2015-08 ImagineFX PDF

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simple steps in
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Editor’s letter
to a time of reflection
Hello friends. A few things I’ve read this
issue have made me pause and reflect.
Firstly, that my love for this community
grows ever more when I see a group
of artists rallying round to help Allen
Williams. Turn to page 29 for more.
But in particular, In-Ah Roediger’s
interview (page 42) resonates with my
own experiences of life and work. She talks openly about the
pressures of working all hours in the animation industry and
I identify with her drive and determination to succeed. But I’m also
struck by the sacrifices made in pursuit of a job or hobby we adore.
While having a passion can be fulfilling, if left unchecked it can
take over your life and cause more harm than good. I’ve lost count
of the times I’ve heard of near-burnout experiences from artist
friends who’ve worked 24/7 on project after project, only stopping
to take stock when faced with a trip to the doctors or hospital.
I’m grateful to do something I love. But it’s intense and all-
consuming. I need an outlet. I’ve finally learned to force myself to
unplug from my desk at a regular hour, go home and do something
else. For me it’s cooking. Preparing a meal from scratch (okay, and
devouring it, too…) enables me to zone out and relax.
Try to focus on what activity unplugs you – exercise, friends, TV…
whatever! If your passion is taking up all your time, stressing you
out, or making you ill, it’s gone too far. Recognise this and find
another outlet. Your art will thank you for it.
Our special cover for

Claire Howlett, Editor subscribers this issue.
claire@imaginefx.com
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August 2015 3
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Contents
Your art
8 Reader FXPosé
Dragons, sorceresses, eagle
42
hunters, Greek gods, dark

churches, strange gardens, junk
monsters and much more.
News and events

20 On the move
Six industry pros share advice
and tell us how they made
the leap into animation.
26 Artist in residence
Technology sits alongside
traditional tools in Fred Augis’s
cosy, living-room studio.
Your questions See page 8 for the best new art

34 Artist Q&A
How to paint shimmering
jewels, lighting, landscapes, 36
stone, a sci-fi helmet and more.
Features
42 In-Ah Roediger
The A-list animator talks about “All you really want to do at
the industry, insecurity and the end of the day is have a
having a healthy detachment.
very, very large glass of wine”
50 Studio profile In-Ah Roediger on working in animation
Q&A: eye level
Meet Sincerely Truman, the
studio who sent JJ Abrams a
cheeky if heartfelt message. 50 37 39
54 Sketchbook
Dylan Teague has kept an
updated sketchbook with him
ever since he was a kid.
Reviews
90 Hardware
93 Software Sincerely Truman Q&A: impact Q&A: sci-fi helmet
95 Training
96 Books
54 20 26
Regulars
3 Editor’s letter
6 Resources
30 Letters
32 Subscription deals
48 Back issues Sketchbook:
82 Next month Dylan Teague Become an animator Artist in residence
88 Digital editions
4 August 2015
Issue 124 August 2015
Download resources Turn over the page for
this issue’s art assets
Workshops 60
Advice and techniques
from pro artists…
60 Learn to control
visual contrast
Sam Nielson uses just
three simple rules.
64 Animation’s
12 principles
Aaron Blaise animates a
larger-than-life character.
69 Starting out
in Krita Desktop
Learn to use preset tools
with Katarzyna Oleska.
70 Paint soft and

loose strokes
Depict a rugged character:
Tyson Murphy explains all.
74 Construct a
vast sci-fi city
See how Aurélien Fournier
applies his 2D and 3D skills.
76 Explore colour
keys in your art Get your
Animator Jeremy Vickery
on establishing a mood.
free Fantasy
84 Create a figure
Art eBook!
for animation 31
David Adhinarya Lojaya Take control of contrast
shares his guidelines.
104 114
Inspiration and advice from

the best traditional artists
Joy Art Club
100 FXPosé Traditional
104 Creative Space 106
We visit Hong Kong.
106 Light and motion
Socar Myles paints with ink.
112 Animal skeletons
Learn from Brynn Metheney.
114 First Impressions
David Colman on satisfaction.
112
Create light and motion David Colman
Animal art August 2015 5

Resources
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6 August 2015
Issue 124 August 2015
Exclusive video tuition!

Watch our videos to gain a unique insight into how our artists create their stunning art
Aaron Blaise Tyson Murphy Jeremy Vickery

Learn the 12 principles of animation as Gain valuable insight into how to paint a See how animators make use of colour
Aaron paints a larger-than-life character. painterly and stylised, rugged character. keys to establish lighting and mood.
Plus WIPs and final image Plus WIPs, brushes and final image Plus WIPs and final image
Q&A videos
David Adhinarya Lojaya Mark Molnar Nick Harris

Learn simple guidelines to develop a Think about aging and surroundings to Make use of perspective and proportions
character from sketch to animation-ready. depict a realistic stone character. to tackle a scene from a very low eye-level.
Plus WIPs, brushes and final image Plus WIPs and final image Plus WIPs and final image
Training
Tony Foti Nick Harris James Gurney

Understand how light interacts with Create effects almost impossible to spot, In Tyrannosaurs: Behind The Art the
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Plus WIPs and final image Plus WIPs and final image at creating two dinosaur paintings.
and all this! WIPs and finished art available to download, created by accomplished professional artists from around the
world including this issue, Aurélien Fournier, Ilya Kuvshinov, Brynn Metheney, Socar Myles, Katarzyna Oleska and Donglu Yu..
9 CUSTOM BRUSHES, including…

Murphy_Bristle pore brush Basic textured square
Tyson Murphy’s custom brush that David Adhinarya Lojaya uses this Used for texture, Aurélien Fournier
he uses for “just about everything”. for detailing and adding texture. says this brush gives him good control.
August 2015 7
the place to share your DIGITAL art
Crystal Sullivan
Location: US
Web: www.digitallyuntamed.com
Email: digitallyuntamed@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Illustrator and monster

maker Crystal works within
the realms of the
“untamed”, creating art
that reaches into the
darkest corners of her imagination.
“I enjoy scaring people and getting a
reaction out of my art,” she says.
Crystal works in a variety of different
styles, producing everything from
tightly rendered creatures to bold and
graphic portraits. She spent some time
in the tattoo industry and loves good
line work, which is how every one of her
images begins: “I’m excited to continue
to bring to life amazing books games,
worlds and, of course, monsters!”
1 The tomb keeper “This was a

commissioned custom play mat by
Artists of Magic/Action Sports. They let
me run with the subject matter and the
dark mood of the piece, resulting in
something pretty fun that I got to spend
a lot of time on.”
tapCrystal
for Sullivan
Gallery
Concept artist Mark Molnar says

that Crystal is one artist to watch
“Crystal’s skill lies in being
able to enhance the focal areas
of her art, which gives it
greater impact and also sucks
the viewer into her well-realised
imagined world. Good work!”
8 August 2015 Email your submissions to fxpose@imaginefx.com

1
© Action Sports
Email your submissions to fxpose@imaginefx.com August 2015 9

1
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“I’m glad Lauren
found the time to
complete her scene
based on American Gods.
I’m not familiar with the
book, but seeing the
atmospheric, multi-
layered image that Lauren
produced makes me want
to know more about it.”
Cliff Hope,
Operations Editor

2
3 Lauren Newburg
Location: US
Web: newburgart.com
Email: lmlnewburg@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Starting with faeries,

sprites and magical things
that would spark her
imagination from books,
Lauren begin illustration at
aged 10. She would imagine what the
creatures inside her fairytales would
look like and draw them.
“I knew I wanted to tell stories with
art from a very early age,” she
remembers, “My parents were always
very supportive of me. My mother’s side
of the family are all artists in one form or
another. I’m just starting my career, and
I feel like it’s an exciting time to be doing
what I do.”
tapLauren
forNewburg
Gallery
1 Finding Strength “I did this piece

when I was having a difficult time
balancing my job at the time, and
making art. It was all feeling impossible,
and I wanted a painting that would give
me strength. This was the result.”
2 The Vale Worm “Dragons are

always fun to illustrate, and I wanted
to show one that was different than
others I had done in the past. I made this
one into a forest spirit, with very earthy
details and a stocky, low build.”
3 and Shadow saw the Gods...

“I love Neil Gaiman books, and had
wanted to do a scene from American
Gods for a long time. I abandoned this
painting a couple times for commissions
and responsibilities, and when I was able
to finally come back to it, I was very
proud of the result.”

Patrick Yeung
Location: US
1
Web: www.vdkstudio.com
Email: patrick@vdkstudio.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Patrick is a self-taught
freelance digital artist with
a background in oil
painting. “My work usually
starts with a simple idea,”
he says, “and through research and
reference gathering, it gradually comes
together in a brainstorm of sketches.
After having the blueprint for the
project, I’ll either make it into a painting
or 3D model.”
His work has a strong oil painting
influence, taking inspiration from
Thomas Moran’s landscapes and the
works of Gustav Klimt and Christian
Gaillard. When discovering digital art he
took cues from Linda Bergkvist and
Mélanie Delon, “Their depictions of
realistic portraits combined with a flare
of fantasy captivated me.”
1 Sigils “This is a character concept

painting of a sorceress with demonic
sigils. The painting began with a simple
idea of a beautiful woman laying on top
of a golden silk sheet.”
2 Lucas “This is one of the characters

from an IP I’m writing. Lucas is one
of the children from a surviving wealthy
family in a chaotic world. I used the male
model Alexander Krupov as a reference
for the face.”
3 Crown of Babylon “I did this

concept painting for fun while trying
to come up with different headdresses.
tapPatrick
for Gallery
Yeung
I liked the sketch so I decided to flesh it
out in colour.”

3
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“There’s some
lovely rendering
of silk going on in
Patrick’s Sigils image.
The character’s couldn’t-
care-less expression and
body pose speaks
volumes about the
magical power she no
doubt wields.”
Beren Neale,
Commissioning Editor

Christy Tortland
Location: US
1
Web: www.christytortland.com
Email: christytort@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Christy has just graduated

from the Art Institute of
Boston. Her influences
range from the masters
such as da Vinci to modern
artists like Donato Giancola and Iain
McCaig. Sci-fi and fantasy art is her
passion, with the likes of Star Wars and
The Lord of the Rings, as well as
classical mythology shaping her works.
“I’m a huge comics lover,” says
Christy. “I draw inspiration from artists
such as Alex Garner, the late Michael
Turner and Babs Tarr.”
tapChristy
for Tortland
Gallery
1 Eagle Archer “This was an entry

for an online challenge to create a
steampunk warrior. I wanted to play with
the idea of young eagle hunters in Asia,
and then combined these elements.”
2 Artemis “I’ve been influenced by

Greek mythology since I was a child,
and wanted to depict my own take on
Artemis, goddess of the Moon and hunt,
using various influences. I played up the
glow of the Moon to help make the
picture have an ethereal quality.”
3 Hades and Persephone “My

own take on Hades and Persephone,
with Asian influences. I wanted to
experiment with colour and texture in
this piece, such as the design on her
dress and Hades armour.”

1
Anna Warzecha
Location: Poland
2
Web: http://ifxm.ag/awarzecha
Email: warzecha.am@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Anna’s world is one filled

with the fantastic, yet
maintains an uneasy and
disturbingly nightmarish
quality. Her paintings chart
her journey through these mystical lands
of imagination. The children’s book
illustrator loves to play with light and
shadow with her works. “I’m inspired by
reality, literature and a good movie," she
says. “I try to remember interesting
images, processing them in my
imagination, giving them new
meanings… then I start to paint!”
Feelings drive Anna’s art and she
loves to design new places where only
the imagination can reach, adding the
obscure to reality.
3
1 Magic Forest “It was the time

when I just had to paint a mysterious
forest. More importantly, it was an
exciting opportunity to develop a new
way of painting. It was like reaching the
next level for me.”
2 The Garden “This theme had been

haunting me for some time. I’ve
always been fascinated with old,
neglected houses and their
surroundings such as wild plants and
mysterious statues. I left a trace of a
human (or inhuman) being by adding a
warm light behind the door. Who knows
what’s going on there?”
3 Dark Church “This idea appeared

in my head out of the blue in a very
undefined shape. I wanted to paint
something dark and atmospheric, but I
didn’t know exactly where it would lead.
The word ‘church’ was the direction and tapAnna
forWarzecha
Gallery
it was combined with this mood.
Meanwhile, I tested some new brushes,
so it became a new exercise.”

1
IMAGINEFX CRIT
“In Hometown
Hero, Kenn’s
juxtaposition of a
ticker-tape welcome and
a complete absence of
crowds makes for an
atmospheric, compelling
image. You can almost
hear the hero’s ride swoop
through the empty city.”
Daniel Vincent,
Art Editor

2
3 Kenn Yap
Location: Singapore
Web: www.meanhouseart.com
Email: meanhouseart@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop, ZBrush
At the age of 17, Kenn

moved from his home town
of Kuala Lumpur to
Singapore to pursue his
love of art. Now he
freelances as a concept artist and
illustrator, specialising in sci-fi and
fantasy art.
“I find it difficult to describe my own
style, much in the same way that it’s
difficult to describe one’s own
handwriting,” Kenn admits. “Rather, I try
to distinguish myself in how I approach a
piece as opposed to my technique. My
main focus is always to tell a compelling
story regardless of subject matter and
style. As for subject matter, I’m always
trying to find new influences.”
tap for Gallery

Kenn Yap
1 Hometown Hero “I tried to

capture the scale of the city in this
painting. The old school sci-fi influences
in this painting definitely show through.
Here, the hero of the adventure is
returning home to a celebration of
empty buildings.”
2 Downtime “There’s something

about subdued settings that I find
compelling. I wanted to do a mech
painting with more character to it – one
that wasn’t about combat. I was keen to
portray the relationship between a mech
and its pilot.”
3 CMYK “What started as a portrait

exercise quickly became this. It was
my first time that I’d painted a face to
this level of realism. I was caught up in
the character and got carried away! The
idea of human augmentation and
wearable tech fascinates me, and it’s
very apparent in my designs.”

Gonçalo Marques
Location: Portugal
1
Web: www.sanuviasart.weebly.com
Email: gojomarques@gmail.com
MEDIA: Photoshop
Having grown in a rural

setting, the pencil has been
Gonçalo’s best friend since
childhood. It was in 2006,
when he came across Bob
Rafei and his Jack and Daxter concept
art, that he decided he wanted to
become an artist.
At the moment Gonçalo’s finishing his
visual arts and multimedia course. He
says he’s building on his skills every day
in hope of getting into the illustration
and concept art industry. “My
illustrations have loose and sketchy
lines, with a subtle storytelling touch of
fantasy and sci-fi, but I like to ground
them with familiar and mundane
objects, to give them realism,” he says.
2
IMAGINEFX CRIT
tap for Gallery
Gonçalo Marques “Gonçalo’s loose
and sketchy style
certainly works
well in his Flow image,
because it gives the art
an extra boost of
movement and energy.
Something that a slick
1 It lies deep within “I’m fond of
this concept of an advanced and
forgotten ruin in a forest. In this case,
and fully rendered
the computer is still functional and it’ll version might lack.”
react to threats; the girl has to shut it off
to escape from the forest. It’s a piece
Alice Pattillo,
created for an indie game.” Staff Writer
2 Taming Curiosity “This piece was

done for school. I wanted to make a
big, mysterious and threatening monster
in the deep forest that would be part of
some abandoned junkyard. Here, the
creature has encountered a human for
the first time.”
3 Flow “I’m a big fan of Guild Wars 2

and Kekai Kotaki, so this Asura fan
art was inevitable. She’s an elementalist
who’s forming a ball of water for
protection in a hot, dry environment. It’s
one of the best examples of the sketchy
and loose lines I work with.”
submit your
art to fxposé
Send up to seven 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
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Bath, BA1 1UA, UK
All artwork is submitted on the

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

3

Artist news, software events
At the core of the Digital art community
Two pieces of art from

the film The Book of
Life, directed by Jorge
R Gutiérrez, who
says,”One must learn to
work well with others.
Don’t be a jerk!”
© 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Corporation and Reel FX Productions II,LLC. All rights reserved
From Many artists think about breathing life
illustration
into their illustrations. But if you’re deadly
serious about making the move into
movement, there are a few things that
you need to know.
animation
First, the good news. Rather than a
to
hindrance, an illustration background is a
great advantage getting into animation. A
grasp of anatomy, composition, colour
theory and lighting – it can only be a positive
thing. Truth be told, a background in any
creative field will be helpful to pool
Make a move Want to bring your art to life? We asked experience and ideas from.
“Extremely strong drawing and/or
six industry pros what it takes to leap into animation… painting skills are essential,” according to
former Disney vis-dev and founder of The
Oatley Academy, Chris Oatley. As well as:
“An encyclopedic knowledge
of film and animation. Good
awareness of literature,
history and music. The ability
to take art direction,
clockwork dependability and finally, the
ability to be a good friend.”
Artist and animator Hollie Mengert
explains that illustration has enriched her
work as an animator. “Things like
composition and mood in illustration can
help you compose a
Ronnie del Carmen’s
compelling character shot as
influences include Bill an animator," she says.
Peet, Ollie Johnston and
legendary Disney
“Illustrations can carry over
concept artist Mary Blair. nicely to animation. If you’re
20 August 2015
a winning all the home friends
card hand comforts united
Imaginary Games took Fred Augis has set up Read how the art
inspiration from the his art studio in his community rallied
Mexican holiday Day living room, which around Allen Williams,
of the Dead when it means he’s never too using the Gate of Fire
designed a new mobile far away from his campaign to raise
card game. The result is collection of art books money for his
marvellously macabre! and a long coffee. carcinoma treatment.
Page 25 Page 26 Page 29
Industry insight
Genndy
Tartakovsky
The Hotel Transylvania director
passes on his advice…
… on what makes a good

