FANTASY SCI-FI DIGITAL ART imagsne GETBETTER J AT DRAWING John Howe reveals his sketching secrets Be Reel aya: takes to become a Cello ola [a siig 5 = HOW TO USE REAL LIFE TO IMPROVE YOUR FANTASY ARTSL RA ca creativity ee Oo , iG Eee eee eeedo Editor’ letter a ee a ee Welcome... to a fresh new start > 2 ‘A new year always brings hope for fresh I challenges and opportunities, none more so than for artists wanting to improve , their skills or secure their dream job. With this in mind, we visited video games developers Rocksteady Studios to get the lowdown on what it takes to be a concept artist. Il give you a great insight into the role of an art team ~ from art director to concept artist - on a video game. Take a look on page oe 56. We also asked four artists about their hopes and plans for 2012. They gave surprisingly varied replies - see for yourself on page 20. If you read the magazine, but still don't paint as much as you'd like to, why not check out this month’s ImagineFX forum winners on page 28? Our forums are a great place to visit if you're taking your first steps into digital art, because there are beginners and pros alike on hand to provide advice and critique. The forumites also offer up weekly challenges for you to take part in. Having someone else pick a theme of what to paint is a great way to portray new subjects and ions ~ and expand your skill set in the meantime. Take a trip to www.imaginefx.com/myfx to see what's on offer. Remember that every step that you take this year ~ no matter how small - is a step forward. It’s better to try and fail than not try in the first place. A person who doesn't make mistakes doesn't make anything atall, Who would you rather be in 2012? ~ Claire Howlett, Editor claire @imaginefx.com Subscribe! see pages 33 (digital edition), 34 and 83.A Ae 4a, JAZ STUDIO PRO rice YOURSELF When time and money are a factor in your work, you need DAZ Studio 4 PRO” » Native support for the world’s most-widely supported 3D Models \ » Plays well with ZBrush’, Vue’, Photoshop, \ and more via FBX’ and COLLADAY » New Genesis figures offer maximum flexibility » with endless possibilities » Cost effective, easy to use, complete ‘SOFTWARE INNOVATION OF THE YEAR DAZ Studio 4 Genesis” Figure Platform Wins 30 World CG Technology Award WINNER ‘ WWW.DAZ3D.COM/STUDIO , an Bh’ ~~ inCover artist In progress ‘How this issue's coverReceive great savings and get every issue delivered to your door when you subscribe! Céiitents Reader FXPosé Traditional FXPosé News Forum winners Letters Artist OBA ‘Wayne Barlowe Fromaliens to the souls of Hell nigh ‘design is what this American artist does best. ‘Sketchbook Be glad youte not livingin world populated by Mike Cortes collection of dy Studios take tobe a rtist? The art team Sce page forthe bestnew art > P behind Batman: Arkham City Bitea ie (slo. nent res OMe Huts a reti Development sheet is enough to mak Cis Armstrong fet inspired er to create a mech design fot si is extreme pizza delivery! the rewards of hav teams based in San Francisco Shangha Hardware Books Training Film Video games Editor's letter Di ‘Subscribe today Back issues UK subscribers Next month GE vvAlu arediare Workshops Pee enn tc tone rie eed eae td Peer etee nd Resa Se Er ee ted > ee ney Pe Riderer Lo ta) ) seteertnens | rei Pe eae ead Charlie Bowater injects Peretti iit Sea aL PT) core e! How to mounta sketch on a paintable surface quickly Ces ero os Lire ay Perey Crees ) Peers i iS Pennines villain Harley Quinn, Artist Q&A Ret Tes enna ete aoe Issue 79 February 2012 ees eA. TeTHE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART ————-ya eee Pitvertnittesnesttny Pen neers eee eras Cosi een a aniseEric has worked for Fantasy Flight mes but these two re inspired by World of Warcraft His take on the Worgen character is gnarled, and took his three image forward colour stu ‘aye touse colour harmonots ay ‘hotheles omoke fora dynam,ROGUE“she war done dung my “Solid line work, bold shadows and aflairfora striking pose make Nate's comic images stand out, giving usa new youthful spin on some old, establi comic heroes.” TTIFxPosé submissions to: hxnoseiaimaginetccom+ Guy Atherfold uyahrtl.com By ssorcere, Srnstormersand Bator Glact, “Guyevrtualysetsed ona in $orybook er the Cdn n Europe tomy on ead ps ay Eeoviguretionsnomfetconter tet sgn iver oman *Guys got agreat $y aes 27% going on in his ‘work, whether itbe rays of light coming through a tree-top canopy, or that of asetting sun. The objects in his scenes are also well drawn and recognisable - akey factor if he’s aiming, for younger readers.” FxPosé submissions to: ixncseaimaginehcomRR 2“Thomas line work creates a great sense ‘of movement and energy; you can almost see Merlin’s potions bubbling and writhing about. Ilove the concept of a civilised barbarian who takes time ‘out from his plundering and savagery to keep his sword glistening”| iNr © Embrace failure. Understand that short-term failure has a very important, in long-term success ©” Dave RapozaMaster your art @ ‘Universe We ask four artists, at four different stages of their careers, why 2012 is the right time to set goals and strive for perfection terethe mater ofall deadlines - the end ‘also promises the chance fore erimsondsagerscom) JOIN THE IMAGINEFX CHALLENGES We ast our forum mos what's in store fr 2012 Whats so good about beng arto theIFX forum! ‘Chart Agen | (Voluspa): “thet Matte ates many Pea the magazine and what are your grand plans forthe forum in 2012? BF 8 Karen Wright (Kaz): F 2) “tnowsunthe J challenges taking Sel thee bar idea forthe weeky challenge was to stretch people with diferent topic, and Ym caryingon that adition, with the help of challenge topic sggestions head. Arent tarot cad challenge was very sccessfl and we now have biweekly challengeto design atarccard from the Major Arcana - hi lasta year hopefully, endingup mith our very own Imagine tarot ‘eck! Tere’ also out 365 Day Sketch Challenge ‘way to improve speed and sil Charlotte Ahlgren (Voluspa): “Thopeto continue working par is something] do to get more timeand energy for painting ike financial security as much asthe next person, but think ifone can aor tthe extra time to paints sworth it exit wath Hoth Ta bfetor) and he 365 Day Sc re. ‘music com seca) Sitheranartoctech sprublem is priceless tsa condensed world of knowledge ‘with amateurs rubbing shoulders with the kes of Marta Dahli, Pas The magineFX team participates, creating stronger connection with rascal which rum cates nw Change (engeen mtr rsa Settng boty goals is 920d ‘As primary concept artist onthe monstor ‘moe Troll Hunter, Hvar Johansen wes Pwo suited fr the ob. Not only had ne ‘worked with director André Qvredal over the years, and wasalso involved with he weiing of the fim, but Wels aren his blood. “dot feet he says. "They're part ot an artistic ste tradition.” savantage. "Twas nspreciey the ustratonsof tun othe ‘uns Tua pnaeandetarted freeancng Folklore We nies a oe behind the low-| “budget smash hit Troll Hunter and discover a mythical world in its fantastic sketches cerry Nera Tnse tebe on ivr wasn snc that he drector nae Ragleant inthe flioks as frm my seth ‘Sse mote of vrs at 9 wow havarohangen. blogspot comand ead our review of the Finn page 108. Theregion 20ND vereon wl be aval trom 9 January 2012 tre more room tor ‘ke, on environments, ong ‘Sota! ola pri paningsofLos On the hook Life's work Bobby Chiu shares a brand new image to celebrate his new audiobook The Perfect Bait Everyone who's worked with digital artist ‘Bobby Chiu knows e's ota flrce work hie, Whats ess obvious, however, that ‘throughout his professional earser he's been ‘making nets fora book fll tthe brim wth helpful insight for aspiring artis. The Perfect Batis that book onsale i ver the nt years vémetnods that worsed for step of how iad The paneroacks avalabie to buy at Wwe thepertecthaltcom (vith free stan tothe auckobook it you pometeiton Feeaboot). Or youcan buy the Susicoock version for $9.99 a www sehoolm.com Exctusive\ supra SAMPLE ON YourDyDyae Le Pot terete yan — @ImagineNation (SS evortar +deviantWATCH Here are some ofthe many gems we found on the pages of deviantART. SApofiss ‘www.apotissdeviantart.com By lmitina his colour palette and Subject mater Apatis has ‘rented one ofthe mest Fecognisabe devark ART sites out there Andthe enosensucjecte? Kitts! Sure, there area few tiger ‘ube fex and an bute Seca biter oth ponslr ~ saree , 5 PA e ease o® | eet ond ® Alex Tuan Alot talented artist with 3 ‘umber ofstves ath lsposal Fis devarcabt site pit to Sections such as Books, Concepts ‘nd Commstions. ancien he ush panoramic panting, ‘which are rein colour and Remko Troos Riding the waves of his own inspiration, Remko Troost has made a cosy workspace in his Montreal apartment ‘often limited, however, so youhave to be ‘ute ani around whi realty crete inhow to manage your evince space. That's why my le desks nour sini bedroom ight beside my bed! cart fale 8 Mare Camelbeke ‘ww thebekeevintart.com Atnough May's ayo 50 {raattonal ana ital arein ee pare tine Most ofthese mages ‘nd with his great grasp of ‘Sratom) andinfuing Piseubjets sith strang ehoractor eye ako fascinating studiesArtist news, software & eventsImagineNation Ne [L.-J Life is Humiliation In shott... eS ‘The latest news in brief for digital artists How to make your own, Comic strip Temember to Graurcon brain | [Bae erate iuciscinigeiien | [fSayg.engeae Sanus ‘more of Nicholas’ arthere: ‘ewneit.ly/rpg-creat Tablet art Kise has released anew iPad artapp Inspire Pro Fordigial artis who want to get back othe lok ‘and fee of ol pine ‘on canvas ts five brushes should keep you occupied for the entry price of £549. More decals wwwkiwipixel.com, Face of beauty {It was two in the morning when Chris Ng found out his image was the new face of Ballistics Exotique 7 art book. . ‘als Publishing's Exetiquo and Exposé ligtal art book series. Ones thatthe ‘smonymous with the very best inthe Durinets fe not commissioned, but DId dog New site ‘Were always looking fornew reasons to eye the nspiringart of James Gumey and he’ given us another, by redesigning his website. Same geatart and artist updates ‘ona shiny new sie! Havea look: ‘wwe Jamesgurnes.com, re wwewhesny@5.devantartcomeee are OPEN for Spring term Hetohed atti eural TT TEE SS eRe coe eg * Lear VFX like never before!! from the comfort of your home Beet ie arene are See ee ht ume ee er re Tee Tee ene _— et se CHOOSE YOUR PATH IN VFX are SY VIRINCHI ie aumammateeo ee pe ret me) Eee ee ee ere ece a on ece ey PSURs COMCAST OCMC nese} Nv een eNO Cc Dy w Peep ares) Re) ee) ee aT aa [oa] a eer DBR eesImagineNation Imagine Forum ‘Your think the monthly MYFX challenges would beso Image of the month [Qa eee. Inspired by classic sci-fi literature and | "*!"