ImagineFX February 2016 PDF

PHOTOSHOP
Draw the girl on fire

with Ilya Kuvshinov
PAINT EXPLOSIVE
MANGA ART
Take on League of Legends feisty favourite
Jinx in Alvin Lee’s compelling workshop
ARTIST INSIGHT FEATURE

THE SHIFLETT BROTHERS’
SCULPTING MASTERCLASS ANIME
KD STANTON AND HIS
POWERFUL PERSPECTIVES NOW!
Discover the best
PRO TIPS TO GENERATE
VOLUME AND SHADING Japanese anime
G STUNNING CARD ART

DEVIL YOU KNOW! LAURA SAVA OFFERS TIPS ON CREATIN
Editor’s letter
to a dose of art mojo

It was a blast to work with Alvin Lee on our
rocket-riding Jinx cover. She’s one of our
favourite characters (Jinx, not Alvin) from the
mighty game League of Legends, and the Riot
Games team – the guys and gals behind the
online behemoth – were super cool to work
with. Head over to page 68 and let Alvin take
you through the image’s creation.
We’ve delved into the world of anime this
issue, looking at the current toon trends from
Japan (page 40). Also, not many people know this, but if you pause
an anime, it magically turns into ‘a manga’… only joking! But after
looking at the art of man-eating yet emotionally complex titans and
girl warriors with sentient, blood-drinking school uniforms (what
now?!), it’s a world of imaginative art styles to get juiced up by.
If you want some eye-candy backed up by hefty art thinks, Laura
Sava’s card art workshop should tickle your chin (page 78). I love
reading up on art theory, exploring patterns in beauty, breaking
down why a flat image can invoke a response. It can be through the
use of lines or the perspective you offer the viewer. KD Stanton
knows all about that, with his super-cinematic images on page 48.
If you’re not inspired by all that, or if you’re currently going
through a tough spot with your art, fear not! On page 20 we speak
to some of our favourite artists about how they regained their art
mojo after losing it. It’s a piece that will hopefully help you start
2016 fired up to make your best art yet. Merry New Year!
Our special cover for

Beren Neale, Acting Editor subscribers this issue.
beren.neale@futurenet.com
Contact us
Email: mail@imaginefx.com Tel: +44 (0) 1225 442244
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February 2016 3
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Contents
Your art
8 Reader FXPosé
Unicorns, dreamsnakes,
40
mermaids and much more.
News and events

20 Falling in love again
Pro artists share hard-earned
tips for escaping creative block.
26 Artist in residence
Genzoman shows us around
his self-designed studio.
Your questions
32 Artist Q&A
Fantasy tropes with a twist,
garish colours, futuristic cities,
mixed emotions and more. See page 8 for the best new art
Features
40 Anime now! 32
Japanese animation in 2016:
aging superheroes, hungry
giants and Ping Pong champs.
48 KD Stanton “We have been very faithful

The prodigious talent is one to the manga, but the anime
of the new wave of Chinese
artists surfacing in the West. looks different”
Attack on Titan producer George Wada
Q&A: fresh fantasy
58 Studio Profile
Ubisoft Massive: the triple-A,
300-strong games studio 48 37 36
with a real sense of family.
62 Sketchbook
Illustrator Olga Andriyenko
reveals her love of depicting the
female body, and fiery red hair.
Reviews
90 Hardware & software KD Stanton Q&A: banners Q&A: faces
95 Training
96 Books
62 20 58
Regulars
3 Editor’s letter
6 Resources
30 Letters
56 Back issues
31 Subscriptions: US Sketchbook:
38 Subs: worldwide Olga Andriyenko The artistic blues Ubisoft Massive
76 Next month
4 February 2016
Issue 131 February 2016
DOWNLOAD RESOURCES Turn over the page for
this issue’s art assets
Workshops 68
Advice and techniques
from pro artists…
68 Paint Jinx from
League of Legends
How Alvin Lee captures
the character’s feistiness.
70 Generate volume
and depth easily
Svetlana Tigai renders a
portrait in black and white.
74 Experiment with
line and colour
Sai Foo paints a character
who’s cheerfully falling.
77 Make the most

of the Assistants
Katarzyna Oleska
paints in perspective.
78 Sharpen your
card art skills
Laura Sava on compositions
and character designs.
84 Take a 3D-like
approach to art
Ilya Kuvshinov portrays League of Legends character art
Katniss Everdeen.
100 104 106
Inspiration and advice from

the best traditional artists
100 FXPosé Traditional FXPosé Traditional Creative Space Sculpt a figure
104 Creative Space
We visit Teaching Studios of Art.
114
106 Sculpt with confidence
Be inspired by The Shiflett Brothers.
112 Creature design
Brynn Metheney finishes up.
114 First Impressions
Mark Zug’s imaginary worlds.
112
Creature design Mark Zug
February 2016 5
Resources
Resources
Getting hold of all of this issue’s videos, artwork and
OVER
brushes is quick and easy. Just visit our dedicated 11 HOURS
web page at http://ifxm.ag/hi131jinx of workshop
Q&A videosatond
watch and
COVER WORKSHOP learn from!
Paint game
character Jinx
Alvin Lee shows how he captures
the essence of the feisty League
of Legends playable character
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
You’re three steps away from
this issue’s resource files…
1 Go to the website
Type this into your browser’s
address bar (not the search bar):
http://ifxm.ag/hi131jinx
2 Find the files you want

Search through the list of
resources to watch or download.
3 Download what you need

You can download all of the
files at once, or individually.
PHOTOGRAPHY Future photography studio CONTACT US

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6 February 2016
Issue 131 February 2016
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TUITION!

Watch our videos to gain a unique insight into how our artists create their stunning art
Q&A VIDEOS
Ilya Kuvshinov Sara Forlenza

Learn how treating a painting as if it’s a multi-layered 3D model can help you portray Be clever with composition in order to
a compelling film character, such as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. paint a group showing a mix of emotions.
Plus WIPs, brushes and final image Plus WIPs and final image
Marcel van Vuuren Tom Foster

Understand the differences between shiny and matt in order to realistically depict Think about composition angles to create
reflected light from worn metal surfaces – in this case, in a sci-fi scene. dynamic yet natural-flowing page layouts.
Plus WIPs and final image Plus WIPs and final image
TRAINING
Sara Forlenza Tom Foster Luca Nemolato

Pay close attention to a banner’s design Understand underlying anatomy to create Watch a clip from Sci-Fi Costume Design
when depicting them flying in the wind. a variety of comic characters’ faces. in ZBrush, in which the artist covers
Plus WIPs and final image Plus WIPs and final image character sculpting and rendering.
AND ALL THIS! WIPs and finished art available to download, by professional artists from around the world including Sai Foo,
Leesha Hannigan, Ilya Kuvshinov, Alvin Lee, Brynn Metheney, Katarzyna Oleska, Laura Sava, the Shiftlett brothers and Svetlana Tigai.
136 CUSTOM BRUSHES, INCLUDING…

SUPER SOFT ROUND BRUSH LACE ELLIPTICAL
Svetlana Tigai uses this brush for The lace brush Laura Sava uses when Ilya Kuvshinov finds this handy for
a soft transition between colours. a costume needs something extra. sculpting big shapes and sketching.
February 2016 7
THE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART
Alyssa Winans
LOCATION: US
1
WEB: www.alyssawinans.com
EMAIL: alicique@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Alyssa credits growing up

in Illinois with her unusual
interest in sketching both
corn and clouds, “I was
fortunate enough to have a
fantastic local library, and for the early
part of my life I enjoyed reading and
writing/drawing stories with my best
friend," she says. Not much has
changed, although she’s now more
interested in surreal narratives and
giant cosmic deities.
“Gouache and Photoshop are my
favourite media,” reveals Alyssa,
“because they enable me to play with
vivid colour palettes and ‘drawn texture’,
both of which heavily inform the style
of my work.”
1 MAN’S ROAD “The composition for

this piece came from a rejected
thumbnail sketch for another project.
From there, I combined my interest in
the naturalistic equine form with my
predilection for unicorn narratives, a
childhood fascination which adulthood
has yet to fully remove.”
2 PEACEFUL PROTEST “Many recent

events on the news have been
negative and painful. At the same time,
I’ve been impressed by the power and
ferocity of non-violent approaches to
change. I created this piece to remind
myself of that.”
8 February 2016 Email your submissions to fxpose@imaginefx.com

2
Comic artist Emma Rios

admires Peaceful Protest
“The beautiful
diagonal and the
subtle low angle
suggest power,
while the high contrast in
the palette and texture
creates engaging shapes.
And the subtle lighting
enables Alyssa to use few
tones without losing detail.“
Email your submissions to fxpose@imaginefx.com February 2016 9

Amit Dutta
LOCATION: New Zealand
1
WEB: www.monkeybreadart.tumblr.com
EMAIL: monkeybreadmagic@gmail.com
MEDIA:Krita, Blender, SketchUp
When working as a
technical research analyst
Amit realised it was finally
time to stop dreaming
about becoming an artist
and get serious. “For the next three
years I dedicated all my free time to
practice. I ate pixels and drank huge
doses of monitor radiation. I gradually
upped my skills and destroyed my social
life,” he recalls.
Amit finally left his job this year and
going freelance full-time has given the
artist a deep sense of satisfaction, but
it’s also brought new challenges. “I’m
inspired by good science fiction, often
dystopian, and my work tends to be
dark and moody.”
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Amit’s hard work
and dedication to
the craft has really
paid off (who needs a
social life anyway?). His
environment artworks
demonstrate imagination,
scale and atmosphere, and
show just enough details
to pull in the viewer.”
Cliff Hope,
Operations Editor
2
VURT : THE MAZE “This was done for

1 an RPG based on Jeff Noon’s Vurt
novels. The main figure has taken a vurt
feather and sees the virtual elements of
a maze, volcano and dreamsnake appear
amongst the real city of future
Manchester. I tried to create a surreal
vibe throughout the image.”
GEMINI RISING “An older piece

2 when I first started trying to
integrate photobashing into my process.
Syd Mead’s designs for Blade Runner
still have a lasting influence on me to
this day, as is evident in this piece.”
THE LAST OUTPOST “A personal

3 piece where the title was used as a
simple prompt. This is one of those
paintings which painted itself. I’m not
sure I’ve since reached quite that same
level of effortless flow in the painting
process that I did during this.”

3

Jacqui Davis 1
LOCATION: England
WEB: http://ifxm.ag/j-davis
EMAIL: logicfairy@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Jacqui has spent the past

three years as a freelance
illustrator, creating art
for board games and
children’s publications.
“I work primarily in Photoshop with my
trusty Cintiq,” she reveals. “I started out
learning to be a 2D animator, so the
tablet reminds me of the old light boxes.
My terrible dancing showed me that I
had no sense of timing and I soon
decided to stick with my first love, which
was illustration.”
While she works Jacqui usually has
either a good fantasy show or
documentary playing (“Who doesn’t
love David Attenborough?”), which is
where she gets a lot of ideas for her
personal work.
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Excellent choices of
lighting, colour and
composition from
Jacqui, whose freelance
career must be going from
strength to strength. The
marching elephants in her
Formula E piece has the
feel of a musical number
from a Disney cartoon.”
Beren Neale,
Acting Editor
LION SLEEPS TONIGHT “I had a

1 couple of weeks completely client
free, so I decided to be a bit self-
indulgent and paint one of my
characters. It was the first piece I’d
painted using masks in Photoshop and
wow, did they save me a lot of time!”
FORMULA E “One of my first board

2 games was Formula E for Game
Salute. The art director was great to
work with and helped a lot with this
piece. I’ll always look back on this
painting fondly.”
ARCTIC FOX “One of my favourite

3 TV shows growing up was The
Animals of Farthing Wood. I later read
the books, and this piece is a homage to
both. I spend a lot of time drawing my
own band of foxes and it was really my
first ventures into character creation.”
IN THE WOODS “I feel I tend to use

4 quite static poses, so in this piece
I was trying to go for something with a
bit more action than I usually do. Halfway
through I accidentally flattened the file
and almost abandoned it, but was glad
that I didn’t. When I do non-client work
I usually try to do something new and
here I worked on trying to create an
atmosphere with dappled light.”

2 3

1
Alicia Vogel
LOCATION: US
2
WEB: www.aliciavogel.com
EMAIL: asv@aliciavogel.com
MEDIA: Manga Studio EX, Photoshop
Growing up in an artistic
family, aspiring to the
works of classic illustrators
such as NC Wyeth and JC
Leyendecker, Alicia now
works as a freelance illustrator based in
Texas. Her studies included sculpture
and digital art, and her passion is strong
narratives. “I love portraying everything
between an action-packed adventure to
a simple evocative visual. The more
fantastic, the better,” she says.
Alicia also inserts a graphic
sensibility, and a love of line art: “Comics
are a big love and influence, particularly
Hugo Pratt and Sergio Toppi.”
1 LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

“Hollow has everything enjoyable to
paint: high-contrast, action, horses and
gothic imagery. There was quite a bit of
historical research behind the piece,
such as the Hessian uniform and the
early 1800s clothing. After that, it was a
just a matter of the colour palette
3
pulling the mood together.”
2 A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING

ARTHUR’S COURT “Internet rabbit-
trailing, I happened upon the Wikipedia
summary for Mark Twain’s novel. It
mentioned a scene of the 19th century
American hero having to pull out his guns
and handle an army of armoured knights.
Why has this never been on the cover?
Who wouldn’t want to read that?”
3 MEDUSOZOA “I had in mind a

different kind of mermaid with this
portfolio piece. I could picture her
clearly, with a tendrilled human body
emerging from a jellyfish bell. She
languidly floats following her head
along the bottom of the coral reef, with
fish weaving in and out at their peril.”
14 February 2016
Biddy Seiveno
LOCATION: US
1
WEB: www.biddoodles.com
EMAIL: tofutonic@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop, traditional media
A Memphis College of Art

graduate, Biddy’s painting
method combines
traditional and digital
media. “A few of my
inspirations are Sterling Hundley, JC
Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell, Arthur
Rackham as well as more modern
inspirations such as Wylie Beckert and
Lois Van Baarle,” she reveals.
Her work centres around mood and
atmosphere as she tries to force herself
to focus on her weaknesses. “My goal
remains to work on my artistic voice and
to find a happy medium between my
love for all things cute and creepy.”
1 DARKNESS IN THE DEPTHS “I’d

been avoiding doing detailed
environments, so this was my piece
trying to break out of my comfort zone
and tackle one of my weaknesses. It
took a lot of struggling and starting
from scratch before I landed on a
product I was content with.”
2 SEAFARER’S WEAKNESS “I was

keen to break out of doing spot
illustrations and grow. I wanted to focus
on the character and story-telling versus
the mood of the entire piece.”

Jenn Tran
LOCATION: US
1
WEB: www.jenntranart.com
EMAIL: jenn.g.tran@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop, SketchUp, Maya
Currently a concept artist

at Harebrained Schemes,
Jenn also freelances as a
fantasy illustrator and has
worked for the likes of
Volta and Fantasy Flight Games. “With
my artwork, I love to introduce a sense
of mystery and historical storytelling,
combining living cultures with hints at
lost civilisations,” she says.
“I’m also fascinated by themes of
feminine power and beauty, and work
to incorporate them into my images
when it feels relevant.”
Influences such as animation, comics,
Tolkien, Miyazaki and the myriad of
amazing fantasy illustrators working
today help to shape Jenn’s artistic
choices, which she then works to put her
own spin on.
CINDERBORN “This illustration was

1 done for a Golem Arcana campaign,
produced by Harebrained Schemes. The
goal was to depict a battle taking place
in the forest, where corrupted tree
spirits were attacking golems and forest
dwellers. The challenge here was that
the same image had to appear in
multiple contexts (banners, in-game
screens and so on) and working within
those limitations.”
3
THE SLUMS “This was a fun mood
2 exploration for a cancelled project
that enabled me to integrate fantasy
characters into a cyberpunk world. The
goal was to create a sense of
hopelessness and people struggling
against their surroundings, while also
showing that they have adapted and can
hold their own against the elements and
nearby enemies.”
SACRED MAHATAVI “This was

3 another Golem Arcana campaign
image. In this piece, I was depicting a
sacred tree that heals players: a place of
tranquillity and safety. To convey this
mood, I chose a palette that felt calm
and relaxing, and framed the golem
within the giant roots to give a sense
of protection.”
SLEEPING ANCIENT ONE “Inspired

4 by Sergey Kolesov’s image
Mermaid, this piece depicts Ancient
Ones, who are beings with incredible
control and manipulation over golems.
They take gifts of mana from supplicants
(players) and in turn bestow miracles,
blessings and curses on the battlefield.”

4
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Sleeping Ancient
One is the piece
that catches my eye.
Jenn’s choice of a bird’s eye
view conveys the scale of
the Ancient Ones, and
the calm, clear waters
reinforce the scene’s
somnolent tone.”
Daniel Vincent,
Art Editor

Kirsty Rollinson
LOCATION: England
1
WEB: www.kjrillustration.com
EMAIL: info@kjrillustration.com
MEDIA: Photoshop, Manga Studio,
pencils, pen, ink
Kirsty decided in her early

30s that she wanted to
retrain as an illustrator. She
says, “I probably learnt
more in those years through
making mistakes than anything!” With
some online courses and dropping her
social life for art and drawing practice,
she’s now reached a stage where she’s
taken that “terrifying but exciting plunge
into freelance illustration.
Kirsty is inspired by Golden Age
illustrators such as Arthur Rackham and
comic book illustrators including Andy
Brase and Jean-Baptiste Monge. “I’m
also heavily influenced by folklore and
nature, so that features a lot in my work.”
1 OOPS “I really played with this chap’s

expression to convey just how
doddery his character is, and I wanted
the colours to complement the humour
and his cheerful nature. I’ve always
wanted to live in a windmill, but I won’t
be bending down in front of the blades!”
2 ATTICUS AND LUMP “My first outing

in Manga Studio proved an
enjoyable experience! The inking pens
are very organic and varied. This is for a
personal project that I had great fun
lighting and playing with the mood.”
3 TIPPLE IN THE WOODS “I wanted a

really earthy feel to this piece and
chose earthy colours. I prefer using
limited colour palettes. Once I designed
the trees, the characters kind of just
appeared as if they’ve always been
2
lurking behind one of them!”
SUBMIT YOUR
ART TO FXPOSÉ
Send up to five pieces of your
work, along with their titles, an
explanation of your techniques, a
photo of yourself and contact
details. Images should be sent as
300DPI JPEG files.
Email: fxpose@imaginefx.com
(maximum 1MB per image)
Post: (CD or DVD):

FXPosé
ImagineFX
Quay House
The Ambury
Bath, BA1 2BW, UK
All artwork is submitted on the

basis of a non-exclusive
worldwide licence to publish, both
in print and electronically.