CG animator
What I’ve noticed in CG animators
is that if they can draw, or if they
have an understanding of drawing
and the sensibilities of drawing,
then they’re good CG animators.
The ones who know the computer
well but don’t have the foundations
– especially for the way I want my
films to be animated, which is from
a 2D aesthetic – they struggle. And
I think, “Okay, you’re just
puppeteering, rather than really
drawing in the computer.”
…on capturing a performance
I’m not a great draftsman, but I
Chris Oately believes an animator
needs strong drawing and painting have a knack for posing and
skills – although Genndy Tartakovsky animation, and the two definitely
might disagree with him.
go hand in hand. I see some people
who are great animators, but their
 Composition and mood drawings aren’t as strong, and vice

versa where some people are
in illustration can help you amazing drafts-people, but their
animation understanding – which
compose a strong character is a performance of sorts – isn’t at
the same level.
shot as an animator  …on fleshing out the visuals
As I animate or draw it’s always
thinking in terms of strong silhouette and Genndy Tartakovsky’s
original sketches for “Ka-boosh!” when drawing action.
character motivation in your illustrations, Dracula, and how he Music also helps a lot: obviously,
then the only thing you’ll need to do in finally appeared in
Hotel Transylvania. The music has a great natural rhythm,
animation is figure out your next key frames.” sequel goes on release so I try to follow it. When we’re
Hollie uses illustration as a guide to her in September.
coming up with characters we do a
animated work. “One especially valuable
voice: “Maybe it could have
thing that has helped me transition is to
something like this high-pitched
think of my 3D key frames as drawings.
squeak?” and then you pitch it with
Then you begin to see each pose as a piece
that idea. You try to flesh out the
on its own, which makes it much more
visual with all the tools you have,
familiar to illustration.”
and audio’s a huge tool that we use
Once upon a time… and embrace.
Stories are the essence of art. …on his own work ethic
Whether you just paint portraits I try to keep my point of view as
or have a love of sequential art, pure as I can. It’s all about that
there’s always a story to tell point of view – it’s all I have – and
with your illustrations. so I try to create the purest vision
Ronnie del Carmen has I can deliver on to the screen.
been at Pixar for 15 years,
working on Genndy worked in TV
award-winning
animation before directing
2012’s Hotel Transylvania for
animations such as Sony Pictures Animation.
Finding Nemo and Up.
www.sonypicturesanimation.com
He says a passion for
August 2015 21
ImagineNation News
storytelling is key to making the
transition. “It helped that my work had
enough earmarks that suited animation. I like
drawing characters and figures, and I like to
stage for the camera and compose for
lighting and acting,” he says.
Ronnie is a fine arts graduate, who
worked in advertising until his big break as a
storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated
Series. “Over time I learned that it was all
about storytelling. Be a storyteller in all your
images. Create characters and stages to
reveal stories.”
it’s all in the movement

Mexican animator Jorge R Gutiérrez agrees,
saying, “Understanding of movement is
essential – storytelling too.”
Jorge freelanced as a digital
illustrator before pitching his
animation ideas, but he always
knew it was his true passion.
As a tip on breaking into the animation
industry, he recommends working well with
others. “Animation is a very collaborative
medium and it’s important to understand
this right from the start.”
Chris whole-heartedly agrees with this.
Hollie Mengert
illustrated books
before making the
 People seem to think that with
“The two prerequisites to a successful career
in animation are: do great work and be
transition into the
animation industry. animation there’s a magic button you
great to work with," he says. “Focus on press to tell a character to walk… 
communicating your excellence in those two
areas as consistently as possible. Freelancers Something else to keep in mind is time. move into animation. “You may focus too
have to work harder to network and keep “Illustrators generally have more time and much on making one piece of an animation
the jobs coming in. Visual development any changes can be dealt with fairly easily,” pretty rather than focusing on how it’s
artists have to do this too, but the jobs are says Sam Burton, head of animation at Jelly moving as a whole. You need to sometimes
often months or years at a time.” Kitchen. “People seem to think let go of the little details in animation.
This may be something the average that with animation there’s a “The main industry differences between
illustrator will need to work on, if they’re magic button you press to tell illustration and animation are in the technical
seriously thinking about animation. “You just a character to walk. They don’t side,” she adds. “You still want the appeal of
can’t hide in your room and make pretty realise just how much time an illustration, but you’ll spend much more
pictures,” says Ronnie. “Illustration is a lone- goes into it.” Jorge agrees: “Animation can time getting the program to work with you,
wolf path – you rely on your own counsel take a group months or years to complete. making sure things don’t break, than you will
and instincts. Animation is like being part of Sam Burton is head An illustration is usually done by one artist in Photoshop or other illustration programs.”
of animation at Jelly
a ship. We’re prepared to let go of cherished London, and his client
over a much shorter period of time.” Ronnie suggests being adaptable and
notions in place of better solutions.” work includes Volvo. resilient are key – technology changes too
don’t aim for perfection fast to rely on mastering one software. “If
“There’s not always time to perfect your work is good using one program then
everything about your character, especially likely you’ll be good using another,” he says.
if you’re dealing with 30 different poses to And as with illustration, it all comes down to
get one second of movement,” offers Hollie. producing great art. As Chris says, “When
In this way, being an illustrator can help your in doubt, draw!”
Sam started out doing a design

course at university, before
specialising in animation. This is
a still from his work with Vimeo.
22 August 2015
Ka-Pow! Bring your comic art to life
with this special issue of ImagineFX!
on sale
in TESCO
whsmith,
barnes &,
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Available to buy today!

Order your copy at http://ifxm.ag/comicartistv2
Artist news, software & events
Game of
the dead
Dark art Carnivalesque
blends with digital game-
play in Imaginary Games’
new mobile card game
With the mobile collectible-card genre
(CCG) thought by some to be saturated
with similar titles, Imaginary Games
wanted to try something new. Inspired by
Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead, the
art of Afterland explores macabre, surreal
and expressionistic themes.
“We will demonstrate that an
entertainment fantasy of flawed characters
with strong females will
connect with a broad
audience,” says Imaginary
co-founder Chris Powell,
“and disrupt and change the
rigid gaming establishment.”
A tall order for a mobile game. But
Imaginary Games’ innovation has garnered
acclaim, notably winning co-founder Elin
Jonsson Indie Prize Showcase’s Most
Prominent Female Developer award.
Elin and Chris, together with Sarita
Kolhatkar, created the atmospheric
character art. Chris hopes the themes of
social rejection and acceptance will attract a
new audience, specifically gothic subculture.
Afterland is available to download for free
from 1 August, and you can find out more
information at www.imaginarygames.ca.
The Uncannies Inhabit

Afterland’s Uncanny
Valley: these
marionettes reflect
an obsession with
physical beauty.
The lovable Burnies

Characters include Plaguemen, Game mechanics are were once spirits in an
living masks that seem to be part explained by a narrative enchanted forest. Until
of their sinister host. between Horus and Star. they burnt it down.
August 2015 25
ImagineNation News
My sketchbooks from the past few years contain many
studies and miscellaneous drawings. I remember doing
a lot of concepts when I went to Paris on the TGV
(high-speed train) for Dontnod Entertainment.
On this and the adjacent shelf

is a collection of old cameras,
which includes the Asahi
Pentax you can see here.
This is a Mega Bloks

spaceship that I made with
my son. I simply wanted to
decorate my desk.
My young son’s first

drawings, with many
original compositions
of lines and stains!
Fred Augis
This little bronze statue was made by
my father. I saw it throughout my
youth and it’s nice to have it on show.
Home comforts Technology sits alongside traditional tools in

the French concept artist’s cosy, living-room studio space
My office is in my flat, near still have some items within easy reach to On an average work day, I’ll begin with a
the centre of Rennes, north- help inspire me in my work. long coffee and check my email, the news
west France. It’s a very calm I use my old Cintiq 21UX to create concept and things on the web. After that I try to
part of the city: I can see an art, because I prefer to draw to a 3/4 ratio organise all the work I want to do that day,
old church from my window when working on a new character design, keeping in mind my client’s deadlines.
and have far-reaching views of the roofs of rather than using a widescreen device. My In the beginning, I found it difficult to
the houses in my district. second screen is helpful for displaying collaborate with international studios. I was
I separated off my living room with a big references. My workstation is a loyal, seven- accustomed to working closely with French
bookcase that I’ve filled with artbooks and year-old PC. I’m not a hardcore gamer so game studios and I wanted to match my
personal objects. My workspace is I don’t have a modern graphics card fitted hours with them. When feedback comes at
uncluttered and small, but comfortable. This in it – it’s just powerful enough to handle 1am or 5am, it isn’t a good balance for me or
means I can concentrate on my projects, yet Hotline Miami and run Photoshop. my family.
26 August 2015
I like to keep some inspirational items close by, including It’s essential for me to see my art, to
the portfolio of Philippe Druillet, a book on the art of ensure a project is coherent, so I use this
Raymond Lemstra and a Kent Williams drawing. white space as my concept wall.
The framed artwork is

an environment piece
that was done by my
grandfather. On the right
is a test print of an image
of mine that looks better
than it did on-screen.
Just some of the

art books I keep within
easy reach. Eagle-eyed
readers might also spot
the collector’s edition
of Hotline Miami 2!
I installed a telescopic arm for my tablet

because the original support didn’t offer
a comfortable position for long periods
of work. It’s one of my best investments.
I bought a long desk so I can have a little

space to draw in my sketchbook. I can easily
scan my drawings and do a paint-over in
Photoshop. I prefer making pictures with a
black line on paper to using my tablet. I find
that my perception and concentration levels
aren’t the same using these two media.
My studio is nice, but I’m thinking about
getting an art space that’s better suited to
my traditional drawing and painting work.
Fred is a freelance concept artist. You can see
his work at www.fredaugis.tumblr.com.
August 2015 27
Hatboy
by Vaughn Pinpin
We’ll be there for you

Allen Williams
worked on Guillermo
del Toro’s 2013 film
Pacific Rim.
Community spirit How fantasy artists have come together to

raise money for one of their own, via the Gate of Fire initiative
Muddy Colors is a fantasy art blog
that showcases original artwork and
articles to the community. Artist and
blog contributor Arnie Fenner
recently featured a very important
cause on the site: friend and artist
Allen Williams is suffering from HPV-
related squamous cell carcinoma.
Another artist, Iain McCaig – along with
Karla Ortiz, and Christian and Andrea
Alzmann – has set up the Gate of Fire fund
to raise money for treatment.
“As an artist and human being,
Allen is beloved. He’s given
so much of his art, inspiration,
friendship and time to us all.
Let’s return the favour and help him now he
and his family need it most,” says Iain.
“I’ve just returned from Spectrum
Fantastic Art Live, but one of us was notably
missing this year. At the end of the first day,
artists filled the floor to send a photo
message to Allen and his wife, Vicki.
It’s a message for everyone in our
phantasmagorical community, that no
matter what demons you’re fighting, we are Allen’s’ striking
there too. You are not alone.” drawing (left) The community gathered together at
featured in issue Spectrum Fantastic Art Live to send Allen
With $40,000 raised, more is needed. 109 of ImagineFX. and his wife an inspiring message.
You can donate at http://ifxm.ag/gateoffire.
August 2015 29
ImagineNation
Your art news that’s

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS grabbed our attention
Contact the editor, Claire Howlett,
on claire@imaginefx.com or write Ryan Christensen
to ImagineFX, Future Publishing, @RyanCDigital
Quay House, The Ambury,
Bath, BA1 1UA, UK “Mud, dust and more
experimenting.
Follow us on twitter: Teemu says Photoshop’s high cost is a good reason to
#Illustration #conceptart
feature more Paint Tool SAI articles in the magazine.
www.twitter.com/imaginefx
#Military”
Tell us your thoughts on: I ask because while the newest Photoshop
www.facebook.com/imaginefx is good for digital painting, it’s very
expensive. And while Photoshop CS2 is free
Game changer nowadays, it’s lacking in the digital painting
I just want to congratulate you department compared to CS5 and CS6.
all on delivering such amazing Paint Tool SAI costs only around 40 Euros
artwork and helpful features (about $42), and is far more budget-friendly
as you do. I was more into fan for those who want to explore and hone
art for so long, mostly comic- their digital art skills. And they can use
style super hero stuff to begin Photoshop CS2 alongside it!
Glen Stone
with, but then I picked up a I’m just starting out exploring the @gstone78
copy of the Game of Thrones software and haven’t done that many pieces
issue from last year, and yet, so any guidance on using Paint Tool SAI “Batman page I wrote
I haven’t looked back. would be very welcome. & illustrated in @manga
My whole approach to art Teemu “TSA” Anttila, via email studio with their fantastic
has changed completely. inking brushes…”
Where before it was blocky, Claire replies Teemu, we’ve had a few
thick-lined comic doodles, workshops on Paint Tool SAI in the past and
I’m fully on a quest to learn to paint Issue 108 provided Neil some of them will be featuring in our
with the inspiration
digitally. I’ve even set up a new deviantART he needed to start
Manga Artist special edition, which comes
account, because I’ve realised my work is painting digitally. out on 12 June. You can find out more
now so different it seems like a different about our special editions here:
artist altogether. But it really has to be said www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk. There’s
that it’s thanks to you all for the huge levels also a plethora of new, cheaper art software
of inspiration I find in every issue. I would tools on the market, such as Pixelmator,
likely be still drawing the same generic Krita and Mischief that are giving
doodles instead of the detailed stuff I’m Photoshop a run for its money. We’ll be
working on now. featuring workshops on these tools in
Neil Gardiner, via email upcoming issues of ImagineFX. Turn to
page 93 to see our review on Pixelmator.
Claire replies Neil, it’s our pleasure. We’re Grey
glad to have helped you get inspired. I just Request for caricatures @GreyRadian
wish you had supplied your deviantART Why do you never have an issue about
page so we could see your work. Thanks so cartoons and caricatures? They’re not as “Finally painted some
much for writing in. easy to do as they look, right? Also, I don’t MGS fan art!”
own a suitable electronic reading device yet
More paint tools! (I intend to get one in the autumn), but why
First off, thank you for such beautiful, don’t you offer more digital back issues?
inspiring and helpful magazine! So far I’m Kris, via email
only a hobbyist artist and focusing more on
3D modelling, with the aim of working in Claire replies Kris, you’re right – we haven’t
the video game design industry. The really focused on cartoon and caricatures
magazine has been a great inspiration to me thus far. I’m not sure if these topics are
and has given me helpful tips. worthy of an entire issue (unless readers,
Second, I’m sorry if this has been you wish to email in to tell me otherwise!)
requested before or has been featured in an DID YOU MISS but I’ll look into featuring guidance on
earlier issue, but I was hoping if you’d find
the free caricatures in a future edition.
poster art?
someone who works with Paint Tool SAI As for the lack of digital back issues, it
Turn to page 48
and could put together a workshop for us for more details would take us quite a lot of time and
readers. I know the internet is full of resource to make these older editions Just finished something you want us to shout
on our brilliant about? Send it our way on Twitter
tutorials, but a workshop from a pin-up issue and available as back issues, and we’re just not (@imaginefx), or find us on Facebook!
professional would be great. others, too! sure there’s enough demand for it.
30 August 2015
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Read interviews with art legends including Don Maitz and
Bob Eggleton, and learn the techniques that pro artists use!
TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EBOOK, GO TO

www.creativebloq.com/fantasy-art-vol-2
August 2015 31
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August 2015 33
ImagineNation Artist Q&A
Struggling with a painting technique or get your

topic? Email help@imaginefx.com today! resources
See page 6 now!
How people change over time

depends on what happens to them.
Planning the back story of a
character is the best way to convey
a realistic and interesting change of
their appearance over the years.
Donglu Yu
A senior concept artist at
Warner Brothers Games
Montréal, Donglu has worked
on several Assassin’s Creeds,
Far Cry 4 and Deus Ex:
Human Revolution.
http://artofdonglu.wix.com/home
Nick Harris
English artist Nick switched
to a digital canvas in 2000
after 18 years using traditional
media. Most of his work
involve creating artwork
for children’s books.
www.nickillus.com
Ilya Kuvshinov
Ilya is a Russian freelance
illustrator and comic artist
who’s currently living in
Yokohama, Japan. He’s a
fan of capturing the female
form in his art.
http://ifxm.ag/ilyak
Mark Molnar Question

Mark is a concept and visual
development artist for the
How can I depict the same character at different ages?
entertainment industry and Jacinda Hind, US
currently doing work for
international film, game and
animation companies.
www.markmolnar.com
Answer
Ilya replies
Tony Foti The most difficult aspect of taking a character story arc into account,
Tony is a freelance illustrator this challenge is achieving such as those that affect their appearance
who regularly contributes to a balance between character and demeanour – for example, the death of
Dungeons & Dragons and
Fantasy Flight Games’ Star
recognition and visible age- a loved one or going to war – there are also
Wars, The Lord of the Rings, related changes. In other words, the changes that affects humans physically as
and Call of Cthulhu lines. character’s appearance has to alter while they grow up. These can include going
www.tonyfotiart.com remaining recognisably themselves. through puberty, which can turn younger,
For art mediums whose main focus is benign characters insolent, angry or
the story, such as comics or films, the rebellious; and increased physical activity
recognition element is slightly more without the associated coordination,
important, so I usually sacrifice significant resulting in minor physical injuries during
changes in the style and appearance of childhood. A change in a character’s social
Need our advice? a character’s ageing process, in favour status can also affect their appearance.
Email help@imaginefx.com of added viewer recognition. In summary, try to take a holistic
with your art questions and The best way to deal with changes in Proportion is the first approach to your character designs – your
thing to catch a viewer’s
we’ll provide all the answers! appearance of the character is to base them attention in determining
audience will hopefully appreciate you
on their back story. But in addition to a character’s age. going the extra mile.
34 August 2015
Your questions answered...
Step-by-step: Question
Show a recognisable Please help me depict a character
character ageing who’s been turned to stone.
JD Blackwell, US
Creating a creature that’s

been turned to stone isn’t just
about painting a realistic
texture, but also integrating
your character into its
surroundings naturally.
1
I usually start with the middle stage,
which is often adolescence. Consider
thin, long limbs, dissatisfaction, a grumpy
expression, as well as personal preferences
in clothing as the character can afford
to buy things for himself. From the
adolescent stage, you can easily turn your
character to a child or adult.
2
When the character’s a child, eye
shape and eyebrow thickness are
about the same, but ear and nose size are
altered. I don’t change his hairstyle, in
favour of recognition. The character smiles
and enjoys a care-free childhood. His
parents buy him oversized clothes and he’s
less concerned about his appearance. Answer
Mark replies
To paint realistic natural materials
such as stone the key isn’t just to show
the basic structure and surface
texture, but also an object’s age and
how it fits into the surroundings. Think through
what’s happening with boulders, and study
I always try to block in the main material with various
natural rock formations. You can add more texture brushes in the first phase, and then add some
details by ageing the material: creating cracks, ageing, wear and additional colours.
painting on signs of weathering, adding extra
colours to depict mould, moss and marks. grainy brushes for moss, and palette-knife-like
To answer this question I’ll create a giant who brushes for hard and rough surface qualities.
was turned into stone hundreds of years ago. I add details until I’m satisfied, and I start to
3
My teen becomes an adult. Shoulders
and chest broaden, he’s taller, has
shorter hair and facial proportions change
I start with a simple, easily recognisable
silhouette. After blocking in the background and
deciding on the light source, I paint in the main
integrate the figure with its surroundings. I add
bounce lights on the lower part of the body, and
extra moss and grass on upward-facing surfaces
subtly. My character wears a jacket and lights and shadows inside my silhouette to where the creature merges into the ground plane.
exudes confidence, but his pose exhibits establish the creature’s overall form. I keep After this the image just needs some finishing
frivolity from his teens. Glasses and beard adding textures using custom brushes. touches, colour adjustments and a scale reference
might depict changes linked to age and It’s important to vary your brushes, trying to with the human hiker figure, which also serves
status. But this character won’t like that! emulate nature. Use random spots for mould, to add extra storytelling to the piece.
August 2015 35
Question
I want to paint a scene with a low eye level – any tips?
Sandra Cooke, England
Answer Perspective rules are crucial for