=Y*eushaiaway winins presumption sos the pressure of a change of artistic direction, Antonio's ere sartra image is this month’s deserved overall winner amegesnecr sme “raruimopinatcom/nanenamae DARWI ES TRANSITION SERVICES “like this a lot. Loving the Darwin references as well as what seems to be a combination of Portal-style technology and Planet of the Apes imagery. Itworks well. FThave one gripe its the sign right; the orange and reds lone with a slight tweak, but this is brilliant!”Forum winners Join in! www.imaginefx.com/myfx }Premium Hosting for Professional Mesos Tae ree EN ATLA sf V Environmentally RL : TT e hf MSTA) ey “No matter how much ‘your business grows, with 181 ‘you're always in safe hands Today and in the futur 181 Data Centre Manager. _ 1&1 DOMAINS 1&1 UNLIMITED 1 Unlimited Web Space and Traffic EE uk Dom: Email Accounts 1a Click & Build inlimited Aplications 1m PHP, Zend Framework, Per, Python, agement Unlimited Email Forwarding w Double Security via Geo-RedundancyHOSTING YOU CAN TRUST MOL OU O ks rive 1&1 BUSINESS E-SHOP 6 MONTHS | Seiieac ig Lets Oa Pavesi) Asad a v Websites Pac) 7 Phone & Ema Sport ens Call 0844 335 1211 or buy online www-land1.co.ukImagineNation Letters YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS Contact the editor, Claire Howlett, on claire@imaginefx.com or write to ImagineFX, Future Publishing, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BAI 2BW, UK Follow us on twitter: (Sd wwrwawittercom/imaginetx Tellus yo Bd Frctzecbookcom Exploring Skyrim hero! First ofall laos on the cree imag Especally the cover art which stunning! brought tino my cllege cours, which main traditional a but itcaught everyone's eye and some peop ate aking about woking dig ‘our sent them to Fasons the bockselles ‘obuy the magazine! Now fora fittest | would veto sce piece onthe art of skyrin. eanite the only one wo’ dividing theirtimebetveen ‘8 Wacom tablet and thi fantastic game! Unfortunately, caf affor the Collectors ition of Skyrim but 'm hoping the art book wil coment separa soon, But to bigs the gap an article by lnagiePX ‘would be awesome! Keep up the good work! (Claire eptes Ah, Skim. The game that has bbe ports other sons and ddaughersand husband and wives of thei partners Anat of. atures certainly something we wantto do. fm on the phone to Hethesda ype this 0 ‘wach this poce. Colour blindness - two readers respond Although Agito ld [Later tte 77 there's no eso wy sould sophin fom panting Many arte havea Problem eth misiggrens ad about bu percentof men and 05 percent omen ae colouring Us coloured ites detect ed fom gpeen Lokthvgh aed fier andthe {peensbecome dtr and the rds ihe. Took tag ge ie de ee become darter and he re ie (ya thinlerofscryi ona cea paste tomate ers) The main thing yas Canter atl line fiehand youvsea David Sento, Warburton Wevestl got afew opie, inutyou need move fast See page Sor details Snow to get hodorone the atest issu of ImaginelX. On the leters age an artist revealed tht he was staging with colour ‘Mindness and asked fete artis cou relate. Well, Anne Pagoda is colour blind Shecanitsce Magenta So, when she recess acommission wth that colo, shehasto ask rend, “Umm, does this app ke Figheto you” Mascbe fasting Byte way anychance ofa tetra rom het? Another toil from Benita Winckler wold be see to, us thought ask wile have yur atention, Julia Farenthol, via email (Claire replies allo both. Thanks foryour tips hep colo lind artists and suggestions fo ature ats theye always welcome Serie neatoabcet fap Motoring along Icantbelee in alos half ray through Image aga fr fling ry fc fordgta a and helping memrove my techs Hurd th bas vec taking atl ineresting and eva ny wor sneer mechanics with animals and bh the bursary between scene ad iaginaon Right now Nelon andthe Universo Souther Cato and dete ae looming oer theherizon. we pty inges coed jee oncof my pcea Which oh ata ‘lon Tha laced Claire replies lls, youre welcome (Glad to hear that our vehicle desig se ‘went down well God huckwth your studies ~alehough if yuie already sling Your work, you might not need Eve bicdg mere) fears iene Ssrerent ns beta Gaia Leen eA nL met core UeEr (ses Fen comer Coe ee Penernrrpeehs re pee ences eetlinaginelX Now available on Apple Newsstand! Subscribe from just (SURES LOM) Ya RT TUR VISION NSA To buy a digital copy of ImagineF x visit www.bit.ly/imaginefxapp Individual issues priced at: £4,99/$6.99/€5.49Great overseas offers Subscribe to ImaginehX and save up to 45% Four great reasons to subscribe ® Save up to 45% on the cover price. ® Receive exclusive word-free covers. © Have every issue delivered direct to ® Stay up to date with the latest news, your door or workplace every month. techniques and digital art products. US and Canada * Save over $92 (45%) a year with our two payment options: : $114.99 (13 issues) or $28.75 every three AVE 45%, months by continuous credit card Subscribe online at www.imsnews.com/imaginefx-a019 or call toll-free on 1-800-428-3003 and quote a019 SIGN UP TODAY! OFFER ENDS 29 FEBRUARY 2012 Europe and Rest of the World prices* Europe £69.29 (13 issues) Rest of the World £79.19 (13 issues) Subscribe online at . www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/ifxpla or call +44 (0) 844 848 2852 and quote ifxpla DON’T MISS OUT! OFFER ENDS 29 FEBRUARY 2012 LIVE IN THE UK? PLEASE TURN 10 PAGE 83Boost your art skills with ImagineFX, the Save money today! world's best-selling creative magazine! Mylist’ ofuntons “ImagineEX is the best published yurce of conceptual art information that I have ever seen. The magazine is a must- have investment for any aspiring concept artist who wants to take theirskills to the next level.” Andrew Jones, concept artist Download ImagineFX today haas invaluable tips and techniques fora range of software, and encourages aspiring LOL artists to get their work in print and receive international exposure.” Jonny Duddle, freelance artist “[magineFX is a unique resource for the § science-fiction and fantasy community. ItImagineNation Artist Q Artist ¢ UESTION FOR OUR EXPERTS? LET US. GOTA EASE YOUR ART-ACHE AT HELP@IMAGINEFX.COM. epee Peritacrers pert Peery ss Mestion Row should I compose a group of moving figures? Laura Kirby, England Answer Lauren replies ‘Composing ipl guresis as dificult bit painting them in motion makes problem even harder OF Important thingto watch out for with ‘mowing group istangens tangents ps rine iterset or touch, Inarcangents can create visual confusion ‘ordisrap composition’ flow by preventing the edges oftwo obects fom beingread cleat. They also happen when line seems to meld into another object, such asthe outline ora mountain peak ‘connecting directly ith the ange ofa Figur’ arm. You should always ry to avokd tangents —and with multiple figures it becomes especially vital Inthiscasewe havea group of dancers ach character needs to havea clean silhouette; ther poses shoul be easily readable Stagge the placement ofthe figures but dont space them evenly apart ‘put themallon the same plane Groups Took arial unless youvarytheirsize And placement Think about background, mid ground and foreground, and also femember io eat overlapping shapes. Have some igues inthe rontobscure pars ofthe figures inthe back. Thistrckis age help in rating believable ‘imensions. To prevent the figures rom jumbling together use value and colour contrast to keep them visually individual Tens aot tokeep in mind when doing rutile gure compositions sol suggest makinga loc of thumbnail sketches before sou'commit to anything Find the best poses and placements fo ach figure planning bead isthe best way to avoid the pits of composition. be° . Question . . How do I make things appear to be glowing, in a comic book style? ‘Make your multiple figures work together Answer Saejin replies Drawingsomethingin Acomicbook | outline wil suffi. tn addition while hatching syle usualy means workingwith | radiating lines, make sue you dont draw the Limited esources.Comicbooksare | radiatnglinesall he way w the ight source. The narrative driven, sothe sory must closer the hatching ato the ight sure, the progress ith the reader’ pce,Thisoften means ligher it becomes, eventually dsappeating Jou equired expres yourartin aquickand | completely. You can aid yout hatching process by ‘fficient way usually doing aay with complex | using the Rotate View Tool in Photoshop to paintingtechniqiesorcoloraltogsther to | achieve the comfortable ang ‘conserve time ‘Once you've drawn all 3 Expr ingobjectinacomicbook —_radiatnglines, when theyre combined with the sylegenerlly means visualisingthe impossible| restofthe background the ilison ofthe glow Comicbooksoften rendermotion,timeand | willberealised ‘ven the invisible elements as visible to present Thisis necesary because a comic book isa motionless medi, alike animation or fm. The only way o show something is happenings by drawing something out of nothing For instance, apa fair outof a charace's mouth, or an intense radiating lin surrounding character in great shock, rin Tight emitting fom a Youn. HATCHED UN this case radia sowing i Toma ng seem aft lowing, make sure you don't deta the object itself Any amount of added deal often breaks the illusion ‘ofthe glow when there aeenly back lines ona ‘white cama to distinguish berween wars dark orlight lust he faint suggestion tothe objec’sImagineNation How do I paint multiple light sources on either side of a face? How can I make robots look friendly and non-threatening? ovis ee eee ed In 3DenwironmentsHightis easly you can rete depth by aig some Seen ee Re comtinuallybouncingaround, —_ efleted/secondary light The fst images reflected from abject to abjct._itbyasingle light source, resul Intarn, thisrefleted i side of the head being iaiated with Then paint ite bash hue into the thas behave ike a secondary lightsource, shadowed side ofthe head. This could and inpaintingor photography itcanhelp | etherbe the ambient, reflected light of dramatk, thee vill sally How do I paint decaying, old flowers and make them look authentic? ee Set Answer Bill replies Therearealotoffcirsto | Thestem struggles to old up the ower consider nthe sages of decay | and the petals fold over and cu upon andifsagpod idea | themselves When pining’ important torenbernt hein As more petals fll away from the lower the inner part of the lower at the tp ofthe stem becomes exposed, and depending on a chster of tiny seeds wil actually become construct AMterashortime the planstatsto lose pati rigidity asthe moisture content isreduced. flowers" for photographic examples,t to fix colours that don't fe el right once a painting's finished? Thereare many ways to ix the colours in your piece ‘once its cherie complete ildescrbe the wo ways ket tackle this problem, Using Photoshop, [select portion cof theimage with Image» Adjustment HueSaturaton Aboe wil popup thal enable you toadjustuhe hu, saturation and brightness ofall ofthe colours, lorspecfi selected colours, within your selection ‘noter approach haath adage ofeiingy avert of options that pencil ed Naeyea Paeteses eels eer Imag>AhsmenVarione Thisopensop a box with many ahernnve retin cf your image Ks you wha yourimags lost you Socata mal itnore ; yao noepene | ieee @ artis Scere ae ; es a ‘You can also limit the a al thetighigheoriscie | ae eee eeertee (eset Simple buc orig mabey ‘versatile tol for changing Socoaen eeeatee nee comm 4 inthe sina dark the colour muted. | highlight t smalle : ne sienna and use the Paint Tube more light, ‘centre ate the tiny ore oft the garian dS details, FebImagineNation Artist Q@A a Rarer the best way to combine human and animal characteristics? Jo Copping, England Answer mithia rep i Depending on thespeificmix ‘that you wantto achiev you can createa creature that hat ‘imal and human ais in one of wo ways The rst way ito paint an animal ax ‘sual then add human gestures and expressions. Asigninghuman qualities tw non-human creatures objects or concepts called aatropomorpis, and Iasbeen used thoughout history as Iterary device. Most anthropomorphic creates in fables fr example, bein by {efeencing an animal form before adding ‘one ortvo visual human characteristics, such as human eyes hands or stance and posure The second way to achieve a mixed ceatueisby starting witha human form sind ang animal characteristics a8 shawn in ny example here Thekey when mixing human and G artis’s secret snimal anatomy cthermethod isto mave onto the hips and pelvis the rib . ALL iN THE Ever startwiththe shelton, and find bone cae, then the limi and 30 on pr} icy hulking yn surcures that ate similar between the Tn the finshed exampleseen above, [ve ee wins Jhuman and ceatreofyourchoice. Start kept the human keeton mostly nt, but by with the spine and makeadeesion {ntroxtcel subtle variations fora higher iran eco Wwhethertokeep thehumanoranimal and more ounded eat ike sap ire fr spine ntactin your finished creature. Then | (shoulder bades), tailbone and hips “ ; Step-by-step: Turning a human into an animal ‘when starting with 2 human, choose a pose that ‘of choice might do, Here, our model is crouched down in a cat-like pose. | decide in advance to keep her legs and ‘arms mostly intact; when standing she'll ook human, so her kneas and arms are bent instead of fully extended as they would be if she were a walking cat After adding colouration it's time to