3
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Kirsty’s insight
into how the
characters in her
Tipple in the Woods
piece came about made
me smile. That’s a great
example of art magic
mixing with inspiration.
And the figures look so
pleased to be there!”
Cliff Hope,
Operations Editor

ARTIST NEWS, SOFTWARE EVENTS
AT THE CORE OF THE DIGITAL ART COMMUNITY
Jana Schirmer posted

about her artistic
frustrations on Facebook.
She tells us that she now
prefers painting more
graphic-looking images,
like this recent artwork.
20 February 2016
GETTING SELF-STYLED FANTASTICAL
SCHOOLED ARTIST BOOK NEWS
Canada’s Syn Studio Self-taught Chilean Concept design veteran
is offering an industry- artist Genzoman shows Matt Gaser’s first
standard concept art you around his new self-published book,
diploma, taught by self-designed studio, Fantastical, collects
top-name artists, surrounded by a decade’s worth of
including Remko figurines, art books and fantasy artwork from
Troost and Donglu Yu. his very first drawing. films and video games.
Page 25 Page 26 Page 29
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
JANA
SCHIRMER
The German artist on losing
then regaining her mojo
You posted about your artistic

frustrations on Facebook – has
anything changed since?
Things have got a lot better.
I received overwhelming feedback
Lost the spark? Even pro artists get fed up with art now and again. from other artists, saying they
sometimes go through the same
Julia Sagar finds out how to turn it around when you hit a wall problems. This support was
awesome. It helped me relax and
We’ve all been there: those dark days,
focus on fighting the problem.
weeks, months where it feels like you’re How did you manage to find
forcing yourself to draw or paint. When your motivation again?
the desire to create new artwork The first thing was not to get too
evaporates, leaving a residue of laboured, stressed about it. It’s hard to accept
unrewarding pieces saved on your PC, and sometimes that there will be times
you staring at a blank canvas. where you just need to rest, and it’s
The good news is that it happens to totally okay! I’m listening to myself
everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned “I needed to find the more and trying to see what
professional or just starting out as an artist, fun again,” says Jana. direction I want to go. I’m having
chances are you’ll lose your way at some fun painting and drawing again.
point – perhaps multiple times. So what
happens if your art spark fades in 2016? The way to find your I’m very self-critical – sometimes it
helps drive me forward, but in this
How can you get back on track if the
creative juices stop flowing?
message is to paint the things case it’d stopped me in my tracks.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve
Last year, freelance Berlin-based artist you’re afraid others won’t like learned for the experience?
Jana Schirmer faced exactly this problem.
“The rare times I’m coming up or understand I learned mostly that we’re all
human and can’t function 100 per
with a personal illustration it
cent all the time. Giving yourself
feels like I’m forcing myself If you feel as though you’ve lost your
time to breathe and refuel is
to paint,” she wrote in a artistic voice, the key, says illustrator
important. I’d get stressed when
Facebook post that attracted Winona Nelson, is to stop
I saw all these artists posting
an outpouring of replies from established worrying about how or what
amazing work on Facebook and
artists around the world. “I also dislike First Fire: Guardian of to paint, and figure out why
the Eastern Door is I wasn’t producing anything. But
the style/stuff I’m doing right now,” she you paint. What do you want
based on a prophesy everyone has their ups and downs.
continued. “Being an artist feels complicated of Winona Nelson’s to say? It’s an important
for me, so I procrastinate a lot… I need to get tribe, the Ojibwe, that
question, even if you’re not struggling with What would you say to an artist
foretold the coming of
back into finding the fun again.” the Pale People.(3bn). motivation – and January is the perfect time who feels they’re stagnating?
to reflect on your motivations. Winona knew Try to remember what got you
there was a problem when she realised her drawing in the first place. There are
message had become, “Look what I can do!” no rules for art, so there shouldn’t
instead of articulating a deeper truth. To really be any reason to be stressed.
tackle the issue, she took a step back and Allow yourself to do whatever you
thought about what was truly important to want! Keep your eyes open for
her, not what would impress a client. inspiration – outside the art world
“The way to find your message is to paint – for ideas that will make you
the things you’re afraid others won’t like or excited to paint again. Maybe
understand, which in my case come from there’s something only you will be
my dreams and my identity as a Native able to express a certain way?
American and as a woman,” she says,
adding that it worked. “Those more personal Jana’s a full-time freelance
pieces are the best received, despite those
illustrator who creates art
for the video games industry.
fears, and led to more sales and new clients She also collects stickers.
than my more standard portfolio pieces
www.janaschi.deviantart.com
or previous client work.”
February 2016 21
ImagineNation News
She advises following your feelings,
because your visual voice is secondary in
importance when you’re searching for a
deeper truth. “Fear is a good place to start,
because if there’s something you’re afraid
to explore, it’s the thing closest to your
heart,” she adds.
3D artist Victor Hugo understands the
pressure of losing your voice. He recently
suffered an entire year of
paralysing creative block.
The Brazilian artist works
across everything from
advertising to comics, books,
games and more, but when he started to
lose motivation, unfinished projects began
piling up. “What happened to me was I
started so many projects,” he says, “but then
I had a considerable number of letdowns
and I began to feel that every project would
be an unfinished one. At one point, I had 18
unfinished projects.”
STARTING OVER
It took a dramatic suggestion from his wife
To create this project, Victor
– to throw away everything that was holding followed a drawing tutorial
him back, including his computer and by Loish – using 3D tools
instead of traditional tools.
unfinished work – to turn things around.
“I did it! I mean, I didn’t set my computer
on fire or anything like that,” he laughs, “but
Victor Hugo created
Spew in 3D and
tweaked it in
I deleted all my projects. I remember
I deleted all my projects. I still remember the
weight of the unnecessary responsibility
Photoshop to look
like a painting. the weight of unnecessary responsibility
coming off my shoulders. At that moment I
realised that instead of doing 20 projects, it’s
coming off my shoulders
way more productive if you focus on a single Continuously trying to push through by any crucial aspect of our job. Either tackle the
project and try to learn something from it.” means is definitely not the right way to avoid problem from a completely untrodden path,
“Sometimes you just need to let it go,” blocks or burnouts.” or push it aside and come back to it later.”
adds concept artist and industrial designer Georg experienced a “heavy blockade” Christian Alzmann, senior art director
Georg Löschner, aka PapaBear. “Your brain during his industrial design studies, while at Academy Award-winning motion picture
is a muscle and it needs time to turn things making the transition back from digital visual effects company Industrial Light
over subconsciously, so trust sketching to using pen and paper again. & Magic, agrees. He
your gut feeling,” he says. “If “I sucked big time at the beginning, which recommends taking a break
Georg Löschner
your body and mind have aka PapaBear merges robbed me instantly of all energy to pursue and doing something fun.
mechanical, bionic and
been screaming ‘No! I can’t art the matter,” he says. “But learning to let go, “Try some studies or simple
industrial influences
today,’ take a break. into his artwork. and take fails or blocks into account is a sketches. If you draw, try
22 February 2016
Artist news, software & events
Witch, by Christian Alzmann,
who says that creative block
is “inevitable.”
sculpting; if you sculpt, try painting. All of it might be fun and concentrate on that.
those skills will help you in the long run. If I can make that small piece of the image
Also, inspiration is everywhere: go to the work, I’ll be inspired to bring the rest of the
zoo, bake a cake – shake it up. And engage image up to support it.”
with your community. Sharing stories, Christian’s best advice is to accept that
techniques and tricks is priceless.” creative block happens and stop putting
pressure on yourself. “It’s inevitable,” he says,
DEADLINE INSPIRATION “but my biggest lesson is that the block
What if you don’t have time on your side? inevitably passes, too.”
What if you’ve got tight deadlines to meet Finding a process to help you deal with
and ambitious, talented artists just waiting it and pull you out of a creative funk can
to step into your place and shine? make it all worth it, he argues. “Sometimes,
“When I don’t have time for a trip to the in that funk, you find a renewed or slightly
beach or a hike in Yosemite, I go to my art tweaked version of your art that helps push
books and find inspiration from some of my you in a new direction. When you’re in the
favourite artists,” says Christian. “When zone, try to remember those things that
I return to what I’m working on, I try to find really inspire you and let them help you find In Georg’s piece Nova Bionics, the
hand has had a “tool upgrade”.
something about the image that looks like the passion again.”
February 2016 23
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Esteemed concept artist Donglu Yu is

on the Syn Studio teaching staff roster.
A new concept for your career

Syn-chronised study Canada’s premier school of concept art, Syn Studio, will now
be offering an industry-standard concept art diploma, taught by top-name artists
Syn Studio was founded in the right people,” he adds. “To graduate with
2007 by Anthony Walsh, who cutting-edge skills, you need training from
went in with the ethos that professionals working in the industry right
“great artists are not born, now. We don’t hire full-time teachers and
they are made.” Fast forward book their class schedules way in advance,
nine years and the school has gone from because then they aren’t working in the
strength to strength, now adding to the industry any more.”
mix an 18-month, full-time concept art In the past year alone, the school has
diploma programme that’s led by leading provided the platform for masterclasses
industry professionals.
The concept art diploma is the first of its To graduate with cutting- Student Michael
kind, and is designed to give students a solid
foundation to become professional-level
edge skills, you need training Klukowski created
this for Syn Studio’s
vehicle and mech
concept artists armed with the right skills,
techniques and workflows.
from working professionals design course.
“It was developed over the course of taken by the likes of Remko Troost, Christian of quality and professionalism as they do in
three years with help from top concept Robert de Massy, Donglu Yu and Jeong H the industry” and this includes the 2D and
artists and educators, most notably Scott Shin, among many more. These top tutors 3D workflows that are increasingly being
Robertson, who has personally trained some will act like the student’s art directors, used in the industry today.
of the world’s most successful concept Remko Troost, who Anthony says. “They require the students to To qualify for the diploma, Anthony
artists,” says Anthony. “Many people want to created concepts for use the same pipelines and procedures, advises that you need to demonstrate
the Assassin’s Creed
work as concept artists, so to beat the franchise, passes on his
submit the same set of production-ready through your portfolio, letter of intent and
competition it’s very important to train with industry knowledge. assets and hold them to the same standards interview that you can draw well using basic
principles including proportion, perspective
and anatomy, can use value to convincingly
show form and cast realistic shadows, use
colour and understand colour theory, are
comfortable painting digitally in Photoshop
and can create original concepts that show
potential for interesting design.
Many of Syn Studio’s previous students
are now forging their way through the
entertainment industry and living their
dream, and with only 20 students per
programme and 18 months of dedicated
study time, its diploma offers a strong
alternative to a three-year degree.
Michelle Lannen puts the environment For more information and to apply, see
art skills that she’s learnt into practice.
www.synstudio.ca/concept-art-diploma.
February 2016 25
ImagineNation News
To the right of my shelves are art books by my favourite A medal from Playa Ancha University, because
artists. To the left, books and comics I’ve worked on. Plus I graduated with the highest score of my year. It
many comics and mangas I’ve collected over the years. brings me a bunch of good memories.
Music! I used to study piano and composition My couch is one of my favourite things ever. After
as a kid. I used to compose stuff and was in a band. a long day’s work, I can just rest a bit, read books
Genzoman
I recorded some demos and uploaded them to and feel like a kid again. After a couple of minutes
my SoundCloud – you can check them out! I’m ready for battle. It has magical powers!
Street fighter The Chilean fantasy artist takes time out from his latest
game artwork to talk self-designed studios and magical sofas
This year I moved from who’s more creative by night, so the studio is game by Alderac Games. After a break for
Santiago to the place I was conveniently closer to the living room and lunch, I walk a bit or go downtown for
born, Arica, near the border far from the bedrooms. The best thing about materials. I come back and keep working on
with Peru and Bolivia. My working from home is that I don’t need to the line art, creating the approved sketches
house is really close to the leave my house to have a workstation. I can all afternoon until my kids arrive. I usually
beach and although this is my third studio, see my two kids grow up and I’m always play with them and then start painting
it’s the first one that I really feel could be close to the people I love. My work never at night when everything is calm, so I can
the definitive workspace. Not just because feels lonely because I have someone to give listen to music or put a movie on in the
there’s a lot of space, but also because it’s me opinions, help and support. background to watch while I’m working.
the first studio I designed, so I feel really My usual working day begins at 9am. Gonzalo Ordóñez, aka Genzoman, is a Chilean
comfortable here. I have some toast and coffee or tea, and I’m freelance artist who loves to illustrate games-
I usually work side-by-side with my wife, ready to tackle some sketches for different related art and mythology, and is preparing
with each of us concentrating on our projects. Right now I’m working on some to launch his Patreon soon. See his art work at
respective projects. But I’m the kind of guy covers for Street Fighter Unlimited and a www.genzoman.deviantart.com.
26 February 2016
My tools of work. I use a Cintiq 22HD, but also have an
Intuos Pro and a little Bamboo on the desk, which I usually
carry on my travels for painting on flights, trains or buses.
This is my first drawing.

My parents took me to watch
Return of the Jedi and the first
thing I did afterwards was draw
TIE fighters. I keep it close to
my desk to remind me of when
I started to love drawing.
I love figures and toys! Here are some from my favourite I always carry a note book and this image is
series. Most of my collection are on my shelf, but there from The Crow author James O’Barr – we
are other figures all over the room. met in Peru for coffee before a convention.
My favourite books:
Arte/Rama is an art
encyclopedia given to
A framed drawing by Mushishi director Hiroshi me by my parents
Nagahama who I met at Polymanga 2013. He when I was a kid, while
was really nice and sent me this drawing of the Last Unicorn
Ginko, the main character of Mushishi. defined my childhood.
February 2016 27
Hatboy
by Vaughn Pinpin
The book of brave new worlds

Pure imagination Concept design veteran Matt Gaser’s first self-
published book collects together a decade’s worth of fantasy artwork
Matt Gaser has built his
career on designing
fictional worlds for
films and video games.
For his first art book,
Fantastical, Matt is inviting readers
to explore his own fantasy universe.
The artist, who’s worked on big projects
like the Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the
Angry Birds film, says that, “For the past
three years I’ve been selling prints of my
artwork at comic conventions. All the time
people kept asking me when I’m doing my
own book,” he says. “That’s when I decided
to self-publish Fantastical.”
Matt says he enjoys sketching, because it leads to
Matt called on the help of his friends: the exploration of spontaneous ideas.
book designer and art director Iain Morris,
and co-owner of Cameron Books, Chris
Gruener. Together they settled on a
hardcover format wrapped in a dust jacket,
filled with 112 full-colour pages.
While Fantastical includes Matt’s finished
Photoshop work, two-thirds of the book are
devoted to concept sketches and pitch
ideas. “If you want to make the best art, you
have to be open to change,” the artist says.
Fantastical is available now, and can be
ordered through Matt’s website. Find out Matt would love to publish more books in the future, Choosing which images and projects made the final
more at www.mattgaser.com. alongside his animation and film work. book was a tough challenge for the artist.
February 2016 29
ImagineNation
Your art news that’s

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS grabbed our attention
Contact Acting Editor, Beren Neale,
on beren@imaginefx.com or write Alexander
to ImagineFX, Future Plc, Johanson
Quay House, The Ambury, @AJohanson89
Bath, BA1 1UA, UK
“My latest creature
Follow us on twitter: illustration – been
www.twitter.com/imaginefx
painting fur, learning
Tell us your thoughts on:
www.facebook.com/imaginefx Both our covers for the indie comics and the black and with Schoolism.”
white issues floated Emily Bullchong’s boat.
Walking a fine line Cover compliments

Great 10th anniversary edition, guys. Been loving your covers recently. I subscribe
I thought you trod a fine line between from Sydney so I’m a bit behind, but the
celebrating some of the best artists you’ve Tank Girl issue cover was insane! Loved it.
brought us over the years, without travelling My nephew (15) spotted it and now he’s a
too far up your own buttholes. I’ve seen convert too. However, my favourite cover
some magazines spend their birthday issues this year was the Beauty of Black and White
slapping themselves on the back so much, issue – simply stunning. Will you be doing
it’s embarrassing. But you managed to mark anything like this again?
the occasion while still bringing us amazing DID YOU MISS Emily Bullchong, via email Moon Ink
art and brilliant interviews. Congrats on OUR 10-YEAR @mooninkz
surviving this long in a world where a lot of
ANNIVERSARY Beren replies Hello Emily. I love the Tank
SPECIAL ISSUE? “Hello guys, thank you
supposedly bigger mags, like FHM, have Girl comic, and it was a blast to work with
Turn to page 56
gone out of business. Please keep up the to see how you official artist Brett Parson. And THANK for the great content you
good work for another decade at least, as I can get hold of YOU for giving love for the black and white give us. Here is a study
don’t know what I would do without you. this and other cover. We hadn’t done anything like that I did recently.”
One gripe, though. In your roundup of back issues, too! before, but we definitely will again. We
cheap alternatives to Photoshop Elements usually go for eye-catching colour to sell the
you didn’t mention Affinity Photo. It’s only cover image, but subtle use of black and
£40 and it does just about everything white and gold can work just as well. And it
Elements does, and some things better. I’d helps when you’re working with the
urge anybody to check it out. wonderful Charlie Bowater!
Mary Davis, via email
A career in art
Beren replies Hey Mary! Haha, many First off I just want to say happy anniversary
thanks for the compliment. We all worked to ImagineFX, I love all the work you do and
hard on the 10-year anniversary issue, and look forward to the next 10 years of digital
hopefully produced something worthy of art goodness! However, I’m interested to
such a big celebration. I love the process of know if you plan on running articles
planning an issue, selecting the artists that focusing on career advice. It’s all very well Rowena Aitken
we’d like to work with, the topics we cover learning creative techniques, but I don’t @rowenaaitken
and all that other jazz. Ultimately it’s all know how to get my work out there and get
about them, and you, the readers, so my foot on the career ladder, so to speak. ”Hey @imaginefx you
hearing this is mighty fine indeed! Barry Churn, via email featured me in issue 87,
As for Affinity Photo – thanks for the I’m revisiting the Fantasy
heads up. We reviewed it back in February Beren replies Hey Bazzer! (May I call you Alphabet :)”
2015. We will commission a workshop for that? No?! OK then…) This is a topic that’s
it, but the trick there is finding an artist who always relevant and something that I’ve
uses the software. The search is on! thought long about. It’s timely too, what
with Syn Studio having just launched its
industry-standard concept art diploma
(see page 25). Short answer: I want to do an
annual overview on education in this
industry, making it up to date, offering
information on the best online and bricks-
and-mortar schools around the world. It’s
Reader Mary Davis something we haven’t done due to budget, Just finished something you want us to shout
believes Affinity Photo about? Send it our way on Twitter
is a decent Photoshop and the sheer scope of putting it together, (@imaginefx), or find us on Facebook!
Elements alternative. but watch this space.
30 February 2016
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February 2016 31
ImagineNation Artist Q&A
STRUGGLING WITH A PAINTING TECHNIQUE OR GET YOUR

TOPIC? EMAIL HELP@IMAGINEFX.COM TODAY! RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
Question
I want to go against fantasy archetypes.
What approach would you recommend?
Mairead Kersley, Northern Ireland
Leesha Hannigan There are many ways to get

Leesha is an Australian creative with your subversions.
illustrator and concept artist. I avoid the predictable evil
Her interests lie in fantasy ‘black’ unicorn and instead
illustration, with a personal choose a muted, rusty colour
focus on creature and scheme for my beast.
environment art.
www.leeshahannigan.com
John Petersen
John is a production artist and
animator for Engineering
Systems, Inc. He’s also an
illustrator whose clients
include Monte Cook Games
and Catalyst Game Labs.
www.petersenart.com
Marcel van Vuuren

Marcel has been working as a
concept designer for over two
years, mainly favouring
subject matters such as
sci-fi vehicles, environments
and prop design.
http://ifxm.ag/marcel-vv
Sara Forlenza
Sara creates art for book
covers, cards and RPGs. After
many years using traditional
media, she was introduced to
the world of digital art. It was
love at first sight,
www.saraforlenza.deviantart.com
Tom Foster
Tom is a professional comic Answer
book artist, best known for his Leesha replies
work on 2000 AD and the
Judge Dredd magazine.
Subverting tropes and to write out a fantasy bestiary, and
Outside of work, he likes to expectations for a fantasy categorise them into good, evil and
do stand-up comedy gigs. creature or character is a great neutral. After that it becomes pretty easy
www.tomrfoster.deviantart.com way to create an interesting to choose which subject you want to depict
depiction of your subject. While there’s against type.
something reassuring and familiar about Colour and lighting can strongly
tropes in any context, it’s somewhat more support your narrative as well as the tone
difficult to design a subject in a creative of your piece. Want to paint a typically evil
Use a Color Dodge
way, when that subject has been designed creature as friendly or cute? Use bright,
Need our advice? a million times before.
layer to paint highlights
with a gritty, textured saturated colours. Warm lighting and cool
brush. Be sure to first
Email help@imaginefx.com Fantasy as a genre has an extensive list double-click the layer
shadows works well for this. Looking for
with your art questions and of tropes! All you have to do to subvert and then deselect ways to make a good character look evil or
Transparency Shapes
we’ll provide all the answers! them is sit down and think about Layer. Can you see
foreboding? Try featuring some
opposites. For this article, my approach is the difference? desaturated colours and gritty textures.
32 February 2016
Your questions answered...
Step-by-step: Question
Paint outside the Can a garish colour scheme make
fantasy box for a more effective painting?
LaVerne Harleson, US
I block in some of my evil unicorn’s

1 form in a rough sketch. Typically,
unicorns are shown as standing around
looking pretty and serene, so I give my
subject a more dynamic, charging pose.
Reference will always help you out when
deciding upon a pose or gesture. I tend to
use Flickr and Pinterest, or I shoot my own.
I pay attention to the setting, which is

2 key because it gives context to the
subject. I want it to be an isolated, cold
environment, which is different to the cosy Take your original sketch and do several colour comps to
see which palette fits the mood. Don’t limit yourself!
woods where a unicorn may usually hang
out. A sweeping snowscape would
complement the tone of the piece, along Answer
with some ominous-looking storm clouds. John replies
The key thing to consider, no matter Overlay is also a wonderful adjustment layer to
what palette you’re using, is colour quickly assign one colour to light values and
harmony. Do the colours play well another colour to dark.
together? Are they all competing for The problems with using bright, saturated
the viewer’s attention? Another important factor colours usually arise when you overuse them.
is what kind of mood is are you trying to set for But it really depends on the painting and what
your audience? you’re trying to convey. But if you can pull it off,
What makes for an effective painting is how a “garish” palette isn’t garish at all.
all the parts come together as a whole. Colour,
value, shape language, composition and rhythm
all work together to craft a compelling image. If
you’re relying on a bombastic colour scheme to
When detailing your subject, think

save your painting, you may have other issues
that need to be addressed.
Artist’s secret
3 about your choices when it comes to For this article I paint over a greyscale SWITCH COLOURS Q UICKLY
ting a colour
iconic or recognisable elements of it’s drawing several times, because the light sources When I’m having trouble selec
puter help me
design. For this unicorn’s horn. I look up change in each image. My two favourite palette I sometimes let the com
onli ne apps to help
some reference for different types of Photoshop colour tools for doing this are Color decide. There are several
com and colo urlovers.com
animal horns, and chose one that’s less Balance and Levels adjustment layers. In a you. color.adobe.
great web interfa ce tools that enable
streamlined, jagged, and perhaps a little Levels adjustment, you can tweak the red, feature
ur sche me on the fly.
more fit for impaling a gnome or two. green, and blue channels individually. Gradient you to construct a colo
February 2016 33
Question
How should I depict reflected light from worn metal surfaces?
Chaz Dupont, Canada
Answer A technician works on the

