of Final
Designing Fantasy XIV expands, so it’s hard to
transitions differentiate aspects of the game from
“As for Brute Justice, I ran out the rest, but I’m very happy when I can
of ideas when I re-
disassembled the transformed express it well.”
body and replaced the Digging deeper into this aspect or
positioning of the arms and
legs. To this end, a meeting
constant change, Namae-san explains
was held to discuss the
transformation and combining
process. As a result, we Each design is
settled on the idea that for
Brute Justice would first be
a piece of the
world of Final
separated and absorbed by
Alexander Prime, and the
arms and legs would then
protrude out from the body,
which was suggested [by] the
team responsible for in-game
implementation. This idea
Fantasy XIV…
didn’t occur to me because I how working on a game like Final
was thinking about Final
Fantasy XIII Summons and
Fantasy XIV that’s forever changing
Brute as a ‘toy’ of sorts, and as and improving with live updates is
such I was thinking about both satisfying and challenging. The
transformations that would be
physically possible.” release cycle of updates is fast and the
art team responds to feedback from
players to incorporate changes. “I
think it’s one of the most rewarding
things that you cannot experience for
offline titles,” she says.
Creating concept art for an online
game comes with its own peculiar
difficulties, says Namae-san. The sheer
number of players in a game like Final
Beat the boss? Fantasy XIV, a record-breaking 67,000
“The rest was done on the
game side. Fantastic model concurrent players on PC alone,
data was prepared, and the ensures there are many restrictions on
textures and motion added.
The only regret I have is that
the specifications of assets.
I wasn’t able to take on the “There are also a lot of rules for
challenge of Alexander players’ gear, especially when it comes
Ultimate due to my
shortcomings as a player.”
to the length and spread of hems,
shoes and gloves,” adds Namae-san,
“so that they can be combined

49
Feature

NIDHOGG
Tsukamoto-san says he
reworked the design of
Nidhogg to distance it from the
“big-bellied” dragons usually
found in FFXIV. This creature
first appeared in the FFXIV
expansion Heavensward.

without odd overlaps with the

varieties of gear that increase following
KUGANE
This vibrant city
debuted in the
each expansion.” Such things don’t Stormblood expansion
dampen the team’s creativity, however, and is one of artist
Saito-san’s favourites.
as Namae-san explains all “ideas are “It’s where I was able to
freely expressed” without restraint, let my creativity run
wild,” he says.
and are then worked on to meet the
needs of the 3D art team.
“Even if the design seems difficult
to implement at the rough stage, the
process of looking for loopholes in the
specifications and devising ways to
create a new impression is an
interesting part of the work,” says the species, and each has unique aspects such as height and muscle
artist. “Thanks to the experience we’ve considerations when designing mass, I try to design them in a way that
accumulated with the 3D team, we armour sets, for example. Namae-san makes the most of the characteristics
have much more freedom in design WILD CREATIVITY says complex designs for characters of the race and the image associated
now than we did in the early days.” “It’s hard for me to
name a favourite piece with tails and ears, such as the fan- with them” explains the artist.
favourite Viera, can be challenging. In the case of Alisaie Leveilleur’s
EARS, TAILS AND MORE
There are more pressures on an artist
of art because I tend to
lose track of what I’ve
worked on a short
while after delivering
“The opportunities to design
exclusively for them are quite limited,
costume from new expansion
Endwalker, Namae-san reveals this is
them. If I had to pick
designing for Final Fantasy XIV than one, I’d say Kugane, but since the tail and ears are the most the first completely original design
technical specs. The game has a roster where I was able to let
my creativity run wild,” distinctive parts of the design since the game’s reboot with A Realm
of immaculately crafted races and says Saito-san. silhouette, including proportional Reborn seven years ago. “So I designed
it to take advantage of her ears as an
Elezen,” reflects Namae-san, “and her
delicate, lithe, fairy-like proportions.”
Weapons are given as much time as
characters, and many members of the
art team are often drafted in to create a
new concept. Nouliths, used by
Alphinaud, a Sage in this expansion,
are new to Endwalker, and Namae-san
details the process of bringing this
new item to the game. Several young
artists on the team drafted rough ideas
based on ideas given by the “battle
team”, and one was adopted.
“It was a very interesting idea as a
weapon type that hadn’t appeared in
Final Fantasy XIV so far, but it was
impossible to implement as-is due to

50
the specifications,” says Namae-san. THAVNAIR
Art team lead Yusuke Mogi refined the
idea and later, with the 3D production
LANDSCAPE
Saito-san’s detailed
design for the new
team and motion team, art staff at the area of Thavnair feels
studio with experience in mechanical inspired by the Indian
subcontinent and the
design created the weapon as players Middle East.
will find it in the game. As we discover
from speaking with Mogi-san and
Tetsu Tsukamoto, this is an art team
working together to bring fresh ideas
to the game.
“Many staff members are involved BALANCEDART
Saito-san believes
in the creation of new weapons for good concept art
new Jobs, but compared to all the new should be beautiful and
also useful, saying: “I
Job weapons we’ve implemented so think that the skill of the
far, the design of the sage’s weapon artist itself is how well
he or she balances
was more difficult and challenging these two aspects.”
right from concept selection through
to incorporating the specifications,” With so much work involved in team’s department signs off on the
says Namae-san. “Having said that, every aspect of Endwalker’s design, we concept, and finally producer and
I believe the end result is that we were pose Namae-san one more question: director Naoki Yoshida checks the
able to create a weapon that brings when do you know a design is concept. Yoshida-san himself will
with it a fresh new perspective.” finished? Her answer is typically team- often be involved at an early stage to
focused, explaining “design look over ideas.
We have much more completion” happens when everyone
involved is happy. On Final Fantasy ROOM FOR NEW IDEAS
freedom in design now than XIV that means deciding on raw ideas, It’s a process the experienced character
we did in the early days taking the idea into 3D and creating a
clean blueprint of the concept. Each
concept artist Tetsu Tsukamoto has
become familiar with, but the

51
Feature
THE AETHEROMATIC AUGER
Mogi-san blends his anime and manga
influences with more realistic design.

CONCEPT ART REBORN

Art team lead Yusuke Mogi breaks down his concept
art workflow for Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Yusuke Mogi says advance about what kind of
creating art becomes movement mechanics are needed.
a collaborative process To this end, a simplified diagram may
as he acts on feedback also be included.”
from the game’s By following his workflow Mogi-
broader art team. san can prevent errors creeping into
“First, we submit thumbnails to his designs that could slow down the
the planners, concept artists, animation stage. It’s simpler and
modellers and animators,” he says. cheaper, he says, to make revisions
“After checking them, we get started at the thumbnail stage than in-game
on ‘clean’ versions of them. While when models are being created.
adjusting based on the feedback “However,” shares Mogi-san, “even
and such, we’ll make one clean after the face graphics have been
drawing of the idea and a simple applied to the actual model, they can
three-dimensional drawing.” often look very different in
Mogi-san continues: “If there’s cutscenes and other situations.
anything that should be highlighted Consequently, it’s often the case that
for attention, we indicate them
directly as notes on the clean
we’ll adjust the faces of characters
and humanoid monsters through MALE VIERA
Characters are
drawing. If there’s any movement, trial and error after they’ve been designed to consider
how players will use
we discuss with the animators in incorporated into the game.” and modify them.

REAPER
The Reaper Job is new to Endwalker, and Mogi-san has had fun creating the shapes and details for this class.