paint some ‘markings onto my creature | treat the markings in the same ‘way as stage makeup, 0! paint with righ opacity on @ layer For an authentic wild 3 look, | add spots in certain ‘choice areas on the ekin an hair as well as facial Features such as black lips and nose, {and dark Black rings around Tada wile cat colouring to the model by using an (Overlay layer to add the golden ofenge hue to the back, then Overlay and Color to lighten and then desaturate the white Underbelly areas, When adding darker animal eclouring, try Using Multiply instead of (Overly. if your human has dark skin and you want a lighter animal colouring, try adding it Now | add texture, 35 well ‘as some hints of eat ‘aqatomy in the shoulder bfades, paws, nose and ears. To move the features around select them with the Lesso tool, and paint over hard ledges. When adding fur you don't need to paint every nai you can give the impression of fur by adaing hatch marks around the outer edges, and hatched highiiohts withinto lift Bil Reed, US Question . low.can I use uni my creature que textures lesigns? Your questions answered... Questio ft . . Are there any tricks to creating an sl < im or ris Sees f crete unique estres, "sally yon my vast Hay of photographs When colouringa creature design itean help tousea bitof texture created by mixing together elements rom photographs. In this pce of concept artawinglss dragon eatackings rather cowardly knight Akbough quite detailed, the pencl drawing ‘sould benefit frm some coo, paticulriythe dul eoking ‘monster. need to get some colour down quickly so choose five interesting photograph of cls, lichen covered sock Vigna Creeper stems fil fom the gil-pan anda G artist's secret Ainy cooker hob. (Sometimes letting the panboil over ean have benefits!) Topen the dragon dang in Pooshop, and pasteeleents from «ach photograph int ne ayers shove. The blending medes color bulance, hue, seale and orientation of these layers ae adjusted, but in happy to let the varios colours texture the dragon asthe ll creates pleasingly random, non "uniform kin tone forthe cetire, ‘which Tenhance with mote colour adjustment a ite over painting. This proces takes elatveyshort, amount of ime and creates okt fd texture dens that can be developed further as equied. ‘TT OF COLOR. RANGE jim replies ara fi Theessy way outisto splaterthe image with bod and guts shoelethe viewer, but probably woot cause them to want {olinger onthe image fr long, (Over the centuries varius socal facors have made people more upcomfortble with tee bodies, ‘specially their geri. Yet doep don weal fcinated ith the human body.S0 incorporating phalicimagery into your workean make itshockng to loka, bat als inesisibleo tum at fom, “Another approach isto put something catenext to something dissing. the viewer rants to see thecatething theyaluo have wo look atthe lsgustng thing Ifthe subjectsarchandled with the same Avot of kl hey combine for theviewerinta one thing: the befall dings ion jo you have any quick tips for ainting a sharp-looking beak? ce Ng, Japant Lauren replies think about what Kind ofbeak you ‘want Tete ate aloo diferent shapes ofsharpbeaksin he natural ‘word. eagle's bealehas a df design to that of the beak of sce ‘atngbind ora fishing/skiming, bind There ze also nomaian highlights or sub lending il dda lotto make abeakappear hard nd sharp. The details ike the nostrils. itl grooves in the beak are important noc to mis ‘creatures that possess beaks such ‘octopuses and some mes. Even if ‘ote painting an magi rethink about what ses Functional. Gather e Inspurtion and gua When paintingthe beak keep the edges the beakhard and lean, and pay attention wo the values and texture of the beaks form, A few carefully placed FebImagineNation / Question Ae Question icy at painting techniques can I use to at's the best way to qui make a character look soaking wet? painta colourful sunset! Lacy Rosenberg, US aniel Howard, US Answer replies Theeasewaytogiveyour | fac alralo becomes date when wet caracerawetorshinylookis | sour characters onde ait might appear tounesmall bight highlighs, | brown, orbrwn might look close to Back ormaly when weseeafacein | Wa drops ar environmental cies cong igh ike ny example hee help nish offi look Add teak of water cxpecthelghobe dstbted aly | runngdown ache in, wing “vel ver the sid facing the ih Colour that's jst bilge han thes, Instead yucan see righ white ighlghs | ghena greatfle. your characer a nthe forehead now and abovethelin | dence he orahemighhave drop of Mysecondauggeton wouldbeto give | waterfling rom er aoe, chin ora yourcharacerstingy hair Eenifyeur | Addingbatch mark ofan orusing sof aracersbuirs normally cu he water | Round brah, sett low pact suggest tacssoked ita twouldgiveltexsa | dense mist Increases de Della that wight andmakeRhangstigher Like yourcharacer isin wet place Answer Bill replies ee Lg ecto ae eee ee ge aergmeeet Spe re ee nes ee ccs ehanaadabenaciinisep a tno savory garuralen sr necree tnoumetund frsome: Deptt sng wth he esi emer sit ciomeiie Teicaee ange postu i ee forza pam a el ee teyelorins cane and fon sang oc nts al Hcleiet ve tecreepe siren ee Schnee P Artist's secretNext month ON SALE: 3 February | How to give a character stion dynamic motion [want to design and paint a plumy fantasy creature - where do I start? Nina Davis, UK Nick replies eB coher covwaghinthe gh Then eect um coger trans the tingsrcte sill next orien aye ‘omprmse bythe cts wh Doct ot por dragon haves bowed back bad Ibe tba exalt Tim vrkng in Skok Pbk ater ya neg fr hearers ‘Schur sonethingt be Toate spon ep abana minds ou wen in dsp the bling hha eda 3g. leper and bry bute weight ou eg whens They woul ae Solita weg, bt ep ety he beat sa dogo soca sew dierenstaped ‘tng the rsh concep i femdom Yc hve Isat tiny ih hich miele tbl ups aed Cah Seok Pon spon eles enting ode tat wall ‘ih he etary hae Step-by-step: Creating a creature that's piled on the pounds + Gp yew cot hestructure to work frst. = Once ihave some overall shapes that + @ Working in SkatchBook Pro, | place chen the elements should fall more ike, bring in extra lumps and bumps | &D mutioly blens mode layers over ‘easily into place. Roughing in a basic fon the surface to add visual nterest,D0° the top of layers, et to Normal Colo on alayer that won't be apart of kéepan eyecon retaining the integrity of btild u the finished image can help avoic the bigger shapes though, becausei’s over =] problems later. = 'ea5y to become Granted, it's a bt eguiled into ty, But this erude By] erioying the details ails me with 1 the detriment of pose and limb the whole image. placement. musing re bit of contrapposto (counterpose) here.N +. TG From aliens on distant planets to tay eer damned souls of Hell, unique creature \ . design is what this artist does. (ene ae — oe a. ee ple pcr eae Pel eres ro ALE ae ee ee ee pelea alii nee a ing. oe errr prmrmp wg oes e 5 enter gh eae ate Laan: re pee ae rien eee gon ee SotRrnaerin amas er ac Cceom bo heehee rn, eta feonnt ee tS ey ys aa fi 's Guide to Extraterrestrial, which a 4 e “4 a pamelor al Pe Mo aaur ame MU Ke CUTE satisfy experts, then I will also, by default, satisfy the general public”ARTIST TIP BE ORIGINAL Reed een earner sts fee eens Daa Sg monroe pete tolifewhen youbringp whatcreatures eee eee as erent nee pee Peer eee es Pee a een eater 2g De) eae eet ee ee rere eee Preece ks sees career cee ie Coe eer ere eee ee en eet ary ponerse eee nee Ce ees percce rarer encour eee ieee Pear ers ponies er et ee es Sr Te TT Saree Tee ern I believe that whatever we might find Coa taca Rep met meen vareenentel make us pretty uncomfortable ‘we so sure wel recognise very organ of rere et oe eee tee ee Prereres ects even though this was very fe eee ens Soe een es Pot ee ree cs area ne) Seer peer te een Pore eremetter ny Soa teeny era een eee eters Pehoeereerir riers sy encouragemes eee eee eet cee eer eee cet eeee ee TTT] etter re ere ar ete eee eee et a ne ents ance Porn ee eed ree ene eet ees ene) nny eee cet eee Perera vere eee ee ae ier eent ee arene axfeld Parish, Frank Haze and James eer ee ees care eet Boveri Seo Pe eee eer nets Abyssals - the indigenous ove Kees (econ lean nightmarish in any way that I could conceive Reece ae Poe eet eta Cena ee Poe te seen) Sere tray eee oer eer tee ee insta his hand can beeen in the design Peete ene Ser ee es HELL'S ANGELS eT eee Pereerrienery poetry Pott corneas erent ei ra ence ce enero Se ed pee ca oe ee are eed eet nes Coenen Poe eee ee Poe enc nern eee aterm eco ene ee etn) Poet een ay Peer reentry ee etty place. Everything fom the demons tothe perereiiane manent Perea eae Peeters ree oe ey eee ens Sere tee enna ee Std erent conc atARTIST TIP DRAW, THEN DRAW SOME MORE Ec a ce Cee eed i Se 0d permet e Perec tet Pee eee tony StenAVAILABLE NOW VIEW EVERY PAGE OF EXOTIQUE 7 ONLINE AT WWW.BALLISTICPUBLISHING.COM BALLISTIC BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE— FOR STORE LOCATIONS SEE THE BALLISTIC WEBSITE PBALLISTIC/ ;SGSOCIETYBuy rare editions & the latest issues of limaginehx DIGITAL EDITION: Single issues: £4.99/$6.99/€5.49 Fame, Apolo alc devie an make wie ot he service from Zn Newsstand iPad, iPhone, iTouch* www.bit.ly/imaginefxapp Zinio Android, PCs, Macs, iPads and Tablets www.zinio.com/imaginefx- single FANTASY an] Losier Ene SUBSCRIBE? ® SEE PAGES 33 ! (DIGITAL EDITIONS), Ne EDITION: Single issues (incl. delivery): UK £5.99, Europe £6.99, Rest of world £7.99 con 73 Se oe 2011 Seelgner Roger Dean, Issue 76 December 2011 Weal go in oor vehicle on Tones, age your art and painting Fesstia a Rng Star resus arn Issue 74 October 2011 ‘erry whitch exiais Shlacte sea Issue 77 Christmas 2011 ‘Arts rom China. Japan ‘nd south Kore ature ‘wotkenop section ich ‘overs wastonal 20 and SBiare Chinese pater Issue 75 November 2011 MBETX Sicinthesturnng em ose orcs Unenarted Sana Voge ‘heathen a feare avrpacedorsnon Issue 78 January 2012 ‘Weceiebate Are Legends entre Alphonse Mucha. Remo Troost workshop of slow painting, Don ‘Scegrniter on howto blond with eolour Sean ‘much, much more. Visit www.bit.ly/ifxbackissues Phione + Phone +44 14 0) 844 848 2852waecasineFX i. : Sketchib vO Mike Corner 1 ps Wa world populater oy that your'e pot WU Be glad tnat J A h f qu lect ur asees aN ont ters f Les ana orl uy J acine collect of beastvé! mikes UNAgU | been erovang concepta | pkecneriay| “Produc ue takes on creatures pee eaten fumes ts ays a frre ere 3 WRITER Febrvary 2012‘Want to share your sketches? Or know an artist you'd like to see featured in Sketchbook? Then drop us an Bre eon ete a email at sketchbook @imaginefx.com, or upload your sketches at www.LIFE AS A CONCEPT What does it take to be a concept artist and how can you break into this competitive industry? The art team behind Batman: Arkham City helps us get some answers. crachbenenththe | non ou wll with the Tideopsecantyov'l | india Sgncoone wil phon Miscorateamot | deignstilk ays tee Siechingnew wo” HARD GRAFT cancer andancasto ring tne poet | Oncein the jb ol be weed and Lee people and places butnow feds | that roughly only 75 percent of those ng-storellingand game | images feature in the finished game. design, So jut what Joes aconceptartist Jo | The oie oar andhow can youland thisdreamjobi—_theexpecations ofthe clint, meaning “Ithinkiedepends on the artist and their | that notevery concept makes it through prefered sills" sayseniorconcept artist theppelne. “One ofthe biggest ely Tee Oliver, when asked how an aspiring, | challenges of being aconcept atts ast can breainto the industry. youre | giving the cl ‘hoosingaformaleducationthen“an what theyre“You do gt freedom ona project ike Aha City but company decision have toberespec This freedom extendsto the method and sofirave chosen bythe artist ofl the clientsbriet At Rocksteady, Le explains an st can se "whatever you fel helps setthe job done io the best of your While working on the ‘games environments, concept arcs Kan Mute needed 0 raster these sl, earning about architect and building design wo rete Arkham City: Each area ofthe city had ofa niu while Fiingint a consistent world, which 6 It’s important to consider the ANA character in-game instead of just y TOBE thinking about the pretty drawing 9% AT Te ACONCEPT i ‘Asoid grounding in art theory =in pntiular20 practices isessental ata leading entertainment stad sich at Rocksteady. While characters lke Batman will aways grab the headlines fora concept astevery detain avideo games limportant, As ee explains, forthe company’s tw Bauman games this meant the artists needed “rong knowledge of 2D constrctiondrasing” He rewals that this HUGO STRANGE ert dar | setched wo hardweand erwioniments a ‘iitvmetieme, | ella characte: “Ws an ese prt to teetctiw | workinginastudio ike Rockseady’ involved everything fom Gothicand Vitorian architecture glass and iron Art Nouseau décor ceating layers ost that highlighted the c/s evolution, The miseuin Arkham Cty is jst sch design that Kan irighy proud of. 1 pushed that idea from the very besinning ofthe project he says I represents concept artat is bet an idea talents tlimateconchsin that even meant Kan had to desig and paint mural, dioramas and exhibits to appear in the me, feshng ou the world and bringing this virtual space to life. “Ifel more lkea concept designer than a concept arts.” CHURCH DETAL ‘caleba saneenepele} INTERVIEW WITH. eceruaen DAVID HEGO eo The art director behind Batman: Arkham City reveals what it takes lea an art team, what he Took for in new artists and on ec ee a] rence the PIECING ITTOGETHER What does it take to design a character? 