Marcel replies reconstruction of an old,
broken-down military drone.
Metal has a reflective I chose a simple lighting
scheme to support the
component that can appear overall ramshackle mood.
shiny or matt. When rendering
out metallic objects, balance
both of these effects to achieve realistic
results. The key difference between a shiny,
new metal and a metal that’s been worn is
that when light reflects against worn metal,
it’ll diffuse that light. A polished surface
will reflect light on its surroundings
further, whereas a worn metal’s matt
bumps and scratches will scatter the light
beams, resulting in a softer illumination.
You’ll likely need to tackle lighting
challenges in any scene where you have a
variety of metal surfaces, and
understanding the relationship between
your light sources and your material is
This area contains
crucial. You can study how light behaves several sources of
around you, but in a concept environment minor light reflecting
on multiple surfaces.
you don’t always have access to real-life
Artist’s secret ING
The importance here
examples. You can speed things up by using is creating a natural
3D software to generate accurate lighting

distinction between
all of them. L LIGHT
BOOST YOUR MATERIAgrab reflections
information, ensuring a strong foundation You can use the Lasso tool to
toshop’s
for your painting. I like to mock up my on metal references, and use Pho to place
subject in a 3D software package such as es like Scre en or Dod ge
Transfer mod
Modo, and use it to assist in the setup of over you r met als. Thi s can save time
them e realistic.
ecti ons feel mor
light sources and material properties. and make your refl
Step-by-step: Rendering metal and light

A quick sketch stage helps I develop and design the
1 me to determine the
2 subject; using Modo
subject matter and narrative enables me to quickly build a
angle. I like to do these as line low-poly model, and set up
art, which gives me more accurate light and surface
control over the lighting that properties. I now have enough
will match the mood and tone information to paint my image,
of the piece. The next step is to and I use Photoshop to edit the
add basic black and white lighting and basic colour
values beneath my line art, and scheme. I always keep a copy
this enables me to determine of this ‘light model’ on a
the most suitable light sources separate layer, and refer back
for the final image. to it throughout the process.
I use 3D-Coat to generate During the final stages

3 several texture and
4 you’ll blend and integrate
material passes, until I settle on all the elements. Metallic
the worn surface. As you work surfaces will pick up light
on texturing, you’ll lose the sources from across your scene:
lighting information previously ask yourself where the light will
set up, and this is why referring bounce to once it’s reflected by
back to the light model layer your metal components. It’s
you created ensures you stay easy to add too much shine
true to your intended everywhere, which can result in
composition. Once your overly exposed surfaces. Be
textures are in place, you need sure to only add highlights
to reapply your lighting scheme. where they’re needed.
34 February 2016
No matter how technologically advanced a society

becomes, if a place is abandoned it doesn’t take very
long for nature to reclaim everything and take over.
Question
Please help me quickly paint an abandoned futuristic city
Rodney Beavis, US
Answer
John replies
This involves creating a combination behind of the sudden abandonment. Consider countless vanishing points on my own. I can also
of futuristic, advanced technology adding bullet holes, overturned vehicles, move the camera to try different perspectives to
with modernist architecture and emergency evacuation signs and other indicators. quickly find the composition I like.
corrosion, decay, vegetation My process involves creating a 3D model of the Then I render an image from that angle, draw
overgrowth, blight, and crumbling or collapsed major structures to use as a reference. Modern over the image, and then paint in the details.
structures. You have to ask yourself, why was the and futurist architecture contains wavy lines and I also take the time to make lasso selections to
city abandoned? Was it from war? Disease? Alien curves intermingled with straight-line grids, and separate background elements from the
invasion? Depending on the circumstances, this workflow saves me a lot of time trying to foreground so I can adjust colour and tone for
you’ll have to think about leaving evidence achieve an accurate perspective by drawing each area separately.
Step-by-step: Build a digital maquette
I start by constructing a 3D model of I project the 3D rendered image and I begin adding colour and value to the
1 my city. I create basic shapes, and
2 trace it on to drawing paper. You can
3 piece, using Color Balance adjustment
either copy or extrude them into stacked also just start painting digitally over the layers to unify the mood if the colours
arrays. This gives me skyscraper-like 3D model, but I like having a bit of a line start to get all over the place. I want a
structures with separations for each floor. art style to my work. I add destruction sunlit scene, with the light coming in from
Then I can twist, bend, stretch and scale and broken windows to the buildings, but the back left. Atmospheric perspective is
each one to give me that futurist look. much of this will be painted over. also useful for showing distance and scale.
February 2016 35
Question
How can I make dynamic page layouts easy to follow?
Nathan Shannon, Canada
Answer
Tom replies
Page layouts have a lot of
influence over how a reader
follows a story, so making them
seem natural and easy to follow
is vital. For this article, I’ve laid out a page
detailing an escalating conflict. In the first
two panels, there’s only mild conflict and
so I’ve used straightforward angles and
panel placement. But as things become
more heated, I begin to drop or break panel
borders, stagger panel placement and
incorporate more dynamic angles and
perspective. I use DAZ 3D to plan my panel
compositions; manipulating the camera
placement and focal length can create some
dramatic effects that would be difficult to
achieve using traditional methods.
Then I use Photoshop to organise my
DAZ renders. All the major compositional
elements in each panel are placed to
subconsciously guide the reader from one
A strong thumbnail with a clear line of action can be
panel to the next in sequence. The figures invaluable in anchoring the core elements of a page.
in panel three are shot from such an angle
as to create an invisible, diagonal line that
leads from the upper figure, through the
lower figure, through the left fist of the
character in panel four, right to the focal
point of panel four: the face of the charging Artist’s secret
character. I then guide the reader through LEADING THE EYE literal, line
the focal points of the following two panels Drawing an imaginary, or even
esen t the path of
in a similar way, using one, continuous, through your layout to repr be a great
oss the pag e can
zig-zagging line of action. This way the the reader’s eye acr lling
yte
An increasingly varied page layout can help escalate tension and drama in a
action can be dynamically staged, yet be help in pulling all your major stor smoothly.
t the y flow
scene, but the action should still be clearly delineated. clear and intuitive for the reader. elements together, so tha
Question
My comic characters’ faces lack variety – can you help?
Abi Thorne, England
Answer
Tom replies
When drawing unusual or one person, as a noticeable resemblance to
particularly characterful facial a familiar figure may bring the reader out of
types, I find it important to the fiction of the story and compromise the
have a strong understanding of character’s own unique identity. So I draw
the underlying anatomy, as my ability to from elements of different sources, because
convincingly exaggerate elements of this noticing the commonalities and the
will govern the legitimacy of my characters. differences in my chosen models helps me
So I have reference material, such as understand what the core elements that
anatomical diagrams on hand to cover any define the character are.
of the gaps in my knowledge. By building up enough knowledge of the
I look up images of celebrities whose foundations of facial geography, I can
faces seem to match the character type I’m choose precisely which elements to keep
aiming for most closely, and study the generic and which to make distinct, to
Emphasising different, key aspects of the face can create a variety of convincing
dominant shapes in their faces. However, better define only the things about the
characters, so long as the fundamentals of form and anatomy are maintained. I try not to base my design too closely on character that I wish to communicate.
36 February 2016
Question
Help me design and portray banners flapping in the wind
Carol-Lynn Fosberry, US
To give a more realistic

Answer sense of a flag blowing in
the wind I blur part of it with
Sara replies the Motion Blur tool.
Looking at flags and war
banners, the first thing
you’ll notice is that they
usually have a simple design,
in order to be recognisable from a
distance. Typically they’ll feature the
coat of arms of a feuding family,
geometric designs and bright colours.
I lay down some rough sketches of
the banner I want to paint, and then
paint my chosen design. I add colour to
the various flag elements, which are
placed on separate layers, enabling me
to move and alter them with ease. Once
I’m happy I save my basic flag design. Sketching out and deciding
Now I open a new file and I sketch on flag designs beforehand
helps to save time during
the scene that will feature the flag flying the actual painting process.
in the wind. I import the basic flag and
create a motion effect with Photoshop’s
Transform>Warp tool. I can also use the
Liquify tool to fold and warp the flag
design and add more folds. To boost the
fluttering effect, I use the Puppet Warp
tool: this enables me to give movement
to the flag by rotating or pulling specific
areas around specific points.
Now it’s time to render the flag in the
Artist’s secret
environment. I create a Multiply layer DEALING WITH FOLDS
and I lay down shadows, choosing a Where the flag produces a
cool colour and a Soft brush to simulate very big fold in on itself that
the softness of the fabric. I pay attention divides the flag into two, split
to where the flag meets the wooden the layout into two and
pole: here, there are a lot of folds. adjust the look of the flag
Finally, I add some highlights on a new with the Transform> Warp tool.
Color Dodge layer.
Step-by-step: Develop distinct facial types
When drawing a young, healthy A fuller face can be a challenge For a wizened or gaunt face I
1 character, knowledge of the basics 2 because the bone structure and 3 exaggerate the bone and muscle
of proportion are essential. I hint a little at musculature are obscured by fatty masses, structures, making use of anatomy
the underlying muscle and bone structure, so anatomical diagrams may fall short. diagrams as reference material. If I want to
but primarily aim to achieve balance and I use a fair bit of photo reference here to age the figure, looser skin around the jaw
subtlety. Too much of any one specific study how the fat around the jaw and and neck and bags under the eyes help to
characteristic can be jarring for the viewer. cheeks alter the basic forms of the face. lend authenticity to more obvious wrinkles.
February 2016 37
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38 February 2016
Need our help?
If you have a question for
our experts, email us at
help@imaginefx.com
Question
How can I portray mixed emotions within a group of people?
Jon Douglas, England
Answer
Sara replies I want each character to
have a different personality,
To answer this question and so it’s important to vary
I decide to draw a group of their expressions.
friends, who are gathered on
a couch in front of a television
to watch a horror film. The viewer won’t
actually see what’s on the screen, and so
this means that I can concentrate on
developing the characters’ different facial
expressions, and not worry about what
they’re actually watching.
I start by sketching mixed figure poses
sitting on the couch. For the moment, I
don’t place too much attention on the
anatomy and instead focus on the
naturalness of their poses. When I’m
relaxing at home my back is rarely straight,
and my legs and arms are never folded – so
why should my collection of characters be
any different?
I place the television on the right
because I anticipate that the painting will
be seen from left to right, so that the viewer
has plenty of time to take in the faces of the
various characters.
Once I’m satisfied with their poses, Artist’s secret
LIGHT FROM A TELEVISIOToNcreate the correct
I produce the final sketch and add various
details to the environment: popcorn, a cat
and a dog. I choose a night-time setting, lighting setup in front
because it fits well with the horror film of the television set I
choice. Furthermore, the dark colours use a cool spot light
contrast nicely with the light that’s coming that originates from
from the television, and this will help me the screen. This casts
focus attention on the characters. I don’t go very dark and
into too much detail in the background contrasting shadows
because this could prove a distraction. across the entire
Instead, I focus on their faces and paint Here’s a rough sketch showing only the posture and anatomy of environment.
their expressions. my figures, which helps me see if the image is balanced.
Step-by-step: Different expression for different characters

I paint the bored-looking character For the couple, I paint him sitting with Now I paint two characters who are
1 and I focus on her posture, which will 2 his legs wide apart and calm facial 3 interested in the film. The man is
communicate her state of mind. The expression. I paint his eyes open and concentrating on the plot so I paint a
character is holding her head with one mouth relaxed into a smile. But she’s neutral expression on his face but draw his
hand. Her eyes must indicate disinterest, frightened and so I paint her huddled with torso bent toward the screen, as if he
so I draw them half- her knees toward her wants to see things
closed and tight. A chest and an arm more clearly. The
mouth with drooping holding on to his woman is amused by
corners is essential top. Her gaze must the film so I paint her
to show that indicate anxiety, so with a big smile,
whatever she’s I depict her hiding round out the
watching is not her head between cheeks and widen
floating her boat. her shoulders. her eyes.
NEXT MONTH: PHOTOBASH A SCI-FI VEHICLE | CAPTURE THE RIGHT EXPRESSION | MANAGE YOUR
COLOURS | DESIGN AND PAINT AN AIRLOCK | SHOW A FLAMETHROWER IN ACTION | AND MORE!
February 2016 39
How is Japanese animation holding up in 2016?
Andrew Osmond surveys the field and finds aging
superheroes, hungry giants and Ping Pong champs
A
round a quarter century has graveyard TV slots in the small hours,
passed since Neo-Tokyo getting about 0.4 per cent of Japan’s TV
exploded in Akira. That’s when audience. Even Naruto, which plays at
Japanese animation became a 7.30 in the evening in Japan, would
thing around the world, in struggle to get five per cent of TV viewers.
that people became aware of it beyond a The only true anime blockbusters are
handful of fans. Many of you reading this some of Hayao Miyazaki’s films released by
will have grown up in that interval, getting Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away was Japan’s
into anime through Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, top cinema release ever (domestic or
Death Note or Ghibli. In the same period, foreign) for more than a decade after it
anime has evolved with new trends, styles opened in 2001. But Hayao has retired, at
and hits – although it’s dubious to talk of least from feature films. The same seems
hits in such a niche market. true of Ghibli itself, though Britain will
Because anime is niche, and has become presumably get the studio’s last non-
even more so in the fragmented mediaverse Miyazaki film, When Marnie was There,
of the 2010s. Most anime labelled “anime” based on a British kids’ ghost story. In
abroad weren’t made for Japanese cinemas Japan, Spirited Away was supplanted as the
or prime-time viewing. They were made for top release by Disney’s Frozen.
40 February 2016
GIANT KILLERS
The heroes of Attack on Titan fight man-
eating giants using Vertical Manoeuvring
Equipment,which enables them to swing
into action like Spider-Man.
41
ANIME JOKER
Here’s the villain of Gatchaman Crowds. He’s a version
of the Zoltar baddie from Battle of the Planets.
TRON LEGACY
Knights of Sidonia was made by
the CG studio Polygon Pictures,
which also worked on the
TV cartoon Tron: Uprising.
It’s being
scared of not
understanding
what other people
are thinking
darker, crazier and more heart-rending
until its cosmic finale makes 2001: A Space
Odyssey look small.
“I was asked to write a bloody story
DARK MAGIC where magic girls appear…” Madoka’s
Puella Magi Madoka Magica begins like
a children’s cartoon about magic girls, writer Gen Urobuchi told the newspaper
but it becomes far darker and madder. Asahi Shimbun. Actually, there’s little
blood in Madoka, just
anguish and torment, though
Yet while anime is marginal, it’s not both story and visual, and their reluctance Gen later wrote the anime
fading out. There’s a huge number of new to step outside them. In terms of choosing Psycho-Pass, in which a
titles released every year – largely TV ANIME subjects, anime often seems less bold than, hi-tech world is drenched in
shows, often running 12 or 13 episodes. TIMELINE say, Pixar or indie toons like Persepolis or splatter-killings of the kind you’d see in
The world first
Many are rooted in the genres that were became aware The Illusionist. And yet, there are still Hannibal. But Madoka owes its visuals not
popular in anime 20 or 30 years ago. There of anime with remarkably bold anime. to Gen but to Gekidan INU Curry (literally
are sci-fi and fantasy titles, often with big Akira, but its Take Puella Magi Madoka Magica (don’t “Theatrical Company Dog Curry”), which
history in Japan
robots or magic girls; school comedies and goes back much be deterred by its indigestible name). It is the pseudonym for two maverick
rom-coms; and lurid horror. Other anime further… looks like a cutesy Sailor Moon kids’ series animators responsible for the girls’
genres, like sports shows, are skipped by with some unusually trippy extraordinary enemies.
markets like Britain; a recent example is artwork, about girls given 1945 In imagining these
Yowamushi Pedal, about bicycle racing. C. 1917 magic powers by a catlike The first full-length otherworldly demons, the
The earliest Japanese Japanese animation is
creature with a wide artists went outside
LOOK BEYOND THE CLICHÉS cartoons made by
pioneering film-makers. smile. And then it
Momotaro’s Divine Sea
Warriors. A propaganda mainstream anime.
You can get annoyed with anime for the For more on the origins becomes a cross film, it shows Japan Their limited, abstract,
same reason you can get fed up with of Japanese animation, between Cabin in liberating Asia, and was handmade cartooning has
track down Anime: A released shortly before
superhero comics, because of their History by Jonathan the Woods, Yellow Japan’s surrender in touches of art animators
endless recycling of motifs and clichés, Clements. Submarine and Faust, going World War II. like Czech surrealist Jan
42 February 2016
GIRL DETECTIVES
The Case of Hana and Alice is about two kooky amateur detectives,
who have previously been introduced in a live-action film.
ANIMATED
LIVE-ACTION
Some new anime has gone back to one of the
oldest animation techniques: rotoscoping
One of the more unexpected trends in recent Japanese
animation is for some titles to use old-fashioned rotoscoping,
where live-action film is painted over to create non-cartoony
animation. (An American example is Ralph Bakshi’s animated
YEAR ZERO Lord of the Rings from 1978.) The TV serial Flowers of Evil
The anime version of Attack on Titan uses rotoscoping to moody, menacing effect, telling a
modelled its old-fashioned stone cities
on architecture in Germany. story of teen bullying and obsession in a small town. The
feature film The Case of Hana and Alice is far more benign,
a kooky comedy-drama in which two teen girls investigate
a rumoured murder. It’s a prequel to a live-action film from
a decade earlier, simply called Hana and Alice.
MONSTROUS OTHER
According to Attack on Titan’s producer,
the Titans are frightening because we
POISONED FLOWERS
Flowers of Evil takes its title from the French poetry of Charles Baudelaire.
can’t understand their expressions.
Svankmajer. One savage battle, played out humans in a stone city.

in black silhouettes, feels like an homage Producer George Wada argues
– though a violent one – to the female that Titan taps the fear of the
animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger. “We both Other. “It’s being scared of
had set our eyes on Russian and Czech not understanding what other
animation styles,” explain the duo. “Rather people are thinking. The Titans look like
than working with a lot of people like in an they’re smiling, or sad, but the fear comes
orchestra, we prefer to create miniature from not understanding what those
landscapes that can be accomplished by expressions mean.”
working individually.” Titan is a grisly, morbid blend
Madoka Magica is 1963 of Romero, Lovecraft and
disturbing, but the dominant Astro Boy, which Akira. Unlike Madoka
anime horror is Attack on featured a Pinocchio- Magica, it was based on an
like robot boy, is one of
Titan, effectively a zombie the first Japanese TV already successful manga
holocaust apocalypse cartoons. Both the cartoon (comic) series by the
drama. The twist is these and the original comic young artist Hajime
zombies are Godzilla-sized
were created by Osamu
Tezuka, the so-called Isayama. “We have been GLASSES GIRL
Subverting convention again, this benign-looking Madoka Magica
giants, besieging the last God of Manga. very faithful to the character is actually one of the scariest in the series!
February 2016 43
PEPSI PINUP
Tiger & Bunny
envisions fully
corporatised
superheroes – the
heroine Blue Rose
stars in adverts
for Pepsi Next.
We felt that nobody outside of

Masakazu Katsura could come up with
such a range of awesome hero designs
BEAST BOY
The horror series Tokyo Ghoul
involves an ordinary boy
who’s transformed into a
flesh-eating monster.
manga, but the anime looks different; with a continuation due in 2016. A two-
there’s a difference in the expression of the part live-action film was made in Japan, but
manga and the anime,” George says. For was widely panned; there’s also a silly spoof
example, the human city looks more anime series, Attack on Titan: Junior High.
European in the anime; the staff studied Other horror titles have risen in the ODD COUPLE unwillingly paired with a
material from Germany. meantime, including Parasyte – The The title characters of photogenic youth (Bunny).
Tiger & Bunny –
Maxim, Tokyo Ghoul and (recently in surprisingly, the bearded, Tiger has a beard, which was
EMBARRASSED BY GIANT ZOMBIES Japan) Ajin. All three revolve around young middle-aged Tiger
was the more popular.
risky in Japan; as producer
On the manga side, Hajime is protagonists who get turned into inhuman Masayuki Ozaki explained,
diffident about his work, creatures and thrown into ambiguous wars “Japanese women do not feel attracted to
saying he was “really where humans may be the monsters. men with facial hair.” But it worked – Tiger
embarrassed” about Away from horror, the cheerier Tiger & was a hit with female viewers.
weaknesses in his strip Bunny is a superhero comedy-drama, set The heroes were designed by a famed
– especially the first volume, in a metropolis where caped manga artist, Masakazu Katsura, whose
“when I see my drawing and 1968 crusading is corporatised. The strips include Video Girl Ai and I’’s, both
I can’t follow the storyline.” Star of the Giants, heroes fight evil on live TV, centred around pretty girls. But executive
about a baseball player, competing for audience producer Masayuki told the magazine
He even suggests that the
is the first sports anime
Photo by Makoto Kaku
Titan anime should be series. The genre has been shares, in suits covered with Weekly Shonen Jump that Katsura was a
considered the definitive popular with audiences company logos. The show’s superhero fan. “We felt that nobody outside
version of his story. ever since, with episodes best idea is to focus on a of Katsura could come up with such a wide
about everything
The first Titan anime was from boxing to fading hero (Tiger), a range of awesome hero designs… To him,
made a couple of years ago, basketball. middle-aged widower who’s this project was a surprise because most
44 February 2016
AFTER MIYAZAKI
Hayao Miyazaki has retired, Ghibli seems to be ending... can anything
take their place and match their successes? We examine the evidence.
For some pundits, the question, “Who is
the next Miyazaki?” is as wearisome as,
“Why do anime characters have big
eyes?” Anime expert Jonathan Clements,
author of the indispensable Anime: A
History, argues that Hayao Miyazaki was
simply unique, as was his artier mentor
Isao Takahata (Princess Kaguya) and the
Ghibli studio they co-founded.
But if you’re looking not necessarily for
the next Hayao Miyazaki, but just for anime
with a similarly popular touch – accessible
to mainstream, international viewers, with a
sense of poetry and wonder – then there
are candidates. In recent years, there have
been some excellent anime movies that feel
Ghibli-esque without being imitations. Two
cases are Patema Inverted, in which a girl
discovers an upside-down world where
she’s in constant danger of plunging into
the sky; and Giovanni’s Island, a fantasy-
tinged history drama about two boys on an
island occupied by Russia in the 1940s.
But the big directors often compared to
Hayao are Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru
Hosoda. Makoto first came to attention with
a short film, Voices of a Distant Star, which
he made practically solo. He’s since
developed sumptuous feature films, such as
5 Centimeters per Second, which are often
themed around love-struck teenagers. His
TOKYO LANDMARK
The action of The Boy and the
2011 Journey to Agartha looked great, but Beast shifts between a fantasy
failed to build a world as compelling as world and the real-life Shibuya
Hayao’s. Far better was 2013’s Garden of district in Tokyo, pictured.
Words, a 46-minute intimate drama about
a boy and a woman meeting in a Tokyo
park in Japan’s rainy season.
MAKING USE OF DIGITAL TOOLS