52
 process doesn’t dampen his
creativity or love of stumbling on to
creative new designs. Fan-favourite
creature Nidhogg is one of Tsukamoto-
san’s best, and it came about because
the studio’s process and his search for
inspiration came together.
“When it came to Nidhogg,”
explains Tsukamoto-san, “I was
originally requested to create two
figures, comprising a black dragon and
white dragon. However, even after
showing rough drafts to my superior
at the time more than a dozen times,
I just couldn’t get the greenlight. The
thing that stands out is that in the end RAK’TIKA GREATWOOD
The luscious canopy of this
I got approval for the first proposal wooded area was a fan-favourite
that was initially turned down.” in Shadowbringers, and comes
alive in Saito-san’s brush-strokes.
He continues: “I tried to design
Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr as contrasts,
incorporating scales and scissor- special attacks) for Final Fantasy X, he
shaped horns into Nidhogg, while took inspiration from a dark fantasy
placing fur and curled horns on manga and anime to craft the fan-
Hraesvelgr. I changed the outline to favourite Anima. “From there I studied
distinguish them from the big-bellied the atmosphere produced by artists
dragons we had in Final Fantasy XIV such as Yasushi Nirasawa and
thus far. The inspiration for those Takayuki Takeya,” he tells us. “I found
designs came to me by imagining that that both of the rough figures I
I was completely surrounded by their produced had a good vibe, so I
long bodies! At the time, I had just connected them so that one was at the
been transferred to the Final Fantasy top and the other at the bottom.”
XIV team from the old Final Fantasy The artist tells us: “It makes me
XIII Versus (currently Final Fantasy incredibly happy to see that Anima is
XV) team, so I had a lot of ideas for being used again, with the appearance
attack methods and such.”
Tsukamoto-san enjoys the workflow
this time in Final Fantasy XIV.” Y’SHTOLA as a whole. They have a deep
understanding of its lore, design and
ATheFRAMEWORK FOR TEAMWORK
Fan-favourite character
Y’shtola returns in
of combining ideas, styles and even FFXIV: Endwalker. concepts, and are given room to create
previously ignored concepts. When he artists we speak with have a clear new ideas with a framework that
was asked to create a “cruel” Summon passion for not simply this iteration of encourages teamwork.
(the series’ extravagant monstrous Final Fantasy, but a love for the series Reflecting on Tsukamoto-san’s
Anima concept, designed for a
The inspiration for those designs previous game, reworked for Final
came to me by imagining that I was Fantasy XIV and created from
imaginative references and guided by
surrounded by their long bodies! a broad and talented team, it’s typical
of the studio’s approach.
Endwalker, as the name suggests, is
the finale of the years-long Hydaelyn
and Zodiark story arc that has kept
players enthralled. “It’s the
culmination of everything Final
Fantasy XIV has done so far,”
comments art team lead Yusuke Mogi.
“From the diverse cultural cityscapes
to the sinister dungeons, you’ll be able
to appreciate a vast world that can be
described as representing the essence
of the Final Fantasy series.”
The work this team has put in over
EULMORE
Saito-san got into art
the years represents some of the most
because of the anime inventive in video games, and Mogi-
Neon Genesis
Evangelion. “At the
san urges us all to play to the end. But
time I was constantly don’t take his or our word for how
copying the characters
drawn by Yoshiyuki impressive this is. When all is said and
Sadamoto,” he says. done, let the art do the talking…

53
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costume designers describe their Sarmento bring you insights on there’s Adi Granov’s life lessons, master painter JS Rossbach
work on the film, and the book’s original character design. We also Terry Dobson’s tutorial on comic shares his advice for perfecting
influence. Plus: paint fantasy talk to Spider-Verse artist Patrick covers, David Najayama revamps portraits, learn to paint vintage
environments, D&D card art and O’Keefe, concept artist Karla Ortiz Zorro and Igor Wolski draws in fantasy art from 3D scans and
up the ante in your portrait art. and illustrator Iris Compiet. the ligne claire comic style. master fish-eye perspective.

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54
 GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!

Workshops assets
are available…
Download each workshop’s resources by turning to
page 6. And if you see the video workshop badge,
you can watch the artist in action, too.

Advice from the world’s best artists

64 56

70 This issue:
56 Design a limitless
game environment
Brandt Andrist’s landscape has
countless possibilities…
62 Enjoy painting
in watercolours
Isis Sousa covers Painter 2022’s
three sets of watercolours.
64 Improve your
76 boss designs
Tristan Tait creates a boss
character for a 2D indie game.
70 Set up a modular
art workflow
Get more from what you already
have, says Thomas Scholes!
76 Speedpaint a
mech design
See how Kobe Sek uses negative
space to sketch mech concepts.

55
 Workshops
Blender & Photoshop
CONCEPT
LIMITLESSAGAME
ENVIRONMENT
Using simple 3D techniques, Brandt Andrist creates
a procedural landscape with countless possibilities…

56
In depth Game environment

57
 Workshops
Artist The best technology surface with a particle system. To get the most from this
PROFILE meets us where we are.
That’s why I keep my
Instead of hand-crafting the terrain
and hand-placing props, I create
workshop, you’ll need some basic
knowledge of Blender and
Brandt Andrist approach to 3D them procedurally so that I can Photoshop. If you’ve ever modelled
LOCATION: Sweden simple. Instead of shuffle my composition like a deck and rendered a basic scene in
Art director and concept learning every tool, I ask myself: of cards. I do this so I can explore the Blender, you’ll be able to follow
artist Brandt has been
part of the video games
“How can this software empower scene, seeing it with fresh eyes each along. If you’d like to learn more
industry since 2011, first my creativity?” time, and rendering whenever I find about Blender, I recommend Blender
in Seattle and now in I’ll use Blender to create terrain by a strong composition. Guru on YouTube. He has hundreds
Sweden. He loves to
paint, play music, and
adding modifiers to a flat plain. I In Photoshop, I’ll create colour by of hours of content, and his beginner
hang out with his family. populate this terrain by modelling mashing together photos, sketch series is perfect for anyone looking to
[Link] simple buildings, trees and rocks, detailed architecture, and paint with break into 3D (also take a look at our
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RESOURCES
and scattering them across the custom brushes I’ve grown to love. sister magazine, 3D World – ed).

See page 6 now!

1 Establish the terrain for the scene

I need terrain for objects in my environment to sit on. I create a plane and add a subdivide modifier and a displacement modifier. On the
Texture tab I create a Distorted Noise texture. I use Original Perlin for the Distortion type, then select this texture in the Displacement modifier.

2 Generate simple 3D models

Next I create some simple props to populate my
terrain. I go for some tall towers, smaller concrete blocks, Create particle systems
3
bridges, trees and rocks. Keep them simple, and stick to Now select the terrain, and go to the Particle Properties tab. Click the plus
basic modelling techniques like extrude, bevel and cut. symbol to create a new particle index, and link one of the props using the
Create objects you can duplicate throughout your scene, Eyedropper tool in the Object sub menu. Getting the right settings takes
and that would be tedious to place by hand. experimentation, but changing the Particle Type from Emitter to Hair is crucial.

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 In depth Game environment

4 Populate your landscape

Repeat the previous step until you have an
assortment of props all sitting on top of your terrain.
Select each particle index, and adjust its parameters to
alter the look of your environment. You can adjust the 5 Explore the scene for interesting compositions
I set up basic lighting by using an HDRI image in the World shader. This
total number, size, orientation and random variation of creates realistic lighting without the need to place individual lights in the scene.
each prop type. Try adding additional prop types for a Next, I pan around the scene with the camera looking for interesting compositions.
diverse environment. In this stage, I like to pretend I’m a film director scouting locations for a film.

6 Render my chosen environment

In Render Properties I set the Render Engine to Cycles, and enable viewport shading. This way I can see a low-resolution version of
the final lighting within my viewport. I also increase my render resolution to 4K, and enable noise reduction and transparent background.
I continue to explore the environment, hitting F12 whenever I see a cool composition.

59
 Workshops
7 Colour palette creation
One way to create a colour palette with a lot of
variety and realism is to base it on a good photo. For this
painting, I use a photo that I took of a nearby castle here
in Sweden, using Levels and Color Balance to create light
and dark palettes for the foreground and background.

FOREGROUND

8 Colour thumbnail
Using my new colour palette, I begin blocking in colours. I try to keep my
layers simple, using only one new layer for each large fore-, mid- and background
element. This will enable me to easily adjust colour and contrast as I paint.

9 Sketch design and details

Now that I have a composition that I’m happy with, along with strong
BACKGROUND perspective and a plan for colour, it’s time to zoom in and sketch all of the smaller
elements. In preparation for this step I’ve done a series of studies to familiarise
myself with the architecture style, character anatomy and costume, and vegetation.

Temple/relics of the past

Gnarled
tree

Rider with arrows

in his back

Childhood bridge in disrepair

10 Establish a production plan

The time for exploration is over – it’s time to produce the final painting.
I write down what is important, what rules of composition I need to follow, and
underline the key points of the illustration I have to execute in order to be
successful. This ensures that no matter what, I don’t get distracted from my goal.