2 A Py Peete eed erty ern err nndlg meh fr eee ‘esto the fore that inspire gameplay. | _Enerngthisthriving team envionment tern Over Oda Intern ata studi such as Rocksteadys standard DODO LE GRANDE *Lypend alot of time talking, consulting, and suggesting thi team, ifsnotalla encouraged at Rcksteady. The company 004 by two legends ofthe hasty, Jamie Walker nd thar fast gaining action here inthe UK. Gaining practical experiences vital to break nto the industry, and liver, who as Ben studying at Playground Squad in Falun, Sweden is “super excited to be learning new skills at Rocksendy Although his design, he’ spentall his 12 igially wth the goat UK games Sefton Hil Highgate, north London. The open pln, Plant filled studio space encourages theart epartiment to mingle with other ‘departments within the studio and eat new ideas “Ina company like Rockteady you al work togethers eam, Lee 6 The things Kan and Lee teach me are more valuable than what I could learn from any art or game-dev school 9 CHURCH INTERIOR theft stp, How eonuse there’ always new uslctoeacn fiom andthe hance to develop ley sonal il artorgame dev school he sae, ‘LEARNING FROM THE BEST cnet om thebest concept artist to practise ad i ski” says Lee, stressing the nec wo make themost of every opportunityatastudio Ie Rs cotin pes or new challenges. "Since Tstared at Rocsteady Te been no than cverbefoe” says Olive explaining how interning at Rockseady ba intense experience. “Thebiggest challenge so far hasbeen to kesp pong afer wolehous [dea and paintall day and then go info of hours of tlie draing fo lke Rochateady oF asaconcepeartin in the wider sense, iva ‘as of beingall things all people You rust be compete bt eam spirited, you need tobe creative but analytical, you must ‘bea workaholic but recognise when its timeto recharge You need an art education ed epee eM nce be beter than you were the day before nthe plus side, you may end up painting Turn wo page 98 to se Ka Mui ala a ‘ata character in adie igh,Development sheetrm lon ata‘well with these paintings is how Antti capturesthe | ordinariness of man id then sets in rather unsett! circumstance Chaite Howlett, Editoro@ iatGet closer to the team behind the world’s best sci-fi and fantasy art magazine! News, galleries and art advice tweeted daily... inspiration at the click of a button! Instant access to ImagineFX and thousands of professional artists from around th Find friends, enter competitions and bec a part of the @imaginefx clan.imasi SCLFI the Workshops Advice from the werld's best artists Turn a nebulous vision into art Bao Pham sits through the chaos to create something, beautiful and strange. Portray a clash of cultures Derick Tsai stages a fight between two warrior races senting the iay ofthe land Dinotopia mastermind James Gurney shares his ‘workd-building strategies, Develop a unique fantasy figure Charlie Bowater injects new life into old linework, Painting from life on the iPad Karisimon shows you how iPad painting can help feed your imagination. Preparing your sketch for paint Discover a fast way to mount your sketch to a paintable surface, with Terese Nielsen, Traditional Skills: How to make marks Its not just about the pretty pictures, says John Howe, Recast a classic comic character Kan Muftic paints DC villain. Harley Quinn.Workshops TURN A NEBULOUS VISION INTO ART Bao Pham starts out with chaos and then carefully sifts through the debris of ideas to create something beautiful, strange and enchanting fre startnga piece its maintain my interest become that special encounter along the way share the tusuallyagood dea to have, something was searching orallalong. various eeniques use with layers and wwollagoodiden However, __W’scertainlynotforeveryone but fora effects to make the necrsary changes sometimes ikejumpinginto. | whilenow thishasbeen my panting when ned to, and how employ them Apaiminghead irs no sketches, no process. Atleast inthe dal elm. The asafeynets when dont ant tay ‘aluestudes,nocolourstudes and no | dificuies and frustration tendo too fr fem my ea. Thope to plan ofatack AlITvegotisavagueand multiply when work uaditionally But demonstrate the advantages this way of distancyision ofthe finished painting tha'sthebeaty of igtal ainsing: it workingcanbring. aw convey how much The process can be difcul and enables mevo make my mltales and then | more fa es, compared to plating when frustrating and moreoftenthan not _fixthemwithaflickofa Wacom sys. you know what youte doing Atthewery end up abandoning and move onto ‘This workshop willshow how pucthis | least hope you ake somethingavay sommethingele, Yet the ides that approach into practice andthe problems dhatyocam sein your creative proces, Sourcing my idea tal hastoatart somewhere, and to lp come up with some | ideas teat rough my old sketchbooks. evenualy come cross a | small shetch of young gl with a tre grovring out of herhead snot | sketch of anythinginpariclarand ike hove singers there, ‘wating toe taken on a fun ide. take a quick pho ofthe sketch ad | explore the idea further in Phoeoshop. Deciding on a direction set the photo Layer Maliplyandadd a body with some Nat ‘colours then surround the neural flesh ones with 90 ‘complementary colours: reen and pink. The iea of her becoming patof nature comes fi the tee and sothe dtection i established Tncur,a body that’ covered ia eaves wing issggested. The ‘right, mask ace highlights her eves. February 2012Turn a vision into artower xapo ane Lee BN car bes ve ona) enemies aera meters aera Sr eae (Gj Expand your palette cea at hho eee Starting with limited colour palette helps me focus on the Preaek een shapes an how they work a composition, One m comfortable a ‘withthe overall eompostion Tsar varying the colo emperatare Within the gr shapes, such s sifting the greens cooler turquoise orang some dep warm reso the magenta. Tiss the ‘ext te owas creating my palette fr the entre painting which Tanda sing the Eyedropper too asl work on the est ofthe paling } Defining the shapes SF I startclaning up some ofthe cluter and larity the shape the ee on her head. paint over the pencil lines t0 remove the unwanted paper texture. Luse the Laso tol ta move her ees into the correct perspective work my way through the panting to find anything that Lea build nak herhand to help balance out the composition. Wee Mix it up Takingcus fom the features ofher dole fc, Iwan the overall settngto besa ater than being 5, your erage enchanted forest. wantto create a ‘world thatshersand hers lon. mis betwen the strange and innocent alien Jet farlike~ such asthe jstapastion of the parasite teelike shape on her head ara her bterfy pays close attention to the details while staging a fight between two warrior races PROFILE = esight A clash of cultures * Crea ABATTLE ON A MISTY MOUNTAIN "WoRKSHOP™ u y© Artist insight PRESENTING LAY OF THE LAND naw. td THE James Gurney, the mastermind behind Dinotopia, shares some of his world-building strategies to help put your fantasy universe on the map you wants build your Paintings ino a coherent fantasy univer then tbelps tospend time drseing up| maps overviews and cutaway These threstratgies of ial development ‘enable you to pal backend sho hove ‘aious elements are related spatially Creating ese images will give your ‘world more plausibility and vouch offan svlanche of other ideas Maps were what kick started Dinowopa. pained about five @ You'll be able to show how elements are related spatially 9 Alsconnected “lost empl” panoramas in ‘the late 1980s only one of which showed people ana dinosaurs other. stil had oiling of Dinotopia, The catalyst was drawing quick map ofthe island. The tthe idea of an explorers eee ee ere] ‘was dep into storyboardingand writing the 160-page book and the restishistory ~oralterative history ifyou will Hee ar 25 suggetions wo help you plan your voyage it the wilds of your Imagination Let’ gt going BEGIN WITH LOOSE DOODLES tare 29 of Di ith coloured pencils 2CONSIDER THE RANGE ‘OF ENVIRONMENTS. When | did my first rendering of topia concentrate on the physical ‘geography, especially topography ‘and vegetation, The goal include a variety of environments ‘on ane map: jungles, rivers, canyons, mountain explore later ‘others——————_— —— Artist insight The lay of the land 3 SHOW ONLY WHAT 4 TAKE YOUR WORLD YOU WANT TO SHOW = FOR GRANTED Maps can describe different | Dor't think of yourself as ‘God- aspects of your worid: the-Creator” of your own world roads, topography, history _peopling continents with » wave of or setiiernent patterns. your hand, Thinking lve that can However, you can't show | beintimidating. I's much better to everything on one map, 50. imaginethat the world aready you need to decide what's existed before you got there the most important, You Youte just the discoverer, or bettor may want to show the tide (| yet. low transcriber. Adootina of battles, or the route of an | thisattitude also helps withthe explorer. You can also reveal, pitch ter because it conveys the the shape of the sea floor | sense hat isnot just you making Play up key aspects and. stuff up. Rather, youre revealing a play down the fewnuggetsfrom | 5 GET RELIEF others, ee eee eae 1980s, before satelite images became universal. The ela typical convention for mauntain and canyon relief i to ts — if ‘emphasise the surface undulations by means of an imaginary light source from the upper lft lrendered the! ‘map in semi-transparent ol, but you could construct a map digitally by sampling from real-world topographies, 6 USE A ‘LOCATOR’ FOR CONTEXT A locator map is set into a larger close-up map to show how the detailed view fits int the larger scheme of things. Keep in mind that a rendom reader doesn't know your world well, so you have to orient them. Th shape of the whole world should be recognisable from a distance. | | | | | | | | | | me ae eee nee eae | | | | | | | | February 2012 WARGiERK BEWorkshops 7 START A COLLECTION OF PLACE NAMES Asingle map can eat up at of place names. The mapin Dy tourney to Crandara has neariy 300 separate names, There were fewer than 50 place names on the original imap. | added dozens of nevi tovin names, many of them borrowed from obscure words and names that Ihave been collecting over the years. Word-a-day calendars are a good source for ideas, When you find good one, just stashitina'name ‘envelope’ That's where | got the name Lacuna, which means a gap or cavity. 