The rain is a key element of
Garden of Words. “The
droplets of rain in the air are
particle simulations,” Makoto
explains, “and the rain
splashing in puddles and in
lakes, the ripples, the spray, that’s hand
drawn.” Rain was an important part of
Ghibli films such as Totoro and Kiki’s
Delivery Service. “I was impressed by their
use of rain, but they were made in the days
of analog… I wanted to see if I could make
the rain in Garden of Words look as
impressive, using the computer.”
However, it’s Mamoru Hosoda who’s the At the recent Tokyo Film Festival,
hot anime name at the moment.
CHILDREN’S HISTORY Mamoru said, “When I have an idea in my
The many simplified
Notoriously, he was hired by Ghibli to make mind, I can’t help thinking about how I can
Photos by Ilya Voyager and Danny Choo
backgrounds seen in
Howl’s Moving Castle, only for his version to Giovanni’s Island were express it, how can I make it wonderful, to
be rejected. Since then he’s made his name created by an Argentinian make people laugh. It’s the sheer pleasure
through his own outstanding feature films, artist, Santiago Montiel. of making it happen that drives me through
with winning characters and strong themes: making the film.” He says The Boy and the
The Girl who Leapt Through Time, Summer Beast was inspired by the birth of his son.
Wars and The Wolf Children. Mamoru’s “I’m thinking as a parent, how
latest film in Japan is The Boy and the is he going to grow up, how RAINY SEASON
Beast, which has elements of Spirited Away are we going to raise him? Is he Rain is the central image in
Garden of Words, the rain
and The Karate Kid. A boy finds a world of going to be able to find a soul effects created both by
talking, brawling animals and becomes mate or some master from hand-drawing and CGI.
apprenticed to a bear-like bruiser. whom he can learn about life?”
1972 1979 1988

Science Ninja Team Mobile Suit Gundam is a Katsuhiro Otomo’s cinema
Gatchaman stars a team of space opera in which film Akira is a lavish, violent
heroes in birdlike costumes. soldiers pilot giant robot urban sci-fi epic, with biker
It was a likely influence on suits. It launched a huge gangs and superpowered
the live-action Rangers franchise, with new teens. It marked the first
shows in Japan, later Gundam anime still time that anime was
brought to the West as released today. The original recognised in the
Power Rangers. It was also Gundam serial has just mainstream media as
adapted into the English- debuted on British Blu-ray, anime, although it was
dubbed Battle of the Planets. courtesy of Anime Limited. often mislabelled ‘manga.’
February 2016 45
CGI IN ANIME
Will there ever be an anime that achieves the
success and widespread acclaim of Toy Story?
Over the past two decades, there have been regular
attempts to make all-CG anime, often (though not always)
aimed at the world market. Some are enjoyable – we
recommend the sci-fi action film Appleseed Ex Machina –
and some woeful, such as Appleseed XIII, another version of
the same property. The 2013 CG film Stand By Me
Doraemon remade a beloved trad toon about a friendly
robot cat; it was successful in Japan, but isn’t likely to
challenge Pixar in foreign markets.
The CG studio Polygon Pictures has made some
ambitious recent productions, including Ronja the Robber’s
Daughter (a children’s show co-produced with Studio Ghibli)
and the horror-themed Ajin: Demi-Human. Polygon’s space
opera serial Knights of Sidonia is available in Britain.
TIME TRAVELLERS
In Steins;Gate, a motley group of youngsters
in the geek mecca of Akihabara discover
the secret of time travel.
SCISSOR SISTER
In the hyper-manic, hyper-cartoony Kill la Kill,
a girl warrior has her power boosted by her
sentient, blood-drinking school uniform!
SPACE DEFENDERS
In Knights of Sidonia, the young heroes defend
a giant spaceship carrying the last humans.
clients who approach him usually ask

him to design cute girls. We were the first We wanted him
team to ask him for hero designs. So he
kept asking, ‘Seriously? You chose me?’ We
to draw cute girls,
wanted him to draw cute girls too, but we but we mainly
mainly wanted him to draw heroes.”
Tiger & Bunny is now being developed as wanted him to
a live-action Hollywood film co-produced
by Ron Howard, who calls it “a great buddy
draw heroes
story.” In Japan, Tiger & Bunny has been and time-travel drama that puts Doctor
SUPER TOMBOY followed by more eccentric hero anime, Who to shame. Based on a visual novel (a
The teenage Dragon Kid is the youngest of
the superhero characters in Tiger & Bunny, such as Samurai Flamenco, a show which computer game where you choose your way
and the only Chinese member.
begins like Kick-Ass and then becomes through a branching storyline), the show
closer to Monty Python. Another series, will be followed by a quasi-sequel,
Gatchaman Crowds, features a cheery Steins;Gate 0, depicting one of the story’s
heroine, campy silliness, knotty politics, alternative timelines.
social networks and an eye-scorching colour
scheme. The word Gatchaman tips the hat CONVEYING THE JOY OF ANIMATION
to a seminal 1970s anime of that name, The last word should go to two graphically
recut in the west as Battle of the Planets. dazzling series. Ping Pong, unusually, is a
Away from the usual hero shows, the sports anime getting a release in Britain
outstanding Steins;Gate is about ordinary (you might have seen a live-action film
youngsters – or at least ordinary version of the same Ping Pong manga,
1992 1995 eccentrics - who are conducting using Matrix-style effects).
Sailor Moon The original Ghost research into time travel in 2001 In the animation,
becomes probably the in the Shell film is Akihabrara, Tokyo’s geek Spirited Away is a characters move in loose,
best-known “magical girl” released with the help of film by Hayao Miyazaki,
British investment from
mecca of computer stores idiosyncratic ways; there
anime series, although the about a little girl ‘spirited’
genre goes back to the Manga Entertainment. It’s and maid cafés. The serial’s to a world of gods, witches are crazy pavings of split
1960s in Japan. The 2011 series been followed by anime first half blends sitcom and and a boy who’s a dragon. screens; and yet it’s also a
Puella Magi Magica Madoka reboots and a live-action A big hit in Japan, Spirited
conspiracy drama, then the heartwarming comedy-
brilliantly subverted remake is now in Away also won the Oscar
the show for older development show transforms into a for Best Animated drama. “I want to see more
viewers. at DreamWorks. white-knuckle thriller Feature. relaxed animation coming
46 February 2016
MAGIC PRINCESSES
Magic Girl heroines like those
in Madoka Magica have been a
staple of anime since the 1960s.
BIKER GANG
Tiger & Bunny uses some
specifically Japanese
superhero conventions,
such as the tendency for
heroes to ride motorbikes.
DEADLIER SEX
This sultry female giant plays a
central part in the second half
of the Attack on Titan anime.
PLAYING FREESTYLE
Masaaki Yuasa’s Ping Pong has some of the most
unusual artwork in a commercial TV anime.
from Japan,” director

Masaaki Yuasa told twitch.
com. “Animation where
everything is not perfectly
drawn. The strict way it looks
now, it sometimes seems like working on
anime is more pain than pleasure! I prefer
to have joy in making animation.”
A similar spirit animates the manically
bonkers-on-a-jetpack Kill la Kill, where a
girl with giant scissors and a vampiric
talking sailor suit takes on a massive
fortress-academy and its superpowered
staff. Space and time bend like a Looney
Tunes toon, but with more orgasmic
explosions. The show’s by the same team as
Gurren Lagann, a mad mecha show from a
decade ago. Its makers have now formed
their own outfit, Studio Trigger.
One of the Triggers, Shigeto Koyama, was
asked what distinguished anime from
American animation. “I feel
that Japanese animation is
more complicated, more 2013
fetishistic,” he said, “and that Attack on Titan
there’s more division into becomes one of the
most popular anime
different art styles, more of a need to series for older viewers.
continually come up with new ideas.” He The source manga also
admitted, though, the downside to this spawned two live-action
films. A continuation
creative splurging. “It makes it a little bit of the anime is due
hard for ordinary people to understand and this year.
follow sometimes.”
February 2016 47
Artist Portfolio
KD STANTON
One of the new wave of Chinese artists surfacing in the
West, KD Stanton arrives with a prodigious talent
seemingly fully formed, says Ed Ricketts
48 February 2016
Artist Portfolio
KD STANTON
hen I started out in FIGHTING AMONG This modest appraisal belies KD’s
the industry, being good at THE MARKET astonishing body of work, which is now
brainstorming ideas,
communicating and being
“One monk versus
bandits in the market!”
An older work completed
beginning to attract Western audiences and
clients outside of his native China. (And if
PROFILE
able to learn were my ‘big breaks’,” for Perfect World’s you thought KD Stanton doesn’t sound very
KD Stanton (Feng Weirui)
Swordsman Online. LOCATION: Nanjing, China
says rising artist KD Stanton. “As an Chinese, you’d be right – his real name is FAVOURITE ARTISTS: Ilya Yefimovich Repin,
industry novice, the things I lacked most Feng Weirui.) KD’s images are wonderfully Anders Zorn, Adrian Smith, Craig Mullins
SOFTWARE USED: Photoshop
were work experience, confidence and the kinetic, matching up dynamic composition WEB: www.artstation.com/artist/kd428
mental capacity to deal with difficulties. and incredible lighting with pure mastery
Being good at communication and self- of technique. His action shots in particular
learning helped me avoid taking a lot of often look like frames from a film. Mandarin. “But this method doesn’t always
wrong turns. Being good at coming up with It’s a technique KD has deliberately work, because sometimes a certain
ideas helped me get better at solving cultivated. “I’ll create one or more simple requirement will call for an unexpected
problems in a short space of time, and also compositions in advance, based on the camera position, which tests my skills.”
improved my confidence, which gave me different requirements and expressing what This, of course, is more likely to happen
the determination to overcome challenges.” I want in terms of content,” he explains in with a client brief that specifies a
February 2016 49
WHIPLASH
Another concept scene for Swordsman
Online, created in 2013.
50 February 2016
Artist Portfolio
KD STANTON
ORCWARD BUSINESS
The traditional orc doesn’t come much nastier
than in KD’s own imagining of them.
RISE OF THE
HORDE SARNUK
BLOODSOUL
KD Stanton on his favourite piece of art and
why it was a game changer for the artist
Which of KD’s pieces does he feel most proud of? “That
would be Rise of the Horde Sarnuk Bloodsoul,” he says. This
was a personal piece depicting orcs on the rampage. It has its
own little backstory, which you can read on his website.
“You could say that I started to progress a lot from this
STREET FIGHTER picture onwards,” KD says. “It was quite a big breakthrough
for me. This was the piece where I realised the importance
No story behind this one – come up
with your own ideas about what’s of the overall composition.
led to the confrontation… “With my work before, there was always something
missing in the overall feel and it tended to lack adequate
dynamics and atmosphere. In this piece, I think I finally
captured just the right balance between dynamics and
I think video gaming has been my details, for the first time. And that has gone on to be a big
feature of my current style.
biggest motivation in what I have “I’ll never tire of making more art in this style, because
I always find something interesting in the process.”
achieved so far as a self-taught artist
particular composition. “That’s why the and then I start to work in more detail. Now, as a freelance artist, he works with
basics are more and more important [to It’s a progressive process until the piece is numerous local clients – on projects that
me],” he adds. “Knowing how to unite finished. If there’s enough time, I’ll do rarely surface in the West – as well as with
control, expression and the painting is the some pencil drafts before developing the international companies such as Blizzard,
only way to succeed – because regardless of composition, which helps me get into the Games Workshop and Riot Games. “I live
whether you choose the camera position by artistic mood better.” in Nanjing at the moment,” he says. “I’ve
yourself or it’s set for you, in the end you also lived in three other cities: Chengdu,
still need to draw the painting.” ALL IN THE GAMES Beijing and Guangzhou. Because of work, I
Those drawings generally begin on the Incredibly, KD has never taken a don’t have many chances to travel. The few
computer rather than as paper sketches, professional art course – he graduated in places I’ve visited have influenced my art, of
though he says he doesn’t really have a set computer science and technology from course. For example, the Gobi desert, Lugu
routine when working on a piece – instead Sichuan University. But like many younger Lake in Yunnan Province and Jiuzhaigou.”
adapting his process depending on the artists, he was obsessive about video game China, of course, has a massively rich
project. “Most of the time, for this type art in his youth and played many games, and varied history when it comes to visual
of drawing I start with an outline which have influenced his visual style ever arts, and KD isn’t averse to drawing on the
composition, and after that has been since. Indeed, he says, “I think this has been country’s artistic heritage now and then
finalised, I do a basic colouring of the my biggest motivation in what I have – though you definitely wouldn’t stereotype
design, making adjustments as required, achieved so far as a self-taught artist.” him as a ‘Chinese’ artist.
February 2016 51
LEAGUE OF
LEGENDS 2V2
KD explains the thinking behind his kinetic
concept art for the mega-popular MOBA
This concept art piece for Riot Games’ League of Legends online
battler is one of KD’s favourites. It was designed to demonstrate the
teamwork behind the game’s 2v2 mode.
”I picked Draven and Darius for team A, and Katarina and Hecarim
for team B,” KD explains of the characters featured in the image.
1 Initial composition 2 The story emerges
“I then did some sketches for the concept.” He says the biggest I start by drafting a fairly simple I brighten the picture a little, then
challenge in this image was keeping the colour saturation high and composition. Darius is attacking Katarina increase the saturation. Then I adjust
having strong, contrasting colour tones. – Katarina, however, is cleverly dodging the the dynamism of the characters again,
He also added Riot Games’ style, he says, using plenty of lighting attack – while Hecarim confronts Draven. experimenting with special effects. A plot
effects to bring out the drama. “Along with the contrast of warm and Darius is a strong character, a hero, so I have emerges: Darius didn’t hit Katarina but the
cold colours, each character in my painting has a sharp contrast and him waving his axe in order to make him look brazier instead. Katarina dodged the attack
reflects each others’ personality. It also made a cool composition for more powerful. It’s a night-time scene, so and sneaked behind Draven. This makes
the story. It’s all about making my storytelling more interesting.” I have to think about silhouettes. it feel more dynamic.
52 February 2016
Artist Portfolio
KD STANTON
All images © Riot Games

3 Getting into detail 4 Background
Draven is crafty, he’s a guilty hero, I join the fire up in the background
so I give him a exaggerated pose as he and expand the scope of its impact. Again,
waves his axes, as well as a sinister smile to I slightly adjust the dynamic levels and
help his character resonate with fans and sense of volume. The distinction between
5 More adjustments
players. With Hecarim, I let him have his primary and secondary isn’t an obvious Now the background feels a bit too close, so I join the
shadows rush towards Draven. I add some adjustment, so I dim my screen and adjust distance between the perspective, characters and background.
background details at this stage too, the brightness, to make the composition I adjust the figures again to highlight details. To help make the
and on the characters. feel a bit more complete. screen feel like it’s moving I add some flying stones.
6 Final tweaks
For better perspective I adjust some
character sizes to form a clear hierarchy
and add dynamism. And it’s done!
February 2016 53
© Marvel Comics
MARVELLOUS
KD feels justifiably proud at having
done concept work for Marvel.
WOLVERINE VS EASY MONEY

Oops, looks like you got my
DEADPOOL CORPS invitation, Wolverine…
KD was invited by CB Cebulski to paint a

Marvel scene. Here’s how he went about it…
“Because you don’t have total creative freedom when
painting established comic characters, the difficulty is
relatively large. I pick one I know a little better, Wolverine.
I depict Wolverine riding a motorcycle in the wind, with
Deadpool Corps as the provocateurs. I add a bridge above
them, so the more dramatic lighting will be seen. I work hard
to create realistic lighting.
I make it more symmetrical on both sides, to break the
background feeling. I adjust the sign many times: I like to use
© Marvel Comics
elements of the scene to help manufacture the story. I adjust

the overall light and add more detail. After adding contrast,
subtle colour changes make the painting look richer.”
“What has influenced me the most is

the aspects of tolerance and synthesis of
Chinese culture, which is something that
I’ve thought about from time to time and
gradually started to explore,” he says.
“Regardless of what aspect of the culture
[you look at], being able to examine and
understand the essence of it and use it
– that’s my main inspiration.”
Currently, most of his time is taken up
with preproduction for two films in the
Legend of Ravaging Dynasties (LORD)
series, directed by Guo Jingming and
scheduled for release in the middle of 2016
– although again, these are unlikely to be
REVENGE FOR SYNDRA shown outside of China.
“Fan art for League of Legends,
featuring Syndra, Maokai, Thresh, “My main work is handling all the
Lucian and Rengar.”
different conceptual designs and drawing
54 February 2016
Artist Portfolio
KD STANTON
KING OF LYCAN
More private freelance
work and a great take on
the well-worn werewolf
theme from KD.
I love sculpture. I also have

a large collection of film and
television merchandise
THE PRINCE OF ARC finished pieces at the moment.” But it’s
Old freelance work for more than a hobby: creating a 3D
a private client, depicting
Blake Archer – aka representation of a character can help with
the Prince. figuring out lighting and facial structure.
“Sometimes you can greatly improve the
structure of the bodies in a painting by
referencing physical objects,” he says.
“It can give you more ideas, too. For
example, you’re portraying a person’s face,
and you think the bottom part of the facial
structure will look ‘tougher’ with side
up the artwork for the atmospheric effects, I like to interact with colleagues and find lighting – but then you try it backlit with a
as well as overseeing the main scene it interesting cooperating with people,” real model, and you discover something
designs,” says KD. He’s also been hired by he says. “I find it helps us all to improve you didn’t think of before.”
Chinese game company Perfect World, what we do.” The year 2016 looks set to be KD’s biggest
which develops numerous online games one yet, with more commissions and
such as the incredibly popular DOTA 2, MAKING TIME FOR SCULPTURE projects on the go and, hopefully, a move
as well as lesser-known titles such as Clay modelling is another area which into other areas of development.
Empire of the Immortals (a long-running interests him. His website portfolio, for “There are a lot of opportunities
MMORPG) and Hot Dance Party, another instance, features a brilliant rendering of presenting themselves to me,” he says
online-only title where the clue is in the Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto in the X-Men excitedly. “I’d love to be able to work with
name. “There, I’m responsible for the films, as well as Bill Nighy in Underworld. some of the masters, and I also hope I can
main poster designs for numerous art Their accuracy is incredible. inspire more people,” says KD.
projects, and leading the team responsible “I love sculpture,” he beams. “I also have “In terms of films and television
for the preproduction concept art for CG a large collection of merchandise from programmes, I’d like to increase my
trailers,” he says. films and television programmes. I’d love exposure to a variety of different conceptual
Wherever possible, KD prefers to work to make some things completely in my own designs and be able to discuss my ideas
at his clients’ studios while on a project: style, but I lack the time and I’m limited by with directors.” Frankly, we’re as excited
“I really like working in the studio because materials, so I only have some semi- about his new projects as he is.
February 2016 55
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February 2016 57
LOCATION: Malmö, Sweden
PROJECTS: Tom Clancy’s
The Division
OTHER PROJECTS: Just Dance
Now, Assassin’s Creed:
Revelations, World In Conflict,
Ground Control
WEB: www.massive.se
STUDIO PROFILE
UBISOFT MASSIVE
Despite being 300-strong, this triple-A games studio has
a real sense of family about it, Ben Maxwell discovers
bisoft Massive lives up to its the grandiose vision for The Division’s to life in the game world for real. We’re very
U name. The Malmö-based

studio employs around 300
people and is currently
frozen post-apocalyptic New York. And
thanks to Ubisoft’s powerful new
proprietary engine, that vision is making it
lucky to have such a skilled group of artists
to work with.”
The team’s responsibilities extend
embroiled in the ambitious task of into the game with remarkable faithfulness. beyond concept work, too, and into
developing (take a breath) massively “It’s a great feeling to know that the final furnishing the game environment with
multiplayer open-world online co- in-game look will appear like the concept additional fidelity. Some of the in-game
operative sci-fi survival shooter Tom art,” says lead concept artist Tom Garden. textures in the environment are down to
The Division’s
Clancy’s The Division. Supporting this “This isn’t only great for the Tom’s squad, along with the fictional film dilapidated, mid-crisis
mammoth effort is a concept art team just artists who’ve worked with posters, graffiti and other 2D artwork that Manhattan is bleakly
beautiful, the society
eight people strong (though Massive’s art the concepts, but also a decorate the game’s stricken near-future brought to its knees by
department has 11 concepting artists in testament to our brilliant setting. It’s an approach that requires a viral outbreak is both
poignant and jarring.
total), who between them are setting out 3D art teams who bring it discipline and creativity.
58 February 2016
STUDIO PROFILE
UBISOFT MASSIVE
The Division’s beleaguered urban
environment has allowed plenty This imposing entrance to an
of opportunity to combine rusty
metal, chipped brickwork and
unfinished tube line and station
captures the blend of familiarity TORBEN
LINDSTRÖM
dirty glass. and threatening uncertainty that
characterises The Division.
Torben joined Ubisoft as

a junior concept artist
So what is it really like working
at Ubisoft Massive?
Super exciting. The stuff we work on
is entertaining, interesting and
challenging. From day one at the
company I felt that the department
leads and directors have trusted me
and my abilities, and that is really
encouraging.
Which projects have you worked

on so far?
Only on Tom Clancy’s The Division
so far. I joined Ubisoft Massive last
year and it’s the first commercial title
I’ve worked on.
Are you afforded a lot of artistic

freedom when it comes to your
work there?
It depends a lot on what kind of
game you’re making at the time and
what part you’re designing. There
are some obvious guidelines and
rules that you always have to
account for when designing for
a real-world setting in video games.
Nonetheless, I still feel that I have a
lot of artistic freedom in my work,
especially in how I go about
developing designs and what visual
cues I choose to put in them to
communicate a story.
How did you find the process

of joining the company?
A playable character brought to Very enlightening and very
life. Characters are customisable, productive. I’ve gotten so much
so plenty of clothing, accessories out of having a steady platform
and weapons were created. where I can paint and design all day,
together with a bunch of like-minded
people. You learn so much as an
artist from just having access to that.
For the first half of my internship
I had Titus Lunter as my mentor
and he taught me some very
valuable key points for how to think
like a concept artist. Many thanks
again Titus!
And what kind of benefits are on

offer for Massive employees?
I actually met some of Massive’s
concept artists for the first time
at a sketch meeting here in Malmö
when I had just started out learning
the craft. Currently we’re mostly just
hard at work, but Tom Garden, the
lead concept artist, is always hunting
down workshops and courses for us
to attend.
What makes Massive’s art

department special in your eyes?
We are people from all around the
world and are therefore diverse in
our tastes and styles. And yet we
have a very friendly and playful
atmosphere and I’ve learned so
much from being in this
environment, even beyond concept
art and game development.
It’s a great feeling to know Torben’s been working on props,

environments, UIs and textures
the final in-game look will for Tom Clancy’s The Division
since joining Ubisoft Massive
appear like the concept art in 2014.
www.torben-lindstrom.com
February 2016 59
STUDIO PROFILE
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
presented a very different challenge
to The Division, the game spanning
three time periods – including 12th
and 13th century Masyaf and 16th
century Constantinople – which all
had to feel consistent.
“Working on a project like The