Nick replies implying a low eye-level. Haze
makes distant things appear
Creating a low eye-level image fainter and less distinct.
can be great fun, just as a high
one can. The main thing I think
about when tackling the scene
is that the same general rules of perspective
apply as for other compositions.
So, objects appear smaller the further
you are from them. Lines appear to
converge, so that tall buildings seen from
ground level may appear to be leaning
together. This is a visual trick of course, just
as the rules of perspective are. You’ll find
that the distortion around the edges of a
scene with an extreme low eye-level will
tend to look unnatural. This is acceptable
if that’s what you’re after, but you do need
to be aware of the limitations of what you
can get away with.
Let’s go all fairy tale and paint a giant,
from ground level. I sketch out our lofty
one first and even have him leaning back
slightly in a stomping pose. This introduces
some foreshortening and overlapping The warm-up sketch,
while fulfilling the
forms. All that means is that shapes nearer need to show
the viewer partially obscure the ones foreshortening and
overlapping forms, is
behind, like a tennis ball in front of a
Artist’s secret
a little bit too static for
football for example. what I have in mind.
Keeping Perspective r this again and

Our giant’s foot is closest to the viewer
and so it seems large compared to his leg, You’ll hea
which also appears shorter than if viewed again, but it’s true. It really
square on and has diminishing pays to always have a second
proportions. In turn, his torso is window version of your complete
proportionally smaller again and so on, image open while you work on
all the way up to his head. And you can’t details, to keep you aware of
see his neck at all – that’s some the overall composition .
foreshortening for you!
Question
Can you help me create
realistic, shimmering jewels?
Brandy Stenner, US
Answer
Tony replies
Painting jewels can seem tricky, (I recommend looking up a ‘whirl cut’).
but once you understand how Consider using the Lasso tool when
they interact with light it gets painting your initial shapes, because if you
easier. First, though, you need bungle the hard edges the stones will feel
to design their shape and placement. Gems soft and mushy.
and jewels are generally functionless and The steps I’m using remain the same no
used for decoration, so take time to design matter what colour gem you’re painting,
an aesthetically pleasing layout. but I suggest keeping the saturation high.
For the shapes, I suggest doing some Anything that’s clear and colourful will
research. There are a handful of stone cuts absorb light, which means its local colour
used most often (round, oval, triangle, will be as saturated as possible. It’s easy to
Gems are colourful and, if dark,
involve lots of contrast. So be pear, heart, princess and so on), but with cut down on saturation towards the end
mindful of how you use them, a little research you can find hundreds if things are too bright, but adding colour
because they’ll attract attention.
of shapes that may suit your image better to a dull painting can be a lot of work.
36 August 2015
Question
What techniques can I use to give a scene greater impact?
Adam Rothwell, Canada
Answer
Mark replies
I work a lot in early pitch
development for films and
games, where it’s important
to create striking images that
can also tell the story or describe a
scene. The key is to handle my focal
areas clearly and build up compositions
based on the story that I want to tell.
Use elements to direct,
Even in a simpler composition such or block, the path of the
as this image, where I wanted to show viewer’s eye. Point your
elements towards your
only the main creature attacking, I can focal area with dynamic
use elements of the composition to lines and perspective
(1) and block the flow of
make my image more effective. In this view with parallel lines,
case I’ve not only used compositional to direct it back from
wandering away (2).
elements from the background to
emphasise my framing, I’ve also posed
the creature to create a dynamic line In creating cinematic
pointing towards my focal point: the key art you have to
use the whole
creature’s head and mouth. composition. Frame it
There are some basic guidelines I try to consciously direct
the viewer’s eye and tell
to use in most of my pieces. Using the your story in the best
Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio for possible way.
placing your focal point helps, but try
to keep the image as uncluttered as
possible after doing so. Use the
perspective of the background and your
vanishing points to direct the viewer
towards your focal point or drive the Artist’s secret
story. Apply dynamic lines and Contrast is the key!
direct the viewer’s
compositional elements. Use extra You can
framing to stop the viewer’s eye from attention towards your focal
wandering to less-important areas. area more by putting extra
I use the same principles in more contrast there. You can do
complex images as well, only I have this with colour or value
more elements to play with so I can plan contrast, but the best strategy is to use both
and texturing.
the path of the viewer’s eye more clearly. and apply some extra detailing
Step-by-step: Three kinds of jewellery lighting effects
1 Once you’ve nailed down the shape

and design of your jewels in flat
colour, it’s time to add light. Use a soft,
2
Next up are the subsurface highlights.
Gemstones are translucent, so you
can see beneath the surface to the gem
3
The regular highlights are more
straightforward. As always, the
highlight will fall on the precise point
Round brush to paint in the absorbed light. cuts and the object they’re embedded where your line of sight would bounce
It’s like a soft glow that emanates from the in. When light passes through and hits up to the light source, as if it were a pen
middle of the jewel. Paint it first because the surface on the other side, you get laser. These highlights will be in the colour
the highlights always go over it. highlights in a colour similar to your stone. of the light source.
August 2015 37
Question
How do professional artists use ‘photobashing’ in their work?
Khushi Dyal, Canada
Answer Here’s the finished

Donglu replies image. Notice that
the overall design
For digital paintings that deal remains consistent,
with mechanical subject despite the use of
various photo
matters, the photobashing references.
technique has grown in
popularity. There’s nothing wrong with this
method, as long as you don’t run into
copyright issues with the photos you use.
In a real production context, we use all
sorts of methods to speed up the creation
process, including pasting photos directly
into our paintings. However, this method
can often create inconsistency in the design,
and artists have a tendency to over-detail
the image with small pieces of photos. So
instead of just pasting random photos
together, think more about the process.
I like to start with some basic volumes in
SketchUp to search for the right design
language and composition. Once I’m
satisfied with the basic block-out, I export
the image into Photoshop to start the Artist’s secrete
photobashing process. The trick is to select Shooting photo refet re nc
for your
a limited range of photos to use – Try to do your own photo shoo
nt to take a
otherwise, the painting will explode with photobashing library. It’s importa dif ferent
different shapes and design aesthetics. So, lot of shots of the sam e object from
s, medium
in short, I create a 3D base, gather photo camera angles, such as long shot ch more
can give mu
reference from a limited range of design Once the photobashing process is shots and close-ups. It
ncy to the
languages, and then gather references for completed, I apply some loose painting
strokes to blend everything together so the freedom as well as visual consiste
my colour palette and lighting. final image has a more natural feeling to it. photobashing process.
Step-by-step: Effective photobashing techniques
1
A 3D layout is ideally
suited for the initial
blocking out: it enables you to
2
Next, I gather some photo
reference for photobashing,
and colour and lighting
play with different lenses and inspiration. Looking at my
compositions within minutes. I basic blocking, I see that I’ll
take this blocking into need mostly cubic and
Photoshop and establish my spherical volumes. Some extra
basic colour palette and the mechanical details will help
lighting by painting loosely me to bash details too. I look
over my image. I use the for backlit compositions for
shadow information on the 3D the lighting references, where
blocking as masks, so that the I have to pay more attention
volumes are easy to interpret. to my silhouettes.
3
I cut out the piece that you
need for the block-in.
Because the perspective is
4
Don’t forget the art
fundamentals while
photobashing. Check your
already laid out with the 3D value relationships, your
base, I simply follow the lines compositions, and the visual
on the basic layer. I tweak the balance/rhythm to make sure
lighting of the photos as I paste that you have an interesting
them in – they won’t always be focal point and also that you
consistent with the lighting have places where viewers can
choice of the painting. Here, I rest their eyes. Some artists
try out some simple lighting choose to leave a clear trace of
setups in Sketchup that give the photos, but I prefer to paint
me some inspiration. over them over slightly.
38 August 2015
Question Question
What tips do you have for designing a My medieval dungeon scene
futuristic headgear for my character? needs lighting. Can you help?
Rob Varney, Canada Elsbeth Hoffman, England
Since both your main light source (brazier) and the accent lights (torches)
are using fire, the only colours you’ll see in the room are fire colours.
Answer
Tony replies
Dungeons were initially built in towers, but those
areas became used for living quarters (for the same
reason the prisons were initially there: security) and
Answer the dungeons were moved to the underground
Ilya replies levels. This means they’re too low for windows and generally
I believe that an interesting and depicting wires, reasoning that an internal the shabbiest place in the castle.
believable design must also battery would make for a streamlined Without sunlight, we’re left with artificial forms of lighting.
look functional. Here, I decide profile. I imagine that the races don’t last Without electricity, that means fire. Candles were a common
that my character wears this long and so the battery can be quite small. way of illuminating rooms during the medieval period, along
headgear when taking part in futuristic This headgear is designed for the mass with oil lamps, torches and braziers (fire pits). Since we don’t
races, so it must feature headphones, a market, perhaps specifically for female want a dungeon to feel inviting, I suggest torches and a brazier.
microphone and goggles. Doing this navigators, so I decided to avoid sharp Firelight has a high drop-off rate, meaning it doesn’t travel
background work will help to put the scope corners, working instead with smoother far. Each torch and brazier will give off light in all directions
of the design within a defined framework, forms. All my materials have a matte finish. equally, and the amount of light is proportional to the size of
and enable me to focus on its functionality. I decide to use a two-colour palette, the flame. If you look up some reference, you’ll see that small
After painting a girl’s head, I outline the which is typical for the design of racing torches leave an obvious circle of light on the wall, which you
main forms and elements of the headgear. cars. However, I choose to construct the can use to get an idea of how far their light stretches. The brazier
The microphone is built into the jaw headgear from a range of materials: works as more of a fill light, and is responsible for most of the
element, while the headphones, in addition aluminium alloys on the ears and in the illumination in this setup.
to enabling communication and acting as a goggles, plastic in the chin and ear’s
built-in antenna, is also responsible for technical elements, as well as rubber and
raising and lowering the goggles. I avoid glass in her goggles.
Artist’s secret
Color Burn
Photoshop’s Color Burn layer
blending mode is handy
for depicting realistic
shadows. Just use your
favourite Airbrush with a
It’s important to think about how moving parts al layers, with
interact with fixed parts: in this instance I decide on light grey colour over your norm m. Start by painting the dungeon with a little low, ambient light (the bounce light
colo urs on the
the functional and resting positions of the goggles.
the initial material from the brazier). This helps keep things organised as you plan your lighting.
August 2015 39
Need our help?
If you have a question for
our experts, email us at
help@imaginefx.com
Question
Do you have any advice for creating
an anthropomorphic landscape?
Donald Cottle, US
The first two things you need to think
about are what exactly is the character
form and the environment you’re setting it
in. Keep it simple to start with.
Once you have your forms worked out,

you can have loads of fun embellishing
them and disguising them with elements
pertinent to your landscape.
Answer
Nick replies
These kind of effects can range offer valuable clues for the viewer as to the straight away. I love that giant in the
from the very obvious and size of the object. You need to settle upon Hellboy example, which at first encounter
dramatic, to the almost what the form is, how big it’s going to be resembles rocks randomly strewn across the
impossible to spot at first. The and what sort of landscape it’s going to be a landscape… until it sits up. I need to get the
examples that immediately pop into my part of. Mountains and forest (rocks and large forms working first as in any drawing,
head are Skull Island, as represented in trees) represent great building materials, as so I tackle it from the direction of drawing
various versions of King Kong, and the in the real world, but without the processing the thing undisguised within the landscape
stone giant in the second Hellboy film. of our human building techniques. and then applying camouflage from the
The first thing to decide is what you You should also think about what visual types of material around it afterwards. I
actually wish to portray and its scale. The impact do you want to make? I like the choose ArtRage to tackle this image,
latter is important, because the elements surprise angle, wherein you don’t knowing that I have some custom, leafy
making up the feature need to fit in and necessarily realise what you’re looking at brushes to throw at it.
Step-by-step: Paint a foreboding place
1
I start with a simple sketch, marking
out where and how I want to place my
skeletal figure in the landscape. I avoid
2
Still working monochrome I start
building natural forms around and
over the skeletal shape. I sketch a mounted
3
Once a base is established I can have
fun with mark making, to create
textural rock effects and plant growth.
getting into too much detail, aware it is in human character to set the scale, having This includes use of leaf sticker brushes I
reality only a form on to which I intend him look at the thing to help balance the made some time ago to save time. Don’t
to apply rock and composition. For go overboard with
floral elements. the sake of this such tools though,
Consider what sort particular example, I and make sure you
of terrain and natural don’t disguise the integrate their look
elements form the shape too much, but to the feel of the
surrounding area you should take it as piece by using
and how your figure far as you think feels shadows and
will fit in. right for the scene. softened edges.
next month: dynamic group shots | reveal a beaming smile | depict an underlit face
paint a waterfall | design celtic patterns | show off a muscular body and more!
August 2015 41
JURANNESSIC
In-Ah co-created this
short film while still a
student at Gobelins,
the animation school
in Paris.
The animator who’s moved here’s not enough

time for me to pursue
Long days, and nights, have indeed
become something of the norm for In-Ah,
on from traditional media my painting and the originally from Germany but now living in
T
other art projects I’m Canada. She’s used to putting in the hours
to working on some of the working on,” says as a 3D character animator and concept
world’s biggest 3D films In-Ah Roediger. “It

requires effort to
artist who’s worked on huge hits such as
Oz the Great and Powerful, The Amazing
reveals that she’s ready for keep up life drawing, for example, when
your eyes feel like shrivelled prunes at the
Spider-Man 2, Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs 2 and Harry Potter and the
another change… end of a very long day.” Goblet of Fire. And now there’s another,
42 August 2015
© Universal Studios
even more important, long-term project to Despereaux Luxembourg where you could study the film industry, which unfortunately isn’t
focus on: her baby, born in late 2014. Ih-Ah worked as a animation… I didn’t even know that was a automatically a part of the curriculum at
character animator on the
Not that she’s complaining in the least. The Tale of Despereaux
job at that point. It was the perfect fit! I every film school.”
“In terms of becoming a lead animator, during her time at loved drawing and telling stories, and here I
I’ve always been ambitious and wanted Framestore in London.
could do both by bringing my drawings to The third dimension
a role with more responsibilities,” she life. It totally blew my mind.” In-Ah started out in 2D animation, drawing
explains. “It’s important not to be too shy by hand in the traditional way, but as that
in putting yourself forward and making It’s been a love/hate industry began to stagnate in the early
sure your peers know that this is a path
you wish to pursue! relationship with PCs, but we 2000s she decided to extend her studies
and learn 3D computer animation. “I also
“Of course,” she continues, “you also
need the right seniority and have the skills
get along well on most days loved Toy Story and had heard magical
stories of working at Pixar, so that seemed
to be considered. I had a few chances early That in turn led to a chance to join the like a good thing to aim for. It’s been a love/
on in my career to lead a team and world-famous Gobelins School of the hate relationship with PCs ever since, but
supervise on smaller projects, which helped Image in Paris, which would effectively seal we get along well on most days,” she laughs.
me grow and learn the ins and outs of her decision to become an animator. “With To her delight her first big job was as
politics and diplomacy.” its high standards and connections to the junior animator on Harry Potter and the
In-Ah grew up in Germany and England industry with mentors from Disney and Goblet of Fire – although it was a close call,
– “We lived there on and off for 12 years” DreamWorks, I was able to improve to a because she was originally hired to work
– and like most creatives knew she wanted high professional standard,” she explains. on the dismal film adaptation of Doom,
to do something in that area; she just wasn’t “I knew what a portfolio or reel needed to the seminal computer game – “What
sure what. “Then I heard about a place in look like in order to find employment in a stroke of luck…”
August 2015 43
become more efficient
“You should at least be able to wrap
your head around basic commands and
scripts. This will help you a great deal
in finding short cuts and time-saving
tricks when that you need to rush
out a shot in no time.”
© Universal Studios
Under your nose
More from Universal Pictures’
The Tale of Despereaux, showing
some subtle facial animation.
Despite a later stint as senior Tex Avery-style of animation, as in Hotel
In-Ah Roediger animator on PlayStation 3 game Killzone 2,

most of In-Ah’s animation work has been
Transylvania – where you can stretch and
exaggerate the characters into shapes that
Vital statistics for films – albeit a huge variety of them in