8 THINK BIG ‘Add more place names than the ones youre Planning fo mention in @ story. This gives a feeling that the world exists beyond the boundaries of what you've revealed so far. If your world becornes successful, it also gives other creative people something more to work with. For example, on the first map I just stuck a name over the ocean, ‘and wrote Poseidos: Sunken. It became a ‘core destination for a later book9 LIFT UP THE SURFACE TO SHOW CAVE WORLDS Ifyou need to show a cave system, you must find a way to convey the three-dimensional volumes, which extend north to south, east to west and up to down. Because this can be dificult to represent in any 20 projection, you might want to mode! it digitally in 3D, ether For your own reference or for output in animated or interactive displays. For example, for the cave 10 MAKE AN INFORMATION DUMP. ‘An information Gurnp is any diagram where you cram a wealth of explanatory detail. There can be captions, callouts and elements all presented with an authortative tone, The idea isto give the Feeling that youre looking at a world that ntains a bewidering profusion of parts. of which have names. In other artwork you can go for simplicity and mystery, but here, pile on the invented facts. TIKEEP THE MAP IN A STATE OF FLUX Isa 900d idea to plan out the map but keep it fluid until your story is well developed. Ifthe map is kept in draft form as long as possible it can stimulate the story process without forcing things into a corner eg 12 CONSIDER YOUR TRANSPORTATION ‘OPTIONS How people get around your World shouls affect how you design it For example, tpeople in your world travel by rhino: carriages that can only go 12 miles {3 day. make sure you dont place the inns a hundred miles apart. Or if you have a hollow earth, design a 001 route to get into it Artist insight The lay of the land BATHE MINDSET | wee BEHIND THE MAP =i Geirgemmathe, | (RZ A period flavour requires \ fontryciea _|\Dingrrop%s the edges or dipping it \eraas 28% in tea, i's the intention en iar behind the map that, sets the style. Who made the map? The queen's eunuch? A panel of scholars? And why was this map drawn or published? Was ita hasty le made by a dragon hunter, Ruane EvEWr Mts omnipotent ruler? Every political document reflecting the mindset of the people who created It The graphic design should reflect that In the tite block of the 19th century style Dinotopia map, the map seems to have been drawn up by a bureaucracy of cartographers, and then, according tothe rubber stamp, tater entered into a French collection, be © Creating a map with a period flavour requires more than just dipping it in tea 9% A cA ‘AGETIDEAS NATURAL EOMETRY Nothing says mundane \ like boring, rectilinear ; geome So depart romit. The design for the street grid of the city of Chandara was inspired by the cracking paint on the: door of my town's Chinese food restaurant, which reminded me of the ordered randomness of cities such as Paris and Amsterdam, whose street grids include broad, it avenues and little » winding side streets left ‘over from the Medieval15 DIG INTO YOUR SKETCHBOOKS, Impressions that you absorb through sketching lodge deep in your brain and inform your imagination. When it came to inventing a bridge over a canal in ‘Waterfall City, remembered sketching Pulteney Briage in Bath, England. | used that unique bridge as my prototype for the old bridge in Waterfall City. Having walked ‘across the real version, I could imagine my fantasy version much 16 CLASSIFY NAMES WITH TYPE FONTS ‘The place names in the old- fashioned Dinotopia map are lettered in three diferent styles: spaced-out caps for extensive ‘geogranhic features like mountain rence: wer case for town names: and italics for small ‘natural features such as lakes and) ppoints of lend, apie seeee The overview of Waterfall City explains the layout of the streets and canals. | did it after publishing the big panorama, so | had to stick to what | had already established. The overview solidified my own Understanding. Drawing and painting each building didint take as long as it might appear. I's painted in transparent oil wash over a tight pencil drawing on ilustration board, ‘which had been sealed with acrylic matte medium. As a result, the whole rendering, including the drawing, only took four days 1810 GET A PERIOD LOOK, USE TRADITIONAL RENDERING TECHNIQUES. ‘0 give the map a handmade look draw it by hand, Digital fonts are Convenient, But not convincing, If Yyou can, use the tools that they ‘would have used in times of yore When Iwent to give this map a 18th century look, I drew the whole thing with a steel dip pen in a mid- Toth century style, @ Drawing up a building plan will help you work out interior spaces 9\rtist insight The lay of the land 20 WHEN TO USE A BUILDING PLAN When cluster of architectural elements, such as a castle complex ora merketblace, becomes especally important to your story you might, ‘want to develop a buiding plan, as Idi for the area surrounding the imperial palace in Chandara. 4 building plan shows the foundations of ‘each building, withthe walls filed in with black. Thick ines represent thick walls, columns are dots and round towers are circles. Even if you don't publish such a diagram, a well-conceived building plan helps you ‘work out interior spaces, and it can be @ great help in planning shot ‘angles for games or fim adaatations that might develop inthe future. 19 SLICE INTO | 21 FLY LIKE A BIRD ABUILDING, ‘Azo known as 2 bird's-eye view, the eral view VEHICLE OR lays out the spatial relationships of oviings ond CREATURE streets, An aerial view is a hybrid between a A cutaway view is a map and a landscape painting. Because the rendering that removes view is oblique, unlike 2 map, it's Possible to see the outer layers of a the facades. The'aerial view of the pod village of vehicle, building, or ‘Bonabba is an establishing shot for a sequence, creature to reveal its in Dinotopia: The World Beneath. Riderson, interior structure. It gives giant pterosaurs s@e the whole pod villagy the viewer a chance to. spread before them. =F seehow something is Constructed or how it ‘works. We see such views when an earthquake crumbles one wallofahouse and | leaves a person's ving space open for inspection. You cenuse | cutaways to show the ‘workings of an engine or how many stomachs ittakes for a dragon to digest a maiden, Sone w esa | Afi svg nto22 ‘To see how the Basic elements of your aerial snot fit together, make a quick maquette out of chunks of packing foam or pieces of foam core board glued onto a quick model ofthe site. This really helps if you're trying to work ‘out the ighting on architecture built on uneven terrain. The landscape base can be hacked out of foam or made with burlap soaked in plaster. Then soray paint the maquette with fat ray primer and photograph itn any kind of ight = areas PLAN YOUR THEME PARK ‘So what irit would cost a billion dollars to, build? it doesn’t cost anything to dream. So I've sketched various views of my fantasy of a Dinotopia theme park, complete with a hatchery, cave rides, water excursions, and exhibition halls. Having a rendering of this, kind, even a quick one, goes a long way toward making an idea seem more tangible. Pee To make a cutaway view, slee away ‘outer layers to show the key parts ff the interior. The cuts should : follow fat planes, but can change ff ‘at jagged angles. The wall that you m cut through can be shown as either ‘white or black, unless is vital to show what material t's made from, a form, inside and out, can be lit witha single, consistent light source. asf you really hacked into a termite mound and photographed the results, Alternatively the inside spaces can be it with a diferent coloured light than the light on the outside. This is especially effective with warmly Itinterior spaces, while the terior It with cool maonlight tuvlght 26 Now that you've imagined your world in spatial ter ler how all the maps and cutaways might evolve in time. What empires rose and fell after your map was drawn? Whether you accomplish these visuals in ictal or hand-made too's, youll leave behind cives to guide you future journeys, and the journeys of those who folow after Pot aN oFUK reader offer Get a free @Z liniasinérX binder | Store a year’s worth of ImagineFX in this fantastic binder Four great reasons to subscribe ® Save 30% off the ® Word-free covers that are newsstand cover price. exclusive to subscribers. ® Have every issue delivered | @ Stay up to date with all of to your door or workplace __the latest news, trends, every month - that’s one _techniques and digital less thing to worry about! —_art products. dal TNL v Available for Direct Debit customers only UK £27.49 every six months or £54.49 annual (13 issues) Subscribe online at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/ifxp19 or call 0844 848 2852 and quote ifxp19 DON’T MISS OUT! OFFER ENDS 15 FEBRUARY 2012 NOT FROM THE UK? PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 34 Download ImagineFX today Now you can buy digital editions, whatever your platform! Turn to page 33Workshops . a Potosh Gq DEVELOP A UNIQUE © INN Vase -1= Charlie Bowater shows why you should hang on to your sketches, as she celebrates death by injecting new life into an old piece of lineart PROFILE (eed Pere tt trl eee nett eter Pe en eee eer don think many thing at original pee eee tn (endarihin teint Peretti ee ey ce ee ee ee eed ren eenent ear ete Cnet tar Soe eet te peeeereints ey See Eee] See revere eet pene eee Prey ee rreeteren eee Pee ieee ey eee ee ets erento fice Pe ee eT explaining my methods along the way eerie) Cs outa pstranpreeteatere fetean ry cee een Photoshop and use them se my base eee eet Pe eee sere core Perse een eee ee tit Pee ene ete Sue prec Petite Sree poe Peery ae rene rer ss Srey Berens peer ya eer pera ees Soo yori Pree ts ees alton eee cease PCr eee aan ee ee ee ae Fe enero Pe oe oe |ened, MiKe(cotpo Bara (o pe Melnne ta cH Bneteect) cae eet eet Po een eer Pee oe eet Peet ee eerie oy pee eres eters cone i Pee renee) ee eg peer nT I) ponerannsearincera Oe Pee eS eine reed ee eee eel See eee peers nee Teen Sera oe a cet eee en eer! Peery pees ee ioe eee en eas Cee cee) ees ec Penne Ce ey Pen en sero Acer eet oe See tari eerences a think about eho Poon rere eg eee etn) Paap cnn ert Poor een) ts ee wo) Tc ‘Assoon have my sketch and base Pert re ce Perrier oe etary eng Pion er er Eons ny Gescciy Now than prety happy wit he eterna ert es ee en eee Pere ee Pe ees fener oeerirerereeree err f eas So ene en ee nets Pere ee rey pee ee eee eC eresIn depth Develop a unique fantasy figure Mi std fee Tr) Coe cence eresd Prey eet nes ee ee eae ity too used to what theyre seingin a ee eee ee es eee een’ ot ene erets cee ee eee ats Set err eens ee Un ry pre ieee se necd veneer toy ~ aA Lad pee ee eee) rd Sette amen ent Tener Rate eee eee eee eee a et en Sree ete eet cee eee Seat Peed Further detail aerate en ne een ee et en) nee ee ene eet ea Ponte eve ceed PRO SECRETS Ry creer ne ore oa oe eet er en rae ey Pon ree ee ee er) fete eee eee eee ents Pe ee Perey ee ern pene eee cee erred Se ee tn ee eee Se se ee Pt tet ee eee ee eee one eee ent eres Peer eet Soe ee eer ofrefiningthe deals until Fm happy. @ WORKSHOP BRUSHESPAINTING Laas Ol iy LIFE ON THE iPAD Have you ever painted in a museum? Karlsimon shows how creative use of an iPad in such a place can help feed your imagination. See rd Peer ent ee sea) oes ee rete ee Senet eee te asc ee eer en rts See eae aay Poteet Pores coe ees Pee een Denes ations See Perce er et creer et aT Peed eet ancy cece resets Pe en es Preis anerene) Pee aces eee fee cs eet eee eee ee rey et es Poe err eer ee se Cen ee eee eee orem eos rece oneness ee ny eoesereet re eet Sans eemn nts eee eres Pee eeeWorkshops Coed Read oy Crear nents Poor rere Soe ey One ee aT peter eee eee et ed eee eee pint When I paint thisbigshape, im Pee ere nent SL eee er Es G os ba stared oon hci ere ne a coer) e tbkangigmtenmce [lp @ ie eal ieee etiam re Ee Po ho oe een eens = creer aa al Deed ec Pore eee Eerie a "ier ee as out eae Eee coed See ea) | grow more confident that things are ee eran Ss \ | Feaeeeetneer ono | Poros | ene nee ee | cere | err oer econ PR ees BISECRETS FEC errata Feovioechir ieee eee eee enact ears ae Fecenerne ner etnDero ie ence Tray Petersen stots Se es poe nt ie Pee eet met tT) emi eee ener eee ees Pes eee eee erty CEs ed pee anes) Pee eet ecein sets rece cea eee a) Po eee) tere ete) poets ene ey Pree etl ete es eres Cree heen eens Prone areata Peeceent seed Poets SECRETS ‘Charge it eel eco Crean) evra Creneern) Pere right use the Fraser on ot ee cisATAVeyuse aCe). FPR PeyetaidN =U cB el0) Yeod SKETCH FOR PAINT Discover a fast way to mount your final sketch to a paintable surface, with help from a printer and accomplished artist Terese Nielsen See ee) > Sencar Pee cee teens ea ten een Bara eeerinee Senn ee eer ete ener eae eres eV eenmnrerspen nent eee eed eee eee ee Siena ees eee ee eed Peieperr iene een eaetty Peery Ifyou wsngoil elit with Clear Gesso earn @ select the ee og Fist of al youshould experiment with oes hone eens ns es ete eer meer ees Te ieee eee ete te ena) eerie RUC aid Pere eternity Ee eee eee eet freer ea aren tes eee eerste iad Poser ae eee eee eta rots poe = eeu SET Pose ee een eens Pe aT Mnerr vEa ny Seer Pee net as ShGruy Hot press paper ered Peet ere rotten ad ptaneerreniete oernnenerateiey faeeeereeteanee tonne Pecearecer ect eeetiony eatareer etree ear cas edi (o-cm rite) so wt) ee FANTASY&)S ai DIG *t wre Usd NCD PON at LT rind Cone) cu Bocas Be : os coranines eos = How to ea peace composition with master artist Dan dos Santos! Big picture Re ia ama) Create stunning vistas by Francis Vallejo showshow _ Get inside knowledge on how. using photos to create new Py one ee R tr COTO ELE ir paint, colour and shade Peete ner ibe Oem ene ce RCP Im COM PU nr beset) es 3 February 2012 oo mame GEer" How to» -S MAKE MARKS Sketching isn’t just about the pretty pistures, says John Howe, it’s all about relating to your art heverymaure ofthe sketch is | undertaken fo its on sake, Photography Incidental Wsasecoed of | can record aspitsecond, butiteant things observed andspaces | automatically help us comprehend what ‘explored, whethertheyrein | wescein frontofus frootofyou orinyourhead. Sketchingan | The sketch ihe record your gasp of ‘objectcan bea form ofcommunion,a | whatyonive tied o draw, and while ls suspension oftimeand self Sketching | the destination that mates the journey need notbe useful ornotinthe sense of | isthe most important par. ve had a bit belngsimplya preparation fora nished | of pacice ofl: 2000-0dd setches Just start somewhere drawing isa dialogue, Conversation, You don't necessarily | need to know what youre going to “Gkanw when you start. In fact, more often than nat letting your senci wander in parallel with your mind is the Best way to discover ideas you werent aware you had. if you have artist's block then you're thinking too much, Let your pene do that. fyou stray or find yourself ina dead end, tum the page. Throw away that sharpener ‘Always choose 2 Stanley knife over ’ pencil shernener. You want 2 lovely ong point on your pencis, something that no mechanical sharpener can deliver. perfectly symmetrical precision point isn’t @ If you have artist’s block fetyoutold the penefiow tothe. - then-you'e thinking too much. 9% 8.:srgento= sharpener aryway - it can do in Det your pencil do thee 8. pinch on fong fights when knives are ofits,‘drawing on the rst page in case {you screw it up. there's a simple: solution. Open the sketchbook in rt there, That itll be hidden among allthe others. One among ‘many, rather than a frontispiece, aie importance of the human form_7 The human Term isan important study for the serious artist. Artists ‘who can render the human form effectively have aways been in demand. Da Vinci made drawings of groups of people he sau, to capture thelr postures and how they related to one anather. This attention tothe Figures part of ‘hat sets the great ortsts apart from the madiocre. In depth How to make marks «Loosen up? Dorit grip thet pencil until your knuckles are white and your fingers cramp. Loosen up. You the drawing to tell you 3s much itcan. Sudden ideas will spring from a chance coinciding of ines bbe ready to embrace those ‘opportunities. Sketching is @ subject and the drawing, nt a ‘one-way monologue. © Sketching is a ménage a trois between you, your No ovals and squares, please schew those manuals that break everything down nto vals and squares and rectangles. You don't need to dissect a real thing into abstract shapes to understand it. Look at your subject corefuly itl tll you how best to ‘rasp the volumes and set them out ‘need to feel-the paper. You want menage & trois between you. your subject and the drawing 99 DRAWING ESSENTIALS Poca poetry eee ret peepee rere Februsry 2072 EEK geDon't posture or frown ‘Sketching in public places will inevitably draw an onlooker or two, ranging from the affable pensioner who's @ “dab hand at ‘rawing” tothe aloof art student who's burning with curiosity toelther sneer ar gawp. Be pleasant, don't be self-conscious and take itas an opportunity to ‘communicate with your fellow human beings. If youre shy and self-deprecating, get over it, Learn toshare, Creation is the most divine form of communication An outline isn’t a real line, but varying lines that appear, disappear and intersect : » ff hy “Whatcha drawing?” The reply to this sof course, "i dorit know yt ite you when its done” Sketching is ke archaeology: what youre really doing is patently uncovering mmething thats already there. What you see firsts the tio of and asit comes to ight, you can, begin to see what itis It's there = you just haven't drawn it yet. intaining that sense of discovery will ot only reserve a few surprises, but wil keep you . alert to serendinty. RP nar 202 Getting a grip Choose any other aip over the ‘one that you use to write. Too many people confuse writing and drawing instruments (ator alla pencils pencil) and you may be Using all the wrong reflexes, even the opposite side of the brain from hat you should. I's complicated, bbutit explains why so many adults who would love to reconnect with the drawings they cid while ‘growing up simply can. Lightly, lightly Try to draw snanes and shadows, rotlines. While an outline is a Convenient artifice, nature doesn't Use them. Try to thinkin terms of the volumes youte delineating. An outing isnt areal ine, but a succession of varying lines that ‘appear, disappear and intersect, ‘and which is defined only by your point of view. If your line is too strong initially then the volumes themselves willbe fattened, ing emeraina fiom thesoi, Heads, not faces. Mervyn Peake, in his wonderfully personal instructional booklet The Craft of the Lead Penci, lamented that students often drew “faces, not heads" (Bont look for it its been tragically ong out of print) Be Conscious of the volumes of the head. Approach it as a sculptor would first the volumes, then the details. Practice makes perfect. Ask your friends and colleagues to contribute, Every face you draw from fe will land ife to the faces of the characters you invert.Pentimento and palimpsest Don't be precious or selPconscious ‘about your sketches. Donit rub out what you don’ ike unless it's to draw something better on top, Those detours, changes of heart ‘and direction, those sudden stray ideas that intrude in margins, are all part ofa lively process. Don't try topretty thinas up excessively, either: youre drawing for yourselt, not for a potential audience You ‘ant a record of your thoughts ‘and skis, nt some cleverly ‘fashioned conceit, Keep your vanity at bay. The sketchbook is {yoU, and should resemble you in all ~artistry and honesty. In depth How to make marks Artist’s block “The only artist's Blocks you need ‘be concerned about are the ones stocked by your local art shop. IF fpanie sets in when youre faced with a blank page, then youre trying too hard. t's nota blank page, t's uniquely visual ‘ri-cimensional, although ‘geometrically fist, space and an ever-renewed opportunity to leave some trace of your thoughts and views. Ifyou dont know what to draw, ust start = lightly = somewhere, and things will begin to appear. Youdentt need to know ‘what you's drawing to start Im offen asked what happens in ‘my bead when | craw, The answer is invariable: nothing, My head is ‘empty of any conscious thouaht. Drawing is 2s close to mecitation '3s you can get without sting cross-legged in a temple and stil hhave a pretty sketch to show fort Irs intuitive, Turn the world off it's Just you and what you see, ‘whether it's in your head or out in front of your ayes. co pen GEWorkshops Ru ECA. RECAST “Lhotosh ACLASSIC COMIC CHARACTER How do you paint a compassionate portrait of DC’s villainous Harley Quinn? Rocksteady concept artist Kan Muftic shows how it’s done he world of DC heroes and ‘lain incredby ic, offering fantastic variety of interesting characters for any ais. Having the privilege o week fon such exciting characterson daily ‘hss would turn me intoa 10 year od boy everytime st down at my desk at Rocksteady Sts ‘Working on countes conceps fr Bauman: Arkham Gityhas taught me one ‘hing though: you can just goin ane tess around with these guys Some of them have been around ‘Composition yu vant tell story eth your image, ou have spend tine exploring roughly ‘ever go into any deal at this stage). sketch several versions to explore diferent eas, angle and poses At thistg, once Te created afew sketches linet, ‘up andsubmi¢them for approval the world’s finescomichook ats ‘andlastraors have contributed to their volition, In this workshop pains portrait of Harley Quin fexteme mannerisms and affection for Jokes What La ad is contrast this image and present er more personal side Tp spoment when she 00 he Tost in her thoughts The event of Arkham Gityaredramatc and the love of Irerlife Joker istersbyilShe'schanging ‘her outitand gearing forher ‘upcoming mission, ‘famous fore. Sketching out The first sketch has the strongest Impact. so crop the image and double thesie (Canvass ResizesWidth 200 Percent) while making tre the Contain Tile Sizebor s checked. Next art Picking colours and laying them straight oven on the fist and ony layer of my paling, sa bi unconventional but havea good reson for doing this it sep me focused, while improving my Seren aeien seioreg ‘colo. Ive found that when working ‘with many lajersifs easy toda away in anendles game of options and otal find error, Working vith asingle aver forces you to carefully tink through and ‘committo chosen colouts and structures. Following design and adding elements "lock n some asidesgn elements ofthe costume, addingmmdged mascara to er face, which gives sue hints to the same’ background stor: Lalso roughly ld ome cher cette ch, These wll be detailed later. only wish to position them atthis point. think i's important to avoid feshingthings oot too early because athis stage souk sillbe about exploration and playing withthe pine »LED aos Cropping and blocking decided that the image has too much space opposite Hatley so leropit Remember in vsul storyline compositions king Sty Of asics are working reat and Tm producngsome wonderful edges even ahi rough lage When [use Oi Pastel, make ong Toad stokes across the canvas sa very derapeti proces Moving things around realise [have o make some changes find thatonce you start puting down colours had to g bck and workon our composition agin. Butt may be necessary ft do’ go back nove ad ge things right Using the Lass too slot the et pat of the image and move itaway. hen block in Harkey’ missing shape which reveals more of hercostmt rel Poe Fleshing out elke onthe ight rack ais point so Ldecideoenfargethe tage The reason for this that sill ‘want to work in swooshy soles even in the detaled areas, and not lino the habit of scribbling minor details ofthe etre {start lshing tings out and al aly’ purple boot that she used wear in Ackham Asslum. Purple gives nice touch to the overall palette ofthis pics Putting it all together rom hereon workon the -smallerelements ofthe igure athe envionment Ly not to 200m in