Division, we put a lot of very clear limits
“I think that alone is a stunning
achievement for us all. We’ve all grown
Balancing environments
and constraints in place regarding what we
can do in terms of realism,” senior concept
a lot as artists working with this project.” and fun characters, realism
artist Miguel Iglesias explains. HUGE DIVERSITY and crazy was a challenge
“After all, our game takes Prior to The Division, the team has worked
place in the real world, in on a broad range of projects. The colourful, of course people who love to create
current times, more or less. upbeat visuals of mobile game Just Dance environment concept art, because this is
But at the same time, because Now couldn’t be further from the human the main bulk of work for a production like
it’s a game it needed some crazy stuff. And tragedy of The Division’s collapsed society, The Division,” Tom explains. “We all bring
to find a perfect balance between realism and the studio cut its teeth on real-time something different to the table and it’s
and crazy and fun characters, gear and strategy titles World In Conflict, Ground Ubisoft Massive has
great when we can encourage each
environments was a very hard challenge.” Control and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. dispensed with the individual’s personal style into the work we
traditional gameplay
Taking on this monumental task has This huge diversity requires real versatility archetypes of
do daily. Some of us specialise in characters
galvanised the team, however. “It’s no small from the studio’s artists. team-based, online or environments, others make fantastic 2D
games, which is
feat to make a game this size with so many “We do look for people who enjoy reflected in the
posters for the world. I think it’s vital to
people from around the globe,” Tom says. working with realism in their concepts, and character designs. recognise who can do what in a team, and
who enjoys some things more than others.
That way, when you assign tasks to them
you’ll both get a lot out of it.”
Tom also looks for strong team spirit in
potential employees. “It’s a bit of a cookie-
cutter answer,” he admits, “but one of the
strengths we have as a studio is that it often
feels like family. The concept art team is a
very close-knit group and that’s down to a
friendly nature between us, and team spirit.
It’s important to remember that half of the
job is the artwork, and the other half is
interacting with others.”
Miguel agrees. “On the one hand we aim
for the very best quality in our deliveries,”
he says. “And despite all the pressure we’re
under and all the difficulties, we manage to
provide great art assets to the rest of the
team. But we’ve also managed to create an
60 February 2016
STUDIO PROFILE
UBISOFT MASSIVE
This imposing fellow belongs
to The Cleaners, one of The
Division’s in-game factions. Their
design is based on the garbage
collectors in the real Manhattan.
The game can veer quickly between peaceful

exploration and violent combat and Tom’s team
had to communicate that in their concept work.
awesome environment of mutual respect

and comradeship, where we all support and
care for each other. We’re a very tight group
of friends who enjoy hanging out together
during work, and outside of it, too.”
FAMILY FEEL
That sense of family extends far beyond the
concept team, despite the studio’s triple-
figured employee count. Tom says he’s
proud of the way members of the concept
team try to support each other while
creating images. But they also work closely
with the other teams that need to work
from their images. As well as ensuring
everything is clear, the concept team might
also need to provide extra reference work,
paintovers and more. According to Tom,
this close collaboration helps raise the
quality of his team’s work, as well as
solidifying the art direction and even
narrative for a game.
It’s hard work, but employees enjoy
the benefits. Massive hosts life-drawing
sessions and staff have access to a library
of tutorial videos and books containing
both in-house and external knowledge.
There’s also the opportunity to go on
reference trips, and last year some of the
team attended creative collective event
Industry Workshops in London.
But Tom is clear on what he sees as
the key benefit of being part of Massive.
Concept art from one of the studio’s earlier
“Working with really skilled artists and nice games, 2007’s World in Conflict, in which
individuals is a great benefit. We have a the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 led
to war against Europe and the US.
very nice studio culture!”
February 2016 61
PROFILE
Olga Andriyenko
COUNTRY: Germany
Olga was born in Ukraine

but works in Germany as
an illustrator, comic/
manga and concept artist,
character designer and 2D
animator. You can see her work in
award-winning games like Deponia
and The Night of the Rabbit. She
currently works mainly for the games
industry, designing fantasy creatures
and magical places.
www.portfolio.asurocks.de
er love o f d epicting
ill ustrator reveals h ery red hair
orn efi
The Ukrainae-leb body and her signatur
the fem
GIRRRRLS
“As you can see, I love sketching female bodies –
they’re the most enjoyable forms to draw or paint. To
HEAVY METAL compensate for staying in my comfort zone I try to
incorporate more gestures and body language in my art
ROCKSTAR
“Heavy Metal Rockstar was the topic of a
to improve it. The stars and moon and long hair
shapes are inspired by Art Nouveau and the
30-minute speed painting group, and I love works of Alfonse Mucha.”
metal! So I drew this crazy rocker chick.
I always have a brush pen filled with red
ink with me, so I can paint some
fiery red hair anytime!”
“I love sketching
female bodies – the
most enjoyable forms
to draw or paint”
62 February 2016
Sketchbook Olga Andriyenko
DEMONS WITHIN
“I have always enjoyed dark and creepy themes and
watch all existing horror movies. There was a Halloween
theme challenge with the topic Demons Within, and
I immediately had this picture in my head and drew
it with some brush pens.”
KOHIA
“One of my favourite things ever is designing
characters: how they look, what they wear and how
they act. Exploring facial expressions is pretty fun. This is
Kohia, a character from the graphic novel project I’ve
been planning for years now. She’s a schoolgirl
who’s an apprentice voodoo priest in her
free time.”
CAVE BABE
“Most of the time when
I doodle around I come up
with new characters. This
time it’s a cute cave babe
doing her thing in the stone
age. I can really imagine her
being animated for a cartoon
or having a small comic
series of her own. This is
drawn with my favourite
sketching tool, the red
Col-Erase pencil.”
February 2016 63
WHY DON’T
YOU LOVE ME
“I got bored during my
usual anatomy reference
practice, so I came up with
the idea of drawing poses
from music videos. These are
from one of my favourites:
Why don’t you love me?
by Beyonce. She’s so
expressive (and sexy)
in this one!”
RED WITCH
“Flowing long hair is
“I got bored during my usual
kind of my thing, like
black and red ink. And
in this pic it paid off
anatomy reference practice, so
that I had pet rats
for many years.” I drew poses from music videos
64 February 2016
Sketchbook Olga Andriyenko
BONES
“A memory of the Czech
Republic: a visit to the Bone
Church. There were tons of skulls in
this place, but I didn’t have enough
patience to draw more than the
ones you can see here. Maybe
I’m weird, but I find bones
really beautiful.”
Want to share your sketches? Email us with a selection of your artwork, to sketchbook@imaginefx.com
NEXT MONTH’S SKETCHBOOK: PAUL BONNER
February 2016 65
Celebrate Star Wars through the eyes
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Workshops assets
are available…
Download each workshop’s WIPS, final image and
brushes 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

68
This issue:
68 Paint Jinx from
League of Legends
See how Alvin Lee captures
the essence of the feisty
character from the popular
online multiplayer battler.
70 Generate volume
and depth easily
Svetlana Tigai renders a
portrait using light and
shadows, before making
the move to colour.
74 Experiment with
line and colour
Sai Foo paints a character
cheerfully falling from the
sky, using line art and simple
colouring techniques.
77 Make the most
of the Assistants
Learn to paint in perspective
70 78 84 and create perfect strokes,
with Ruler Assistant Editor
tools, and Katarzyna Oleska.
78 Sharpen your
card art skills
Fantasy card art is all about
eye-catching compositions
and engaging character
designs – Laura Sava shows
you how it’s done.
84 Take a 3D-like
approach to art
Ilya Kuvshinov treats a
painting like a multi-layered
3D model to help him
portray Katniss Everdeen
from The Hunger Games.
February 2016 67
Workshops
Photoshop
PAINT JINX
FROM LEAGUE
OF LEGENDS
Discover how, with a bit of help from his Riot Games
team mates, Alvin Lee illustrates a gleeful anarchist…
hen I was offered the cover spot educational, generous, and collaborative
Alvin Lee
W for ImagineFX, I got excited
and then afraid. I was fearful
of underperforming to the
culture we uphold here at Riot Games.
So this image features Jinx, arguably
the most popular champion in League of
LOCATION: US quality that’s expected of a cover piece, Legends. What makes her so endearing
Alvin is a especially without my good colleagues at is her attitude combined with
senior artist Riot Games to lean on. unconventional sexiness. She’s basically a Acting on feedback
at Riot Games. I’ve been a professional artist for over maniacal femme fatale with a plethora of
In an 17-year
from teammates
career he’s
17 years, but only a painter for the past guns, so I’m keen to capture the essence of At Riot Games we encourage our artists to
year and a half. To retain the support of her twistedness in this piece. With that in give each other paintovers as much as
created comic art, and
possible, not only to better communicate
worked with Capcom on my team mates for this cover, I opted not mind, I want to draw something our ideas but to also help each other grow
its fighting titles.
http://ifxm.ag/alvin-l
to do a personal piece, but instead a captivating and sexy, with plenty of as an artist. It’s part of our feedback culture.
character from League of Legends. I could energy. Hopefully, this short workshop Here Katie De Sousa, the creator of Jinx, has
given me a paintover to better illustrate her
also use this piece as an opportunity to will document the genesis of this iconic
GET YOUR share some insight into the immensely character coming to life!
ideas in regards to Jinx and this cover piece.
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
How I capture…
THE ESSENCE OF A CHARACTER
120
CUSTOM
BRUSHES!
INCLUDING
RESOURCES
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
SMUDGE
I use this to brush in

smooth gradient blends Thumbnail ideas Paint colour comps Lay down the line art
between two values. 1 I want to develop a foreshortened 2 Before rendering the chosen cover 3 I used to be a comic book artist (I’ve
composition that captures Jinx’s energy. My concept, I produce colour comps to find the drawn art for Street Fighter and Deadpool,
LEATHER RENDERING four ideas are: Jinx lying in a bath full of best colour palette. I play with warm and among others), so I’m used to seeing form and
bullets; Jinx recoiling from a rocket blast; Jinx cools, and saturation versus desaturation. My structure in lines. As such, I often draw out my
hanging from an air balloon; and Jinx riding a first comp is the one that’s chosen: a cool splash art using only line art. It helps later on in
rocket into the sky. We decide that the final blue/green moonlit night sky, with warm the painting process because you don’t have
This brush helps me to option best reflects her fun-loving nature, under-lighting for contrast. Jinx’s skin tone is to worry about anatomy and perspective:
achieve the highlights on while also showing off her personal armoury. a cool lavender, with warm fill/rim light. these core elements are already in place.
a leather surface.
68 February 2016
Image review
As a team of illustrators at
Riot, we try to get together
as often as possible. Usually
it’s twice a week to look over
all of the images that are
currently in production. Here
we discuss high-level ideas,
give feedback, tutelage, and
brainstorm ideas for future
exciting projects.
Using patterns
For patterns such as Jinx’s
tattoo you can either paint
them by hand or save time by
overlaying it over the form.
Here, I use a stencil of her
tattoo and set it as an Overlay
layer. This ensures that I retain
the value structure underneath.
I warp the pattern to match her
form and reduce the Opacity
to show the skin’s surface.
Colour grouping
To sell temperature contrast in colour such
Render metallic surfaces as warm versus cool, you can group how
I use a couple of custom brushes to achieve this. they affect the image based on their value.
Usually I start with a Soft brush to develop the Start by creating a Color layer and fill it with
form, then I paint in texture using a custom the desired hue. Under the Layer Style
brush on a Soft Light layer, and give it a matte or blending options, drag the layer sliders to
shiny appearance. I finish the metal object off your desired value range. For Jinx’s skin
with a Color Dodge layer for the specular tone her highlights are a cool blue, with
highlights, to give it a sense of reflectivity. contrasting warm shadows.
February 201 69
Workshops
Photoshop
GENERATE VOLUME
AND DEPTH EASILY
Svetlana Tigai renders a semi-realistic portrait using light and shadows
to develop volume and depth, before making the move to colour
ometimes I paint in black and the way I express myself – the way that always mean a cold or sad mood, yellow
Svetlana Tigai
S white. It’s a great chance to
work with light and shadow,
and is a good technique for
I communicate with my audience.
It’s not easy to tell a story without a
detailed background. I like to draw
doesn’t always mean joy and fun. In the
context of a story, sometimes a warm
palette can add a sense of mystery.
LOCATION: Kyrgyzstan learner digital artists to grasp, as they portraits with the hands, because hands, In this workshop I’ll draw a pale girl
practise depicting volume and depth like the eyes, can also speak. So if you with very blonde hair in a white dress on
Svetlana is a
freelance using only shades of grey. want to draw an interesting portrait, don’t a light background, and I’m going to show
artist who Before I start drawing, I think not only ignore important things such as the pose. you how to achieve volume at low
works in book about the composition, but also about the The colour palette also plays an important contrast. We’ll end up with a very gentle
and game
illustration. She spends
setting. Beautiful portraits are improved role, because it creates the atmosphere of and rather mysterious effect. I’ll also
her free time developing if they have a story behind them. I want the painting; it emphasises and enhances show you how to colour a black and white
personal projects. to make sense to all of my pictures. That’s the mood. For example, blue doesn’t picture using gradient maps.
http://ifxm.ag/s-tigai
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
Use Camera
Raw filters
This filter, present in
Photoshop CC, isn’t only
for photographers. Go to
Filters>Camera Raw
filter and play with the
Laying down the initial sketch Establishing the light source
temperature, tint and
vibrance. Sometimes you 1 It’s important not to use pure black or white, because this 2 I need to determine the light source early on in my
need a fresh view on
may distort the perception of depth and volume. After all, black painting process, so I use a large Soft brush to identify the main
your picture, and by
using this filter you can shadows don’t exist in real life. With this in mind, I change the spots of light and shadow. Then I take the Hard brush and paint
develop interesting colour of the background from white to grey, then create a new in some drop shadows. At this stage there’s no need to detail
colour schemes for
layer for sketching and use a dark grey. This produces a very low individual elements of the image.
your composition.
contrast, making it easier to visualise my idea.
70 February 2016
In depth Volume and depth
February 2016 71
Workshops
Refining the edges Detailing my character’s face

zes
Alter brush siPC)
3 Once I’ve decided on a light source and a main volume, 4 To make eyebrows or eyelashes look more natural I don’t
d
[ and ] (Ma an h I move on to enhancing the depth. I separate elements, using a waste time drawing each separate hair. Instead, I draw a shadow
duce the brus
Press [ to re
an d ] to ma ke it Soft brush to apply a little shadow on the edge. Then with a Hard cast by the eyebrows along with the lit skin that can be seen
size,
ider
bigger. Cons brush I remove excess touches. The Lasso tool can also be helpful through the eyebrows. I also use this same principle when
to
mapping this for emphasising edges. drawing eyelashes and hair on the head.
your stylus.
Introducing drop shadows Painting curly hair

5 First I draw a shadow, and only then paint what the shadow casts. This means that 6 To create the effect of soft, silky, bouncy curls, I avoid
I don’t need to create countless layers. I prefer to work on three or four. If in doubt, I draw a creating a strong contrast between shades of grey. To focus the
new element on a separate layer. If I like the result then I merge all my layers. Furthermore, it’s viewer’s eye on the face, it’s not necessary to detail all the strands,
important that I accurately depict the texture of the sleeve fabric. First I make a multi-layer perhaps just those located near the forehead and cheeks. I also
chiffon neckline and then repeat this for the cuffs, so they look like the petals of a rose. To avoid custom brushes for painting hair, because they can easily
give tissue more lustre and texture, I use a custom brush and apply a few scratches. create the effect of a material thread, rather than hair strands.
Direct the
viewer’s gaze
If you draw a full face
portrait, make sure the
character looks straight
into your viewer’s eyes.
Making the most of Gradient Maps
Eye contact reinforces
the impression of the 7 Gradient Maps is a wonderful tool for colouring in black
character. Direct the
and white drawings. You can manually set any colour for each
character’s gaze straight
to the viewer. If the shade of grey. Find the black and white circle icon at the bottom
character looks through of the layers tab, then click Gradient Maps. Don’t forget to click
or behind them, you’ll
the icon that clips the map to the layer with your painting on.
lose half the energy.
72 February 2016
In depth Volume and depth
Merge layers
Cmd+Shift+E
(Mac)
Ctrl+Shift+E
(PC)
Keep things
organised by
quickly merg
ing all
existing layer
s into
one new layer.
RESOURCES
Adding more colour Take into account ambient light

8 I create a new layer in Soft Light mode and add a little 9 Sometimes, to emphasise a warm palette, I add some cold PHOTOSHOP
paint to my pale girl. Even if you paint with vivid colours, on a colours on to the periphery of the painting. I start by creating a CUSTOM BRUSHES:
Soft Light layer they work perfectly and help produce a soft tone. new layer in Color Mode. Remember that Color Mode transmits SUPER SOFT ROUND
BRUSH
For my subtle palette there’s no need for overly saturated colours. strong saturation, so to avoid a vivid blue, I choose grey. You
Bright colours will distract the viewer’s attention. look at the picture and think it’s blue, but in reality it’s not. On
yellow, grey works as a blue. Try it for yourself!
I use this brush to
establish a soft transition
between colours.
SOFT ROUND BRUSH
This brush isn’t really

soft, but it’s not firm
either. I draw everything
with it.
SCRATCHES
This is the texture brush

that I usually use for
drawing chiffon fabric.
DIRT
10 Drawing and painting the spinning wheel

I create the wheel on a new layer. Using the Pen tool, I draw a clear arc, then duplicate it several times and shift every new layer
You can draw dirt with
this brush, but I prefer to
use it for gold sparkles.
down. I also draw a spoke and duplicate it three times. Then merge all the layers and apply Filter>Blur>Lens Blur.
Creating a sparkling texture

11 On a new layer I draw a black line as the thread. I select 12 Applying the final touches
I’m nearly finished – I just need to add the final touches such as extra lights and glare.
Pattern Overlay mode in the Layer Style dialog and choose my I draw shimmer on the fabrics using a standard hard Round brush. I also add a drop of blood
golden sparkles pattern. To make a pattern like this you need to on the finger, which my beautiful needlewoman accidently pricked. A barely noticeable mark
open a new file with a picture of a sparkling surface. Then go to of blood on her lips adds some mystery. At the end, I play with the Levels a bit, but not too
Edit>Define pattern and click OK. The texture will then appear much, because that can lead an excess of contrast. You can also adjust the Saturation and
in the pattern list. colours, if needed. And that’s it! I hope you liked my workshop and found it useful.
February 2016 73
Workshops
Sai Foo takes you through his creative process, as he paints a character
cheerfully falling from the sky using line art and simple colouring
he painting technique that canvas. After trying out a variety of poses, schoolgirl’s bag, and added it to my vague
Sai Foo
T I used for this piece is pretty
straightforward, so I’m
going to talk about my ideas
I ended up with a female student figure
descending from the sky.
The biggest headache during the
memory of what other items my school
friends carried around with them.
In one of my sketches the character
LOCATION: Malaysia and decision-making processes that initial stage was the skirt. I wasn’t keen is holding on to her umbrella. It looked
Sai is an artist
developed while I was drawing this piece. to go down the road of doing what’s a little awkward and so I decided to
based at I started this image for fun during my widely known as a “fan service” piece, so separate the hand and umbrella. The
Streamline free time. I got inspired while randomly I moved the left knee a little more to the reason for including the umbrella was to
Studios in
Kuala Lumpur.
watching anime shows one Saturday left of shot. My aim was to depict a have an interesting shadow cast over the
He previously worked morning. I wanted to convey a floating or character loaded with accessories, so character, and to depict the effect this had
in advertising and jumping character, on a bookmark-sized I gathered references for a Japanese on colours that were now in the shade.
animation. In his free
time he produces
personal art a world
away from his day job. How I create…
http://ifxm.ag/s-foo
A FALLING FIGURE
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
RESOURCES
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
CORE SET
Capture the Layering and Colouring and