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 In depth Game environment

PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES BY
GREG RUTKOWSKI

I use a series of

12 Painting details in the scene

Photoshop brushes
created by concept
11 Carry out colour blocking
This is essentially a recreation of the colour
At this stage, I heavily reference my sketch, using
the Lasso tool and textured brushes to create clean,
artist Greg Rutkowski,
which are available on
Gumroad and ArtStation
thumbnail, but this time with added focus on clarity and strong shapes. Sometimes detailing means taking a small for only $6.
final polish. I toggle layers on and off, using my sketch, Round brush and drawing. But it can also mean masking
3D render, and colour thumbnail for reference, an area and using exactly the right brush to create the
depending on what part of the piece I’m trying to create. impression of detail.

13 Finding balance
Often when I add detail, I lose the balance between
foreground and background, creating additional contrast
14 Making final touches
that flattens the painting. To find balance, I refer back to I run the Sharpen tool over my focal points in the foreground, and use the
my production plan, using image adjustments to separate Blur tool to knock back noisy textures. I use the Sponge tool to saturate points of
the important elements and create strength and unity in interest, and Dodge to bring out highlights in metallic surfaces. Finally, I play
the composition. around with Adjustment layers to find dynamic colour and value combinations.

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 Workshop
Core Skills: Painter 2022 – Part 4
ENJOY PAINTING IN
WATERCOLOUR
Isis Sousa introduces you to Painter 2022’s three sets of
watercolours and gives her tips on how best to use them
Artist Most people enjoy keen to explore and emulate a more this media on your art workflow in a
PROFILE looking at watercolour
sketches and
traditional approach in their
illustrations, as well as providing
quick and simple way.
Notice that the brushes from each
Isis Sousa illustrations. While its options for creating a more digital- watercolour set will have both
LOCATION: Norway most recognisable looking watercolour effect. It’s also traditional and digital qualities.
Isis is an art director, a aspect is the washes, the medium is possible to combine these tools You’ll need to experiment with them
Corel Painter Master
Elite, a Xencelabs Artist
also used with oils, coloured pencils with any other media in Painter to find out which ones are a good fit
and indie filmmaker. She and other dry painting techniques. 2022, thanks to its enhanced brush for your art style. Many of these tools
also teaches and speaks Corel has done extensive research and layer technologies. are also accessories, rather than the
at CG events.
[Link]
to bring three watercolour sets to In this month’s instalment we’re watercolour pigment or wash itself.
Painter 2022’s art community. They going to unlock a few secrets that Think of it as your very own
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RESOURCES
meet the needs of artists who are will make it possible to incorporate watercolour studio kit!
See page 6 now!
Some brush strokes from this set. When you
select them, Painter will point out this media
works better in Gel Mode, so select ‘Take Care
of it For Me’ on the Layer Dialog.

To create more intense colours, either repeat/drag

brush strokes on top of each other, or duplicate your
layer. Remember to set the mode to Gel in case you
edit the layer and lose the setting.

The watercolour sets are the final options in

Painter’s New Brush Library. Here you’ll also
find auxiliary tools, such as the Splatter
Brush for spraying bubbles or the Pure
Water, which adds water to the underlying
colour (as the name suggests). Also found
here are Blenders and more expressive
brushes such as the Variable Speckle.

1 Use the Fringe watercolour set for more traditional results

Most tools produce more natural, realistic and soft results, although there are a few that retain a more deliberate, digital look. Overall, the
wash effect is more nuanced. If you want to emulate a more traditional look, combine this with a few tools in the Pigment set.

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 Core skills Painter 2022 - Watercolours
2 Pigment watercolour set
This set features brushes that will
Despite the interesting tools, I find this set has the Within this set are
most ‘digitalised’ overall look compared to Fringe, Wet tools, such as
which is more realistic and organic looking. the Grainy Wash,
enable you to work with a ‘drier’ Flat Wash or Runny.
technique. It’s similar to applying the
pigment with minimum wetness. The
brushes in this set have another key
characteristic: a high density of pigment
per brushstroke. This contrasts with Fringe,
which has a low concentration of pigment.

3 Real watercolour set

This is the most expressive set, with a
fun twist. It mixes the qualities of the
previous two, such as brushes that look
more realistic and others that look more Other tools are the Wash, which is similar to
spraying the pigment on to the paper; Salt,
digital, as well as being loaded with more which adds tiny air bubbles to the washes
pigment and water, and vice versa. Some and dry strokes; and the Wetting Agent,
brushes may render colour with more which adds a generous amount of water
within a concentrated pigment brush stroke.
substance than others.
Overall, these brushes tend to render
vibrant colours. Most of them create
soft washes, but there are a few that
produce a drier effect.

There are diverse tools available that can be

used at different stages of your workflow,
such as the Background wash for covering
larger areas; Fractal Wash and Dirty Water
for more expressive coverage and colouring
of smaller areas; and brushes for texturing If you like the basics, you may enjoy
and effects such as Tiger Lily or Dry Splatter. the Soft and Hard Round brushes.

This pencil sketch was

Here’s how the colours Here they are You can also let the purposely quite flat in I combined four watercolour brushes across
work when layered on mixed with a brush engine do the values, in order to build categories for this quick thumbnail sketch and
top of each other. blender. work for you. up the value range with finished it with a touch of white Pencil: Oily to
the watercolour brushes. create the highlight in the eyes and giving the
appearance of white fur strands.

4 Mixing your colours

There are three basic ways to mix colours or create gradients.
The first one is to simply have each colour on a separate layer, because Combine watercolours with pencil and ink
5
the washes are transparent and you can see underlying colours. The Corel Painter 2022 provides you with plenty of options to
second is to use an accessory tool such as a blender or wetting brush, choose from in the Inks and Pencils categories, to enhance your
and the third way is to use a tool that already generates gradients drawings, sketches and studies. Here you see two loose thumbnail
within the brush stroke. sketches where I used Pencil: Oily and Ink: Buildup Drippy.

63
 Workshops
Photoshop
IMPROVE YOUR
BOSS DESIGNS
Tristan Tait takes you through some different processes and design
ideas that go into creating a boss character for a 2D indie game
Artist Every good video explore the design to craft and create on multiple roles within the
PROFILE game needs a bad guy,
and coming up with
something memorable?
In his workshop, I’m going to run
development pipeline. For the
sake of this workshop I’m going
Tristan Tait an engaging boss through a few of the different to assume the role of art director,
LOCATION: Australia character can be a fun processes and ideas I explore when concept designer and character
Tristan is an Australian challenge. They’re bigger and meaner designing a boss character for a 2D artist… so basically I’m telling
freelance illustrator than the rest of the game’s grunts, indie game. I’ll also show how it can myself what to do, laying out ideas
who enjoys drawing
anything that’s a little and it’ll take a bit of work on the fit within the development pipeline. and then critiquing my own work!
weird and wild. player’s side to figure out how to beat Indie game companies are usually So sit back, grab a pen, and follow
[Link] them. What makes a good boss only small teams made up of a few along by scribbling up your own
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RESOURCES
character though, and what are
some of the different ways we can
people. As a result, it’s pretty
common for each member to take
cartoon monsters and see what your
next boss character could be.
See page 6 now!
1 Study the brief
Before I start drawing out any old boss character,
I need to make sure that it’s going to fit into the game
world. Our game designer and art director have provided
a design brief that gives me a good place to start. I’ve
underlined the important features and taken particular
note of the style they need: “Colourful and stylised
cartoon”. Clearly, my design will need to gel with the rest
RESOURCES of the game’s aesthetic.
otohpkcotSi/segamI ytteG

PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
HARD ROUND INKER

This basic hard Round

brush is perfect for
blocking in flat colours
and inking lines.
otohpkcotSi/segamI ytteG

TT_MAIN

A bristled brush with

Flow and Opacity
settings. This is my go-to 3 Exploring silhouettes
Next, I start blocking in silhouettes. I’m looking for
2 Find the mood
for most work.
an interesting and easy-to-read shape that helps show
SOFT ROUND01 With the brief in mind, I start collecting images to some key physical attributes of our boss. I’m also keeping
build up a mood board. I may not reference these directly in mind the other enemies throughout the level. Our
A simple Round brush in my final design, but I want a reminder of the feel of boss will need to feel similar yet more important. Maybe
with Opacity and Flow the environment and general vibe that we’re going for. it’s a beefed-up, or a more intelligent and battle-hardened
settings. Great for soft
blending or effects.
Here I’m feeling lots of gnarled dead trees, warty toads version – something that shows this character is ranked
and dark atmospheric swamps. over the others in one way or another.