because dent want to lose the overview ‘oftheimage. have enough colours on the cana so Lean pick them instead of mixing them fom scratch, il very stroke isbold and confident. crcl to place your stokes int each other instead ‘of scratching them in orcaeflly placing ‘hem nex to each other ws Facial expression Ladd a cheeky litle smile on hee face She looked 10 angry and slighy coutofcharscterbefore gain thinking of the overall story ofthe image always helps you come up with neresting deta. stl laxed and myyarm moves loosely ‘ross mitablt, even when im resting inwicate deta auch asthe character's face. Strangely, producebeter strokes when Hust et go. Edge economy This fancy term edge comomy — refers tothe elationship between the soft and sharp edges a painting Using Pen Pressure, rete sharp edges ad, a1 slows pen up the edge Become soft Here youcansee an example of economy in HarleysGrishisnes MS) eves positioning of highlights and their edges can make ot break image. Thats if mportan to know what materials you apy te highlight ta. In this case, havea eather core al that ‘means that cant just add some random pecular reflections. The Surface ofthis material has texte tat absorb pars fight and doesn efetitas metal, for example So, my biglighs are sigh sued and mute which gives the impression of eather. Asim, Ss stat blocking der i ere, Lease tht Fe never pained stockings Defoe tsa delicate material witha flexible shapes ifs not easy to gtitight. ry searching forse referencs online bat ind surprisingly ew pictures of loose hanging stocking. becomes rather draining browsing hea lads of relevant aad ‘bacene magento get tothe ight one do have me to et some eae ference 40 ast ty to use loge and make up. The boot putsome deals nt Hatey’s ‘boot desig while tying nota destroy i because lk how the edges ook fa The material ieamocth ad shiny 30 use somenicespecula reflections to makeit ‘op. tt ensurethe boot eoks and Fece diferent from the lth net 0 Tr The armpit saga >) ip unt now is been easy pein er pose the facia pression andthe cles ight bt eben delaying workngon ime wos te difeu armpiyshouler area And koow Fstrggle because fm no exact ure what the arm looks ikbehind the obstacle. Thisis one of those moments where reset not ding moe ire drawing om Ips int ron trying fod something tha ok ight Ifyou pet stick, do some proper research, shoosome erence photos or asksomeone wo pose foes tsounds ike alot of work bt takes morte ore with the mistakes you make along way. Fy The face OG Mirror 2 meh ine painting the armpit, mene on to he fae Thisis the most interesting part for me in faces be calle but ‘eanding you get them ght, Ben ‘though I2o0m i, dhestrokes ares place ontop of eachother loosely. Her TB scence more form, but have to beep | herlookingyoungand prety. A delicate | touchistheley here Sulpting the paint q Healy gives me the esl im ooking for Fy Boost up the contrast 1 quickly switch 6 Photoshop andaddan Adjustment ayer {Layers New Adjustment LayerLeves). Tash the contrast upby moving the ster siderso bath ends of the Back ‘saves that epesent tonal nocnaion, Thin ould also be done in Paints sing theta nein but nd Photoshop more accessible this tage FE) More details =) i change Harleys smile look abirmore natal and addsome dts ‘uch as Backnllthat hep es out her hiacter abit more this area. ml no. 1 Corset } Vaving enriched my image with contrast stieh badeto Paine ad pick some ceamy Blend Bristle bushes rom the Arist Oils men They ret for bette in aerate 01 200m In abitand star working on thesucurof areyscaset Thisisone *) Outside intervention ‘ofthe most iit nd time-consuming ND hoses tithing, myareaietoraske me toro the mage parts othe proces an shows ft ho so that Hatley Quis cosume more scat epee the nese Important its todo aloe of dang of allkinds of things rm ite. ‘wea in Batman: Adtham City. im happy to dothisifitmeans the jmage is moreup to date. And Tm sure Harley wouldnt ind... @From Start to Finish. Poellm: SCI-FI DIGITAL ART imagine Reviews | v Artist's The latest digital art resources are put wMix HARDWARE Lumix DMC-G3 Panasonic’ latest D-SLR features twisting, touch-se cD Screen ~ perfect for photos of awkward areas. BOOKS New reads Rebus; The Art to the test by the ImagineFX team... ie Hl alla NC ‘TRAINING Meet the Masters: Volumes 1-3 Tips for Wacom Intuos tablets FILMS New movies Troll Hunter; Conan the Barbarian: Vanishing on 7th StreetRuns Lumix DMC-G3 A versatile 15.93 million-pixel compact system camera with a twisting, touch-sensitive LCD screen hoosing a camera touse in your workflow can be tricky. t wll need to ful a variety of functions, from ‘macro photos to use as custom textures, to reference shots taken the instant you get inspired. nat accept interchangeable lense PUTTING THE COMPETITION IN FOCUS Here's how Panasonic's new DMC-G3 measures up against us rivals ‘ovypus E712 ‘A retio-styled 12.3Mp Micro Four Tid camera, lackinga builtin EVF bbutwiththe popular Art Fter modes Price: £470 (with ktlens). SAMSUNG NXT The 14. 6Mp NX11 supports Samsung’ ‘Function lens system and ahh: ‘quality EVE. and is neat and easy Price: £459 (with kites). It sits near the top of the company’s viewfnder built-in, so images can be ic. provi esr view Ofrether didtisnc ands PANASONIC GF2 The 12.1Mp GF2has agreatbuild and design, but lacks some ofthe G3 ‘irc controls and eave of se Price: £400 (with kt lens)The G3 is a great camera, made even better by the touch-sensit autofocus (AF) pon finger on screen. an in which the camera is triggered to focus ard take a'shot, agan, with he sereen. Both functions 1 nvery handy plenty of contol, the G3 produces 6400 Shots taken at ISO 1600 or above area itl softer th taken at lower settings the Wath great image quality aided by a variety of interchangeable lenses, the G3is a great camera forall necds that's made even better by the touch sensitive, adjustable seer Lumix DMC-G3 TOUCHSCREEN “Touchscreens canbe resistive or capacitive The later are las panels ‘coated in conductive material skin conducts electricity, so the screen detects ouch, Resistive screens are ‘made up of plastic layers when to ofthese met after pressure from 2 finger or sys theresanelctkal touch is registered SEAN A MURRAY How a good camera can enhance ‘your artwork and research What camera do you use? Tuseeithera Canon Rebel EOSXT, ‘when Fm prepared, or my iPhone camera, when Fm nt ‘When should photos be used? For concept ar its more acceptable tose photos fom ary sour, since the goal isnot necessarily to be published. But fits published and you've used aphoto without ‘copyright perminsion itean be an sue With illustration, since ‘the works generally meant tobe published, itsexpected 1 be ‘original. Mhstators use photos and iftheyreyour ovnits okay touse them, I they aren your photos, sexi need tose them in such aeay ‘hathey/rewoully unrecognisable, ikea smal piece ofa photo for surface extueefect ow do you use your photos? Tse photos for reference and inspiration. fimout and about, ‘on vacation orin an interesting place kev record things Tee And add them to my visual databank. Iveintegrated photos Ito concept pieces, but usualy regetitberase it makes my work fel iff. There are many talented liga artists who rely heavily on ‘photos and doit beauifully = its just not something Tm able ‘incorporate into my process, which ‘probably makes meabitslower. Bt as Dermot Power explained 0, ‘drawing nd paintingclouds helps you understand why the look ike batleships, and you can use that power tohelp tell the tory. How important sito take your own photos? Forreferenceimages, ifs only ‘important fan find decent photos Pictures on the web generally tend to featuresubject matter that’ easily searchable For the Arthur Rackham tora piece (Imagine issue 78) had hard ‘ime nding pictnes of gary ol ‘tees online s0 used my camera, © Seas oa compe ari at ing Cans Su HES uring Kings sf ima RecorRebus PIECES OF THE PUZZLE The DC and Prada artist presents a decade's worth of beautiful, twisted fantasies oo oo Renn n2001,1was twenty-one | his more personal works, They remain years old, ust graduated | moressiveancintricately detailed from art school, and ving crheless some:imnes spreading In Brooklyn,” notes James over eich: poges to remind you ust Jean in his conclusion to Rebus. how bg they are. “Through the windows of my loft, ‘in is other projects that Jean is witnessed the collapse of the Twin at his most interesting ane Towers.” Jean goes on to say that the ‘events of 1 September made his paintings and art feel “insignificant” inthe ten years since, Jean has worked tireessly to find mearing in his Work, Ard Rebus stands as a Convincng argument that he has, Hes worked for OC ‘comics - designing covers forits Fables series as well {2 Prada, ESPN and Aliant Records. Rebusis a ‘compendium ofthe art ‘work, wth the focus on personal projec rather thar ‘commercial ones although t ‘does feature murals and \wallpapars that he created for Prod, covering his varios thematic and stylistic periods, Beginning with Kincing, his first solo show in 2008 Kinding investigates eannabalim, sefF-mutiaton and paraphilia in lovingly rendered, ifcisturing, images. A mans eracked open by a ltl ait to reveal froas in piace of internal organs. A woman with ahead made of butterfias adiires herself in the miror. From here, Jeon takes us ona voyage around his other art. His projects are noticeably - and Understandably less nightmarish than Challenging, though, Frequently coliing Hayao Miyazaki arimals ‘and insects with Francs Bacon-esque ‘isassembled hurnans. His 2002-2004 Compilation Recess is the most disturbing. with youns chidren looking blankly on ‘35 mad teacher removes ‘a kic's heart and a naked school bus What's most ting ‘about Jean's workishis ability to workin purnerous mediums and avays, provide interesting and owertul creations, The majority of his paintings are Created tractionally nether ervic or ols, but he has ventured into Photoshop for others. His works are noticeably categorised into differen styles such as poprart or stringy surreal landscapes, but the themes of 3th. children and nature ays Rebus isan interesting overview of a ‘man wh ean reference bodily heror fone minute, and! 1980s comput ‘games the next Jasn need have Sorted about his work being insignificant this book's testament to ‘one ofthe most sonticant arists of the century RATING Ano fa toy Further reading... Follow the adventures of a furry hero, and learn how to draw beguiling beasts The Art of Puss in Boots ‘Author Ramin Zahod, Publisher Titan Books Prige £75 ‘Available Nov RATING 4/6955 ‘Although easly cismissable as 2 mere chidrens fim alt of eare andattention has gone into Shek spin-off Puss in Boots, as is evidenced by this classy Art of. book Inside the author cavers the ‘making of the fn, including character design locations, and the ‘iticuties of making CGI mil low cutofa pan, ‘The Art of Puss in Boots certainly doesnt pander to Puss in Boots demographee, ether Executive producer Guillermo Del Toro Contributes a brief introduction and as 2 whodet’s a wordy piece of work that name-checks Frederico Felin and Francisco Gove. A pivotal scene is explored from basic sketch to inal render, but the most interesting of ali fold-out “visual scrint, which brooks the fens thre actsinto their colour schemas, The Explorer’s Guide to Drawing Fantasy Creatures ‘Author Emily Fiegenschun Publisher impact Sooks Price £20, ‘vallable Now RATING aio Emily Fiegenschuhis charming how te guide introduces us toa new worl of strange creatures and, most importantly. shows us how create them. fs acute approach and.one that encompasses everything from stately antelope to heroic humanoids and a haunting living sana. Every process of creating creatures is broken down, ror inl sketches to the fina fulle colour artwork Fiegenechuh concentrates on # penchand-paper approach, withthe emphasis on creating lively and pugnacious characters. At times & feels atte ‘much tke se-promoton, but 2 wishing to learn the basi of fantasy art wl find a insertion and