terms of subject matter. Does the way she
aren’t possible if you have realistic bones
and muscles.”
“I’m very much a ‘live in the present’ person” approaches her craft differ with the subject? Unlike, say, creating concept art or
Age 37 in the cinema “Well, generally the main rules of being an illustrator, where you can spend
Date of birth with friends and animation, like weight, timing and spacing, days if not weeks working on your own,
6 December 1978 family to see my
Location name in the
all apply no matter what style you’re creating animation means constantly
Vancouver, credits for the working in,” she says. “The biggest liaising with others in a team. It’s a very
British Columbia, very first time. differences between VFX animation social job, and In-Ah says it’s important
Canada If you could have
and fully animated features is that in to listen to others, especially when you’re
Website been born at any
www.in-ah.com time, when VFX you normally need to animate more just starting out.
Favourite artist? would it be? realistically. Performances need to be “On my first job, Harry Potter, I had the
It’s a bit difficult to just pick I’m quite a fan of the time subtle, like the china doll in Oz the Great best time. The team was incredible and
one. Top of my list are we are in. I can’t imagine a
Tadahiro Uesugi and Robin time without the internet and Powerful, compared to a more free even though I was intimidated, and afraid
Joseph – they make – and yet I’m happy to have
amazing use of light, colour,
and composition!
Proudest moment?
spent the ’90s without it.
I try to enjoy it as much
as I can without dwelling
You always wonder if you’re doing well
Landing my first job on
Harry Potter and sitting
on the past or thinking
ahead too much.
enough. Will they discover you have no
talent for this and fire your ass?
44 August 2015
In-Ah Roediger
PERSONAL BEST…
Despite the huge workload
in creating China Doll, In-Ah
still thinks that “it was the most
fun I have had on a project.”
China
Doll
This character from Oz the
Great and Powerful was a
real labour of love for In-Ah
“These are stills from one of my
shots on Oz the Great and Powerful.
I first started working on this in
January 2012 and it finally got
approved in November the same
…BUT AT WHAT COST? year! By that time it had gone
“It was the first time I felt like I wasn’t
through two or three other
sure if it was worth sacrificing your
whole private life to this job,” she warns. animators until it circled back to me.
“At that point it’s hard to tell
what part is your animation and how
much of it was inherited by the other
Oz the Great and Powerful imagery © Walt Disney Studios/Roth Films
people that worked on it. It’s a great

example of how difficult it can be to
claim a shot to be ‘yours’ when so
many other people are putting on
finishing touches.
“I’m proud of how these shots
turned out after such an ordeal of
trying to hit the client’s notes. By the
time it got back to me I had gotten
to know the character of China Doll
so well that I instinctively gave her
the extra character that was missing.
I remember how relieved I was when
this got approved, and how very
tired and depleted I was from all the
late nights. It also reminds me of how
close I felt to this character, as if she
were a dear friend, and that I weirdly
miss her…”
if I could prove myself, they made me feel

welcome and valuable.”
Am I good enough?
She mentions a surprising commonly fear
among creatives and other professionals:
the idea that one day you might be ‘found
out’. “Depending on the day and how long
you have been chomping away at a shot,
you always have this nagging feeling in
the back of your head wondering if you’re
doing well enough. Are you animating
fast enough? Are you hitting the notes
[animating to the right dramatic
moments]? Will they suddenly discover
you have no talent for this whatsoever
and fire your ass on the spot?”
In-Ah has always created her own
private pieces: whimsical character
designs, highly detailed and shaded
Character research
An example of the abundence of
sketches, life drawings and more. Her character and movement studies
that fill In-Ah’s notebooks.
notebooks are bursting with them. She
August 2015 45
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
In-Ah was senior animator on this latest
comic book reboot – featuring rather
different subjects than her usual work.
© Marvel Enterprises
Animate
yourself
Want to follow in In-Ah’s footsteps? The artist
reveals you need to stand out from the crowd
In-Ah has always been interested in teaching and helping
newcomers to the animation industry, including a full-time stint
at Central Saint Martin’s in London during 2007/2008. “Usually
the question that gets asked most is ‘How do I get into the
industry?’ and ‘What are the salaries like?’
“I always say it’s important to know what you want to do
in the broad field of animation. If you want to work in feature
animation as a character animator, you need to be prepared
to become pretty specialised in your field.
Passing it on “Most importantly, I’ve known juniors to try and hide away
In-Ah is an experienced teacher as well in their corners, which is probably the worst thing you can do,
as animator, and this is something she’d especially when new to a job! It’s important to lose those fears
like to pursue further in the future.
and show work and progress often.”
© Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation
Hotel Transylvania
It’s not easy to make a bat seem
human-like, but In-Ah managed it
for her work in Hotel Transylvania.
46 August 2015
bond over your work
“Enjoy the job as much as you can,
and especially the people who you
meet. These are bonds that can be
everlasting and make a project
that might be ungrateful grunt
work a great time.”
Wild Things
One of In-Ah’s earlier
© Warner Bros.
jobs, also completed at
Framestore in London:
Spike Jonze’s adaptation
of Where The Wilds
Things Are.
© Warner Bros.
says she loves animating with sand and It begins... “On the other hand, it’s hard to find teaching,” she says, which is something
paints, and is a big fan of abstracts. These In-Ah couldn’t have hoped the time for your own work when you’re she’s always tried to do when time allows.
for a better start in her
not only give free rein to her imagination animation career than working on a film project – especially “I have courses lined up locally [Vancouver,
away from commissions, they provide a working on the fourth towards the last few months where it’s where she now lives] and in Europe, and
Harry Potter film, The
welcome break from her day job. “I think Goblet of Fire. become somewhat the norm to work hope to continue doing my classes and
the most important thing I’ve learned over intense overtime, sometimes 12-14 hour seminars over the next years.
the years is to have a healthy detachment days or longer, no weekends. It can be so “I don’t think we want to uproot our little
from your job,” she says. “Be passionate draining that all you really want to do at family every couple of years, just because
and invested, try to make it as good as you the end of the day is have a very, very large the pool of jobs has dried up again,” she
can, but don’t take notes personally and glass of wine.” adds of the increasingly competitive and
just get on with it. hectic animation business. “Maybe things
Taking a break will change, but until then I’m happy to
The most important thing With that in mind – and with her baby
having now arrived – In-Ah has made the
teach and work remotely while being an
active part in my child’s development.”
I’ve learned is: have a healthy decision to leave film production for the
time being. “My plans are – after regaining
Maybe now she’ll also have time to work
on more of her own personal illustrations?
detachment from your job sleep and half a brain – to continue Animation’s loss is our gain.
August 2015 47
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August 2015 49
Location: Portland, US
projects: Dear JJ Abrams,
The Bible Project
Other projects: Ride On,
Good Coffee, The Seasoned
Traveller, LGI, Bluer Jeans,
OneSight, Trail Blazers Glasses,
Brave Bots
Web: http://ifxm.ag/s-truman
Illustrator Robert Perez works on the

storyboard for a Bible Project animation.
Robert is art director on the project, but he
still gets involved with the illustration side, too.
50 August 2015
studio profile
Sincerely Truman We meet the creative agency

with a passion for animation,
coffee and Star Wars
here can’t be many people on this planet who didn’t
T take umbrage with the dangly eared atrocity known

as Jar Jar Binks. Most of us simply vented at our
friends (and later, still filled with rage, social media).
But the individuals who make up Portland-based creative agency
Sincerely Truman instead took it upon themselves to offer some
friendly preventative advice to the director of the latest film.
Dear JJ Abrams is a beautifully directed animation that
sets out four rules to make Star Wars “great again”.
Unsurprisingly, they don’t include cutesy, child-
friendly characters, council meetings or excessive
exposition. “My hope was to get a video out before
the Episode VII script was fully baked, because in
my wildest dreams I thought I might be able to
influence the new movies, and
remind the powers that be of what
Star Wars is – or was,” says
Sincerely Truman director
Prescott Harvey.
a galaxy-sized labour of love

The non-commercial short took several months
to complete, and was mostly worked on after
hours and at weekends. But the effort was
worthwhile: when it launched on
i09.com it garnered a quarter
of a million views in
August 2015 51
studio profile
A still from Dear JJ Abrams, the
studio’s animated open letter
to the director of Episode VII.
just 48 hours and shot up to more than Sincerely Truman

produced Bot or Not,
a million by the end of the month. Better for Solve Media. It
than that, though, JJ Abrams contacted the explains to children
how internet bots
company directly to thank the video’s are a menace.
creators for their input.
“Animation is in our blood,” says agency
founder Jon Collins. “It’s such a great way to
tell stories and communicate
ideas that we’re constantly
drawn to it.”
Housed in a space called
The Easy, Sincerely Truman’s
talented, 25-strong team of digital artists,
animators and storytellers work on
everything from identities, campaigns and
strategy to interactive sites and videos. Its [digital video studio] Epipheo, which is an
clients span household brands such as Nike explainer video company based out of
and Visa all the way through to children’s Cincinnati that I helped start in 2009,” Jon
charity OneSight and its own Portland explains. Epipheo didn’t want to have an
artisan coffee house, Good Coffee.
Jon launched the agency in 2013 with the
office that was a full service agency, so the
two companies branched out and have since
We work hard to make sure
agency’s director of brand growth, Dustin
Evans. “We were originally an office of
gone from strength to strength.
Studio culture rates highly at Sincerely
there isn’t a cynical or stand-
Truman. The space houses a coffee and offish vibe to our studio
whiskey bar, café tables and a stage with a
baby grand piano. “It’s a place that wants to Much of Robert’s time is spent art-
invest in the people and do quality work,” directing The Bible Project, a “passion
says illustrator Robert Perez. “We’re not here project” at Sincerely Truman that aims to
trying to be just another Portland creative explain the titular tome in bite-size chunks.
agency. We’re trying to bring The agency is made up “I’ve been hearing these stories ever since I
of developers,
our conviction and dedication designers, producers,
was little. Getting the chance to imagine
to our craft together with animators and and design what they can possibly look like
strategists, all of whom
people and companies we’re want to produce honest
is a dream come true,” he says, adding that
passionate about.” marketing campaigns. for animation projects like this the
workflow generally begins with forming a
solid concept and script.
covering all the bases

Robert explains: “I get pulled in to work on
the storyboards; after that I begin the visual
development of the style that will best
communicate the story. Once both of those
are approved, either I or another illustrator
will get to work on creating the assets for the
video. I’ll help art direct the project from
Sincerely Truman’s artists are able to turn their hand
beginning to end and will jump into the
to a range of media, including comic panel art. trenches and work on art when I’m needed.”
52 August 2015
studio profile
sincerely truman
Kayla
Mayer
The artist and storyboarder
on life at Sincerely Truman
What’s your role at the company?
I’m very lucky – I get to wear many
hats. I start working at the
storyboarding stage, doing first-pass
boards and cleanup, and I
collaborate with Robert on mood
and direction for all the videos. But
the bulk of my job involves
illustrating backgrounds, characters
and type. Sometimes I’ll be called on
to do some 2D animation, and I love
when I get to do that.
How did you get the job?

I’ve only been at Truman for about
10 months now, but I’d only just
graduated from PNCA a year before
when the Bible Project approached
me out of the blue. I was just one of a
few portfolios they’d looked through,
and it took about a week of doing
test images for Jon and Robert, then
I was on the team full time. The
whole process felt very fast.
What do you enjoy most about

working on the Bible Project?
I’ve been very fortunate to help
shape the visual direction of the
latest video, Sacrifice and
Atonement. Developing the right
mood for what Jon and Tim are
trying to say is challenging, and I
love that I get to help the team in this
way – it feels very special.
What kind of training have you

Sincerely Truman’s in-house
barista serves fresh coffee
received since starting?
every morning, and the New skills for me involve
agency opens its doors to the storyboarding and animation,
local community, too. neither of which I’d ever formally
done, and I’ve been able to learn on
the job. Robert has also taught me
“People who work here genuinely like style development and some
fundamentals of art direction. But
each other and find it a place they can be my other new skill is working
themselves,” reflects Jon. “We work really interpersonally with a team: I’ve had
hard to make sure there isn’t a cynical or to refine my communication skills,
which feels awesome.
stand-offish vibe to our studio. Creativity
comes from being open and vulnerable, not What advice would you give an
cool and calculated,” he says. artist looking to get a job like yours?
First, make sure your drafting chops
“If I could sum up Truman in one word it are in order. Understand the
would be ‘hospitality’,” says animation and principles behind drawing
motion designer Darrin Casler, everything, and know how to break
down shapes. Second, be fast.
who’s been freelancing at the
There’s no time to get stuck on
studio for a year. “They make details in production work. If I had
an effort to have open doors The perils of worshipping false idols is tackled in one of the animations that
gotten this job without those
and keep the space inviting to comprise The Bible Project, as overseen by Robert Perez.
abilities, the nicest portfolio in the
world wouldn’t have saved me.
all who walk through their doors.”
That investment of passion is clear in the What’s the working environment
agency’s involvement with its local at Sincerely Truman like?
Magical. I feel spoiled. Everyone is so
community. Projects such as skateboard art friendly. I couldn’t ask for more in my
show Ride On, a beer crafted in work environment. I love how
collaboration with local microbrewery productive and united this space
feels, and I’m so happy to come to
Humble Brewery and, of course, Good work every day.
Coffee, are all indicative of an ethically
minded company that wants to give
Kayla has a full-time position
something back. But what about more at Sincerely Truman, but she
fantasy and sci-fi projects? Jon is keen. still maintains her own websites
“Yes. Please. Give me that work,” he and makes appearances at
various conventions.
laughs. Look forward to more projects along The Bible Project features stories from the Old and New Testaments, and www.krmayerillustration.tumblr.com
the line of Dear JJ Abrams soon, then. although the videos are free to view, the project relies on crowd-funding.
August 2015 53
profile
Dylan Teague
Country: Wales
u e
Dylan has been drawing
eag
and painting
T
professionally for 20
lan
years, mainly creating
Dy
comics for 2000 AD,
including Judge Dredd and Rogue
Trooper. Over the past few years he’s
produced graphic novels for Delcourt
and Kennes Editions. He’s kept an
updated sketchbook with him since
t e rs a n d d ra matic he was a kid.

www.instagram.com/dylbot2099
th co lo ur ful charac sk etc h book

w w i rt is t ’s
Pages overfltoions in this 2000 AD a
composi
rough
character design
“Sometimes I just like to leave stuff at
the pencil stage. I don’t know why, but
I always feel something gets lost when
you finish up a drawing. I think in the
rough stage your mind fills in
the blanks and makes a
better drawing.”
a6 sketching
“I had the idea to fill up a little A6 sketchbook
with scenes and character designs. It’s a fun size
Doodling
to work on, because you can be quite loose with
perspective, but it can be a little
“I think I started with Batman on this and restrictive, too.”
worked my way out from there.”
54 August 2015
Sketchbook Dylan Teague
“I don’t know why, but I always feel something

gets lost when you finish up a drawing” A5 sketching
“Again, smaller sketchbooks can be a lot less daunting
to work in. You’re not faced with a big blank page.
I was also experimenting with some coloured
fine-liners, which were fun.”
portraits
“Sometimes I like to
sketch from photos in
magazines. I think doing this
and life drawing can really
help improve your
drawing skills.”
August 2015 55
Scenes
more “I don’t often have defined
pictures in my head – I have to work
doodling
“Here I was just coming up
stuff out on paper. Yet for some reason
I had both these images quite worked
with scenes and ideas for a out before I drew them. I ended up
strip I’ll get round to tidying both up with a bit of CG
finishing one day…” enhancement to the skies, but
this is just the raw scan.”
even
more doodling!
“I’ll usually start with one image and go from there,
gradually building up the whole page. It’s what I used to
do in my exercise books in school and would end
up having to buy new ones when the
teacher saw them!”
56 August 2014
Sketchbook Dylan Teague
“I used to doodle
in my exercise
books in school
and would end
up having to
buy new ones”
Character
design
“This page started with me
working out a robot design, but I
ended up reverting to doodling
again. The robot was for my Delcourt
book Le Grande Evasion: Asylum.
I simplified them a bit in the
book because I had to draw
a lot of them!”
Want to share your sketches? Email us with a selection of your artwork, to sketchbook@imaginefx.com
NEXT MONTH’S SKETCHBOOK: Chuck Lukacs
August 2015 57
get your
resources
See page 6 now!
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

60
This issue:
60 Learn to control
visual contrast
Sam Nielson balances the
competing demands of a
complicated illustration
using three simple rules.
64 Animation’s
12 principles
Aaron Blaise explains his
approach to animating a
larger-than-life character.
69 Become familiar
with Krita Desktop
Create a new file and learn
the software’s basics, with
Katarzyna Oleska.
70 Paint soft and
loose strokes
Learn how Tyson Murphy
depicts a rugged, stylised
fantasy character.
70 76 84
74 Construct a vast
sci-fi city
Concept artist Aurélien
Fournier uses 3D modelling
and 2D painting techniques.
76 Explore colour
keys in your art
Jeremy Vickery reveals how
animators establish a scene’s
lighting and mood.
84 Create a figure
for animation
Develop a character from
sketch to animation-ready
design with the help of
David Adhinarya Lojaya.
August 2015 59
Workshops
Photoshop
Learn to control
visual contrast
Sam Nielson demonstrates how he’s able to balance the competing
demands of a complicated illustration using just three simple rules…
ainting digitally is almost forth. The other half is about controlling and this fluctuation of rest and detail
Sam Nielson
p without its limits. You have
access to any colours you
want, a massive selection of
those choices and aligning conflicting
elements to what the image is saying.
Most of the tricks I use to discipline my
should create paths you want your
audience’s eyes to travel along. These rules
are simple to remember, but difficult to
Country: US brushes, as many layers as your computer art process come from one design apply while painting.
Sam has been
can handle, and the power to introduce principle: contrast control in composition. This control over contrasts must be
part of the tons of detail and texture very easily. The rules for contrast control have three expressed simultaneously in the colours
animation However, bringing these factors parts. First, people’s eyes are drawn to of the piece, the values, the edges, the
industry for
together in the same piece is likely to higher contrast areas. Second, too many textures and more. All these things must
over 20 years,
providing concept art result in a poor illustration. For this high-contrast areas are fatiguing to the also be done in context: the detail areas
and illustration for reason, half of good painting is about eye. Third, areas of interest should be should communicate the story, and the
Disney/Avalanche, Sony
knowing anatomy, texture, light and so surrounded by areas of simplicity or rest, rest areas can’t be too boring or messy!
Pictures Animation,
Blizzard Entertainment,
HarperCollins, Scholastic
and many others.
http://ifxm.ag/s-nielson
get your
resources
See page 6 now!
Stylus buttons
If you have a stylus with
two buttons, there’s no
reason for one of them to
be assigned to double-
click (the default).
Instead, assign one of
them to be a function
you use frequently.
I have one button
Pushing through failures Rough block-ins
assigned to right-click
and the other to the 1 This is the hardest part! I have an idea, but when I draw 2 One of the best ways to avoid chaos early on is to paint
drag-resize brush
it it’s a mess. After a few goes I feel like a terrible artist. My rough block-ins. These are the equivalent of thumbnails, but
shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+right-
drag on PC, Cmd+Opt problem is often story. If the drawing isn’t working, I need to don’t need to be small – you can do them quickly if you stay
+left-click+drag on Mac). think about narrative: what’s happening, what motivates the rough. Having said this, if your composition works when it’s
This speeds up my
characters, what idea am I trying to communicate? Once I have small, then it will probably work when large. I like to test the
painting time a lot!
the answers, everything usually falls into place. values this way, too.
60 August 2015
In depth Control contrast
August 2015 61
Workshops
The value of
clipping masks
I use clipping masks all
the time because they
confines the painting
area to the layer’s edges
underneath. The easiest
way to activate this is to
hold down Alt (Opt on a
Mac) and click the line
between the two
layers you want to link
up. Alt-click again
between the layers to
release the Mask.
Prepping the image Start the underpainting
3 I like using flat coloured layers as another test for the 4 Once I’m happy with the rough, I start with my
colours and values. The great thing about this graphic version of background. I’ll sometimes begin with a colour that I wouldn’t
the image is that I can use it later to grab selections of those mind showing through the cracks in the painting – in this case a
different parts of the image. I just keep a stack of layers or a flat- bright orange that pushes the intensity of the scene where it
coloured version under the image and then select them as peeks through the background. I paint enough of the
necessary later. background in to set the context for the characters.
resources
photoshop
custom brushes:
Dry Blender
This is a mixer brush I use