64
In depth Boss designs

65
 Workshops

POWER SOURCE VINE ATTACHES HAMMER

GLOWING DURING POWER TO ARM CREATING A
UP – CHANGES COLOURS? RETRACTABLE PROJECTILE

4 Sketch out some details

I feel that the spiky looking guy has a pretty cool shape, so I lower the opacity and start sketching in some details on a new layer to flesh
out his design. I’ve added a few notes to get some key ideas across before showing it to the rest of the team.

SPIKES
RETRACTABLE WEAPON

POWER
SOURCE
RETRACTABLE
WEAPON

5 Revision and communication

I submit my sketch to the art director and animator to get their thoughts and to see if it works within the context of the game. Turns out
they hate it. It’s not ‘swampy enough’ for the level and the animator has pointed out potential issues with his bulky shoulder pads conflicting
with his hammer swings. They did like certain aspects though, so I choose another of my silhouettes and build on it with these notes in mind.

66
 In depth Boss designs

DRAFT 01 REFINED SKETCH AND DETAILS FINAL STYLISED LINE-WORK

6 Refine the sketch

With a newly approved sketch, I build on it while trying to emphasise key visual clues for the player. A boss fight should be a challenge to
beat, but not impossible. Visual hints can help prepare the player for what they’re up against. Spikes on top? Better not jump on it. Huge claw?
Probably going to swipe you with it. Big glowing orb? That’s probably important…

7 Block in the design

Keeping the 2D cartoon style in mind, I cel shade
the beast to give it some depth. I create a grey base below SAME
my line layer and then use Multiply and Soft Light layers WEAPON
EXTENDED RETRACTED
to draw in my shadows and highlights. I do this with the
same hard Round inker brush I used for the line-work.

POWER PACK
(COOL IDEA-
8 Develop variations MAYBE
MAKE IT MORE
Using my greyscale character as a base, I duplicate ORGANIC?)
and paint in some variations to show our team. They
want to see how he might look with armour or different
attachments, so I experiment a little and end up mashing
a few of the ideas into one for the final version.

67
 Workshops

WEAPON OPENS WHEN RETRACTED FRONT BACK

DETAIL DETAIL DETAIL
LUMINESCENT

PROJECTILE FIRE
NATURAL STATE
RETRACTED

9 Prepare turnarounds for further down the pipeline

Creating a turnaround of the character will help the modeller and animator to see it from every angle, making their job much easier. I’m
taking care to point out important features here that must be included in the models. This can then be sent off to the modeller or animator to
start building up the base character while we play around with the superficial stuff, such as colours.

CLAW
ATTACK

ANTICIPATION ATTACK
JUMP
ATTACK

10 Colour tests
I’m now overlaying my
ANTICIPATION JUMP FALL ATTACK

greyscale image with different

colour variations to see what 11 Sketch key frames of the boss’s attacks
To help the animators, I’m sketching up quick key frames to show the melee attack in action. In this
works best. The brighter green case, if our hero gets too close he’s going to be hit with a big ol’ claw swing! If he’s too far away, he’s gonna
one fits the swamp theme most, get jumped on! I recommend creating anticipation phases to help telegraph the boss’s movements. The
so we move ahead with that. player will have more fun recognising attacks and planning strategy than just being instantly hit.

68
 In depth Boss designs
12 Break down power moves
I want to emphasise the power of the special
attacks and so I use a glow in the power source to ‘charge
up’ the moves. Here we have our projectile chain strike
and a fun vomit reaction attack. The chain attack is going
to be his power move and so I emphasise the glowing
power source in this sketch. This will act as a telegraph
for the player to prepare for their counter.
POWER
ATTACK ATTACK
(HOLD POSITION
BEFORE RETRACTING)

13 Visualise vulnerabilities
Your boss character can’t be invincible, so it’s always good to think of their
ANTICIPATION
(TELEGRAPHED BY weaknesses and find ways to show that in their design. To make it a bit of a
GLOW BUILD UP) challenge, I hide his only weak spot on his back. The only time you can see it is
after his chain strike. The hero must run along the chain while it’s lodged in the
ground to attack. A successful strike will then throw the hero off and trigger the
reaction attack that the hero needs to dodge.
REACTION
ATTACK
ANTICIPATION
(FIRE UPWARDS)

HEALTH (100 PER CENT) HEALTH (50 PER CENT) HEALTH (25 PER CENT)

14 Health states and phases

A fun part of a boss fight is the build up of tension as you get closer to
ATTACK winning. This can be done a few different ways, and in this case I represent it
(Missiles fall from sky) visually with a colour change in his power source. You know when he’s in the red
phase that you’re close to winning the fight! This could also be emphasised by
speeding up his actions to create more intensity.

15 Draw a key frame sequence to depict defeat

One last set of key frames to help the animator will be for our big dramatic death scene. Keeping in line with his design and the cartoon
vibe we have, I think a fun way to send him off would be to extend his reaction attack and have him expel his entire power source until he
deflates like an empty sack. And there it is: a bunch of things to play around with when creating your next boss character! Hope you had fun!

69
 Workshops

Photoshop
SET UP A MODULAR
ART WORKFLOW
Get more from what you already have, says Thomas Scholes
who’s keen for you to waste nothing and learn more… and faster!
70
 In depth Modularworkflow

GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!

Artist Kitbashing is a Rather than borrow from others to them for use and then testing the kit
PROFILE technique that uses
existing parts, art or
make our kits, we’ll be borrowing
from our own work and relying on
in the creation of a new image.
Conservation and motivation is
Thomas assets to make or our taste and instinct for interest vital to every artist whether they’re
Scholes
LOCATION:
improve new designs. with a method I’m calling a quick- a pro or just starting out, so it’s great
US
The technique has a long history in kit. This method is a great way to to be able to recoup as much spent
Thomas works in the creative industries, starting with jump into making and using kits, energy as you can and turn it into
concept art and visual/
creative development, the extensive use of physical model but also faster and closer to new work and new progress. I’m sure
specialising in creating kits – trains, tanks and so on – in sketching than other modular you have a hard drive or closet full of
environments and
pre-production projects.
landmark sci-fi films such as Star methods. I think you’ll find the sketches with loads of potential just
[Link] Wars, and has a mindset that’s well freedom enjoyable and the process waiting to be remembered, so after
suited to asset and texture reuse in easier to learn! We’ll be taking the you absorb this tutorial I hope you
digital film and games. best parts of existing work, preparing gather them up and get busy!

71
 Workshops

1 Reuse past artworks

When creating kits I especially enjoy sampling from dead-end or stalled-out sketches. Often with clients I’ll use some of the initial
sketches that have gone through the approval process and will use this method as an opportunity to incorporate feedback while iterating
quickly. This time I’m going to be using just one personal painting that I want to explore further. I’ll remove some of the final colour edits for a
more versatile neutral tone, and take out the characters to make selecting the environment easier.

3 Find your favourites

Gravitate towards the most interesting elements,
whatever catches your eye. Copy, paste and fill two-thirds
of your page with the best bits. Since it’s hard to predict
how useful each piece will be, the Quick Selection tool is
a great option here for efficiency. Its selections can be a
2New canvas, new kit bit rough, but a little less precision can often provide
Ensure the resolution for your kit’s canvas is larger than your source painting: happy accidents. However, for some of these initial and
big enough to store your kit pieces at the full resolution with extra pixel-padding specific selections I’m going to use the Polygonal Lasso
around it so that it’s easy to reselect later. You’ll want to work with a transparent tool because a lot of what I want here is rectangular or
background, so delete the default filled Background layer. If you haven’t already, straight edged. Switch between the Polygonal and
consider lowering the contrast of your transparency grid via Preferences to save normal Lasso tool to quickly get some of the irregular
your eyes some strain and allow your visual taste to better engage. and finer detail out of these shapes.