tos here. @Books and training ae i aiid MASTERS. Meet the Masters: Volumes 1-3 Four artists show you how to use your tablet with every creative app under the sun in this monster set from Wacom roduced by the video training specialist video2brain on Wacom’s behalf, Moet the Masters is ‘2 wide-ranging collection of videos HOW TO BUY covering the most-used creative & fstrate, with an application to helo applications, withthe idea of helping {you navigate the volumes and the ‘you make the most of your Wacom respective chapters, (Yous think The various buying options for Troe tablet CGlocton cole Meet he Mastos Meche serait selected Intuosé bundles, but you can DETAILS which video, though.) Where Meet the ‘the training video for free with yousatoaat eat ous tle tscoveave ssoboed Oane! Lestes | alo ffetigDND elionsof Wiehe buyngoptons wSlctioushineuncepreneesof | wlimessling 27 ech rte fate the romano he Seating e ping tom scetch Fl calectonsling 70 couldn't be more without real ring anything ‘You can aleo buy the same videos atwwwcvideodbrain.com, where Dani! Lieske. Ui Staiger and St rst ‘the'relabelled as Wacom he tums to walk you the o be investing ina tablet. Masterclass: Volumes 1-3, You can na ho the Masters works better as download each video se, orstream ith you sy introducton to working with ‘thom rom the website 0 watch ies tips you've just bought your fis eh browses Each {ching photos in Photos wl certainty help ou volume savalable for $40, while Photoshop Light ture become productive ack’, Aut the thecomplete collection costs $100. ume 2 offers crash courses n cigtal ‘concept works better as a high-cla artin Photoshop, Painter and llustrator freabie with and Volume 3 focuses on SD and able than a @ neaReviews Troll Hunter BIG MYSTERY Even if you can't smell the blood of a Christian, you'll be impressed by these pagan stalwarts rector André And the trols are fantastic, Retain ‘vredal has given the the bulbous nose and lfty apps mockumentary anose-full of eoly 20th century tol ilustrator of smelling sats In Troll, heodor Kittolsen, contemporary ‘Hunter, a believably rough and ready Norvesion ar‘'st Hévarc Johansen take on Scandinavian tall stories. ‘group of students invest tring of ivestock deaths, bla con wd bears by plan yy officals eager ton the st ‘curmudaecny, possessing of the mythology crop tevolutionary backs ro tvee-headed ti Calis them int hod really rather beet alone in sunlight We meet Hans (Otto Guredal doesnt allow Jespersen).agovernment.appointed | the wealth of myth to overpower his trol hunter dzenchanted wh his tory, We may see e ly reference to 2éshout job as regulator of the massive | The Billy Gosts Gruff. as Hans lures a ‘beasts Initally apprehensive the ridge trol aut with a goat, but i's surly monosylabie Wyatt Earp of illonly there to support the flrs talo piece he students what they o's one filed wth onginal scares want -2 window nto his enless, eerie | darc humour and sutablec rights keeping the realty of trols from the waking world RATING 9o4a4o MIE cope Also look at... A classic fantasy hero done badly and a horror flick that will probably vanish Conan the Barbarian Distributor Lionsgate Certificate | Brice (15 Siuray Dolbe Pay GD ESD) ‘wallable Nov RATING 54 fevelopment, this news adaptation oF the classic Robert Howar de ‘avatars Stephen Lang) and his (Rose McGowan) are hell-bent on resurrecting an ancient. fev and canauerins the world. Jazon Memo’ arinning Conan is pushed from one fi meat with 3 chipon his shoulder. china verve and authenteity, the sero fais to bring tower's hero to life, But the Hyborian locations at east ‘gave the team at Worldwide FX the chance to flesh out Howare’s fantasy world. While the bales with CGI sand le and the leviathan stand! out subtle effects, such painting ancient ruins nto moder landscapes and the cavernous Necropolis cimax impress. Vanishing on 7th Street Distributor Momentum 6 This low-budoet horror from Brad A 0f2004's The Mach The city of Detrotis plunged into darkness sudden and unexplainad power outage, andi pe disappearing leaving behind a pile of vacates sothes 1e shadows come tole and (e(Hayden Christensen), Paul in Leguizama), Roserrary (Thane Newton) a Jomes acak ay alveas they strugale tole the io Vanishing on Th Street i a zombie fm without the shaming 6223, ghost tory vithout the speaks, The subtle VEX bring the shadows tif and offer some rophobic ction. However, the scripts mary inconsistencies anc loose enc fal to laminate the whats, whys and hows ofa fim cornered by its avn concent. @FREE Audiobook for every reader’ Bs MT <)) Pixels Nia} Experience Audible yourself by starting your 14-Day FREE trial today! Go to audible.co.uk/tech to sign up for a 14-Day free trial and get a FREE digital audiobook from a selection of over 50,000 titles. www.audible.co.uk/tech Your free trial is no-comritment, and your free audiobook is yours to keep, whether you decide to stay on to become an Audible member or not. audible.co.ukof Zelda: The Legend Skyward Sword ADVENTURE CALLS The latest adcition to Nintendo's venerable game series doesn't put 2 foot wrong or elda gameshavehelden | phenomenon since Ocarina of Ti tightly to the same formula | 2p he worl on Skywars Sword ia since the early nineties, extraordinary piece of minimalist ort butnot skyward Sword. occsin that's desianod to get che Nintendo is playing a trick on you, when your frst weapon isa slingshot and your fist dungeon is, ’ Forest Temple, because from here on out ‘everything is brand new. There are new puzzle net tools and an al-new forchestral sounctracc its ‘love story between Link ‘2nd Zelda this tne, ‘vith actual chemistry bbatween the to lea anda distinct sense of peri, This is nea forthe Zelda games. and makes Skyward Sword fel ike the freshest Zelda release since Ocarina of Time, Just to drve ths point home, carina eame out in 1998, Yet for all ther semiarties, the Zea ‘gameshave never been afraid to reirvent thar art styles. Satoru Takizawa has been @ part of the Zelda most out ofthe Wi's ancient harcvare was Vision for Skyward Swerdlis brought to life by @ lever ible deta up ck andmakes low-detintion distant objects appear as if painted in watercolours, an ualy texture or block of Jagged geometry W's impossibe to takes bad sereanshot of Skyward Sword andi’ impossibie to pay without taking joy inthe way the gam {you've experienced over more than wo dacades of Zelda, Thisis a bright revolution for bath the Zelda series and Nintendo that manages to raise the bar for both partes RATING Ano fa toy Also look at... A platformer that punches above its weight, and @ Middle Earth hack job RATING 56,05 Rayman Origins began withthe creation of Ubisoft's Ualart Framework tool, which itself sprung from creative director Michel Aneel work on Beyond Good & Ev 2. UBlart halves the time between creating the art and tumingit into a playable gamespace. Art ‘any shape, import it inte UBlare, eu up a ‘and mesh, and have it moving an screen in minutes Rayman Origins wouldnt be possible without. t's 20 platformer ona truly massive scale, with four-player co: (9, thausands of frames of animation, and an incomparable degree of visual densty for a 20 ttle Rayman Origins isa genuine spectacle. witha lavish style inthe trations of French comie art with a depth of movement ane gesture that would once have taken years tohand-animate i's abeling 20 platformer an at a ime ‘when 20 i 0 uncommon, roves tobe a suprise trent for the New Year The Lord of the Rings War in the North ‘Available Nov RATING #42 ae ‘Wer inthe North sa vilent piece of co-op hack slash that’s short on decent tactile feedback and genuine RPG depth, but long on Lotd of the Rings mythology and art, ‘et drector and Imagine x regular Philp Straub makes the most of te colossal amount of art bazed around The Lord ofthe Rings, drawing on designs created for he movies and art from op-fight artists such as Alan Lee and John Howe, War inthe North isthe first time Midoe Earths more far flung locations have appeared ‘on any soreen and Straub’s team have teated the lore With respect and cohesion. ‘Sacly, War inthe North brings to ming EA: movie te Ins rom the PS2 era ~ expert at design colicing horribly {th poor game design and a rough game engine Ina year with Skyfe, Dark Souls and a new Zea this Confit feels aitle unused. @THE CG STUDIOS OF 2012 Meet the artists creating the work you'll be talking : \ about this year ~~ WoRLe _ » FREE VIDEO \ay 32 PAGES OF Grow a plant « Make a so’ body + Lose the CG look IGNITE YOUR CG Discover techniques for simulating fire and water Lf ft 3 Weta brings the classic comics into the CG era a TT is on sale now! rid editions, visit 3dworldmag.com/howtobuyStudio profile ye f is + Concept Art House CULTURE CLASS New studio Concept Art House has reaped the rewards of having studios in San Francisco and Shanghai 182007 James Zhang hada choles to make. Elther ‘continue the comfortable ‘of ajobbing concept artist in the video games industry, or ‘make the hard decision to got alone savgcine _ '0-9ain creative freedom but also the SE Matthew Le Mere ines, the gamble House isin Ercamtatscite, trappings of Book keeping, ‘accounting and contracts. By his own q ‘admission, when he founded Concept E [Art House he opted for a “hybrid mix ‘oney"remembers James, | “Weel tri 3 of the two”. ‘And when investor and now chaitman | quality tearm in China, Into:your inavidual creat, Take meConcept Art House SCOTT CHOU Co-founder Scot on what you need to succeed as a concept artist, Hove should an artist approach, ee Were not only ats, but also service people. Gestinga deep ‘understanding ofthe elit’ ned isthe biggest challenge fice. need toplace myselfin cients postion, like why they want a particular sive what ind of working relationship theyre after. When you ‘hints way, youl come out wth great artworkand the clients willbe aie, How important i it to have a studio based in China? Diligence isa quality fr our (Chinese artis to focus on, Chinese are born with art talent and ‘reatvty, and they have the they wantto become work cass artists they need o focus and atonal view. Buf ina isa huge poten thecectonic entertainment fl s0CAHThas thechance to be one of the ist companies to getiniothe (Chinese market and einvigorate (our old artsyes. Thats not justa dteam = welltrytorelse eatfokes you choose to nce ea Tunnel ision fates esate cee As long as you're confident and Home-grown pitches are more creatively aware, then Concept Art House can make your dreams come true team consruction isa differen Inthe case of contact wor, the team issimpler For example its either art or programming, Foran intemal projet we need larger variety oftalent Do you have to be selfeitical? Arist fe Fom normal staff in that they feo proud oftheir special talent and sll which can cause friction with thesystem ana the management ayer So asa leader its necesary forme to bese critical fant tobe rsted ad suppored by my colleagues Se sone of Chin cpa atta dst Comp AImasineFX Yuli S Just a few of the brilliant artist videos that = you can find on our YouTube channel Paint a vampire in Photoshop French artist Mélanie Delon shares her process of creating a hauntingly Environments Realistic females ‘See how Mike McCain creates a dramatic sci-fi M ig explains how she paints areal landscape at www.bitly/mikemecain, fantasy woman at www:bity/mdahlig. Go to www.youtube.com/imaginefx now! ® Get countless hours of |_| ® Watch on your desktop, free video tuition iPad, Android or iPhone. ® Discover how your ® Make sure to subscribe favourite artists create. so you don't miss out. WWWYOUTUBElag out liasine co & OE | GALLERIES | FORURS | BLOGS | WORESHDS | INTERVIEWS | REVIEWS | OOWNLOADS | DIRECTORY | SHOP Upload your portfolio today for free and share your artwork with thousands of professional and amateur artists... www.imaginefx.com GALLERIES | FORUMS | BLOGS | WORKSHOPS | INTERVIEWS | REVIEWS | DOWNLOADSPRIOR TRAN NONE DAVE SCHOOL — San eek ssa DIGITAL ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS PSM ae ’ Core err)