as a textured blender.
Ambient lighting Key light sculpting
The texture can keep the
details underneath or 5 If I’m painting daylight, then the shadows need to look 6 The ambient light underneath enables me to paint the
blend it all together
depending on the great. One way to do this is to start lighting the characters with sunlit areas on a separate layer and then erase it where I need
pressure you apply. the ambient light in the scene: the warm light bouncing off the shadow. This part of the painting is like sculpting: I’m pushing
ground, the cool light from the sky and the soft rim light from and pulling the light until the forms have the roundness they
Occlusion Brush
the explosion. This can be as detailed as I want. need. My goal is to put the highest contrasts where I want people
to look, such as faces.
I use this brush to quickly

rough in ambient
occlusion, where two
objects meet each other
in the shadows. You
must have a tilt-sensitive
stylus for this brush to
work correctly.
Dry Brush 2
One of my favourite
rough painting brushes.
This will only work
properly with a tilt-
sensitive stylus.
Pencil Black 2
Cleaner transitions Background detail
7 Complicated colour shifts, such as the patterned gradient 8 As I go, I carefully add detail into the background. I want
My favourite sketching
of the yellow feathers, are difficult to paint and can become the hillside in the background to be rocky, but not interesting.
brush. Again, you must confusing for the viewer if you’re not careful. So I create a I want the explosion to be energetic, but not distracting. I don’t
have a tilt-sensitive separate version of the red feathers on a separate layer, then use add all the detail at once because alternating between the
stylus for this brush to
Curves to change it to yellow. A Layer Mask on an Eraser brush character and the background helps me see problem spots.
work as intended.
can be used to manage the transition.
62 August 2015
In depth Control contrast
Fade
Shift+Cmd+F
(Mac)
Shift+Ctrl+F
(PC)
Enables you
to focus
on a stroke’s
shape and
pressure, then
adjust
the Opacity.
Highlights and accents

9 Reflections and highlights are fun to paint, but they can 10 Use of big shapes
I see good composition as a series of large shapes that
be distracting to the viewer if you’re not careful. Keeping direct attention to a series of smaller shapes. Once I think of the
specular highlights on a separate layer as I paint enables me to background explosion as a larger shape, it’s obvious that I need
adjust their intensity and position without messing around with to group its values together so it redirects attention to the
the matte surfaces underneath. smaller shapes in the girl. So I paint orange over the area using
an Overlay layer.
Blending
options
I use the ‘Blend if’
section under Blending
Options to control when
and where a layer is
transparent. This makes
possible effects such as
having a Multiply layer
that only affects brighter
parts of the image. In the
list of your image’s
layers, double-click the
thumbnail for the layer
you want to affect.
Finer details
11 Sometimes I’ll put down textures or fine details midway 12 Textured brushes
I have a variety of textural brushes that can be a lifesaver
Select Blending Options
and you’ll see sliders in
the Blend if section on
through my painting so I’m aware of how they’re affecting the when I’m putting in detail quickly. The leather jacket and
the bottom; these make
composition. I can then compensate as I go. Other times, like trousers have been bothering me the whole time, so I finally add the layer transparent if
with the beak of the bird, I’ll immediately subdue the contrast so some subtle texture to the surface, concentrated in places where it’s brighter or darker
it can exist without pulling attention away from anything else. I know there would be a lot of wear, such as on the seams. than colours on that layer
or the layer underneath.
Selection from
13 Edge control
Even with all my work to control things, I feel like the 14 Warms and cools
I wish my last step had some sparkle or flourish, but it’s
layer transp
Cmd+
arency
left-click lay
er icon
characters aren’t popping off the background. So I apply a Zoom still about managing high-detail areas. The debris is competing Ctrl+left-clic
k layer icon
Paint within
Blur (found under Radial Blur in the Filters menu) to parts of the with the warm colours of the bird, so I add purple to the smoke one layer’s
shape when
on
background. This makes all the background edges softer, but and blue-green to the grass, to help that area recede. I use a flat- another layer.
preserves a lot of the energy of the explosion. coloured Luminosity layer to see colour temperatures more
clearly. It’s the polish the piece needs.
August 2015 63
Workshops
TVPaint
discover
animation’s
12 principles
Aaron Blaise explains his
approach to animating
a larger-than-life
character, using
the 12 principles
of animation
Aaron Blaise
Country: US
A graduate of
Ringling
College of Art
and Design,
Aaron worked
as an animator for Walt
Disney for 21 years.
He was co-director of
Brother Bear and
nominated for an Oscar.
http://ifxm.ag/ablaise
64 August 2015
In depth Animation’s 12 principles
y time spent working in Originally though, I wanted to become Men – animators who worked directly
get your
m animation totals nearly
30 years now. For most of
that time I was at Disney,
an illustrator and had no intention of
going into animation. While in college
I was lucky enough to land an internship
resources
See page 6 now!
with Walt Disney himself.
These principles are: squash and stretch;
anticipation; staging; straight ahead
drawing for films such as The Lion King, at Disney and I got paired up with and action and pose to pose; follow through
Mulan, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, trained by legendary animator Glen and overlapping action; slow ins and slow
and more. I also co-directed a film called Keane. He taught me about the outs; arcs; secondary action; timing;
Brother Bear, for which I was eventually 12 Fundamentals of Animation, which exaggeration; solid drawing; and appeal.
nominated for an Oscar. were pioneered by the original Nine Old Once I learned and applied these
principles to a series of drawings and
watched them come alive, I was hooked.
There‘s something about animation that’s
truly magical and now I want to share this
magic, and my approach to it, with you.
In this workshop I’ll take you through
my process and show you how I approach
animating a scene and apply these
principles. These fundamentals are
relevant whether you work with pencil
and paper, in software such as TVPaint or
even on a computer or tablet, using
stop-motion animation.
Now, let’s get started and create a little
animation magic of our own…
August 2015 65
Workshops
Mouth shapes
Don’t over-animate your
character’s mouth
shapes. Watch The
Muppets… Seriously, if
you look at them they
only have two shapes,
open and closed. Yet
they achieve believable
dialog by hitting them at
the right timing.
Import the audio

1 It’s the combination of sound with drawings that makes for compelling animation, so it’s crucial to obtain good, clear dialogue.
Make sure that your audio clip evokes emotion and is something that you’ll enjoy animating. You’re going to be hearing it a lot!
Plan your scene Create thumbnail sketches

2 At Disney we would spend weeks planning a scene before 3 It’s absolutely crucial that you make thumbnail sketches
we put pencil to paper. On Beauty and the Beast I created of your scene. Typically, these will be of your key poses. You’ll be
hundreds of thumbnails and did weeks of planning before constantly referring to these thumbnails as you animate. This is
I started to animate. What feeling do you get from the audio? your opportunity to work out the scene, so try to get the best
What are the scene requirements? There are no unimportant poses you can.
throwaway shots. Maximise the impact of every frame.
Keep it simple
A character that has a
simple appearance and
Draw your key poses Breakdown the scene
can be“constructed”
with various shapes will 4 Now that you have thumbnails of your key poses you can 5 The term breakdown means the important pose images
enable you to animate it
start drawing them. If you are working in software such as between keyframes. You’re breaking down the motion into a
more easily from various
angles. This will give you TVPaint, lay these initial poses out on the timeline in sync with series of smaller and smaller poses. As you space these
more ability to focus on your audio. With your key poses in place you can proceed to breakdowns along your timeline, or flip through them, you’ll
the most important part:
creating the rest of the animation. Key poses are also referred to start to see a sense of movement. It’ll be choppy at first, but this
the acting.
as keyframes. process eventually creates the feeling of life.
66 August 2015
In depth Animation’s 12 principles
Full screen
0 (PC & Mac)
Acting out the scene
6 Animation and acting are closely related. You don’t need to be an actor to animate, but it’s important to rehearse your scene.
In TVPaint, cli
key to displa
ck the zero
y a full screen
to animate on
You need to convey emotion and your scene needs to be believable. Get up and act it out, so that you gain a sense of the timing and .
physics involved. Many animators keep a mirror at their desk and take note of their facial expressions while saying dialogue.
Act on your
new ideas
Don’t be afraid to
change up your
animation on the fly.
Quite often, as I get into
a scene after spending a
day or two thumbnailing,
I find a more entertaining
way of acting it out.
Sometimes we can only
make these discoveries
once we get into the
Keep your drawings loose Flip your images
7 Work fast and efficiently: keep your drawings loose and 8 When working in traditional animation you would flip
scene and start actually
drawing it out through
the character
fluid so you don’t get bogged down in detail. This will enable you back and forth between sheets of paper to see if the movement
Remember, your
to move through your scene quickly without losing momentum. was correct. Working digitally, you can achieve this same effect thumbnails are your
However, ensure volumes and anatomy stay consistent! I love the (and more) with the Onion Skin tool. The tool enables you to see starting point. Always
look for ways to improve
feeling of the hand-drawn line. Some may prefer a crisp edge, but each drawing or frame overlapping the previous and next ones.
the entertainment.
this isn’t the time for it. You can clean up your drawing afterwards. Make sure you continually use it to maintain consistency.
August 2015 67
Workshops
Remember the fundamentals

9 While animating your scene refer to the 12 Fundamentals of Animation I mentioned in 10 Animating dialogue
When animating a dialogue scene, don’t overdo it. Creating
the introduction. Using exaggeration, and squash and stretch, in your poses will enhance the a mouth shape for every syllable is a common mistake that makes
feeling of emotion. Likewise, incorporating anticipation and overlapping action into your animation feel unnatural. Focus on the key sounds, major vowels
drawings will give your scene a sense of life. Using these in combination will give your scene a and hard consonants. And create mouth poses a few frames before
sense that it’s grounded in reality. the sound. If you study speech in slow motion you’ll see our
mouth starts forming shapes of words before we hear them.
Switch tools
Mac)
F2 & F4 (PC &
ickly switch
In TVPaint, qu
tween Color
your brush be
des.
and Erase mo
Make use of arcs

11 One approach that will take your animation to another 12 Animate on 2s
The eye perceives individual frames as continuous motion
level is the use of arcs. In the natural world things tend to move and a standard theatrical film has a frame-rate of 24 frames per
in arcs. Balls travel in an arc to the ground. Butterflies tend to second. Life-like animation is animated on ‘2s’: we hold each
float in a series of overlapping arcs. Playing with the concept of image for two frames. In most cases 12 unique drawings for each
arcs through space (X, Y and Z axes) will give your scene a much second of your scene is enough. However, for faster action for
more dynamic feel. example, you may need more drawings to achieve smoothness.
Consider your
workload
The more intricate a
character’s design, the
longer it will take to
animate. For example,
when I designed the
character of Rajah in
Aladdin I tried to give
him a simple and almost 13 Add ‘in betweens’
Similar to breakdowns, ‘in betweens’ is an animation 14 Explore new techniques
Even after nearly 30 years of animating I’m still enthralled
geometric design to his
term that refers to the images or frames that go in between the with the magic of it. Seeing your images come to life is a special
stripes. This conveyed
his nature as a tiger to breakdown poses/frames. These are all the rest of the drawings feeling. I’m still experimenting and discovering new techniques,
the viewer, but didn’t that flesh out your scene and give it a life-like feel. Continue to and I would encourage you to do the same: experiment with
make each drawing too
create these in betweens (typically on 2s) until your scene is tempos, pacing, stories and character attitudes. The more you do
labour-intensive.
polished and believable. it, the better you’ll get. Have fun!
68 August 2015
Quick technique Learning Krita
Krita Desktop
starting out
in Krita desktop
Take a tour of Krita, create a new file and learn how to use preset
tools as Katarzyna Oleska explains the basics of the free program
rita Desktop is a free, open- In my opinion, Krita is a very useful
K source, fully featured

painting program available
to all, which you can
painting tool, comparable with
commercial programs available on the
market. It may seem a little confusing and Katarzyna
customise your
Krita workspace
You may initially feel overwhelmed with
download at www.krita.org. overwhelming at first glance because it Oleska all the tools. You may think some will never
On the website you’ll also find Country: England be useful, that they’ll just get in the way.
boasts a wide variety of control tools,
Thankfully Krita’s creators thought of that
information on how to participate in brush presets and colour adjustments. Katarzyna is and made it possible to customise and save
developing the program and learn how But after some time, once you become a self-taught workspaces, manage keyboard shortcuts
to donate money to support those who used to the interface, it becomes very clear illustrator and customise advanced tools. You can turn
who works Dockers on and off as well as drag them to
do it full time. and easy to work with. for various any place you desire. Here are some ways
publishers and private to make Krita most useful to you.
customers, specialising
A
Creating a new file in portraits, caricatures,
1 You can choose a predefined
fantasy and sci-fi
illustration. She has
B
F
template or create your own (and save illustrated some major E

book titles. C
it for the future). To do this you’ll need http://ifxm.ag/kataro
to assign width and height dimensions D
to your future canvas (in pixels,
centimetres, millimetres and so on)
and also choose its resolution in PPI.
As well as that, you have the option to
choose Color Model (for example, RGB
or CMYK), Color Profile, Canvas Color A. Color themes
Click the arrow to expand and gain access
and Opacity. to different Krita Themes.
Default workspace B. Visible Toolbars

2 Krita’s default workspace consists
and Dockers
Click the arrows to expand and choose
of two toolbars along the top, (Main and which Toolbars (File>Brushes & Stuff) and
File/Brush settings), the Canvas in the which Dockers you want to be visible or
hidden from view. You can also turn Dockers
middle, Dockers on both sides and the on and off by right-clicking the name of one
Status Bar at the bottom. Everything of the visible Dockers.
except for the main toolbar can be either
hidden or visible. Personally, I find it
C. Configure shortcuts
Clicking this gains access to a window
more useful to keep the File/Brushes where you can easily change and assign new
toolbar, Tools, Layers Brush Presets and shortcuts to tools and actions.
Advance Color Selector always visible D. Configure Krita

as I do my work. For more advanced users, here’s where you
can configure Color Management, Display,
Canvas-only settings, Grids and so on.
E. Show Dockers
and hide Status Bar
Select to show or hide Status Bar located
at the very bottom, and/or all the Dockers
at the same time.
Predefined brushes F. Toggling through

3 Krita provides many useful standard brushes that differ
workspaces
Clicking this icon gains access to a window,
depending on particular settings. Every brush can be used in an Erase where you can select one of the predefined
mode. To toggle between the Brush and Eraser modes press E while workspaces or save/select the one(s) you’ve
created. You can create as many as you
using the brush tool. Another useful shortcut is Ctrl/Cmd for colour need and easily skip between them.
picking, and Shift+press and drag left or right to change the size.
August 2015 69
Workshops
paint soft and

loose strokes
Tyson Murphy shares his easy-to-follow approach for painting a rugged
male character, giving him a stylised and painterly appearance
hroughout my process I always how I try to keep things simple. After To achieve my painterly style, I like to
Tyson Murphy
T ask myself: “Is it interesting?”
We should constantly be
asking ourselves that
blocking out my base colours, I’ll tackle
the lighting and rendering.
I’ll be using a few different Photoshop
get the painting to a point where I can
forget about layers and blend modes, and
just paint with my Bristle brush and a
Country: US question, at every stage of the artwork. layer modes, including Multiply and Smudge brush.
Tyson is a lead
In my workshop I’ll talk about the Color Dodge, to block in the lighting. I think about the light source, bounce
character design phase of my process and how to Remember to keep looking at your piece light and ambient light while I detail and
artist at create interesting shapes and character. and asking yourself, “Is it interesting?” If paint the whole piece. Don’t be afraid of
Blizzard
I’ll focus on the face and some general some part of it isn’t grabbing your brushstrokes or add messy colours in
Entertainment.
Since studying animation costume design, before starting to paint. attention, then try something else. If some areas. It’ll all add to the style of the
at Brigham Young After the drawing is complete, I’ll talk a you’re not enjoying it, then it’s unlikely piece and set your art apart. Okay, let’s see
University, he’s worked
little about how I approach colour, and someone else will enjoy it. how I get on with my rugged warrior…
for Disney Interactive,
Chair Entertainment and
as a freelance concept
artist and illustrator.
http://ifxm.ag/t-murphy
get your
resources
See page 6 now!
Simplify your
composition
When I’m doing an
illustration, I always
separate every subject
into one of the following:
foreground, midground
or background. This
enables me to keep
everything organised
Lay down the line art Block out flat colour
and simple, so that I can
focus on making each 1 This is the most important part of the process. Your idea, 2 I set the layer mode to Multiply, make a new layer
section impressive and
interesting. Without
character, pose and story need to be encapsulated in your line underneath the line work and start brushing in flat colours. Even
some sort of basic drawing. Be loose and quick, keeping energy in your lines. Make at this stage, I want to make the image interesting. I keep my
organisation, an sure your base is strong. It’s pretty rough, but I’ll be painting over colour scheme limited: everything is a warm, earth tone. Even
illustration can get very
almost everything anyway. Don’t get too attached – be ready to the green is a very desaturated yellow-green, creating a more
confusing very quickly.
change anything, to make it more interesting. realistic and visually pleasing feel.
70 August 2015
In depth Loose strokes
August 2015 71
Workshops
Creating colour variation Blocking in the shadows