72
 In depth Modularworkflow

4 Be mindful about your selection of shapes

Grab big, medium and small shapes. Be sure to select some rest/less-interesting areas and take a chance to be surprised with a few bits and
pieces that might not work out. Often these can be the most useful and can open you up to greater possibilities within the technique. Fill your
new Canvas like you would a loose sketchbook page. Leave no large empty spaces and have fun filling in the gaps. Respond to what’s already on
the page and try to complement it. I suggest using the negative space as inspiration for what to grab next.

5 Strategies within strategies

This is a great task to do as a warm-up or cool-
down exercise, or in those spare moments just before
meetings. Often it’s a task that I leave until the end of the
day – not just because I don’t have the energy to think,
but it’s also a great way to motivate yourself to get to work
the next day to see what you can do with your new kit!

6 Time to play with your new kit

Grab your favourite piece out of your new kit and
explore its potential in a new canvas. Use this piece as the
keystone to continue creating whether it becomes the
focal point or serves as a temporary catalyst. Try building
a pattern with this main piece or with a supporting piece.
Transform some pieces into floor or ceiling panels,
expand a small piece 100 times, to use in the sky. Think 7 Focus on progress
Generally, I like to work on whatever bothers me the most or wherever the
less and play more, and treat play as the ultimate form of biggest issue is, and this enables me to work as efficiently as possible. Once the big
learning. I try to make as much time as I can for this stage issues are taken care of I’ll move on to gradually smaller issues until they’re just not
because I find it helps me avoid the cliché – providing the worth the investment of my time just to make the painting one per cent better.
client with something truly unique and interesting and Why waste time for one or two per cent when I could do another painting that can
helping me find something to keep me motivated on expand the concept, show it from a different angle or another part of the world or
some of the tougher jobs and throughout my career. iterate towards a different direction.

73
 Workshops

8 Be sure to know when to stop

I know I’m done when, at this final stage, 20 minutes have
danger of burnout from this mentality. It still feels a bit odd to say this
but I think 80 per cent finished is better than 110 per cent. Leaving
passed and the image has either not improved or become worse. It that 20-30 per cent buffer makes sure that you have the energy and
wasn’t too long ago that I was much more of a perfectionist; that each motivation for revisions, iterations or to better weather the
image needed to be pushed as far as it possibly could. I do think cancellation of the task altogether. Slow and steady wins the race, so
there’s some benefit from doing so occasionall,y but there’s a real please be strategic about your energy. Pace yourself and invest wisely.

9 Focus on the future Character for scale, kits within kits

To help keep myself from overworking 10 Now that the architectural concept is stable I’m going to borrow some characters, a
an image I’ll have multiple images on the go. background and some props to take the image further. I’m borrowing from one of my character
The urge to invest in detail and ever- kits to add a character for scale and to act as avatar for the viewer. It’ll also serve as additional
diminishing returns is easier to resist when visual interest and psychological contrast of organic versus inorganic. Much like the characters,
there’s another project that can benefit much I’m going to borrow from a generic prop kit I created previously. In addition to enriching the
more from the same amount of time. setting, these props will also help create some additional focal points and areas of interest.

74
 In depth Modularworkflow

11 Giving the scene added depth

For the background I’ve been enjoying the depth you can get out of reusing a previous illustration. I’ve decided to reuse this city scene for
the background because of the incredible amount of depth that it gave and because the architecture and perspective fit the scene very well.
Finding the right home for something that you already have really agrees with a mentality of not just efficiency but conservation. Whether it’s
the client’s budget or your energy or your motivation, I think it’s essential to invest wisely.

12 Refine, recycle, repeat

Consider creating a new kit from your new sketches and gradually evolving your kit over time into a fuller modular set that suits your
painting techniques. Copy any updated props or characters into their own kits and enjoy not only reusing your efforts, but being able to take
your ideas and images further and further as you create more and more.

75
 Workshops
Infinite Painter
SPEEDPAINT
A MECH DESIGN
Kobe Sek shares his process of sketching mechs with
negative space, creating a vibrant and colourful concept
Artist Playing with shapes, I love cyberpunk, but not the design, how I made decisions, and
PROFILE colour and lighting is
like meditating. So I
gloomy part. As technology plays an
increasingly significant role in our
how the plan evolved along the
process. I spent around four hours
Kobe Sek often carry my iPad lives, I always wonder how humans on this and mainly focused on the
LOCATION: Singapore with me and take interact with AI, robots and mechs. overall shapes, colour and lighting.
Kobe is an art director at inspiration from everywhere. I look This genre enables me to imagine I doodle thumbnails with negative
Ubisoft Singapore, with around and figure out what’s worth and express mechanical shapes, space, sometimes colour blocking. I
12 years of game
development “stealing”. It can be a question that experiment with the big, medium use colour picking from references
experience. He’s worked occurs to me, an event, eating food, and small forms, and paint colourful and reuse my existing artwork with
on Assassin’s Creed,
Ghost Recon and Prince
and so on. Ideas are everywhere. I elements such as neon signboards clipping masks to create the base
of Persia, and loves believe that nothing’s new. and hologram advertisements. colour and lighting. Occasionally, I’ll
mechs, cyberpunk and Everything is about copying, For this workshop, I’ll explain my photo-bash elements if required.
painting with colour.
[Link]/kobesek
combining and transforming. process from doodling to concept More details in the steps below…
GET YOUR
RESOURCES GO TO TOOLS PANEL>FILTER>STAMP
See page 6 now!

INFINITE PAINTER
DEFAULT BRUSHES:
SOLID FILL BRUSH

This brush is similar to

the Lasso tool in
Photoshop, but fills in
colour automatically.
ROUND BRUSH

A basic default brush

that I use for refining
detail and scribbles.
PAINT ROLLER

1 Doodle with negative space

Another default blending This is my default method of exploring shapes. This is a fun way to stay loose and abstract. I can play around
painting brush – good for
using as a smudge tool.
with big, medium and small shapes while keeping the composition and basic functionality in mind. I’m always
fascinated by how many ideas we can extract from just observing the negative space of a subject.

76
In depth Mech design

77
 Workshops

2 Spend between one and three minutes exploring shapes

I struggled with the first batches of thumbnails, which were too rigid or similar to my previous design. It’s crucial to stay away from
details, and instead focus on the overall silhouette. Only spend a short amount of time drawing each thumbnail, before moving on to the next
one. Don’t get attached to one idea too early. You can always go back to develop them further.

3 Mix and match 4 Add scale references

Set up value layers
that convey basic storytelling. For example, a 5 I add a background and highlight layer,
After I have a decent amount of After picking the design, I add elements
sketches, I mix and match the thumbnails to
generate more designs. The good thing about mech can exist at a range of sizes. It’s difficult and these layers play a big part in the colour
thumbnails is that it’s easy to combine them for the audience to understand the structure, exploration. In this phase, I always keep a
without worrying about the lighting, scale, so it’s essential to have something on show maximum of three layers: background,
perspective and details. For example, I mix that enables the viewer to relate to your shadow and light. Once these layers are in
two thumbnails above, resulting in a design creation. Here, I put a character in for scale place, I can use them as clipping masks to
that I’m keen to move forward. reference and justify the primary function. explore different colours within the shapes.

78
 In depth Mech design
Tap Layer to open
the Layer Option
panel and then
select Clip

6 Clipping Mask colour layer Reuse existing artworks

The clipping mask is a non-destructive method that enables you 7 I continue exploring possible colours. Besides colour picking
to explore the colour within the pixels in the layer. For example, I from references that I find online, such as a colourful vehicle or some
want to colour my shadow layer, so I create a new layer above it and 80s/90s electronic devices, I often reuse old artworks with the
tap Layer to open the Layer Option dialog. Then I select Clip. Now, Clipping Mask method. That’s why sometimes my colour can go a bit
whatever colour I paint will only appear within the shadow parts. out of control, and sometimes it gives me a happy accident.

9 Apply decals and boost storytelling

The final phase is always fun and relaxing, as I
8 Refine overall shapes and details
After the colour stage, I start refining the silhouette, edges and form. First,
place interesting stickers on the mech. I also add little
lights here and there or a random graphic hologram that
I ensure the mech’s body and limbs have enough negative space for readability. looks like a control panel around the character, to boost
Next, I refine the character with a yellow spacesuit to help them stand out from the the sense of storytelling. Sometimes I spend a lot of time
background. I also add panelling lines to the mech to suggest a logical structure. finding the right words to use as a decal.