My regular brushes 1 best pose 2 cleaning up 3 lighting
include a lovely one for
I start off by producing a series of rough I love this stage the most, because it involves Right from the start of the process I have a
creating a pencil-like
sketches that help finalise the composition, fixing every small detail of everything in the rough idea about the lighting and colour I’ll
effect – ideal for line art.
character pose and accessories. I create image. I also have to decide what elements be depicting. I prefer to fill in elements using
I use a default brush for
between two and three layers over a sketch of the image go on which layers. I’ll go a solid colour, so that any future colour
fills and touching up, and
before I actually refine my art. I take it slow at back to the refined sketch layer whenever adjustments will be easy to do later on.
a Soft brush for gradient
this stage so I don’t muddy the line art. I’m uncertain how I should progress. I also apply a simple shadow here.
effects and erasing.
74 February 2016
Badge
design
Here are a couple of
badge design that I
did for the character’s
accessories. Most of
them are actually just
random designs that
sprung to mind. I paint
them straight on,
because it’ll be easy
for me to skew the
perspective later. I’ll then
merge them with the
character’s line art layer.
Background
patterns
For the background
pattern, I make vertical lines
and distort them with the
Transform tool to create
the perspective effect. I
repeat this procedure and
gradually create thinner
lines. I select the Smudge
tool and drag it across the
line to create the wavy lines.
Finally, I add a screen dot
texture in Overlay mode.
Layering and
rendering
technique
This is the usual setup
for my layers. I always
use Multiply for shadows,
with a mask so I can
experiment to find
which angle is the best.
I use Overlay mode for
colouring the inside of
the shadow, and Hard
light to paint highlights.
Lights effect
For a final touch, I add laser light effects to
make the whole image more vibrant. I draw
a solid colour shape and add an Outer Glow
using Layer>Layer Style. Most of my effects
work is separated out on different layers,
which makes it easy to amend and tweak.
February 2016 75
Poster artist
Andreas Bennwik
e
takes on Bowie th
Goblin King!
FILM ART
The golden age of fantasy film poster art
PLUS! Min Yum paints a brooding Brothers Grimm tale, Pablo Carpio creates
futuristic 3D architecture, and all you need to know about concepting for an RPG.
ISSUE 132 ON SALE IN THE UK FRIDAY 29 JANUARY

76 February 2016
Quick technique Assistant tools
Krita Desktop
MAKE THE MOST
OF THE ASSISTANTS
Learn how to paint in perspective and create perfect strokes – the
Ruler Assistant Editor tools make it easy, says Katarzyna Oleska
rita’s Grid, Perspective and consuming to produce had you been

PERSPECTIVE
K Assistant tools can come in
handy when developing a
new composition,
working from imagination alone.
The Grid and Perspective tools can be
edited and can also be useful as Katarzyna
This is one of the tools available through the
Ruler Assistant Editor, and is created by
building separate planes with vanishing
establishing perspective or simply guidelines, but they won’t slow down the Oleska points. You can create many planes, but
painting shapes. When used in LOCATION: England
painting process. The Ruler Assistant if you’re creating a vanishing point
moderation they can help you create Editor Tools can be used in collaboration perspective, make sure the vanishing points
Katarzyna is a
of all the planes meet in the same spot.
unusual perspective views and with the Brush tool and can help guide a digital and
compositions in your paintings, that your brushstrokes. Here I’ll show you traditional
artist working
might have been harder and more time- how they work and how to use them. for publishers
and private clients, A D
specialising in fantasy
and sci-fi art, portraits E
Applying the Grid
1 The Grid tool can be turned on
and caricatures. She’s
illustrated some major
and off from the top menu (select View> book titles including
Terry Pratchett’s
Show Grid). The spacing, number of Discworld series.
subdivisions and colours of the lines can http://ifxm.ag/kataro
be changed (choose Settings> Configure
Krita>Grid). The grid can also be altered
in real time with the Edit the Grid tool,
B C F
by pressing Ctrl and the mouse button.
Dragging the mouse either left to right or
A. Creating planes
up and down then enables you to alter the To create a plane, click in four places on
spacing of the grid. your canvas. You can adjust the location of
these points later on. You can also connect
corner points of separate planes together.
The Ruler Assistant
2 Editor tool B. Moving planes
This tool enables you to create shapes and Each plane can be moved by clicking a mark
in the centre and dragging it around. If the
interesting perspective views that you can plane is connected to another plane it’ll also
then use as guides for your brushstrokes affect the other.
later on. Each element can be chosen
from the Tool Options docker. Each can
C. Deleting planes
Each plane can be deleted at any time by
also be separately edited, turned on and clicking a red X.
off and deleted. Once you create your
Assistant configuration you can save it
D. Vanishing point
Each plane has its own vanishing point, even
and then open again in another file, for a if they’re connected. If you want the
more streamlined creative process. vanishing points of multiple planes to meet,
you have to do that manually.
The Brush Assistant E. Creating a new plane

3 Checking the Assistant box in a from an existing one
Tool Options docker while using a brush If your planes are connected, the easiest
way to create a new one is to simply click
will make it react to the active elements
and drag the mid-point on one of the
that have been previously created by the existing planes’ sides.
Ruler Assistant Editor. The strength with
which the brush reacts can be adjusted F. Turning planes’
with a simple slider. Note that the visibility off
To do this you need to click the eye symbol
visibility of Painting Assistants and attached to the plane. This will make it
Assistant Previews (these are the lines invisible: the plane will fade and if you then
decide to use the Brush tool with Assistant
following the brush) can be controlled
mode on it won’t affect the brush strokes.
from the top menu.
February 2016 77
Workshops
Fantasy card art is all about eye-catching compositions and engaging

character designs. Laura Sava reveals how she achieves this every time
ven though I started dabbling I attended an art school, but found that principles I picked up in school, personal
Laura Sava
E into fantasy art as a teen, for
a long time I never thought of
it as any more than a hobby.
the emphasis was placed on
contemporary trends, so I had to learn
most of what I know about figurative
observations and advices I found online.
I’m currently illustrating cards for
Applibot’s Legend of the Cryptids, a
LOCATION: Romania The first decisive step on the illustration painting on my own. However, a formal fantasy game for smartphones, so I’m
path was getting a Wacom tablet, and art education gave me a better perspective going to use images I created for the
Laura is a
freelance
switching to digital eventually proved to on technical matters and perhaps created company to show how I apply this
artist who be a game changer for me, because it a framework for an efficient learning information in practice and, hopefully,
creates solved both the issue of speed and the approach. So the tips in this workshop are provide some useful insight for those who
illustrations
for mobile games such
high cost of art materials. an assorted collection of theoretical are interested in producing similar work.
as Legend of the
Cryptids and Mobius
Final Fantasy.
http://ifxm.ag/laura-s
1 DECIDING ON the verticals are emphasised. I prefer
THE COMPOSITION static compositions, but they can be
GET YOUR There are basically two types of
composition: dynamic and static.
a bit dull for fantasy themes. As a
compromise, I use softer diagonal
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
The first is characterised by diagonal shapes as accents in the foreground.
lines that add movement, while the For example, placing objects such
second features strong verticals and as flowing fabric here and there
horizontals that either help to create helps to break up the monotony and
a calm atmosphere if horizontals develops a pleasing contrast with
predominate or suggest harshness if the background.
2 WHEN TO USE
SYMMETRY
There’s a time and a place to use
bilaterally symmetrical layouts.
Indeed, I’d go so far as to say that
this type of composition should be
used sparingly, but it’s certainly
effective in appropriate contexts.
Its visual impact is high because all
lines converge and the eye is
Study photos, drawn towards the centre, so
don’t copy
When in doubt, use illustrated subject matter such as
reference. That doesn’t book covers or film posters can
mean copying a photo as
it is, but studying one or
benefit from it. Symmetrical poses
more images to figure can make a character look regal,
out how something looks powerful or heroic. They usually
All artwork © Applibot
or works. If you need to

work especially well with
use precise reference,
there are plenty of sites characters who have wings and
with legal free photos – mythological beings in general,
my favourite source is
because they remind the viewer of
www.morguefile.com.
iconic representations.
78 February 2016
Artist insight Card art skills
3 APPLY THE
S-CURVE PRINCIPLE
This goes back to ancient
Greek art and is considered
ideal for depicting the
human figure. The body
should be positioned in a
way that describes an
S-shaped line, so that the
shoulders and the hips are
angled differently. The most
basic pose that uses this
principle is contrapposto,
where the figure rests all
its weight on one leg. In
illustration, this formula can
be taken even further, and
curves and proportions can
be exaggerated or stylised
according to your own
painting method.
February 2016 79
Workshops
4 DEVELOP FOCAL POINTS 5 DRAMATIC LIGHT

The first thing people notice in a picture are human faces, so they become Interesting lightning can quickly give an image a
natural focal points and should, as such, be placed carefully. There are fantasy look. One of the most commonly used
several ways to accentuate them or shift the interest towards other areas – and my go-to lightning scheme – comprises a
of the image. One is manipulating light, such as keeping most of the image main softer light and a harsher back light. This
relatively equally lit and have strong light hit the area we want to stand out. combination is even more striking if the light
Variation in brush strokes or colours can also be used, rendering the focal sources have complementary colours, but this
point and keeping the rest of the image rougher and more desaturated. can soon become cheesy if overused! Another
of my favourite set-ups is a single light source
filtered through a window, placed at an angle
that suggests the late afternoon sunlight.
The first thing people notice in

a picture are human faces, so they
become natural focal points 7 DETAIL PLACEMENT
People organise visual elements in categories and group them
into larger shapes, based on their proximity to each other. The
Gestalt theory of visual perception has derived a series of
6 FRAMING rules from this premise. An open area or a barely suggested
TECHNIQUES object will be “autocompleted” by the viewer, as long as its
Depending on the purpose shape is recognised as a whole. This is why it’s not necessary
of an illustration, some to polish every detail or worry about perfect edges – just
limitations can come into ensure that the main shape is readable from a distance.
play and one of them is
framing. My card art is
viewed on smartphones, so
the characters need to be
large enough to discern
details and this means
sometimes they won’t fit
into the frame. There are a
few rules of thumb on how
to crop figures: don’t cut
where there are any joints,
never cut through the hands
(they should be either
visible or out of the picture)
and, for portraits, avoid
cropping the ears or chin.
80 February 2016
8 MAKE MORE OF RESOURCES

THE BACKGROUND
In game cards the focus is
obviously on the character, but
backgrounds and other details add PHOTOSHOP
a whole new dimension. You can
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
hint at a character’s personality RENDER
through their environment or
describe their social status or
occupation with various nearby To sketch and render
objects. A scholarly character could most surfaces I use a
simple hard-edged
be surrounded by old tomes and
Round brush.
scrolls, a warrior will look more
menacing with a stormy sky as a RENDER_SOFT
backdrop, and a character could be
recognised as a witch even without
stereotypical costumes, only by I blend skin with an
decorating her place with Airbrush. Unlike others,
I don’t mind the plastic
alchemical paraphernalia and other look that it can produce.
mysterious-looking items.
OIL PASTEL LARGE 9
The default Chalk brush

is especially useful in
Color Dodge mode to
create metal textures.
LACE
This is a lace brush that

I use on fabric, wherever
I notice that a costume
needs ‘something extra’.
BRINGING EVERYTHING TOGETHER

Discover how Laura developed the character of Anneli, Beguiled Demon, from Legend of the Cryptids
Capturing the basic pose Detailing the face Polishing the scene
1 In general, I don’t make very detailed sketches; 2 Ideally, one should work on all aspects of an 3 After completing the character, the background is
instead, they’re rather cartoony. I change my mind a lot image at the same time, but I often get carried away and the last element to be tackled, but I make sure it’s at least
during the painting process and resize or move things forget to look elsewhere, so parts of the image are partially rendered first, to avoid inconsistencies. Finishing
around, so precise line work isn’t for me. At this point always more polished than others. Almost invariably, touches are applied in adjustments layers, usually for
I only care about finding a basic pose and blocking in I start with the face and don’t move on until it’s almost improved contrast or colour balance. Overlay layers add
some shapes and colours. completely done. depth and subtle details, such as dust particles.
February 2016 81
Workshops
10 GIVING METAL AN
INTERESTING LOOK
Fantasy art draws
inspiration from historical
sources, so ornate armour
and weapons are
commonplace. When
9 COSTUME DESIGN dealing with metal objects,
The greatest challenge I face when designing I often block in solid shapes
game cards is coming up with fresh ideas for Take more and use the the Bevel and
costumes, weapons and accessories. I follow photographs Emboss option (Layer>
Practice is essential in
various fashion, history and culture-related advancing your skills, but
Layer styles). This is only to
sites and blogs, and I save the most interesting there are a few create a quick base to work
clothing and armour designs in an inspiration additional techniques with and shouldn’t be used
folder. I occasionally use Alchemy, which that can be employed for
the purpose of building a
as a standalone technique
generates unpredictable brushtrokes and visual library. Taking (except perhaps for very
random shapes, and then I try to find patterns photos will teach you to small details), because it’ll
in the resulted image. Costumes can become observe things more
attentively, it will
produce an artificial-looking
quite detailed, so to prevent them from improve your result. As a final touch, I add
looking too monotonous and “crowded”, composition and give a few highlights using a
details should be grouped and placed only you a better
understanding of light.
textured brush that’s set on
in a few key places. Color Dodge mode.
82 February 2016
11 ADVICE FOR PAINTING SKIN

Subtle colour variation is crucial for illustrating
realistic skin, but it can also take a while to
blend convincingly. To save time, I’ve reduced
this principle to alternating between the cold
and warm hues that correspond to value
zones: if light is warm, then shaded portions
are cold and darkest shadows warm again, and
vice versa. The transition line between light
and shadow should be slightly more saturated.
Skin is slightly translucent, and so bright light
will shine through it, especially in areas with
prominent bones and/or less muscles, such
as the cheeks or fingers.
Clashing elements that work

unexpectedly well together are
definitely good for fantasy designs
13 BEYOND FANTASY
There’s no need to limit
your concepts at dogmatic
sword & sorcery themes;
clashing elements that work
unexpectedly well together
are definitely good for
fantasy designs, whether
the approach is serious or
playful. Besides the obvious
cross-pollination between
fantasy and sci-fi art, other
12 COLOUR CONSIDERATIONS types of imagery, ranging
In theory, it seems simple to pick a colour scheme according from Renaissance art to
to the established art theory rules, but achieving realistic clean 3D looks can be
results involves more effort than that. You have to keep in incorporated into
mind that an object’s colour isn’t as much determined by illustrations to varying
the way it’s pigmented, but decided more by its degrees. Steampunk
environment: direct and reflect light, weather, time of the aesthetics are known to
day and so on. On the other hand, values are even more behave well in the mix and
important; done right and you can get away with less-than- classical pin-up styles are
perfect-hues. Complementaries are my customary colour a perfect way to spice up
scheme, with the warmer colour as an accent. a card character.
February 2016 83
Workshops
Photoshop
TAKE A 3D-LIKE
APPROACH TO ART
Ilya Kuvshinov reveals how treating a painting just like a multi-layered 3D
model helps him portray Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games films
ou can approach digital just as I would work with traditional oils you use, and how you can get the most
Y painting in a number of
ways. Some like to paint as
they would traditionally,
on canvas. Unfortunately, the same
approach isn’t practical when taking
on commissions from a client. If, for
from them. In this workshop I’m going
to be showing you my way of painting
an illustration as if it were a 3D model,
Ilya Kuvshinov
LOCATION: Japan while others base their art on photographs example, they decide to change a gun complete with its own materials, textures,
or CG renders. You can also use your design but your gun isn’t on a separate light and effect layers. This will enable
A freelance
tools in any way you like, creating new layer, then you’ll spend a lot of time you to change any element without too
illustrator and
comic artist visual styles and working processes. tweaking the design, compared to the much trouble. I’ll help you to concentrate
born in Russia Yet even working digitally, there are time required if it’s on its own layer, with on the painting process to create all
and trained at
limits to how you can adapt your art to textures and shades on separated layers. elements of the illustration at the same
the Russian Academy of
Arts, Ilya now lives in the digital canvas. For example, for my Certainly in the case of commercial time, so you can show your piece to the
Yokohama. He aims to private illustrations I usually work on illustration it’ll benefit you to know and client at any step and it’ll still look like
create inspiring stories. between one and three layers all the time, understand the capabilities of the tools a complete painting.
http://ifxm.ag/ilya-k
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
The Selective
Color tool
A very useful adjustment
I use all the time to tweak
colours is Image>
Adjustments>Selective
Color. With this, you can
edit tones and colours
separately – for example,
you can make your lights
and hotspots more blue,
1 Submit sketches for approval 2 Polishing shapes and anatomy
your midtones more After getting a brief (a quizzical take on Jennifer Lawrence After the client chooses one version, I transfer the sketch
red, and your shadows
a la Hunger Games) and searching the web for references, I to full-screen, reduce its Opacity to 16 per cent and redraw it on
more green. You can also
apply it as an adjustment started with four rough sketches. I tried to make them different a separate layer. I start with central and constructional lines this
layer by clicking the from each other not only in composition or camera angle, but time, so that shapes and anatomy will be more precise. This
appropriate icon at the
also emotionally: here are willingness, confidence, playfulness, phase is still rather rough, but I prefer to detail on the last stages,
foot of the Layers panel.
dedication, so the client can choose what he likes the most. starting from the large-scale and ending with small.
84 February 2016
February 2016 85
Workshops
Chromatic
aberration
Here’s an effect I often
use as the finishing touch
to an illustration. Create
a flattened copy of your
image as a new layer
(see below), then go to
the Channels tab. Click
the RGB channel’s eye
icon to hide it, then click
the Green channel and
transform or move this
channel to create a
camera lens distortion
Separating materials Color Burn for shadows
effect. Click the RGB
channel visibility on 3 I start to block separate materials on separate layers, so 4 I group all of my character layers and create a new Color
again and go back to
that later I can easily work on one element at a time, and hide Burn layer clipped to the character layers group. I start to paint
layers. Erase or mask
the effect wherever you areas using masks. Then I set my sketch layer’s blending mode shadows with my elliptical brush and Airbrush with light grey
don’t want it to apply. to Color Burn, duplicate it and add a Blur Filter (10 per cent or colours – this is going to be the base of character’s shades. So,
so). This makes the colours of sketch lines much closer to the the normal colours I blocked in step 3 are the midtones, and this
colours of materials, and the blurring adds a soft shadow effect. clipped Color Burn layer is the shadows.
e
St amped imag
ift+E (Mac)
Cmd+Alt+Sh
Ctrl+Al t+ Sh ift+E (PC)
a
ned copy on
Create a flatte
er. Use filters, then
new lay
the effect
erase where
.
is unwanted
Tackling the details A fiery backlight

5 I start to add more details and depth to the character by 6 I add a new layer clipped to the character in Color Dodge
creating new clipped layers on top of the character group and mode this time, and fill it with black – when you use brushes
new layers clipped to the material layers. In this way, when with Pressure Opacity, this makes them look much better. I now
working with layers clipped to the group I add more volume, and add a backlight from the background fire with my usual airbrush
when working with material layers I add more texture. I switch and elliptical brushes, using a greyish orange colour. I also use
between them to progress with all the picture at the same time. Color Dodge layers for highlights and the highlights in the eyes.
Soft glow and refined shadows Introducing more details

7 It’s Lighten and Darken time! Using layers set to Lighten mode I create a soft glow from 8 For me, detailing is the most enjoyable part of working on
the fire on the character’s edges, and Darken is especially convenient when you need to add an illustration. Adding more shadows, texture and volume to the
more shades to your shadows but don’t want these to affect your darkest shadows, like those base is very satisfying, but it’s important to not get carried away
on the hand and neck here. What can I say – blending modes are of real help when you want and always think of the illustration as a whole. I add some
to speed up your painting process!. make-up, casting shadows from the hair on the face, and more
hair details. I also spend some time on the badge.
86 February 2016
In depth 3D approach
Texture brushes
9 Now it’s time to make the armour feel more real. I have 10 Light my fire!
Using separate Color Dodge layers filled with black, I add Hue/Saturat
ion
a lot of standard texture brushes and free brushes you can more light to highlights and to the fire at the bottom of the piece. Cm d+Alt+U (Mac
)
Ctrl+Alt+U (P
download with a lot of textures, shape variations, and so on. I also add some sparks, which helps to create a feeling of motion Quickly adjus
C)
t your layers’
Finding a brush that suits your demands is pretty fun too! The and the impression of a strong wind. I also add an Outer Glow colour and da
rkness with
detailing is 90 per cent completed, and we can now work with effect to the sparks and fire layers. Now the illustration is starting this useful to
ol!
effects, which is my favourite part of the job! to look more like I imagined it would!
RESOURCES
Apply motion blur