3 I brush in slight colour variations to break up the flat colour: more red in the nose, ears 4 I set a new layer to Multiply and think about a light source
and cheeks; some yellow in the forehead; slightly saturated greens in the jacket; and reds in – the sun is lighting my character from the front and top. I use a
the scarf. The purpose is to be very subtle. I don’t want to change the overall colour – I just warm grey and paint in cast shadows and surfaces that are
want slight variation, to give the character an appealing feel. pointing away from the light source. It’s hard to get this right first
time; I erase and try out different shadows until it feels right.
Layer
adjustments
)
Cmd+U (Mac
Ctrl+U (PC)
s to a layer,
Make change
and
such as Hue
Saturation.
Darken the scene Occlusion painting

5 Using a big Soft brush, I darken the piece overall slightly. 6 Using a Soft brush on a Multiply layer, I brush in some
Many times throughout a painting, I’ll notice that things are ambient occlusion. Occlusion is when light can’t reach into tight
looking too dark or too bright, or that other adjustments need to spaces, making it much darker inside them – such as in the ears,
be made. Try and get in the habit of noticing when your painting nostrils, mouth, neck and folds on the jacket. I like to exaggerate
has a problem, and react accordingly. occlusion and have it very clear and present in my paintings.
I love its solid, clay-like feel.
resources
Photoshop
custom brush:
Murphy_Bristle
Remove the character Smudge my edges

This is my go-to brush 7 Using the Lasso tool, I select the character and anything 8 Now that my character is separated from the background,
for just about everything.
I love the natural brush
attached to him in the foreground. I’m not super careful, because I switch to my Smudge tool to start cleaning up. Everything I’ve
feel of it and when it’s I’m going to clean up and change as I go. This is an important done so far is about creating a base. I’ll be painting over the
paired with a good step: you don’t want to be painting around your character every whole thing now. There’ll be plenty of work in cleaning it up and
Smudge brush it has a
very large range.
time you need to change the background. Doing this makes it the Smudge tool helps a lot, smoothing out messy areas,
much easier to change things. softening round edges and so on.
72 August 2015
In depth Loose strokes
Layer select
Cmd+click lay
ion
er (Mac)
Ctrl+click lay
er (PC)
Ideal for paint
ing within
the outlines
of a
character or
object
Build up the lighting

9 Using my Bristle brush, I like to think in layers of light. 10 Painting corrections
I try to be reactive in my painting process and make
After brushing in some light, I’ll increase the value just a little bit changes as I need to. This might include using an Overlay layer
more and brush that in. Then I’ll increase it a little bit more, and to brush more colour under the eyes, or darkening shadows to
brush it in. I do this all the way up to the highlights. make his cheeks more saturated. I also slightly change the design
over time (it’s a good thing that I’m not too attached to my line
work!), using tools such as Liquify.
Collapse your
working layers
Some artists paint on
many layers. I use quite a
few layers when I need
to, but every now and
then I collapse all my
layers and just paint. This
Continue rendering the character
11 Every brush stroke I put down, I imagine where the light 12 Balance the detailing process
Detailing can be dangerous, because it’s so fun! I enjoy
helps me stay in a
painterly state of mind,
instead of relying on
source is and how it’s illuminating my character. I love it when putting a high level of detail into paintings. You can be quick
technology and layers.
my work feels three-dimensional, so I try to be as accurate as and loose with details; just paint them more as suggestions of It’ll also increase
possible. I also think about materials: how does skin look detail, instead of spending too much time on them. Little confidence and helps
you make changes on
compared to cloth, or metal compared to leather? Making scratches, bumps and so on are great for introducing an extra
your work for the better.
materials read correctly is very important. dimension of visual interest in an image.
13 Background and secondary lights

I want the illusion of depth of field, so I use a blur filter to 14 Putting in the final touches
A large amount of time is spent painting and smudging, painting and smudging.
make everything out of focus at the back. The cool background There’s no trick – it’s just time and patience, and being willing to look at your piece honestly
colour is shining on his shadow side, creating an interesting rim and make changes. Towards the end I always do a few final touches: a Levels adjustment to
light, and I have bounce light from various pieces of his costume. create more contrast, a noise layer and some last tiny highlights. And then I call the painting
All these secondary light sources should be subtle and not finished. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my process!
overpower the main light source.
August 2015 73
Workshops
Atmospheric
perspective
This is created with a
radial gradient set to
between eight and 10
per cent. I try to lighten
the farthest point of the
image by painting bigger
and bigger shapes until
I’m happy it looks like
real-world atmosphere.
Real-world references
I look for images of Tokyo and other Japanese cities,
trying to match the perspective of the piece. Then
I paint over them to remove the flatness that some
photos have. You can also simplify the shapes by
putting down a few brushstrokes on top of photos.
© iStock.com/SeanPavone
Painting the characters

When I’m painting on top of my rough 3D model I
follow the lighting setup that I created using Maya. This
makes everything look more realistic because the light
will be the same from one character to another. Then
I add rim light to make the figures pop out.
Maya & Photoshop

construct a
Aurélien
Fournier
Country: France
Aurélien is a
vast sci-fi city
Concept artist Aurélien Fournier paints a futuristic urban
concept artist
working
freelance in
environment using 3D modelling and 2D painting techniques
the film
industry, mostly on
environment and prop
work. He says he learnt y initial idea was to depict a viewer something familiar to relate to. favourite art books that explains
most of the things he
knows by studying
artists he admires.
http://ifxm.ag/aurelienf
m gigantic city so high, you
can’t see the top from the
ground. One of the most
And that’s just what I did here.
I wanted to give this city a Tokyo-like
feel, but with a dominant cylindrical
composition: Framed Ink: Drawing and
Composition for Visual Storytellers by
Marcos Mateu-Mestre.
important methods of bringing grand shape. The challenge was to create an Something that helps the composition
get your design ideas to life is to borrow elements effective composition that could show the is its depth, which I achieved by adding
resources
See page 6 now!
from the real world. Doing so helps to
make the design and environment feel
city, but also convey the story of what
people do here and how they live. This
repeated elements. This enhances the
sense of immersion of the towering walls,
more natural to the eye, and gives the approach is explored in one of my and gives the image a nice visual flow.
74 August 2015
Artist insight Construct a sci-fi city
Authentic graffiti Ground details
I want to make this city look rough around the For the pavement I use a photo texture and set
edges, so I introduce a photo I found online of the layer mode to Multiply, so I can keep the
street art, which was taken in one of Tokyo’s light and retain the details by adjusting the
suburbs. The shooting angle is a good match levels of my layers. You could also use Lighten
with the direction of my city’s walkway. mode, depending on the lighting of the scene.
© Anahita Bradberry
© Anahita Bradberry
resources
Photoshop
custom brush:
Basic textured
square
This brush produces a

nice texture and gives
me plenty of control over
my strokes.
How I create…
a futuristic city with a difference
1 Blocking shapes in 3D
I start with simple 3D blocking using basic
textures. As I do this, I try to think of all the details that
2 Painting on top of the 3D
Now I paint all of the details and add photo
textures and references, but I try to keep them as
3 Lighting and finishing
It’s time to set the mood of the piece. Adding
atmospheric perspective and doing some colour
I’ll subsequently add to the scene. Anticipating and then neutral as possible. This means that later on I’ll be tweaks will blend all the elements together, enabling
solving problems at this early stage will save a significant able to adjust the colours and mood with the greatest me to create the finished look I’m after. I also clean the
amount of time later on. amount of control. details of textures by painting over the photos.
August 2015 75
Workshops
Explore colour
keys in your art
Jeremy Vickery reveals how animators make use of colour
keys to help them establish the lighting and mood of a scene
Jeremy
Vickery
Country: US
he most important element in can relate to, and of course illustrative upon colour keys that are defined by the
Jeremy is
a concept
artist and
illustrator who
T a good animated film will
always be the story, and
everything else should work
visuals that help stir the emotions of
the audience.
In this workshop I’m going to cover the
art department and the director of
photography. In essence, colour keys are
loose sketches that define colour and light
specialises in to support that story. Lighting and colour idea of painting colour keys and how I for a select set of shots in a film. The focus
environment design and are often overlooked but very potent tools approach thinking about colour and is far less on shape and details, and more
lighting, but he’s also
worked as a lighting artist
for helping enhance the emotion of the mood. I’ll use the same composition for on light and mood.
at Pixar, and computer story and to help draw the viewer’s eye to each of the paintings, but explore vastly There’s also a concept of a colour script,
graphics generalist at the most important parts of the image. different lighting setups that could convey which is more of a broad plan for the
other studios.
http://ifxm.ag/jeremyv
Done well, lighting is felt rather than very different moods. colour in a film, usually done earlier in
noticed. Done poorly and the scenes can Many new artists aren’t aware of the production before final shots are defined.
get your feel flat, and make the film confusing. process of creating colour keys, but in a Colour keys are more shot specific,
resources
See page 6 now!
The beauty of filmmaking is a delicate
balance of great acting, precise editing,
studio environment they’re a vital part of
the process. The lighting team at the
similar to what I’ll be showing in this
workshop with a predetermined image.
an emotionally moving story that people studio (if it’s 3D animation) relies heavily So let’s make something beautiful…
76 August 2015
In depth Colour keys
Create a line sketch Resist local colour thinking

1 I always start with a loose line sketch on its own layer, to 2 The most common mistake I see with new artists is to only think about local colour
help block in the locations of key items in the composition. If (trees are brown, leaves are green, grass is green, sky is blue, rock is grey, water is blue) and
working on an animated film this might be defined from an then only paint lighter and darker variations of those local colours to mimic light. Don’t get
unlit production frame, but I still usually draw a simple line trapped! Light is a powerful tool, so try to throw out your assumptions about local colour
sketch over the render so I can have it for easier painting. and only think about light.
August 2015 77
Workshops
A better
Smudge tool
Have you ever wanted to
blend colours, but found
that the Smudge tool, for
want of a better word,
sucks? I used Corel
Painter for many years
and loved the Wet Oily
Palette Knife for
blending. I discovered
that the Mixer Brush tool
in Photoshop can blend
pixels more like paint.
Make sure to adjust the
Reference and research Find the fill light
Wet parameter to
achieve good results. 3 To create a believable world we need to understand the 4 I think about each light source independently, and the
It’s a veritable life-saver
world around us. I spend time looking for photos and art for easiest one to start with is the fill light. If you’re outdoors that
for soft blending
colour ideas and inspiration. If I pick well, I can take the colours will be the blue of the sky: a soft light source with soft shadows.
from images and the ideas of shapes and forms from another to So I fill the frame with a solid colour that’s the colour I want my
create something new. Here, I take light and colour inspiration fill light to be. I then use darker and lighter versions of this
from Albert Bierstadt’s Rocky Mountain Landscape. colour to paint in soft shadows.
Take atmospheric perspective into account

5 A powerful tool in composition is atmosphere. The farther an object is from the camera, the more air and water particles
obscure the light. This provides a way to relate depth in an image, as I paint in more haze the further back the image goes.
Two window
method
If you go to Window>
Arrange>New Window
For... it’ll create a
duplicate floating
panel of your Photoshop
document. This will
enable you to have one
window zoomed in for
Find the key light Fore-, mid- and background
detail work and a second
zoomed out to make 6 In most lighting setups there’s a key light (the brightest 7 With less atmosphere near the camera, the darkest parts of
sure your overall
light source in the scene) and a fill light (less strong, but fills the the image will always be the most black nearest camera. I spend
composition is still solid.
This saves me a lot of overall image). In this painting I decide to make the sunlight some time working out a few more details and making the
time instead of (my key) only hit one part of the mountain instead of foreground a bit darker, to help make it stand out against the
constantly zooming in
everywhere. It adds visual interest and draws the viewer’s eye to lighter background. Clever layering should make it easy on the
and out as I paint.
one particular part of the image. eye to take in the image.
78 August 2015
In depth Colour keys
resources
Photoshop
custom brush:
JV_Chaulky
This is one of my prime

brushes for speed
painting. It has a great
natural texture and good
Opacity response.
Reflections and removing line sketch

8 I try hiding the line art layer so I can have a pure colour image. Real objects have no line art around them. I zoom back from
my image and squint to see if the composition is working and if the light seems believable. I add some reflections to the lake.
Quick Color
Picker
Introduce leaves for an extra layer of colour
9
Option (Mac
)
Alt (PC)
I love the orange summer leaf colour in the reference image, so I try adding that into my composition, too. Quickly switc
h to the
The striking red seems to complement the generally warm palette nicely. Color Picker
tool
10 Local colour picking

I spend some time tightening up key shapes. One tip to 11 Tightening details
I continue to tighten and refine the image and explore how the clouds might layer in
remember is to stick to the colours that are already present in the the peaks. When I say tighten, I mean zooming in and painting cleaner edges and finding the
loose sketch. I use the Mac’s Option key to quickly switch to the final shapes and details. I only use the colours that I’ve already determined.
Color Picker tool, enabling me to quickly select local colours that
I’ve already defined, and then can paint with smaller brushes to
tighten up shapes.
August 2015 79
Workshops
Colour
temperature
I always try to think
about the colour
temperature of lights
and not only value, but
also hue and saturation.
A light bulb turned on
slowly will start red, then
glow orange, then
yellow, then white. I
apply the idea to my
light sources and shift
the hues toward white
and loose saturation as
lights gain intensity, and
gain saturation as they 12 Shrink the character
After looking at the image I realise that the painting might 13 Add bloom
I create a layer and set it to Linear Dodge (Add) mode. I
lose intensity.
feel more epic if the foreground character was smaller, to make then make a large Soft brush with the Flow setting set very low.
the cliff and tree feel bigger. So I change the little ninja guy. I also As I paint it brightens the image and adds saturation where I want
tighten a lot of the lines and add some rim lights of sun peaking it. I can use it to add warm glow and bloom around the sunlight’s
on the far peaks. I then introduce a lot more detail to the tree brightest area in the clouds and a bit more cool atmosphere, too.
leaves and foreground hill. It’s also a nice way to achieve subtle colour variations.
Brush Size
[ ] (PC & Mac)
14 Make six variations of the scene

The nice part about staying loose while painting and not worrying so much about clean lines is that the painting can go
A quick way
to change th
size of your
brush
e
very fast. I decide to paint six more versions of this same scene, and some of these take as little as 10 minutes. If you watch the in Photosho
p.
video you can see my process.
80 August 2015
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82 August 2015
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August 2015 83
Workshops
Photoshop
create a figure
for animation
David Adhinarya Lojaya gives you some simple guidelines to help you
develop a character from initial sketch to a design ready to be animated
utstanding, compelling is an expensive business! That’s why In this workshop, I’ll share my process
David
O characters are one of the
most important aspects of
an animated film. An
character design is a key part in the pre-
production process of any animated film.
But the great thing about animation, as
for character design and development
with you. The workshop is divided into
several simple steps, and my task is to
Adhinarya eye-catching character – ideally several opposed to a live-action film, is that you create an original character: a male jazz
Lojaya – is a must-have in every production. have more freedom when designing musician from the 1940s.
Country: Indonesia Imagine watching a modern-day characters. There are a lot of techniques I’ve decided he will have a charming,
David is a
animation film with a boring main you can use to make your animated flirtatious and gentlemanly personality.
freelance character. Would your time spent in the character appear more interesting. You Basically, he’s the regular main character
visual cinema be enjoyable? No, and more than can make the character stand out by their from a vintage musical. But how can I
development
artist who
likely the film wouldn’t do well at the silhouette, or by their unique style, or just make this character stand out from the
focuses on game and box office – and making animated films simply because of their cute appearance. crowd? Read on to find out…
animation. He also
creates illustrations for
children’s books.
http://david.lojaya.com
get your
resources
See page 6 now!
Customise
your interface
Your interface is like an
Understand the client’s needs Sketching from basic shapes
office work space: you
can rearrange it based 1 You don’t usually work alone: you need to understand 2 I come up with something related to jazz and decide to
on your specific needs. In
what the art direct or client wants. Talk to them and make sure analyse the basic shapes of some musical instruments. I pick a
Photoshop, go to
Window>Workspace> you have the same idea in mind. Once you connect with the violin, a lute, drums and a trumpet, then I convert them into
New workspace and set concept, then you can start researching. Try not to limit your their basic shapes. This will help me to develop the core idea of
up your own interface
research to your own subject – you can always brainstorm and what my character will be.
and arrange its tools.
come up with totally different ideas and directions.
84 August 2015
In depth Figure for animation
August 2015 85
Workshops
Ch ange Opacity
(PC & Mac)
Number keys
ge your
Quickly chan
ity, anywhere
brush’s Opac
per cent,
from 1 to 100
h mode.
while in Brus
Time to exaggerate! Simplify your character

3 Now here’s the fun part. With those basic shapes, I try to 4 I keep the character simple. It’s not about textures or
imagine them as if they’re a character. I add some eyes, and even accessories here, more about lines and silhouettes. I decrease my
whole faces to them. Then I try imagining the lower part of the character’s silhouette until it looks simple, but it’s important to
instrument as the character’s body, too. Of course, I can always add your own drawing style, too. Next, I come up with five
change their perspective. characters and then I pick the one who looks the most charming.
Now I can play with the face and colours.
resources
Photoshop
custom brushes:
Texture Brush
Pore Brush
Oil Brush
An effective design approach Give life to your character

5 Sometimes a design doesn’t need a reason to look good. 6 Now I’m about to add a little life to my musical friend. I
These custom brushes
help me with detailing
But good design with a meaning is beautiful! It’s time to evaluate draw some expressions on him, according to what I think he
and adding textures. the character, his design and functions. Ask yourself everything. might look like in the film. He’s a romantic fool, so I draw some
I usually set them to Why is he wearing a jacket? Why is the bow tie untied? Why is funny faces. Exaggeration is one of the fundamental elements in
30-50 per cent Opacity,
his jacket blue? Always come up with logical answers – your animated film, so don’t forget to use it.
depending on my needs.
client may ask you the same questions.
Produce dynamic poses Apply flat colours