79
 GET IMAGINEFX
DELIVERED DIGITALLY!

GO
DIGITAL!
Our digital editions
come with the same
.cnI elppA fo kram ecivres a si erotS ppA .seirtnuoc rehto dna .S.U eht ni deretsiger ,.cnI elppA fo kramedart a si daPi

resources included in
the print edition!

Available via our online shop

[Link]/imaginefx-magazine
Available on iOS or Android
80
 Artist’s
Choice Award
Art resources with a five-star
rating receives the ImagineFX
Artist’s Choice award!

The latest art resources are put to

the test by the ImagineFX team…
PRODUCTS
ON TEST
5

SOFTWARE
Procreate 5.
The accomplished painting app now has
the ability to work with 3D models.
ZBrush Core Min
Get a taste of what the established 3D
tool ZBrush can offer – and all for free!
ArtRage Vitae
The original digital painting app gets a
make-over for Windows.
BOOKS
Man a Art Secre Drawing Perspective
With 10 years’ drawing experience, this Perspective is a key plank of an artist’s
artist is keen to pass on what she’s learned. skillset. This book will get you up to speed.

RATINGS EXPLAINED Magnificent Great Good Poor Atrocious

81
 Reviews
You can import a couple of popular file formats, but
you can export a lot more – including both your 3D
models and the textures that you’ve painted.

If you’re already familiar with Procreate then you

can use the 3D features. The layers engine is exactly
the same, with some additions.
Give your 3D robot
model a bit of wear
and tear by adjusting
the Roughness and
Metallic layers.

Procreate 5.2

nrehtuoS nelG yb krowtrA

ANOTHER DIMENSION The accomplished painting app has taken its first step
into a larger world, with the ability to work with 3D models. We assess the results
Price £8.99 Company Savage Interactive Web [Link]

P
rocreate was first released have UV coordinates, which is how metallic the object should appear,
in March 2011 and was the textures are applied to models in 3D. which makes it possible to enhance
first pro-level drawing There’s one fly in the ointment for your painting with reflectivity.
app that really grabbed iPad sculptors: there aren’t many There’s also a new 3D tab that
people’s attention on the iPad. Fast options for creating UV coordinates gives you access to lighting and the
forward to November 2021 and we on an iPad (Forger has some basic environment. You can add new lights,
now have Procreate 5.2. It’s an tools) and so you have to resort to a colour them and alter the HDRI
amazing update in lots of ways, but desktop program such as Blender to (backgrounds that will reflect in your
the biggest addition is the ability generate them. model). You can use any Procreate
to take 3D models and use all the brush or feature, and so tools such as
PAINTING IN 3D
Savage has added an
AR feature that enables
Procreate brushes and effects right you to show your Smudge are great for mixing up the
there on the model. The 3D painting process is easy to painted 3D creation in
the real world right paint that’s already on the model.
Procreate comes with a few 3D grasp. In fact, as long as you already there on your desk! There is an option to see your texture
samples that enable you to get going know how to use Procreate then there
the second you download the app, isn’t much to learn. You import the
but the real power comes when you model you want to paint. It has layers
take your own models from programs in the same way a flat image does. If
such as ZBrush, Blender, Maya and the model has separate parts you can
even models created on the iPad with tap the part you want to paint on, and
apps like Nomad Sculpt and Forger. away you go. There are sub-layers for
Models have to be unwrapped and establishing roughness and how

An amazing new feature is that you

can view your model at your desk using
an AR feature right there in Procreate
82
 Art tools Software

nrehtuoS nelG yb krowtrA

ZBrush Core Mini has just
enough basic tools to get
you going. It’s ideal
for anyone who’s never
tried digital sculpting.

ZBrushCoreMini
MINI ME Get a taste of what the established 3D
tool ZBrush can offer, without paying a penny
where you need it as you sculpt. If
Price Free you add creases, it gives you more
flattened out. This means you can also The Page assist feature Company Pixologic triangles. If you smooth an area, it
bring in other images or textures and means that you can Web [Link] takes them away. It’s a well-used
add them via your usual 2D workflow.
bring in and view your
PDFs and read them
like a comic. RATING ★★★★★ technique in lots of 3D software and
even in VR with programs such as
AUGMENTED REALITY

ˇ
ZBrush comes in three flavours: ShapeLab VR. It’s perfect for this
An amazing new feature is that you ZBrushCoreMini, ZBrushCore and free release because it’s aimed at
can view your model at your desk the full ZBrush. The upgrade path people who haven’t done this before
using an AR feature right there in is clear and it starts with the free and may not even know what ‘this’
Procreate. This shows where digital version that we’re reviewing here. is. They can just sculpt and make
art is heading and it’s fantastic that The first thing to note is that this something cool, and that’s
Savage has added this feature to this version has a limited toolset. But sometimes enough. In a recent
update. Being able to check out your that’s intentional: ZBrushCoreMini update the program received new
designs in the very room you’re is designed to give you a taster of Chisel Brushes that effectively give
working in is liberating. It won’t be working in 3D, without worrying you stamps, enabling you to add
long before we see some exciting about any heavy-hitting features. scales, noses, claws and so on by
things created with this update. Features You can only sculpt, and you can dragging on the surface of a model.
nNew 3D painting
The non-3D additions include a workflow and tools only do one type of sculpting called ZBrushCoreMini has a limited
nAble to paint with
much-improved stroke stabilisation colour, reflectivity dynamic tessellation. The full version material set, all the basic brushes
feature for when you’re creating your and metallics
nHDRI backgrounds
of this tool in ZBrush is called you get in ZBrush, and features like
own brushes. If you’re lucky enough to nExample 3D models Sculptris Pro and it basically gives symmetry and occlusion. It’s a great
have a 16GB iPad Pro you can now nPage Assist feature
for PDF
you extra geometry (triangles) way to start your ZBrush journey.
take advantage of larger documents nQuick menu
and even more layers. There’s a new gestures
nRecent brush
Page Assist feature that enables you memory
nMore languages
to view all of your sketch ideas in a nAugmented reality
convenient sketchbook format, which viewer for your models
nM1 iPads can handle
is fantastic news for storyboard artists larger documents that
and comic book illustrators. Finally, feature more layers
you can bring in PDFs and annotate System
them, which widens the app’s appeal. Requirements
iPad: Fifth gen iPad or
It would have been nice to get some newer; second gen
iPad Air or newer;
automated UVing tools to make it fourth gen iPad mini
easy to import any model, but we’re or newer; iPad Pro
ZBrushCoreMini is essentially Sculptris Pro
sure there’ll be future updates that will Rating (a ZBrush tool), which gives you polygons
support Procreate’s impressive step
into the 3D realm. ★★★★★ when you need them. If you sculpt details,
it gives you more polygons.

83
 Reviews
The tools may seem
simple. but behind the ArtRage’s simulation
scenes there are plenty of paint is fun and
of options to tailor and accurate. Just load
tinker with brushes, up your brushes and
paint flow and colour. start blending.