11 Now I create a flattened copy of all the layers at the top of 12 Make use of a photo texture
I have a lot of photos of random textures I’ve taken out
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
the layer stack (Cmd+Alt+Shift+E or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E) and add on the streets, so here I decided to use a photo of the texture of ELLIPTICAL
a Motion Blur effect to the new layer. Using a layer mask, I hide a Japanese concrete lamp post to add a more grainy and random
the effect in areas that I don’t want to be blurred: the face, hair, feel to the illustration. I set the Opacity of the photo layer to
armour and other focal points. Here it helps to create a stronger 35 per cent and change its blending mode to Soft Light. I also A standard brush, very
feel of heat from the fire, especially on the edges of the body. adjust the Hue of the photo using Hue/Saturation. handy for sculpting big
shapes. I also use it for
the sketching stage.
AIRBRUSH
This brush has a nice

grainy texture, so it’s
really nice for creating
soft glows and gradient
shadows.
SPARKS
I often use this for sparks

effects, and also for an
impression of wind.
13 Unsharp Mask
Next I use the Unsharp Mask filter (Filter>Sharpen> 14 Finishing up
Finally, I check for mistakes by flipping the image (Image
SMOKE
Unsharp Mask) and Noise filter (Filter>Noise>Add Noise) to >Image Rotation>Flip Canvas Horizontally). If everything is
emphasise the graininess and create the feeling of photo taken in okay, I flip it back and save! This process is different from what This one is really good
a fire. At this stage you could say the illustration is complete, but I I use for private illustrations – it’s a little bit slower – but with this for smoke and fire
effects; I also use it a lot
love to add one little, tiny step: chromatic aberration, which helps you can go back to every last step by just turning off the layers,
for floating ribbons.
to create even more of a film feel – see the Pro Secret (opposite). so it’s easy to make changes and at practically no risk, too.
February 2016 87
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SOFTWARE & HARDWARE TRAINING

90 ArtRage 4.5 95 Sci-Fi Costume
The premier painting and drawing Design in ZBrush
app packs a host of useful new Never mind the title,
features. Nick Harris is a fan. feel the quality as Luca
Nemolato delivers a
91 Bamboo Spark complete masterclass in
From paper to cloud, Bamboo’s character sculpting and
latest input device promises to rendering in this video.
digitise your paper notes and
sketches with simplicity and style. BOOKS
96 Further
93 Pencil Mouse B3 reading
We test out a stylus-meets-mouse The Bronze Age of
combo, intended to reduce RSI. DC Comics; The Art
of Stephen Hickman:
93 Zen Brush 2 Empyrean; Animate
Is this clever but limited iPad app That! The Principles
of much use to the digital artist? in Depth.
RATINGS EXPLAINED Magnificent Great Good Poor Atrocious
February 2016 89
Reviews
In the latest version of ArtRage, tool panes can be
ARTIST INTERVIEW
moved around the workspace and off the canvas at will.
NICK
HARRIS
The long-time ArtRage fan offers
his thoughts on version 4.5
You’ve been a user of ArtRage

for some time. Why?
ArtRage has been on my system
right from the first free version 1.
It always had a nice response time
and a user-friendly interface, but
transformed into a more serious
pro contender when it got to
version 2.5. Suddenly there were a
lot of the layer options, like
blending modes that I used in
Painter. By version 3, which
introduced a decent watercolour
tool and the ability to make custom
ArtRage 4.5
ALL THE RAGE The premier painting and drawing
brushes, alongside speed and other
improvements, I was sold. The
interface has remained
comparatively clutter free through
application packs a host of useful new features to the current version (4.5.9).
What’s your favourite long-
Price £33 Company Ambient Design Web www.artrage.com standing feature of ArtRage?
As a converted, real media
rtRage’s reputation for preparing your tools a cinch: to be able watercolourist, I like ArtRage’s
A realistic effects and easy-

to-use creative tools looks
set to continue with this
to organise preset brushes and pencils
into custom toolboxes is a blessing
however you approach the canvas.
watercolour tool. It may not offer the
bells and whistles that Painter does,
but its simplicity is much closer for
latest version. Wet paints mix and Budding typographers have me to real-world watercolouring.
watercolour strokes blend and bleed something to shout about too, with the You don’t have to spend an age
into each other with the all-natural frustration of not being able to mix tweaking settings, nor waiting for
zing we’ve come to expect, while the fonts in the same text block now a the brush lag to catch up.
selected media still echo the bristle thing of the past. Improvements have
What are your favourite features
of the brush in use. A range of also been made to the font picker,
in the latest version?
stickers, cloners, stencils, sprays and enabling you to preview fonts in
I find the reference image tool that
pattern and gradient fills offers context as you browse the list.
was introduced in version 4 very
convincing new-media effects, but That the new customisable grid has
handy. You can paste images
it’s a handful of new features that taken this long to appear in the app
(reference, sketches, whatever) on
add a welcome extra layer of soon starts to feel criminal. Not only
to the screen like Post-it notes. You
complexity to the established set. does it make positioning items on the
can scale, rotate and zoom each
With a tweak of your stylus’s canvas and quick comparisons
image. You can also create custom
sensitivity settings for example, the between objects (including references)
Features paint palettes, mixer palettes and
new Tilt function makes pencil work so much easier, it also brings a ‘snap to’ QClone tool
such from the same floating tool
more responsive than ever, and the feature to the existing toolkit. Q Paint symmetry
Q Stylus tilt control palette. I also use custom toolboxes
Paint Symmetry option adds mirrored In past versions, the sheer detail of Q Single licence for
all the time. You can group your
strokes to ArtRage’s creative toolkit. brushes and textures has added more both Mac and
Windows apps favourite brushes along with a
The resource drag and drop feature than a bit of sluggishness to the typical Q 64-bit larger
custom palette, all making them
brings global benefits, making ArtRage workflow. However, the same canvases
Q Canvas grids easy to get to. It’s these features that
can’t be said of version 4.5, which takes Q Responsive interface
make the whole experience more
full advantage of the 64-bit processing Q New reference types
Q Perspective and akin to working in the real world.
power of the latest operating systems. free-form transforms
Yes, there must be all the technical
Overall, the floating-panel interface is Q Multiple layer control
stuff going on under the bonnet of
clearer, more responsive and more System ArtRage, but they deliver it in a very
customisable than ever, and the Requirements
PC: Vista, Windows 7, relatable way.
workspace has been tweaked for more 8, 10 ( requires
efficient desktop use. Whether you’re a Desktop mode for
dab hand with painting software or

Windows 8) Nick is a UK-based illustrator
Mac: Mac OSX 10.6 or
who has been working as a full
keen to get creative on your computer later (Intel Macs only )
time freelancer since 1982,
with the least-steep learning curve and Rating mostly in children’s publishing.
minimal technical know-how, ArtRage
www.nickillus.com
Nick Harris has been using ArtRage from the get-go. comes highly recommended.
90 February 2016
Art tools Software & hardware
Bamboo Spark
DRAWING DIGITS From paper to cloud, Bamboo’s latest input device
promises to digitise your paper notes and sketches with simplicity and style
Price £120 Company Wacom Web www.wacom.com
he Bamboo Spark is billed 100 digitised pages, which are queued The pen comes with two cartridge Features
Q100-page internal
T as a ‘smart folio’ for

handwritten note-taking
and sketching with pen and
until you next sync with the app. Each
version also comes with a 30-page A5
paper notepad, which can be replaced
refills and is weighted like a typical
ballpoint. It’s smooth to touch, has a
comfortable grip and lays ink neatly.
memory
Q Eight-hour battery life
Q Micro-USB charging
cable
Q Proprietary ballpoint
paper. ‘Smart’ refers to the device’s with a stationery shop equivalent, and But while its pressure sensitivity works pen with two refills
built-in electromagnetic resonance a pressure-sensitive Wacom ballpoint fine for note-taking and simple Q 1,024 levels of
pressure sensitivity
sensor, which enables it to digitise pen, which can’t. sketching, more detailed work fails to Q 5GB free Wacom
doodles and sync them to the cloud The case itself feels well built. An on/ convert to digital so well and the result Cloud storage
Q Split Page timeline
for online storage/sharing via the off switch sits at the bottom of the doesn’t hold a candle to a dedicated feature
Bamboo iOS/Android app. spine and a separate push button sits stylus/tablet combo. Digital ‘smudging’ Q Multiple export
options
The Spark comes in three variations. at the centre for pairing/syncing your can also occur if you accidentally move Q Vector-based
The Cover, which doubles as an iPad device to the Bamboo app (a quick and or crease the notepaper when drawing, digitisation
Q Supports InkSpace
Air case; the Sleeve, which holds any simple process), as well as for since it’s the pen strokes that are and WILL Universal Ink
tablet with a screen up to 9.7 diagonal capturing pages of notes. An LED captured rather than the final sketch.
inches wide; and the Pocket, which has above the button lights up green when The upshot, though, is that the app’s System
Requirements
an inline smartphone stowaway and is the Spark is on and turns blue the Split Image feature enables you replay Android: Android 4.3
reviewed here. All three versions have moment pen touches paper, to indicate a timeline of your strokes and save two or later
Apple: Bluetooth
an internal memory capable of storing that capture has begun. images either side of any point in your Smart-ready devices:
drawing process. iPad Mini, iPad 3, iPad
You can replay a timeline of your

Air or later (iOS8 or
Artists who like to pen simple later); iPhone 4s or
sketches on paper should enjoy using later (iOS8 or later)
strokes and save two images either side the Spark. But if your early drafts tend Rating
to get messy, you may want to stick
of any point in your drawing process with tried-and-tested tradition.
The Spark digitises your notes.sketches and

concepts, and uploads it to the cloud.
February 2016 91
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destination for digital art
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Art tools Hardware & software
The options may be limited, but for the intended
The B3 is oddly attractive, with task they work well, as this sepia ink image shows.
smooth lines and no hard edges.
Mouse B3
DANGER MOUSE Could
this kooky stylus–mouse
mashup reduce RSI?
Price £80
Company Penclic
Web www.penclic.se
RATING
Repetitive strain injury affects so

many PC users it’s no wonder
devices are designed to limit risks
Zen Brush 2
and Penclic’s B3 is one solution.
Installation of the B3 is a simple
iPad
pairing task with this version, which
communicates with your Mac or PC
via Bluetooth (there’s a wireless SWEEPING UP We find out if this clever but limited iPad app is of use
version too). Along with the power to the digital artist who’s keen to experiment with virtual ink brushes…
and pairing buttons on the
underside there’s also a DPI switch, Price £2.29 Company Psoft Mobile Web www.psoftmobile.net
which enables you to choose from
various sensitivities, from 800-1,600 nless you get the urge – or Although limited,
Zen Brush 2 still
DPI, although rather annoyingly it
defaults to 1,200 when switched on.
The B3 looks like both mouse and
U the commission – to
create Japanese
caligraphic-style art or
works smoothly on a
phone, as long as it’s
a plus-size device.
stylus, but doesn’t quite act like lettering, then the Zen Brush 2 is
either. The stylus part, which you probably not worth the small outlay,
hold during operation, has the although you might have some fun
buttons on it and it swivels at the giving this competent app a try.
nib, but you need to keep the When run on various ages and
mouse part flat on your work models of iPhone and iPad – the first
surface. Unfortunately the plastic real test any art app should run
feels a little fragile, and you may find through – it stayed smooth and
yourself straining to apply less responsive. There is a slight lag
pressure than you normally would. between the tail of any stroke catching
Whether this prevents RSI is up to the input, but it never feels like it
something we probably won’t know gets in the way.
for years. The feeling we have is that The features are limited, as you
this kind of input would be great for might expect from something aimed Features
day-to-day office-based tasks, but so squarely at narrow usage, and that’s QSimulated pressure
sensitivity with finger
possibly not as useful for painting perfectly okay. The tools work well, Q Dry brush option
with confidence and flair. from the brush options that cover works really well and
look great
black and red strokes, to sub-controls However, press harder and your Q Some support for
such as tone and brush dryness – fingertip will splay, covering more stylus input
Q iPad Pro and pencil
which is impressive. glass, hence a heavier stroke. offers pressure and
If you want to use this, forget the The app is clever and it works. But orientation sensitivity
Q Good selection of
phone version of Zen Brush 2. It using this on the iPad Pro is a much save/export options
works fine, but not in any way that better experience. Throw the Apple
inspires creativity and that’s down to Pencil into the mix (or limited other System
Requirements
how the app interprets input. If you styluses, with mixed results) and you’re Mac: iOS 8+
have a light touch, only a small on to a winner. As long as you only Rating
All the setup buttons are hidden underneath,
amount of skin contact is made, really want to draw misinterpreted
giving the visible parts a clean appearance. which the app reads as a light stroke. tattoos for teenage girls.
February 2016 93
Inspiration Training
Luca Nemolato The layers of detail
creates a CG Luca adds to his design
sci-fi character include imported
using industry- polygon models, which
standard software. he calls “energy discs”.
Maintaining a library of
graphics and textures
means Luca can easily
add interesting details
that make the model
feel more real.
Sci-Fi Costume Design in ZBrush

AN EYE FOR DETAIL Never mind the title, feel the quality as Luca Nemolato
delivers a complete masterclass in character sculpting and rendering
Publisher The Gnomon Workshop Price $59 Format Digital download Web www.thegnomonworkshop.com
here’s good news and bad Transpose tool. He shows you how to
T news when it comes to this

video from Luca
Nemolato. The bad news
fix any areas the procedure might break
and runs through decimation, which is
ZBrush’s process for reducing the
ARTIST PROFILE
LUCA
first: despite the title, there isn’t a
great deal said here about costume
polygon count without losing the detail
you’ve worked so hard on. It adds up to
L
NEMOLATO
design. If you start watching hoping a textbook example of sound ZBrush
to learn about iterating designs from practice, so that your model is ready to Luca is a concept artist working for
the reference and inspiration you’ve use in other CG software. film, television, video games and
gathered, you’ll be disappointed. Luca’s renderer of choice is the well- commercials. He started his
However, if you’re in the market for a regarded KeyShot. Here he quickly education in his native Italy, where
video on working up concepts of new puts together a series of renders from he studied fine art, specialising in
Topics covered
characters with a 3D software pipeline, QSculpting in ZBrush different angles – in effect, these are painting and sculpting. He
Q Adding detail and
the good news is that this is about as the initial concepts you’d show to your continued his education in the US,
rhythm
definitive a treatment of the topic as Q Posing the model art director or client. The chosen shot is studying with some of the best
Q Prepping the model
you’re likely to find. output as a set of render passes and concept artists in the industry. Luca
for export
More than half of the video is an Q Rendering in alphas, making the final stages in has made a name for himself
KeyShot
exhaustive ZBrush session in which Photoshop much easier. working on projects including
Q Render passes
Luca takes a plain model of a female and alphas In the Photoshop session, Luca piles Independence Day 2, Dawn of the
Q Compositing in
figure and turns it into the future on the detail, integrating surface Planet of the Apes,
Photoshop
warrior of sci-fi fans’ dreams. A few Q Photo-bashing texture, grime, graphics, glows and a X-Men: Days of Future
simple brush choices are all he needs photographed backdrop. The manner Past, Falling Skies,
Length
as he defines the basic forms before 286 minutes in which Luca keeps focused on his Once Upon a Time,
going to town with the detail. task, delivering detailed narration with Maleficent and more.
Rating
With the sculpt more or less done, useful tips for nearly five hours, is
www.lucanemolato.com
Luca poses the model using ZBrush’s incredibly impressive.
February 2016 95
Reviews
The Bronze Age of DC Comics

NICELY BRONZED The large format and stunning bronze foil jacket
might be collector bait, but the real value lies on the pages inside
Author Paul Levitz Publisher Taschen Price £35 Web www.taschen.com Available Now
rawing a comparison to the language and sophisticated in
D archaeological period of
discovery that gave us
metalworking, author Paul
composition, signalling a shift in
direction steered by a new generation
of artists and writers searching for a
Levitz sees the Bronze Age of DC more elevated platform from which to
Comics as a “time in comics full of address social issues and create more
discovery of creative tools that would mature storylines. In the opening pages
come to full fruition” and proceeds to Paul interviews one such “erudite
qualify this notion with over 400 XXL hippie” (his words), writer and editor
pages of comic covers, interior art Dennis O’Neil. Dennis recalls how
and profiles of noteworthy DC artists DC management complained about
and writers. You don’t need to be a the long-haired “delivery boys” loitering
hardcore DC fan to appreciate the the offices, unaware that they were Wonder Woman on the cover of Ms. magazine, an
changes that comics underwent actually new writers Steve Skeates American liberal feminist title launched in 1972.
during this period, or how those and Dennis himself.
influential creators at DC would come Almost every other page of this and creative merchandising and
to shape the comics of today. A detail of the Green
book has large, if not full-bleed, licensing begins to shape the business.
The period under excavation is from Arrow cover from 1983, examples of cover and page art, scaled Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman film
which signalled the
1970 to 1984. During this time, comic relaunch of the bearded
up 20 per cent from its original size. also receives justifiable coverage here,
covers become more daring in superhero with a bow. With the increase in size comes a with archival photography from on and
heightened sense of nostalgia. There’s off set. We find out that the Man of
something evocative about those Steel movie swooped in just in time
printing dots being even more to save DC Comics from the crippling
apparent – coupled with that new-print DC Implosion of 1978.
smell – that transports you back to The book closes with the
pouring over every panel of that introduction of two comic luminaries
Batman comic which got you hooked that would change DC, and comics,
in the first place. forever: Alan Moore and Frank Millar.
In the later half of the book we begin As all good final prequel stories,
to see evidence of DC’s growth as a The Bronze Age of DC Comics ends
publisher. Style guides are here, setting us up nicely for more
implemented; printing moves from stories to come.
large letterpresses to offset, which
visibly improves reproduction quality; RATING
96 February 2016
Inspiration Books
The Art of Stephen Hickman: Empyrean

HEAVENLY REALISM From Tolkien to Thomas the Rhymer, Stephen’s
painting insights and techniques will have you reaching for your brushes…
Author Stephen Hickman Publisher Titan Books Price £25 Web www.titanbooks.com Available Now
here’s always been a strong
T bias towards imaginative

realism from publishers of
fantasy fiction. Readers
respond well to cover art that skilfully
depicts exotic worlds and characters.
If you’re an artist proficient at
painting ornate filigree on glowing gold
armour you might just get noticed. But
if you’re an artist whose work can elicit
a deep, emotional response then you’re
going to end up on the short list. Look
for Stephen’s name on that list – it’s the
one that’s underlined. Several times. Stephen’s self-authored book is the ingredients required to create such
packed full of personal insight. We fulfilling paintings. Paintings like
learn that his mastery stems from his Thomas The Rhymer and The Harp of
own fascination with heritage, which Galadriel (shown above) are alive with
goes beyond his admiration for past subjects and details rendered with real
art masters all the way back to vitality. There’s an ebb and flow that
identifying archetypes within goes beyond the mechanics of
mythology. He reveals this through painting to elevate each scene: the
Gaffer Gangee and the candid extended captions for each book is pure fantasy art inspiration.
Black Rider was an oil
painting that Stephen
painting, all appended with technical
revisited in Photoshop. notes for those of us hungry to learn RATING
Animate That! The Principles in Depth

READ THIS! This book is a welcoming gateway to animation – but will also
be of interest to illustrators who want to put more zing into their figure art
Author Raluca Teodora Feresteanu Publisher Laudatio Verlag Price £16 Web www.animationabc.com Available Now
he expressiveness of
T animation demands
animators become keen
observers. Required skills
include knowing how best to pose a
character to suggest mood, how
various objects interact and how to
stage scenes. The list goes on, and all
these principles are applicable to
static art as much as they are to
animated figures.
Animate That! does a good job at
giving beginners the basics and
terminology that they’ll need to know, before deciding which style of various poses and situations – are
animation to pursue: 2D or 3D. The simple and clear, and the text is
book covers subjects such as timing, broken down into short, digestible
speed, weight and tension. These are caption-length chunks. Occasionally
topics that an illustrator may not the English suffers from translation
naturally consider when producing issues from the author’s native
their art, but grasping such animation German, but we can forgive this
fundamentals can only enhance their seeing that this instructional book is
static artwork. so learner-friendly.
Animate That! uses
simple line art to get
The book’s illustrations – the
its advice across. majority of which feature humans in RATING
February 2016 97
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INSPIRATION AND ADVICE FROM THE WORLD’S BEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS
This issue:
100 FXPosé Traditional

The best traditional art revealed.
104 Creative Space

We visit Teaching Studios of Art.
112 Creature Design

HOW TO... Brynn Metheney finishes up.
SCULPT WITH
CONFIDENCE
Be inspired by The Shiflett Brothers, as they 114 First Impressions
Mark Zug’s imaginary worlds.
craft a whimsical figure out of clay Page 106
99
FXPosé SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL FANTASY ARTISTS
Rebecca Solow
LOCATION: US 1
WEB: www.rebeccasolow.com
EMAIL: solowillustration@yahoo.com
MEDIA: Mixed media
Rebecca has been

illustrating young adult
fantasy book covers,
children’s books and
magazine stories since
2006. “I take inspiration from folk and
fairy tales from around the world, and
especially stories with strong and
positive female characters,” she says.
Her Russian heritage means she’s
familiar with the art and history of
eastern Europe, which also informs her
art: “I use acrylic and tinted gesso to
paint over detailed graphite drawings.”
She enjoys living next to the National
Zoo in Washington, DC, and can often
be found visiting her animal neighbours.
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Rebecca’s clean
graphite drawings
are lovingly
brought to life with
her colours. And I
particularly like how
her decorative borders
help to further the
story without being
a distraction.”
Alice Pattillo,
Staff Writer
1 ON THE WOLF’S PATH

Mixed media, watercolour paper, 11x16in
“This is the cover art for Luann Coyne’s
young adult fantasy novel, On the Wolf’s
Path. It’s part of a trilogy and will be
published later this year. With these
books, I had the opportunity to develop
a character over a series of covers.”
2 THE GYPSY’S FRIEND

Mixed media, watercolour paper, 11x16in
“Here’s my cover art for The Gypsy’s
Friend, another of Luann Coyn’s books.
I love any chance to draw animals with
personality and ladies with swords.
I also got to indulge in my love of
decorative borders.”