7 Drawing gestures of your character helps to understand their personality. This chap’s a 8 After playing with gestures, I put some flat colours on the
jazz musician, so I’m drawing him with a guitar and other instruments. He’s also a romantic, character. Flat colours help me to get a clearer idea of how he
and a bit of a flirt. So to get this message across to my audience I need to exaggerate his body might look in the film. I experiment with a lot of different blues
gestures and facial expressions. for his clothes, but because he’s from the 1940s, I pick the one
that has more of a vintage feel to it.
86 August 2015
In depth Figure for animation
Duplicate
a layer
Cmd+J (Mac
)
Ctrl+J (PC)
Use this shor
tcut to
quickly copy
the
current layer.
Choose poses to render

9 Now it’s time to fully render my man. I usually pick a 10 A solid foundation
I paint in black and white at first, laying a foundation. My
standing pose, because it tends to result in a more dynamic approach is something like a 3D render but with a 2D feeling.
drawing. I also pick this full-length pose because it shows off a I’m working in one layer here, but you can use more. I prefer to
lot of my character’s body and clothing, while I feel that his combine them into one layer because it’s easier for my next step.
gesture shows off his personality.
Liquify time
Mirroring your image is a
Apply colour to my character Finishing details and texture must, to check your
11 After I’m done with black and white, I add colours on top. 12 After this step I usually merge all the Multiply layers and
composition. But
sometimes you might
I create a new layer and lock it to the black and white layer (press the black and white layer into a single layer to work on. Don’t feel too lazy to redraw
some errors. So use
Alt and move your cursor towards the middle of both layers until forget to always back up your layers, though. On the single layer,
Liquify to deform it. Go
the cursor changes to the lock icon). I change the layer mode to I begin to paint again, adding some textures and details with a to Filter>Liquify and use
Multiply and add bright colours, because the Multiply layer will custom oil brush. Forward Warp tool to
deform, and the
dull down the colours.
Reconstruct tool to undo.
13 Paint more poses

Producing more paintings of a character will help a client 14 Compiling the designs
When finishing up, I like to compile everything into a
understand my design choices. So I paint some more poses, presentable portfolio. I bring them together and pick the best
trying to do different painting styles each time. Since he’s from from the sketches and paintings. The simplest ones are usually
the 1940s, I depict him as if he’s starring in a film noir. better, but it depends on the subject matter, too. I clean up the
sketches and redraw some of the messy ones. Now my charming
musician is ready to hit the silver screen!
August 2015 87
essential art
resources
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88 August 2015
Artist’s
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Art resources with a five-star
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The latest digital art resources are put

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product
7
on test s
hardware
90 NX500
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With 28 million pixels and a great
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training
Software 95 Tyrannosaurs: Behind The Art
93 Pixelmator Master illustrator James Gurney educates and
If Adobe’s big hitter is beyond your delights with an in-depth look at how he
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Books
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August 2015 89
Reviews
NX500 compact camera

Big shot With 28 million pixels and a great focusing system,
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Price £599 (with 16-50mm lens) Company Samsung Web www.samsung.com
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Although the NX500 doesn’t have a
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references you’re better off with are saved on a UHS-1 SD card. that’s touch-sensitive and mounted on
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90 August 2015
Art tools Hardware
In focus
And For a
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Here are three more affordable
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Web www.olympus.com
Price £499, comes supplied
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viewfinder, a touch-sensitive
tilting screen, high image quality
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The NX500’s tilting

touchscreen makes it
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images and control
the camera when
shooting both low- and Fujifilm X-A2
high-level landscape
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Price £379, comes supplied
The level of detail in the screen is very with 16-50mm kit lens
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overall saturation, sharpness, contrast n 414 AF points
and hue. Helpfully, you can record n 4K movies

n SD/SDHC/SDXC
Panasonic
RAW files at the same time as JPEGs,
so if you don’t like what you’ve done
n 9fps
n Wi-Fi, NFC
Lumix DMC-GM1
and Bluetooth
with the Picture Wizard, you still have a n 3-inch, 1,036,000-
Web www.panasonic.com
file with all the colour data to play with. dot touchscreen Price £327, comes supplied
n 292g (body only)
In summary, the NX500 is a great with 12-32mm kit lens
camera that has just about everything System A really small camera with great
Requirements
you could want apart from a PC: Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 image quality. Like all cameras
viewfinder. It has plenty of features and Mac: OS 10.7 or higher here, Wi-Fi connectivity means
control to offer experienced users as Rating you can share images quickly
The NX500 is slower
well as automatic options for artists when light levels drop,
via a smartphone.
looking for their first serious camera. but not unusably so.
August 2015 91
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Art tools Software
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engine used to create 3D iPad games.
MyPaint
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rating
Linux artists aren’t spoilt for

choice: neither Adobe nor Corel
offer their software on the free
operating system. Fortunately,
Pixelmator iPad
GIMP has Photoshop-esque image
editing covered, but for a Painter-
esque experience you have to look Mac
at the brilliant Krita, or MyPaint.
MyPaint comes packed with Photoshopped Out If Adobe’s big hitter is beyond
brushes, from clean and defined ink your budget, this alternative is cheaper and just as good
to messy watercolours, all of which
work beautifully with a stylus. Neat Price £23 (Mac) £4 (iPad) Company Pixelmator Team Web www.pixelmator.com
features include an infinite canvas,
much like Mischief’s, so you can f imitation is the sincerest The iPad version
I
includes wonderful
make your creations as tall and wide form of flattery then watercolour brushes,
– or as small and focused – as your Photoshop creator Adobe perfect for dabbling
in digital plein air.
imagination allows. It’s not quite as must be positively
polished as Krita, but you can still blushing. Boot up Pixelmator and
achieve similar end results. it looks very familiar, with a slate-
If there’s an elephant in the room grey colour scheme, and floating
it’s the lack of selection tools, so you tool menus, palettes and effects.
have to go back-and-forth between Drill down through the menus and
MyPaint and GIMP if you want to you’ll see familiar commands such
clone or rearrange said elephant. as Transform and Stroke. Regular
It’s also pretty much Linux-only: users of Adobe’s software will feel and the team has done a great job with Features
n Over 40 tools
the Windows version hasn’t been right at home here, and it even proddable icons and pinch-to-zoom n Layer-based
image editing
updated for ages and is so basic supports Photoshop’s prevalent controls. It’s not as fully featured as the n 64-bit architecture
it’s best ignored. The Mac version PSD file format for those looking Mac incarnation, but the real beauty n 13 colour-correction
tools
is a buggy unofficial port with no to jump ship. here is the seamless hand-off between n Compatible with
pressure-sensitivity support. But Pixelmator has a distinct the iPad and Mac apps, so you can PSD (with layers),
JPEG, TIFF, PNG,
This is a good package for Linux advantage over Photoshop: it’s quickly sketch something on a train WebP, PDF, GIF, BMP,
newbies to try their hand at digital ridiculously easy to use. The icons and then polish it off at home. TGA, JPG-2000
n More than
painting before moving into the are chunky and bold so you can work Admittedly, it does lack Photoshop’s 100 effects
more advanced world of Krita. out exactly what the Eye Dropper or more professional features, such as n Advanced brush
settings and
the Brush will do before you’ve clicked CMYK colour space and adjustment Photoshop brush
it. There are quick fixes available layers – but we really wouldn’t expect support
n Transparent HUD
for red eyes and a repair tool for rapid those on a piece of software which n Automator actions
removals, while more complicated costs a mere £23 all-in. n ColorSync Support
image additions such as vectors, It’s also strictly Apple-only, so

System
reflections and gradients are easily Windows and Android users will have Requirements
achieved by novices. to stick to Adobe’s creative products iPad: iOS 8.1 or later
Mac: OS X 10.9.5 or
As with Photoshop, Pixelmator also for now. But for Mac users it’s essential later, 64-bit processor
has a dinky version of its software in an software, and makes the perfect
Rating
Artist Griatch uses MyPaint for sketching and
iPad version. It’s wisely been built from first step on a long adventure into the
colouring, and GIMP for the finishing touches. the ground up to work with the iPad, world of digital art for many.
August 2015 93
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Inspiration Training
Thumbnail and value The video reveals the
studies lead to a colour days of research and
study James can show preparation that went
to the art director. into these pieces.
After a plein-air study

of a nearby tree, James
adds edge lighting to
the woods in his picture.
An extensive catalogue
of reference helps
James to achieve more
realistic results.
Tyrannosaurs: Behind The Art

DINOSAUR KING Master illustrator James Gurney educates and delights with an
in-depth look at how he created two paintings for Scientific American magazine
Publisher James Gurney Price $15 Format Download Web www.jamesgurney.com
ven though dinosaurs You’ll see, for example, how James
E have been extinct for 66

million years we’re still
discovering new species.
refers to modern animals to deduce
how long-extinct creatures might have
looked. More dinosaurs than we’d
Artist profile
James
Twenty types of tyrannosaur, all
cousins to the iconic T. rex, have
previously thought had some feathers,
so James makes a detailed comparison
Gurney
come to light in the past decade-and- of fur and feathers in today’s world to
a-half, for example. establish where they might have been James specialises in painting
When the magazine Scientific and how they may have looked. realistic images of scenes that can’t
American commissioned James James has perfected the trick of be photographed, from dinosaurs
Gurney to create a cover and interior packing in lots of information without to ancient civilisations. He’s also a
illustration of these ‘newcomers’ he ever making his presentation feel plein air painter and sketcher,
decided to film his process. The heavy. Given that his various videos believing that making studies from
resulting production joins a small but Topics covered
cover broadly similar ground (this is his observation fuels his imagination.
high-quality series of videos James has n Thumbnails third about painting dinosaurs), anyone James taught himself to draw by
and sketches
built up over the past few years. n Colour and
who’s bought all his videos to date will reading books about Norman
Tyrannosaurs is less a training video, value studies inevitably find less new information Rockwell and Howard Pyle. He
n Using photo and
more a fully fledged documentary – model reference
here – although it’s frankly so enjoyable received a degree in anthropology
though there are plenty of techniques n Oil- and water- to watch that it’s debatable to what at the University of California, but
based media
to glean. James covers themes that n Tone and texture
extent this matters. chose a career in art.
will be instantly familiar to devotees of n Working with light If you’re less familiar with James’s James has written the
his books and other videos. Chiefly, the Length
work, you’ll gain invaluable insights into instruction books
challenge of taking an imagined scene, 40 minutes making colour and value studies, Imaginative Realism
whether from ancient history or purely Rating
painting with oil- and water-based and Color and Light.
from your imagination, and convincing media, researching your scene and
www.gurneyjourney.blogspot.com
the viewer it could be real. much more – and have fun doing it.
August 2015 95
Reviews
Fables: Covers by James Jean

Story Time The unsung hero of the Fables success story takes
his last bow with a bedazzling collection of fantasy art
Author James Jean Publisher Titan Books Price £25 Web www.titanbooks.com Available Now
his is not the first release Bound in muted greys though it is,
T collecting together the

exquisite cover designs
of Taiwan-born, US West
this update is a deserving tribute to
James’ years of compelling artistry,
considering how up-front credit and
Coast artist James Jean. But if the praise for the hit series has always
insistence is true – that the Fables gone primarily to creator Bill
series really has been drawn to an Willingham and artists Lan Medina,
absolute conclusion after 13 years – Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha
it may well be the ultimate collection. and Craig Hamilton.
With small-screen adaptation James has followed in their wake,
potential headed off by the likes of but in the process, honed their strips
Grimm and Once Upon A Time, this into brilliantly accomplished standalone
may be it for Snow, Bigby Wolf and art. The breadth of artistic style James’s cover art Fables #76, Around The Town.
their brutal and sexy Fables kind. But displayed throughout the book is He won six Eisner Awards for his Fables covers.
then it wasn’t truly unique to bring impressive, from vibrant cartoon to
together figures from literature and mournful old master to dazzling manga should resemble “Alan Moore at his
mythology in a gritty, adult narrative – and although the lack of cover most visually maniacal”.
– it just so happens Fables caught the context for any but the most clued-in Nonetheless, Willingham’s attempts
James Jeans’ striking
concept from just the right angle, and cover for Fables #75,
Fables fan is slightly regrettable, the to wring any telling observations out of
found a vast, adoring following. War & Pieces. quality of his vision for each and every James in the afterword interview only
issue makes this a worthy perusal, even speak volumes by their failure: James
if you’re more of a Grimm fan. insists he’s, “Merely an artist… My
With each spread laid out by James physical body is divorced from my
himself, what commentary we do get body of work”. He concludes,
to accompany each cover is worth its gnomically: “The association between
weight in faerie dust – such as the the two is uncomfortable for me.”
artist’s voluntary admission that he By all means get hold of a copy, but
largely suggested wraparound covers don’t expect to get it autographed by
to earn a bit more money, or the gifted but shy cover artist.
Willingham’s direction for the first
appearance of Flycatcher that he Rating
96 August 2015
Inspiration Books
The Art and Making Of Penny Dreadful

the penny drops The greatest monsters of English literature walk
the streets of London once again... or is it Dublin?
Author Sharon Gosling Publisher Titan Books Price £20 Web www.titanbooks.com Available Now
hen Penny Dreadful first
W drifted on to our screens,

reeking of cholera and
carbolic soap, it seemed
like another grimy fin de siècle
drama; Ripper Street crossed with
American Horror Story. However, the
quality of the production, from
conception to the last digital stroke
of the brush, has seen it surpass any
prejudices, and the horror is shifting
up another gear in its second season.
Much of this is down to creator,
American writer and Gladiator and Skyfall scribe John Logan, and the The content doesn’t focus entirely
power invested in him by Sam Mendes. on art and design. The exploration of
The lush attention to detail demanded the techniques used to turn modern
by both run all the way through this Dublin into Victorian London provide
luxuriant Making Of, which may be to plenty for lovers of screen magic to
some extent pieced together from sink their fangs into – and to celebrate
press-kits, but fans of the show won’t the artistry of every costume, poster
Seeking an original
be disappointed, with the author’s and splash of Kensington gore feels like
take, artist Howard step-by-step investigation into each time well invested.
Swindell was tasked
with concepting
major aspect of production, enveloped
the vampire. in an gorgeously embossed cover. Rating
Harry Potter: Magical Places From The Films

Muggles’ Guide Just when you thought that every single book
with the words ‘Harry Potter’ on it had been published…
Author Jody Revenson Publisher Titan Books Price £25 Web www.titanbooks.com Available Now
he long decade of Harry
T Potter film production

inspired a whole raft of
books exploring the
translation of JK Rowling’s prose into
cinematic smashes, and even years
after the entire narrative wrapped,
Titan has more to offer us – this being
the new follow-up to its recent
Creatures of Potter release.
Those who will buy any package of
pages with the Harry Potter name on
will heed no opinion on the quality of
this new exploration of the series’ locations either way, but non- Spoilers, of course, abound as the
completists would not be wasting their stand-out locations from all eight films
money, either. Admittedly, the one are detailed, from exquisitely painted
most goose-pimple-inducing concept to digital magic. The only less-
reproduction in the entire book is JK than-magical note is the odd inclusion
Rowling’s own original biro sketch of of an envelope containing a sketch of
the Hogwarts grounds, followed as Diagon Alley and extra pamphlets,
gospel by the designers from that day where a glossy Hogwarts map would
forward. However, with nearly 20 hours have been the perfect final touch.
Art by Andrew
WIlliamson for a scene
of screen magic to analyse, there’s very
that was never filmed. little dead space in the 200 pages. Rating
August 2015 97
Learn from pro artists and improve
your traditional painting skills
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Order your copy at http://ifxm.ag/practicalpainter
Inspiration and advice from the world’s best traditional artists
How to create
MOTION
EFFECTS
IN INK
Socar Myles shares
her inking technique
as she depicts
sparrows in flight
Page 106
This issue:
100 FXPosé Traditional 104 Creative Space 112 Creature skeletons 114 First Impressions
The best traditional art revealed. We visit Joy Art Club. Brynn Metheney on dem bones. David Colman talks satisfaction.
August 2015 99
FXPosé showcasing The FINEST traditional fantasy artists
Belinda Jane Morris

Location: Australia 1
Web: www.belindaillustrates.com
Email: belindaillustrates@gmail.com
media: Watercolours, gouache and ink
Belinda is busy building on

a career at a children’s
book illustrator. Taking
inspiration from Pre-
Raphaelites like
JW Waterhouse and the Golden Age
Illustrators such as Arthur Rackham,
Belinda starts her drawings with “a
ridiculous amount of research and
concept sketches.” She then creates her
dreamy fantasy paintings by layering
watercolours over fixatives, “since
watercolour can be a tricky medium it
can take a number of layers to build it
up,” she says.
“Sometimes I’ll transfer the drawing
on to another piece of watercolour
paper or I’ll start doing washes on the
original drawing after having scanned it
and sprayed it lightly with fixative.”
1 Moonlight Conversations
Watercolour and gouache, 10x15in
“What if dragons were real? I imagined
an Edwardian culture when the English
were fascinated with Orientalism and
tea was popular. Chinese Dragons
would be both the mascots and
guardians of teas production and
consumption. I also imagined that the
Tea Dragons would be a lady’s best
friend, keeping the tea warm once
poured, guarding a lady’s secrets from
gossipers, transferring messages to
lovers and providing companionship.”
2 The Rescue
tap for Gallery

Watercolour, ink and gouache, 12x17in
“This is my take on the moment of
rescue where The Little Mermaid rescues Belinda Jane Morris
her prince. Whether she’s bringing him
to the surface or dragging him under is
up to your own interpretation!”