The new PaintLink

feature enables you
and a friend to share
and collaborate on
the same canvas.

kcaharua@ :ecnerefeR
ArtRage Vitae
A NEW LIFE? The original digital painting app gets an update to
perform better on desktop. Is this a stroke of painterly genius?
Price £80 Format Windows reviewed (also on Mac, Android and iOS) Company Ambient Design Web [Link]

L
ong before Procreate was real time. You can also share your textured artworks. In Vitae this is
turning heads, ArtRage preferences, tools and colour palettes smoother than ever, even on a tablet.
was the go-to app for on- with a friend. Combined with the tiled- Helping is a variety of colour picker
the-go digital artists. The canvas feature – paint seamlessly options, from traditional artist colours
iPad edition, released in 2004, was across canvas edges to create infinite to a neat wheel that sits in the corner.
perfectly designed for tablets. paintings or textures – and there’s a Vitae adds a new Complementary
Running ArtRage on Windows 11 is a welcome pro edge to Vitae. Features Color Picker that, as the name
smooth experience. Some may suggests, offers colours that suit your
criticise the chunky UI that hasn’t
really changed since the iPad release,
NEW STROKES
Yet ArtRage’s real joy comes on the
nNew PaintLink
canvas sharing
nImproved Color
Picker and colour
palette. Everything can be saved into
customised colour-mixing resources,
customisation
but there’s a homely, robust feel to canvas, and here Vitae is refined nTiled Canvas feature to create a menu of blending profiles.
ArtRage Vitae. In fact, many of the rather than overhauled. The standard for limitless extended
canvas and textures
Outside of these features Vitae feels
new features are behind-the-scenes brushes include oils, watercolour and nImproved saving more of an update than a new version.
additions designed to bring airbrush, along with a lovely palette and stabilisation
nLarger canvas size A clear effort has been made to set up
the software up to date without knife that demands to be toyed with (32,500x32,500 ArtRage for a more professional
compromising its famed ease of use. ArtRage’s strength is that it enables pixels)
environment, particularly as canvas
For example, the new PaintLink you to load the canvas and brush with System sizes can now go as large as 32,500x
feature enables you and a friend to thick paint and just play – smearing, Requirements 32,500 pixels in size with faster saving,
PC: Windows 10
collaborate on the same painting in pushing, and blending to create and above; Mac: OS X
10.10 or better. 1,920x
fewer crashes and more recording
options to share your process.
Everything can be saved into
1,080 or higher screen
resolution, 8GB RAM,
64-bit CPU, graphics This is one of the most accessible
customised colour-mixing resources, to painting tools around, with a wealth
tablet or stylus input
Rating of existing features and refinements
create a menu of blending profiles ★★★★ added with Vitae. If you left ArtRage,
it’s time to come back.

84
 Inspiration Software & books
Manga Art Secrets
IN THE KNOW With 10 years’ drawing experience, this artist is keen
to pass on what she’s learned in this detailed instructional guide
Author Dalia Sharawna Publisher Search Press Price £13 Web [Link] Available Now

W
hile Dalia Sharawna’s book and the artist’s manga art secrets. The
may not have “everything latter are Dalia’s observations on
you need to become a working in the genre, accompanied by
manga artist,” as its back examples of her own art. The book
cover promises, the Palestine artist’s also features four spreads on other
guide does discuss core manga manga artists, for extra visual interest.
character design over its 130 pages. Readers will need a solid grasp of
Dalia’s guide covers heads, bodies figure art to get the most from Dalia’s
and poses, before exploring clothing detailed teachings. Furthermore, her
and aging. The advice comes in the book lacks insights into how to
form of step by steps, expanded develop a polished manga character.
explanations on a particular feature, Line-weight and colour are only lightly
touched on, and there’s no advice on
how to push storytelling into manga’s
often fantastical realm.
Manga Art Secrets features useful
advice on drawing workaday manga
characters, but you’ll have to put the
time in to enhance your designs with
Artist Dalia Sharawna the genre’s distinctive art language.
furnishes her characters
with accessories to help
bring them to life. RATING ★★★ Dalia prefers to give her female characters more
nuanced expressions, while still conveying emotion.

Drawing Perspective
GET SOME Perspective is a key plank of an artist’s skillset, but it can
be a hard concept to grasp. This book will get you up to speed
Author Tim Fisher Publisher Search Press Price £13 Web [Link] Available Now

A
rtist, author and art tutor chapter on drawing techniques. You’ll
Tim Fisher’s book aims learn how to make a tonal scale, the
to “help you see and best way to sharpen and hold a pencil,
understand the world, and and generating tone and texture.
how perspective in its many forms Then it’s on to perspective proper.
has an influence on it.” It certainly Tim provides insights on zero-, one-,
delivers on this promise. two- and multi-point perspective.
Tim doesn’t tackle perspective Topics are covered in-depth and with a
immediately. Instead, he provides a matter-of-fact tone, while always
breakdown of core drawing materials, referring to his hand-drawn visuals.
surfaces and tools such as compasses The artist steps up a gear with sections
and T-squares. This is followed by a that include varying perspective,
shadows and placing animals in a
scene. If the theory threatens to get
too technical, step-by-step exercises
take the reader through the practical
application of Tim’s art knowledge.
If you’re looking for expert advice on
how to draw what you see, follow the
Tim Fisher’s single- lines to this book.
point perspective
exercise is based on a
Philadelphia street. RATING ★★★★ There are two vanishing points in Tim’s drawing: one
at the base of the tower; and one far above it.

85
 GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!

TraditionalArtist
Workshopsassetsareavailable…
If you see the video workshop badge then you can watch the artist
in action. Turn to page 6 to see how you can get hold of the video.

Inspiration and advice from the best pro artists

92 98

This issue:
88 TraditionalFXPosé
Discover this month’s selection
of the finest traditional art,
88 which has been sent in by you!
92 Workshop:Painta
portrait–Part2:Sketching
See how Patrick J Jones directs a
photoshoot and draws a sketch
in preparation for his painting.
98 FirstImpressions:
ErikKrenz
Discover how nature has inspired
this US-based illustrator.
87
 Traditional Artist FXPosé
3

SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS

Michael Camarra
LOCATION: US MEDIA: Acrylic on wood panel WEB: [Link]
Fine artist Michael uses figures and a vibrant colour
palette to explore his fascination with mythology, in
the context of humanity’s connection with nature.
1 2

1 STARGAZERS
“I love playing with vision and
the unseen as a theme in my
2 TEKHNE’S SONG
“This piece was about the art
of art. Here I have a reimagining
3 ORACLE
“I think about the consumer
waste we have that will outlive
4 ARIADNE & ASTERION
“Here I was reimagining the
story of the minotaur (Asterion)
work. This piece puts that of Tekhne, which is the muse/ us. Here I’m trying to weave our and Ariadne. I wanted to make
together along with our place spirit of visual art and technical contemporary clutter with a the minotaur a construction of
in the cosmos.” craft/skill.” sense of mysticism.” different objects.”

88 Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]/getinifx

 Inspirational art
4

Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]/getinifx 89

 Traditional Artist FXPosé
Chris Panatier
LOCATION: US MEDIA: Pencil, Ink, Watercolour WEB: [Link]
Chris is an artist and science fiction and fantasy writer. His ink and
watercolour work graces book and album covers. If he isn’t telling
a story with words then he likes to convey one with a single image.

1 GAUNTLET OF
DEATH’S INERTIA
“This piece features the God of
2
Death, and her inexorable power.
Death can’t be stopped. Album art
for the band Desolated.”

2 LUCIFER
“This was a personal piece
depicting Lucifer not as a disgraced
fallen angel, but a martyred one.
It’s a pro-secular humanist piece
and anti-religion.”

3
3 COMMUNION
“This piece addresses
the transfer of death to the
living. As I view this transition
as a beautiful part of the
cycle, it’s done in verdant
surroundings. Album art
for Desolated.”

4 LORDS OF THE
TROPHIC CASCADE
“An environmental theme
here. As in ecology, if all of
the apex predators are
extinguished, the entire
ecosystem can fail. Album
art for Totem Skin.”

90 Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]/getinifx

 Inspirational art
4

Want to submit your work? Visit [Link]/getinifx 91

 Traditional Artist Workshop

Pencil Charcoal
PAINT A PORTRAIT –
PART 2: SKETCHING
In this workshop PATRICK J JONES directs a photoshoot and draws a

T
detailed sketch in preparation for his oil painting, The Martian Queen
oday I’ll hire and
photograph a live model
before working on a
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
The information in a photograph
is flawed compared to the
information we see when drawing
started working from photographs,
the world of art slowly became a
flatter experience.
detailed sketch and See page 6 now! from life. What the photo severely That said, I’ll work from
transferring it onto canvas. lacks is the third dimension of depth. photography for the most part,
If the Old Masters owned cameras because working from a model today
they would have used them. Yet I
doubt if they would have given up
THE VALUE OF DEPTH is practically impossible as far as cost
The reason for this is its singular lens. goes, and the time scale expected for
using live models altogether, as I MATERIALS The reason we have two eyes instead a painting to be completed is less
haven’t, and I have the choice. DRAWING TOOLS
of one is to enable us to see depth. leisurely. The Old Masters would
To a beginner it may seem n General’s Soft Each eye judges a separate distance spend anything from a month to a
pointless to draw from a live model Charcoal pencil and combines both distances into year on a painting. I’ll paint this
when we can easily use photography. n 9B woodless depth. In simple terms we can see artwork within a week to 12 days if
After all, the photograph doesn’t graphite pencil around corners to some degree. The all goes well. So as not to fall into the
move. However, it doesn’t outweigh n Tracing paper cyclopic camera sees no depth; trap of copying a photo with all its
the advantage of seeing the model in n Paper stumps everything is based on a flat two- flaws and distortions, I’ll first draw
three dimensions. n Tissue dimensional plane of vision. The from the live model. Let’s get to it…
n Kneadable eraser focal length of the camera can blur Patrick is the author of the
I’ll paint this n Newsprint
DIGITAL TOOLS
the background, but it’s simply a
carnival trick compared to the
bestselling books, The
Anatomy of Style, The Sci-fi
artwork within a n Photoshop
n Canon 5Ds Eos
human eye’s ability to see depth.
The reason the Old Master
& Fantasy Techniques of
week to 12 days
Patrick J. Jones and Oil Painting
camera paintings are so lifelike is that they Masterclass. He also teaches figure
if all goes well
n 50mm Sigma Art lens worked from life until the event of drawing classes online. You can see more
the camera obscura. Once artists of his work at [Link].