FXPosé Traditional art
2

FXPosé
Laura Siadak 1
LOCATION: US
WEB: www.fallenlights.net
EMAIL: laura@fallenlights.net
MEDIA: Watercolour, acrylic, tea
“Stories drive me to create

- sometimes simple blurbs,
a snippet of a memory, or a
story that has lived on for
generations,” Laura
reveals. “Some paintings even evoke
a story from the viewer, who then
passes it on to me.”
In 2002, Laura graduated from Alfred
University School of Art & Design with a
painting and drawing bachelor’s degree
in Fine Art. Her teachers were abstract
artists, which sometimes plays into how
she goes about creating a painting,
leaving some things a mystery to unravel!
1 MOON’S SECRET
Tea-stained paper, acrylic, 12x18in
“Some things are best left quiet, to hold
on to an air of mystery. Who better to
guard secrets than the moon? She’s a
quiet creature, watching down upon us
all, never whispering of the things that
she has seen.”
2 WISH I MAY
Watercolour, 11x11in
“Wishes are bright, buoyant creatures.
They’re full of whimsy, light as hope,
and fill the night’s sky like a thousand
stars every evening.”
3 FOREST’S HART
Watercolour, 12x18in
“The trees only whispered that day.
Birds stilled their fluttering wings.
Wolves ran alongside, reverently quiet,
what they once would have hunted.
She moved through the meadow,
passed beyond the trees, her spirit
free from the earth.”
SUBMIT YOUR
ART TO FXPOSÉ
Send up to five pieces of your
work, along with their titles, an
explanation of your techniques,
a photo of yourself and contact
details. Images should be sent as
300DPI JPEG files.
Email: fxpose@imaginefx.com
(maximum 1MB per image)
Post: (CD or DVD):

FXPosé Traditional
ImagineFX
Quay House
The Ambury
Bath, BA1 2BW, UK
All artwork is submitted on the

basis of a non-exclusive
worldwide licence to publish,
both in print and electronically.

FXPosé Traditional art
2
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“Looking at the
three artworks
presented here,
it’s clear that Laura likes
to make her shapes
work just as hard as her
colours and figures. The
swirls in Wish I May add
depth to a deceptively
simple scene.”
Cliff Hope,
Operations Editor

Creative Space
HEY YOU!
Are you a part of
a regular art class or
group? Email us at
mail@imaginefx.com
if you want to
feature here!
TEACHING STUDIOS OF
ART ON LONG ISLAND
Founded by ROB ZELLER, these classes are bringing the seriousness and focus
of a full-time atelier programme to part-timers and art enthusiasts
ong Island’s Teaching Studios school that was classical in its teaching In his figure drawing and believe that replicating the high standards
L
painting class, instructor
of Art began when founder techniques, yet laid back enough in Rob Zeller teaches a system of the school in an online format is very
Rob Zeller started plein air approach and made the seriousness and of structural figure drawing, important,” says Rob. “We want to ensure
which is followed up with a
landscape lessons in the heart focus of a full-time atelier programme painting done in oils. that we enter with the most artist-driven
of New York’s Central Park in available in a part-time course. user experience possible. We’re helping to
2008. But once winter weather arrived, it Hiring the best faculty he could, Rob equip artist with the ability to express
was too cold for Rob to give his direction strives for one over-arching criteria for themselves. With good technique, the
outside, so his classes came indoors, to teaching: excellence. He believes it’s sky’s the limit!”
his own studios in Brooklyn. important to teach a wide variety of Rob Zeller, founder and
By December of that year he was being approaches. “We, as an art school, are instructor at Long Island’s
invited to teach a group of artists in devoted to teaching traditional Teaching Studios of Art,
Photo by Sandro Baebler
Plainview, Long Island. This, in turn, techniques to artists of all ages and skill received a BFA from the Boston
triggered him to follow his vision and levels,” says the founder. Museum School and Tufts University, and an
start his own teaching studios. The school is planning to grow both MFA from the New York Academy of Art. You
Founding them a mere two months their physical brick and mortar classes, can find out more about his school by visiting
later, Rob’s concept was simple: to form a and add online schooling to the mix. “We www.teachingstudios.com.
104 February 2016

Creative Space Teaching Studios of Art
FIGURING
IT OUT
Figure-drawing classes bring out the
best of the students on Long Island
Drawing
techniques
and grisaille
are Aleta
Heisig’s focus.
Students start painting with a

monochromatic palette called a The figure
grisaille. Once that’s dried, they drawing and
then work on layers in full colour. painting class
is a popular
option among
Jonathan Kaplan students.
practises his
figure-drawing skills.
Beatrice
Barkin busy in
the figure
drawing and
painting class.
Heather
Davenport’s
human anatomy
skills are coming
along nicely.
Here’s Tom Camillieri busy

working on a structural
drawing during a class.
Caitlin Seib puts

the finishing
touches to her
pencil art.
Aleta Heisig
works on a
colour layer over
her grisaille art.
The school is devoted

to teaching traditional
techniques to artists of
all ages and skill levels.
February 2016 105

106 February 2016
Workshops
Clay Acrylics
SCULPT A WHIMSICAL
FANTASY FIGURE
Sculptors and brothers BRANDON and JARROD SHIFLETT unveil their process
for crafting a character who’s influenced by classic fantasy art… and Dr. Seuss
e’re creating a Sculpt, which is a two-part modelling
W character sculpture,
in clay, and our goal
is to open up a little
window on to our
sculpting process. Although we’re
sculptors, we’re inspired by many old
school painters and illustrators such as
compound that cures when mixed
together into a very dense and high-grade
sculpting material. It hardens between
two and three hours after you’ve mixed it
together. It can be carved, drilled and
sanded, and it stays crisp.
Frank Frazetta, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, BEFORE WE BEGIN...

and Moebius. Indeed, Moebius’ influence For a sculpt like this, one needs an
will play a big role in this piece. armature, because this clay won’t stand
We don’t do any sketches or on its own. In fact, one needs a wire
drawings beforehand. Instead, we basically anywhere there’s a piece of clay
largely make up our characters sticking out: fingers, horns, wings and so
as we move along, having only on. The silver wire is an aluminium alloy
a rough idea of what we’re armature wire, which can be bought in
going to create at the start of the varying gauges to fit whatever size piece
sculpting. And our rough idea this time is you’re creating. We use lots of floral wire
a guy wearing artificial wings and a – the tiny, white, cloth-covered wire – to
MORE ISN’T BETTER dragon costume, so that he can sneak into bind the armature wire together.
dragons’ nests with the goal of stealing Once our armature is built, the real
some eggs. We suspect this job might work begins, blocking our character in
have a high turnover rate, as dragons are clay, like the first broad strokes of a
known to be very fond of their painting, and then getting down to the
eggs! We’d like to achieve a little details, using smaller and smaller pieces
whimsy in this piece, with maybe of clay. We’ll be paying close attention to
even a touch of a Dr. Seuss vibe. this guy’s face, because we’d like for him
We’re creating this to come across as a sympathetic character.
sculpture in Aves Apoxie In the end, we’ll apply a paint job with
acrylic paints that’ll separate the organic
parts from the sculpted hardware parts
more succinctly. This character is going
to end up being about 13 inches tall,
and we’re calling the piece Dragon
Division: Egg Appropriations Unit. It
has a nice ring to it…
The Shiflett Brothers, Brandon
GET YOUR and Jarrod, have been sculpting

comic book and fantasy
RESOURCES
See page 6 now!
characters for 25 years.
www.shiflettbrothers.com
February 2016 107

Workshops
ARTIST INSIGHT
TOP HEAVY
We like big muscles,
too, but make sure the
upper body doesn’t get
so bulky that the
armature you’ve
allotted for the
character’s legs now
appears too short. (We
caution from lots and
lots of experience!)
1 Armature and materials 2 Blocking out the character

The armature is built and all the wires are superglued Gloves are necessary when mixing the Apoxie
into place. You can see many of the tools we like to use, Sculpt. We’re going to slowly build him up and these pieces
including wire clippers, razor knives, handmade sanding are only structural; the true surface is still a ways off. His
pads and files. We use a tool called a burnisher, which is human head will go just under the dragon head, which at
used for leather-making, for most of the real sculpting. this point looks way too much like a chicken head!
SCULPT
TIP
EYE SOCKETS
Many beginners place
their figure’s eyes on the
face, without realising
how deeply eye sockets
retreat into a
human head.
3 Identify reference points 4 Compose the face and hand triangle

We’re beginning to pick out good reference points: We start to sculpt some of the muscle groups, and
the collar bone, sternum, belt line, groin and knees. Keep in the relaxed nature of the pose can be seen. We see the face
mind the basic facial geometry that the eyes are in the and the two hands as forming a key compositional triangle
middle of the head from top to bottom. The bottom of the in almost every sculpt we create. The natural, relaxed pose
nose is halfway from the eyes to the chin, and the bottom helps to play into the whimsical composition, countering
lip is halfway from the nose to the chin. the fact that he’s wearing a slightly ridiculous dragon head.
ARTIST INSIGHT
PERSPECTIVE IS
EVERYTHING
Get up from your
sculpture, walk 20 or
30 feet away, and then
look back at your piece.
Does it still work from a
compositional point of
view? Distance makes
5 Three-dimensional muscles
your sculpt smaller, just We like to jab the eyes in there quick so that we can
like a thumbnail start to get a feel for the character. Here we’re beginning
drawing, and the to find the tips or high points of the muscles. It’s important
strength of design to purposefully try and make every muscle as three-
should still be evident. dimensional as possible, even if “skin” will cover it later.
108 February 2016

In depth Whimsical figure
6 Benefits of the dense

sculpt material
Accessories make the Dragon
Division Team Member. You need a lot
of stuff when hunting dragon eggs!
Luckily, the Apoxie Sculpt material
becomes so dense and strong, it’s
easy to drill into it, put in some floral
wire and then add more clay on top
of that. Indeed, all his bags and packs
are supported in this way.
MATERIALS
MATERIALS
Q Aves Apoxie Sculpt
Q Almaloy aluminium
alloy armature wire
Q Floral wire
Q Oatey bonding putty
Q Superglue
Q Styrene
Q Plastic caps
Q Wood
PAINTS
Q Armory Grey primer
Q Acrylic paints
TOOLS
Q Vinyl gloves
(powderless)
Q Pliers
Q Clippers
7 Create custom sanding sponges 8 Developing the dragon head Q Jewellers saw
We like to cut apart 3M sanding sponges and glue Now we’re rolling. The wings are taking shape, and Q X-Acto blade
them to toothpicks, to make little sanding tools. It’s good to the infamous chicken head is turning into a more Q Burnisher
have a rough, medium, fine and very fine grade on hand. intimidating dragon head, as originally intended. We’re Q Ball tool
We wet-sand with water to avoid micro-scratches. having ideas that are being attached and detached, coming Q Various small loop
and going, trial and error. tools
February 2016 109

Workshops
ARTIST INSIGHT
MIRROR UNIVERSE
Hold your sculpture up
to a mirror. We know
that first look is
horrifying, but all of
your symmetry issues
(especially facial) will
be revealed. Now it’s up
to you to fix them!
9 Using styrene and plastic 10 Revealing the true surface

The ‘found’ items we’re using are bits of styrene and At this point, fairly far along, it’s time to give the
plastic where the wings attach to the main body. Sculpting character a coat of miniature primer. We’re using Armory
metal surfaces and hardware is always tricky, so in this piece Grey Primer from Dork Tower. We apply a couple of light
we’re using a more beaten-up or junkyard metal look that’s coats. This primer won’t clog up any detail and enables us
much more forgiving. to see what the true surface of the piece looks like.
INSPIRATION
WWHD?
When creating clay
figures, ask yourself,
“What would Harryhausen
do?” (That’s Ray
Harryhausen,
of course!)
11 Working through multiple base coats

We start painting the base coats using acrylics and a lot of water. Base coats aren’t the final colours; rather, they’re
darker versions of those colours. So we’ll start dark and work our way lighter. We hand paint our sculptures: an airbrush
would probably be quicker, but we enjoy painting this way with lots of washes and a little dry brushing.
110 February 2016

In depth Whimsical figure
12 Muting the reds, greens and blues

Sometimes our colour choices have more to do with what we don’t want, and here we don’t want anything vibrant.
The character’s meant to look apprehensive, almost sad, so we’re going with muted and dull colours. There are reds, greens
and blues, but they’ve all been muddied by the same brown so it mixes together and no one bit jumps out. We want things
that are further away to be darker, while things that are closer or would be ‘in the light’ are given a brighter colour.
13 Pushing the details 14 Save time with Aves Apoxie Sculpt

Dirty washes, including sepia and the different While our usual clay of choice is Super Sculpey Medium Blend, we really enjoy
colours that have been used, are applied liberally. Most this Aves Apoxie Sculpt and it’s speedy curing time with no baking needed. It’s great
specifically into the crevices and around any points of detail stuff, and we have a lot of fun with it. Now this guy’s ready to go hunting for some
to help accentuate them. We use the lightest version of dragon eggs. Wish him luck… he’s going to need it!
each colour to dry brush the tips and highest points of
anything we want noticed more than other spots.
February 2016 111

Workshops
Pencil Marker
RESEARCH AND ADD

FINISHING TOUCHES
In BRYNN METHENEY’S final lesson she elaborates on her creature design,
imagining it as a species and showing aspects of its anatomy and behaviour
hroughout this series, I’ve Vellum paper makes it simple to revise your drawing and help you create a more
T
MATERIALS
covered how to build an drawings as we find the details of our believable and grounded creature.
animal from the skeleton to creature. Drawing it in motion to show Q Violet and Terra Write notes about what your creature
the surface level. We can use behavioural attributes is also important. Cotta Col-Erase pencil eats, how it hunts or forages and moves.
Q Blackwing 602 pencil
those same techniques to Remember to use the boxes to help Consider what your creature could look
Q Staedtler rubber
show its anatomy, working from gesture, guide where your creature’s anatomy will like if it were male or female. Always look
eraser
to a planar view, to a more detailed study fall in perspective. This is where using to nature: it’s designed some of the most
Q Design vellum paper
of the inner anatomy. From here, we can reference becomes important. But don’t outlandish creatures in terms of colour,
(cotton fibre )
explore the face in depth. This helps make be a slave to your reference. Instead, use it behaviour, dimorphism and anatomy.
Q Acid-free sketchbook
the creature a solid creation. as a guide or as inspiration to grasp form, paper
Brynn specialises in creature
We can use the Col-Erase pencils to anatomy and overall gestures of animals Q Copic markers design, fantasy illustration and
help build up forms and then solidify and creatures. Observing how animals paints for film, games and
details with the Blackwing pencils. move and act in their habitat will inform publishing. www.brynnart.com
I always start off with GET YOUR

shapes. Draw out your RESOURCES
creature with cubes See page 6 now!
and cylinders to help
keep it simple and
in perspective.
1 Callouts and detail

Think about the pieces that
make up your creature design. I want
to show the head and feet in detail. Texture is important.
I begin by blocking in shapes with my Always think about
Col-Erase pencil and solidify the Things like paws and legs what kind of skin, scales
details with my Blackwing pencil. This can also be drawn. Tackle or fur your creature
approach means I’m able to make sure planar shapes first before might have. Reference
I have the forms where I want them going into detail. is your guide!
before I make things permanent.
112 February 2016

Artist insight Finishing touches
A simple skeleton can also Always look for the boxes Look to real animals to see how they walk, lie
help with the pose and that resemble the shoulders down and play. These visual cues can help you
anatomy of the creature. and hips of your creature. pose your creature in a convincing way.
It helps keep things
in perspective.
Always think about gravity and how it will

affect elements such as hair and muscle.
Everything has a weight to it and it helps to
draw through forms to find it.
2 Posing your creature 3 More about posing

I want to show my creature behaving in a variety of ways, so I can It’s important to draw through your forms when you pose
showcase its character. This creature is carnivorous and intelligent. creatures. This way you can see where forms lie in front of each other.
Looking to real-world animals such as bears, hyenas, wolves and big cats, I think about the body in shapes, using cylinders and boxes to help flesh
I can use them as a reference point to inform what sort of poses I want out the volumes. Take note when you’re looking through reference about
my creature to be in. I start with loose gestures to get the idea down first, how skin folds, toe placement and expression, which all help to create a
then slowly build up with Blackwing lead. well-drawn pose. These details can help sell the idea of your creature.
Don’t be afraid to make edits.

My last sketch seemed a bit off in
proportion, so I altered the head size
in my skeleton and muscle study.
4 Think about anatomy

Consider the anatomy of your creature. In our concept stage, we
explored the inner structure of this creature a bit. Now that we have our
design laid in, we can go back and fill in the anatomy to help inform the
design and those who might need to model this creature if it’s being Using Copic markers, I
used for film or video games. Pay special attention to the joints and can block in some colour
landmarks of the anatomy, such as the pelvis and scapula. ideas on my head study
to see what ideas I like
best. I print out a few
Using vellum paper, I can build up a heads on to copy paper
quick skeleton and muscle overlay on my with a photocopier.
original sketch to really hash out the
anatomy of the creature.
5 Don’t forget about colour!
The colour of your creature is also a key aspect to your design.
Looking to nature will help you with ideas and you can always mix and
match patterns. Try out ideas by printing out a sheet of drawings on a
photocopier and experiment with markers or watercolours.
February 2016 113

First Impressions
Mark Zug
As for low points, right after my work
Mark’s highly on I, Robot was finished, I started on the
graphic novel of the same name. The
successful freelance plug got pulled on that project, so I was
suddenly out of work, having done no
career began by significant self-promotion. That was a
drawing what wasn’t bit of a scramble.
in front of him… What’s been your most challenging

commission or assignment?
A tough one to answer… it’s down to
Where did you grow up, two. In Prairie Dragon I had to do a
and when did you realise sweeping landscape that could have been
you had a talent for art? pretty bland grassland, invent three
Before age eight my engaging heroines and their canine
memories were chiefly of companions, design a unique dragon,
Japan, where I lived for three years and and invent the walking machine in the
also discovered I could draw. For years it background inhabited by our tertiary
was just drawing, with only occasional characters. The machine uses a real
attempts at colour. Only when I decided articulated leg design by Theo Janssen,
to get serious at age 25 did I get some SANDS OF GORGOROTH comfortable letting rough textures which I self-mandated to get right in
paints and start puddling around. Acrylic Who are the inhabitants of contribute to the realistic gestalt, every detail. And at 30x40 inches it’s the
Mordor, and what really
at first, but oil very quickly replaced that. happens when Gondor prevails? whereas I used to see very tight control largest canvas I’ve ever done.
as the only answer. I hope this all adds The other is An Orc in the Shire, a
Did your upbringing influence your up to “better!” self-commissioned piece that straddles
painting style? the universe of The Lord of the Rings and
Only insofar as I spent so much time What’s been the highlight of your career that of the Last Ringbearer fan-fiction.
drawing in imaginary worlds. Whether so far? Any low points? It’s just rich with detail that has to both
my upbringing or not, I disliked drawing Getting to work with Harlan Ellison, pay tribute to and defy Tolkien. Both of
what was in front of me. I always drew which kicked off my career and opened these pieces took lots of research and
the inaccessible: dinosaurs, spaceships, my eyes to a great many things, is right digestion of reference.
aliens, imaginary creatures and so on. up there at the top. Alongside is getting
My painting as a young adult was most to produce Sands of Gorgoroth for Pat Your Dune art was your first game art.
influenced by my idols, who include and Jeannie Wilshire of IlluXcon. Close Do you ever revisit the world of Dune?
Frazetta, NC Wyeth, Jan Vermeer, to that is my work on my self- Only by reading the Brian Herbert/Kevin
JC Leyendecker, Howard Pyle and commissioned Noble Gases, which J. Anderson prequels and sequels. Their
Maxfield Parrish. I consider some of my best to date. A Whisper of Caladan Seas short story,
published in Amazing Stories in 2001,
Did anyone in particular help you along
your art journey?
I feel like I’ve put pretty was the last Dune illustration I’ve done.
Other than my parents who kept me

amply supplied with pencils and paper
much everything on the fire What advice would you give to your
younger self?
all through my childhood, I’d say Ken to achieve my artistic goals I feel like I’ve put pretty much everything
Laager, whom I met when I was a student on the fire to achieve my artistic goals,
and who took me on as a kind of and I was always aware of that. So my
painting assistant for a couple of years. advice to the younger me would be to
He was my first close encounter with the exercise more open-mindedness in my
actual profession of illustration that I quest for knowledge. Also: don’t depend
wanted to be a part of. on any one publisher or patron!
How has your painting process evolved Sum up your work in under 10 words.
over the years? Classical adoration of the human,
I notice that I outlined my forms a lot subhuman and superhuman-
more in the early days, probably under infested universe.
the influence of comic books. I still do it After leaving art school Mark painted his
for effect here and there, but now what portfolio while working as a machinist. In
I really love is rounding the forms back,
PRAIRIE DRAGON 1992 he quit all other work and embarked on
A fantastical melding of central
and pulling background light over their Asian and Great Plains cultures, the life of an award-winning freelance artist.
and their special dragons.
contours. I think I’ve also gotten more See more of his art at www.markzug.com.
114 February 2016

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