FXPosé Traditional art
2
ImagineFX crit
“What a great
idea to tie the
existence of
dragons into something
as quintessentially
British as drinking tea!
Belinda’s unfussy
painting style is
perfectly suited to this
genteel, moonlit scene.”
Beren Neale,
Commissioning Editor

FXPosé
Kelly McKernan 1
Location: US
Web: www.kellymckernan.com
Email: kellycavanah@gmail.com
media: Watercolour
Kelly has been working as a

full-time fine artist and
freelance illustrator since
2012. The Tennessee artist
regularly shows her original
watercolour paintings with galleries,
takes private commissions, and has
recently been taking advantage of
Nashville’s music scene by creating
album artwork for local musicians.
“My work continues to evolve and
grow,” she says, “but some underlying
themes I like to explore in my personal
work are femininity, self-awareness, and
symbiotic relationships with nature.”
1 Augury
Watercolour, 12x16in
“This piece is my depiction of a
banshee, created for a fantastical-
beasts themed show at Arch Enemy
Arts. It’s quite a bit darker than my
usual work and I loved stepping outside
of my comfort zone for it.”
2 Harbinger
“This piece was a massive challenge,
mainly in size and detail. The idea came
from an initial sketch of the pose, which
reminded me of a harpy. The entire
piece took about 50 hours, and my
favourite detail is the crack in the egg.”
3 Provenance
“This piece is the result of a private
commission where the patron chose a
word to inspire the piece. I wanted to
try an unconventional colour scheme to
contrast the delicacy of the figure with
the subject matter.”
4 Vestige
Watercolour, acrylic and mica
powder, 14x20in
“This piece was created in an effort to
combine watercolour and acrylic with
mica powders. I enjoyed working on a
landscape piece since much of my other
work adopt a portrait orientation.”
submit your
art to fxposé
Send up to seven 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 1UA, England
All artwork is submitted on the

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

FXPosé Traditional art
2 3
ImagineFX crit
“Kelly’s cleverly
chosen limited
colour palettes
enhance her already
dramatic-looking
compositions. I
particularly like her
harpy-inspired
Harbinger – there’s lots
of skill on show here.”
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!
Joy art club

Winnie Davies brings happiness to Hong Kong, sharing her studio in a part of the
world where living room, let along an art space, comes at a premium
E
stablished in 2006, Winnie and practise their skills. Most people hear space to the public annually. “The idea of
Davies began Hong Kong- about it by word of mouth.” Open Studio is to nurture art in Hong
based meetup Joy Art Club Winnie runs regular workshops and Kong and teach the public about the
after discovering a lack of tuition from her studio, ranging from oil importance of art.”
affordable spaces for artists to painting lessons to Chinese painting and With an ever-growing following,
create. “Property prices are too expensive, life drawing. Every Saturday she arranges Winnie remains flexible to people’s
so few artists can afford to have a studio,” both female and male nudes to study needs. “Most people are too busy working
she says. She owned a studio space and from, and teaches people of all long hours, so I can’t expect them to come
made the decision to open it up, so other nationalities the ancient art of Chinese every week. I hope more people will
artists could enjoy using it. calligraphy. Oil painting proves popular attend regularly. That’s why it’s the Joy Art
Winnie has a large range of attendees to with the younger crowd and draws in Club, because it provides joy and fun for
her open classes. “Some regular attendees students as young as four years old. Joy Art Club provides people to enjoy art!”
different art lessons and
are amateur artists who have to work Private art lessons can also be arranged workshops for people to learn Winnie’s studio is open every
during the day, some are just beginners with her; “I have found that many people and enjoy art. Saturday as the Joy Art Club,
who want to learn how to draw or paint,” in Hong Kong want to learn about art, but she’s always willing to
she says. “Some people are designers or and learn how to draw and paint.” accommodate art lovers like
artists who can’t afford their own studio, As well as this, Winnie is keen to herself. Check out her website for more
so I provide my studio for them to use promote art in Hong Kong, and opens her information. www.joyartclub.com
104 August 2015

Creative Space Joy Art Club
Claudia (left) has fun learning the art of
Chinese painting. Originally from Spain,
Shared
she proves you don’t have to be Chinese
to master the ancient craft!
space
Winnie shares her expertise to help
nurture art in Hong Kong…
Winnie’s painting was made from a

observational sketch of a female nude.
Bianka learned how to write her name in

Chinese calligraphy, thanks to Winnie’s
guidance and enthusiasm.
This sculpture
was made in
clay first from
observation of a
sumo wrestler.
Then Winnie
cast it in bronze.
Oil painting, life drawing,

Chinese painting, Chinese
calligraphy and sculpture
lessons are provided regularly
in the Joy Art Club.
Besides using her studio for Winnie uses life-drawing sketches for the
her own art creation, Winnie’s basis of her paintings.
art space is open to the public
every Saturday.
August 2015 105

Workshops
get your
resources
See page 6 now!
Pen Ink
create motion
effects in ink
Socar Myles demonstrates an inking technique that favours value over line,
to create beautiful lighting and motion effects
M
y illustration career began feel of the nib as it scratches the tooth of
Materials
with a portfolio filled with the paper.
digital painting. There’s no Paper When I draw, I try to present the world
end to what can be done n Canson Mi-Teintes the way I perceive it, rather than the way it
paper in Pearl Grey
with a computer. I enjoyed really is. I don’t want to show people what
A roll of tracing paper
it at first: after all, learning something was there in front of me: I want to force
new is always a blast. But after a couple of Pen them to see what I saw, get the feelings
years, I realised I’d never quite got used to n Koh-i-noor pen I got, maybe think some of the same
looking at the screen, while drawing on a holder, with Speedball thoughts. I usually forget to wear my
Hunt Artist Pen 100 nibs specs, so the world I see is a bit blurry, a
plastic tablet in my lap.
Worse still, my poor colour perception Ink bit dreamy, and filled with details my
was getting in the way. People kept n Speedball Super brain has inserted, to make up for what most of my ideas from doing this. I see
describing my work as “monochromatic.” Black India Ink I can’t quite make out. weird-looking people; I draw them. I see a
It was supposed to be bright and cheerful. Other: I like to add things that aren’t there bird I can’t identify; I draw that, and put it
I wasn’t getting the idea across. So, rather n Photoshop (for the when I draw from life or from memory: on Facebook, and hope someone
than despairing, I decided to embrace the value study) these things stand in for the thoughts that identifies it for me. I stare blankly into
monochrome entirely. I cleared out my crossed my mind, while I admired the space, seeing nothing, mind wandering;
portfolio and returned to something that scene in front of me. It sounds arrogant, I draw that, as well.
had served me well in the past: a pen. but I want everyone to understand the Socar lives in Canada, and
Pen and ink has always been my whole experience, from my perspective: likes to draw things that can be
favourite medium: not only is it what was there, and what I thought of it. found in the great Canadian
conveniently cheap, but I like everything Every morning, just after sunrise, I sit outdoors, like birds, flowers,
about it, from the way it gives me precise on the steps just outside my building and lost trinkets, roots and trees, garbage and
control over every dot and whorl, to the watch the neighbourhood wake up. I get pedestrians. www.gorblimey.com
106 August 2015

In depth Motion effects in ink
August 2015 107

Workshops
1 The initial idea 2 Combining sketches

Birds move too fast to make out much detail. I know they have wings, feathers I like to sketch on tracing paper. Because it’s
and beaks, but I see horrible little typhoons of feathers and bird dandruff, hurtling translucent, I can combine elements from several sketches
about the sky. This strikes me as hilarious and beautiful in equal measure. Light plus into one, or move them around to experiment with
bird dandruff equals… fairy dust. Maybe. composition. Tracing paper is also one of the cheapest
papers, so it’s okay to waste some.
3 Creating a digital value study 4 Taking care with the edges

This simple digital value study helps me remember where the focal points are, I want these birds to look like they’re flying. To this
and which shapes should stand out. I particularly want to make sure I echo the shapes end, I’ll draw the birds and the scene behind them at the
of the birds’ feet in the branches of the trees, and use curves of foliage to create an arc same time, using tiny dots and lines to create soft
for the eye to follow. transitions between the two. Paying close attention to
edges also helps prevent unsightly halos of black or white
around objects.
Computer
tip
Using a printer
No pencil? Print out a
digital sketch, very faintly.
Make sure your printer
has a black cartridge,
not just CMY.
5 Boosting the illusion of movement 6 Introducing texture

Where one bird’s wing crosses another’s body, I use I draw tiny, overlaid circles and semicircles to create
cast shadow to separate the two. I draw the soft, faint soft value changes that suggest distant clumps of leaves.
texture of the rear bird’s body, where the shadow falls, To achieve the scratchy texture of tree bark, I wipe most of
instead of drawing an outline, to preserve the illusion of the ink off my nib, let it dry a little, and then scratch the
movement. Outlines are better for moments frozen in time, tacky ink on to the paper. For scraggly feathers, little wavy
like in photographs. lines do the trick.
108 August 2015

7 Enhance the lighting in the image

To create a dream-like atmosphere, I let the starlight reflect more brightly than it should on the metal ornaments that
are hanging from the tree. I add sparkling constellations to areas that I want to draw attention to, such as the birds’ feet. I
leave edges facing the light source especially blurry, to make them glow.
artist insight
Cover it up
Always cover the areas
of the drawing you’re
not currently working
8 Composition tricks 9 Directing the eye on. This cuts down on

In the grasping branches, I echo the shapes of the On the left, the trailing boughs frame the face of the ink spatter damage,
birds’ claws. I use the arcs of the long branches and the largest bird, and draws the eye down to the perch and then and keeps your skin oils
interaction between the birds’ legs, tails and wings to lead back into the picture. At the bottom right, the birds’ perch off the page. Use tape
the viewer’s gaze. I arrange the stars in loose circles, so the extends out of the scene and into the border. I do this to tie to hold the cover paper
sky doesn’t become stagnant or confusing. the separate elements together. in place.
August 2015 109

Workshops
artist insight
Lighten up
You can always add
more ink, but you can’t
take any away. When
you want a subtle
texture, like the one I’ve
used on the birds’
wings, start light and
build up slowly.
10 Putting in the details 11 Tackling the border

I want the grass to look soft, so instead of outlining I associate birds with avarice, because they like to
each blade, I draw the shadows beneath them. If you find it steal shiny stuff. Once a flock of crows stole all the polished
hard to do this, or don’t know where to put the shadows, pebbles out of my planter. So I gave the border a jewels-
pencil the lines in, but shade the spaces between them and-expensive-fabric theme. A little drop shadow separates
instead of tracing over them. overlapping elements of the main image from the border.
Paper
tip
Watch that tooth!
The heavier the tooth of
your paper, the more its
texture will show. Use
smoother paper for
greater precision.
12 Having a bit of fun with the painting

The border is full of detail, but its main purpose is to create a band of about 75 per cent grey around the image, like
the mat would do in a frame. Nobody will look that closely, so you can put anything there. I put a secret message in mine.
110 August 2015

13 Creating focus
Although the border’s just a frame, it needs some
little focal points to keep it from looking messy. I use a ruler
to find the middle of the top bar and put a gargoyle there.
The matching swags of lace on the left and right of the
bottom bar serve the same purpose.
14 Managing contrast
To keep the level of detail in the border from
becoming overpowering, I keep the contrast comparatively
low, by using either very few areas of 100 per cent black
or 100 per cent white. I often use areas of fairly uniform
texture or pattern to create value. The details themselves
aren’t that important.
artist insight
Imagine it!
You don’t have to draw
every feather, every
leaf, every strand of
15 Any mistakes? hair: draw a few, and

I stand back from my drawing board and look for the brain fills in the rest.
mistakes in my artwork. Did I miss anything? How does it Which few should you
look from a distance? Close up? What can I do better next draw? The ones that
time? However, I don’t bother to erase the pencil lines. They frame or define
important shapes.
are part of the picture and I like people to be able to see
how I did it.
August 2015 111

Workshops
Pencil
Understanding
skeletons
In part two of the series on drawing animals, BRYNN METHENEY shows how
getting a skeleton’s general shape and gesture correct will help with the proportions
W
e warmed up last vertebrate animals, the more we realise solidify the general line quality and
Materials
issue with our general how similar we are and how, really, it’s shapes and the B pencil will finalise
to specific animal just the proportions that are exaggerated n 2H, HB, B Caran details. Keep those pencils sharp and
drawing lesson. Now between species. d’Ache Grafwood dull; variety is good here.
pencils
we can move into Using a harder lead at first helps keep Drawing the skeleton from the ground
n Kneaded eraser
really understanding the structures and initial skeleton gestures light. This is up like this can help you quickly flesh it
n Acid-free sketchbook
systems underneath an animal’s skin. important. We want to only map out our out to a point where it will be useful.
paper
Skeletons are the structures that help basic shapes and posture. I’m constantly Brynn specialises in creature
keep us and all other animals together. comparing sizes and shapes. Sometimes design, fantasy illustration and
Vertebrate anatomy is centred on the skulls are almost as large as scapula.
get your visual development for film,
spine. From this structure stems our
scapula, our pelvis, our arms and our legs.
Femurs can be as long as rib cages.
As we begin to build our skeleton, we resources
See page 6 now!
games and publishing. She lives
and works in Oakland, California.
The more we draw skeletons of other use heavier pencil leads. HB will help us www.brynnart.com
The bison’s skeleton features very large thoracic vertebrae Keep shapes simple here. Scapula can be suggested
that arch over the shoulder blades. It’s important to take as teardrop shapes and pelvises as U-shapes.
these features into consideration early in your drawing.
Multi-
Wire frame function Landmarks and shapes
1 Staring with the 2H pencil, it’s Pencils as tools 2 From the wire frame, I can begin to find the landmark
important to draw in the basic form of By holding your thumb bones: the cranium, the scapula, the rib cage and the pelvis. It’s
the animal’s skeleton. Right now I’m against the pencil at a important to keep things general in this step. I’m only concerned
focused on just getting in the wire certain point, you can with suggesting the general shape of the bones in question.
frame of the skeleton. I start with the measure the length
skull, work down the spine and quickly of a bone.
indicate the legs.
112 August 2015

Artist insight Understand skeletons
A circle is a good indicator of joints. Invisible lines that align Adding in some value can help to turn the forms of
the knees with each other, called axes, are important for your your bones. Drawing out contours can also help indicate
skeleton and help keep it in perspective and proportion. the volume of the forms.
3 Specify a creature’s bones 4 Find the important details

Now that the skeleton’s shape is there, with an HB pencil I find I start to find the smaller, finer details. I use my B weight pencil
the actual shapes of the bones using the wire frame and indicators to solidify those forms and shapes. I can also begin to fill in cavities and
as a guide. Think about line weight: keeping your line heavier on the holes in the skeleton. As I move throughout the drawing, I’m always
underside of the bone can help indicate a light source. making adjustments to the sizes and shapes of things.
artist insight Those details can help distinguish one

Save your work species from another. Sometimes animals
Using tracing paper that are similar on the outside have
or a lighter paper can different details on the inside.
enable you to build up
your skeleton in an
interesting way without
losing your steps.
5 Find details
Next, I start to find the smaller
and finer details of the skeleton. I use
my B weight pencil to solidify those
forms and shapes now. I can also
begin to fill in cavities and holes in the
skeleton. As I move throughout the
drawing, I’m always making
adjustments to the sizes and shapes
Next month of things. I want to learn to draw the
XMuscle groupings skeleton quickly, but also correctly.
August 2015 113

First Impressions
David Colman
Express. My most recent to air is the
The notable illustrator NeverBeast in the latest Tinker Bell film.
reveals why Have any of the characters you’ve

satisfaction is a created for animation ever hit the
canvas fully formed?
consolation prize There is no real satisfaction for a true
artist – it’s only temporary. Complete
satisfaction is a consolation prize for a
Where did you grow up, lesser artist. What might look perfect the
and when did you realise night before will scream for revisions or
you had a talent for art? start overs the next morning. However,
I was born in New York there’s a certain feeling or personality
and raised in Los that’s sometimes caught in the first
Angeles. I drew a lot as a kid, but sketch, the perfect sell of who that
dropped it all in high school and didn’t character is. For that, yes, it happens and
find it again until I was in college. I really the real difficulty is maintaining that feel
didn’t know I had a talent, besides and tone throughout the full realisation
compliments from peers in grade school. of the character.
My parents encouraged it, but never
forced it on me. I guess I’m grateful Do you tend to give your characters
for that, because I found my passion a back story as you draw them?
for art in my own way. Yes I do. As designers we’re creating
a life, not just a static image. The back
How did your upbringing influence
elephant story we provide will in turn drive the
David says he always
your drawing style? creates a back story as he shape choices, gesture, expressions,
designs a character.
I don’t know if my upbringing had any attitudes, colour and complete
influence. But I do know my uncle told realisation of the character. Form follows
my parents not to force art education on
me and to let it develop naturally.
I was almost manic in how function, with function being the
character’s narrative. We design who
Have you had any formal art education?

much I practised on my own, they are, not what they are.
I have a BA in communication, but I from the few classes I took Have you always sculpted in tandem to
didn’t go to art school. I didn’t find my your drawing and painting work, or is
passion for art again until I was in Next month to be low points aren’t really that low, it a recent development?
college. At that point I planned to use my X they’re just part of my journey. I’m I sculpted early on in my career and
creativity and get into advertising. I took Lindsey Look adaptive and flexible to the changes that I believe it really helped develop my
one drawing class and I was hooked come with the industry, otherwise I understanding of artistic fundamentals.
again, but at that time I still didn’t know might have hit some lows when no work I was sculpting before I got my first art
about animation as a career. I have no was around for my skill set at that time. job in animation, but it definitely made
formal art training and, although I know I do so much to earn a living outside of me a better artist. I plan to get back to it
it would have helped me get further animation, in licensing, self-publishing one day, but just for me, not for any
sooner, I’m grateful for the path I took art books, apparel lines and being part production position.
because it made my craft what it is today. of start-up companies.
I don’t suggest my path to anyone What advice would you give to your
because it’s not for the faint-hearted and What was your first commercial younger self?
I was almost manic in how much I racoon character creation? And what was Don’t ever take anything personally.
David thinks his sculpting has
practised on my own from the few greatly helped his animation
your most recent? Continue to do what you’re doing.
classes I took. skills over the years. My first was for the animals in The Polar And, you have to really want it.
What has been the highlight of your How would you sum up your work,
career so far? Any low points? in under 10 words?
There is no one highlight. I’m just Aiming to evoke emotion and a
grateful to continue to grow even after connection with my audience.
being well established. Plus the fact I David Colman is an illustrator and art
earn a living doing what I love. Ninety director who’s worked for Disney, Paramount,
per cent of the work force hates their job Sony and more, and has self-published
– I’m one of the 10 per cent. I’m numerous books including The Art of Animal
fortunate that any times I might consider Character Design. www.davidsdoodles.com.
114 August 2015

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3 Crown of Babylon “I did this

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Christy has just graduated

1 Eagle Archer “This was an entry

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Anna’s world is one filled

1 Magic Forest “It was the time

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