92
 In depth Fantasy portrait – Part 2

1 Identifying motivation and generating emotion

It’s the day of the photoshoot and I have my colour comp from last issue’s Part 1 of this series from which to pose my model, Katy. It has
everything I need to go straight to the shoot, but rather than mechanically pose Katy we discuss motivation first to create a natural pose.

2 Exploring ideas of seduction and sorcery

Having worked with Katy for years, she knows how I work and falls into character based on the backstory of a Martian queen searching
for a mate. We explore ideas of seduction and sorcery, keeping in mind our queen is confident on the outside but sad on the inside.

93
 Traditional Artist Workshop

3 A supremely talented collaborator

Having explored the emotion of the character, Katy is now moving and thinking like a Martian queen. Having an accomplished artistic
collaborator pose for the queen is half the art and is the reason artists of the past are so strongly linked to their models in the pages of history.

4 The power of backstory

Now we come to the pose based on the comp
and all is well, but if we had gone straight to this pose
without our emotional explorations Katy would be no
more than a posed mannequin. The power of backstory
is now imbued in Katy’s face and in the languid
expression of every muscle.

6 A better understanding
The main difference between the preliminary
5 The preliminary sketch
There are two kinds of sketches; preliminary sketches, and the working
sketch and the working sketch is that with the
preliminary sketch I’m looking more to understand the
sketch, which is the final drawing I transfer onto canvas. Here I’m drawing live from movement and gesture of the model. I exaggerate forms
the model to feel the gesture. Gesture is the flow of the form and will breathe life in order to understand better: I over-box the hips and put
into a pose. Without gesture the figure becomes stiff and lifeless. more feminine flow into the arms and legs.

94
 In depth Fantasy portrait – Part 2

7 Avoiding a world of confusion

You might ask why would I draw the same pose twice. Isn’t that a waste of time? The answer is no. To extrapolate the gestural rhythm
and flow of the figure while also creating a working drawing is unnecessary multitasking, and multitasking for me is a world of confusion.

8 The subconscious art engine

By this point I believe The Martian Queen could be a real person. I understand the way she moves and behaves, but the bonus to this
half hour of exploration is the muscle memory embedded in my hand, and the memory of the forms inside my subconscious art engine.

95
 Traditional Artist Workshop

9 The working drawing

With my gestural hand fluid, and my subconscious art engine engaged, 10 Gesture is key
With the big and small shapes in place I keep my
I lay in the working drawing. The reason it’s called a working drawing is this arm at a distance from the art to ensure I stay focused on
drawing contains the line-work that will go under the finished oil painting. I use the big overall gesture, from the sweeping torso, down
a 9B woodless graphite pencil on tracing paper, drawing a reverse image which into the hips, and on through to the flowing drapery.
I’ll flip later for transfer. Gesture is key when it comes to the female figure.

12 Long curves of the drapery

I get away from detail for a while and regain the
11 Combining the elements
For the first time I turn my full attention and focus to the queen’s face. Up
flow by working on to bigger elements. Detail can
severely disrupt the overall energy of the drawing if we’re
until this point it’s all been about the flow and gesture – now it’s also about the in there for too long, so I go back and forth while echoing
inner workings of the mind. Mix those elements together and we have a powerful the curves of the moon’s craters with the long curves of
portrait of a Martian queen. I outline background ideas too, such as a large moon. the drapery. This sense of rhythm will unify the scene.

96
 In depth Fantasy portrait – Part 2

13 Working in harmony
The holistic nature of working on the background
and the figure at the same time is working its unique
magic. I design the jewellery and the pattern on the 14 Regal touches to the figure
I’m getting a feel for the flesh now in preparation for the paint. For the final
drapery to work in harmony, which creates the regal touches I return to the face and hands and raise the eye make up, eyebrows
otherworldliness required to make this Martian queen and cheek bones. It all looks good. The final test will be to flip the drawing and see
and her environment authentic and believable. what needs tweaked with a fresh eye in play.

15 Making corrections and preparing for the painting stage

The reversed drawing reveals the drapery was hung too low on the leg, which I easily correct. This is one of the benefits from drawing in
reverse. All I need to do now is burnish the drawing down onto the canvas with a big soup spoon and get started on the painting.

97
 Traditional Artist Interview

First Impressions Erik Krenz What’s the last piece that you
Discover how nature finished? How do the two differ?
has inspired this The last painting I finished was a
piece called Pesta Waits for a gallery
US-based artist show here in Minneapolis. Frankly,
it’s like night and day. My work in
the beginning was very geometric
Where did you grow and kinda cartoony. My work now is
up and how has this realistic and painterly. I’m much
influenced your art? happier with my style now.
I grew up in
Minneapolis, Is making a living as an artist all
Minnesota. It was a lovely place to you thought it would be?
have my childhood, but I can’t say I work full time for a company that
confidently that where I grew up specialises in curating exhibits for
had much influence on my art. museums and zoos where I help
There is a region, though, in assist as a sculptor and painter.
Minnesota that’s called The North Having that steady cheque has
Woods, and I’m certain that place allowed me to choose projects on
had a deep and lasting impact on the side that I feel passionate about.
me and my art. Truly a beautiful It hasn’t always been easy, but I feel
and wondrous location. very content with my artistic career.
What, outside of art, has most What advice would you give to your
influenced your work? younger self to aid you on the way?
I think the easy answer is nature. I I took such a circuitous path that it’s
love looking at it, and I love being in hard to say how I’d get here any
it. It honestly consumes me. But I’ve other way than how I did, but I’d
also had a love for architecture since tell myself to be more confident.
I was a kid. I’m certain that my love
for buildings has helped with how How has the industry changed for
I compose and construct a painting. good since you’ve been a part of it?
Is there a painting that you saw in
LINK
This piece is 10 years old, but
compulsive detail the painting had. I would certainly consider social
I couldn’t believe such a thing was media a double-edged sword, but
shows the beginnings of Erik’s
your formative years that changed paired-back realism. possible. Still can’t. it has allowed people from all over
everything? What was it? the world to see my work who
I was absolutely obsessed with Jan Tell us about your first paid otherwise may never have. When I
Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait. It’s commission, and does it stand as a started, it was still mostly blogs. The
hard to say why exactly I was so representation of your talent? ability to instantly share art
captivated, but I’m sure it partially changed everything.
had to do with the amount of I want nothing more than What character or scene that you’ve
to live in a cottage in the painted do you most identify with?
English countryside My painting called Dapper Fox. I
want nothing more than to live in a
cottage in the English countryside.
My first commission was for a
brochure on renewable energy. I What’s your next step in art or life?
hated the concepts I came up with, I want to focus on my own work.
and I hated how they were executed. I’ve had a few ideas for a series of
I developed a style in college that paintings on the back-burner for
years later I realised didn’t represent years, and I’d like to get to them
my inner self. That first commission before it’s too late.
DAPPER FOX
“My absolute favourite piece I’ve was the start of a long journey to You can follow Erik and order his art
ever done,” says Erik Krenz. find a truer and more accurate style. prints at [Link].

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