FREE! HOURS OF VIDEO TRAINING INSIDE! PAINTER PLUS PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES ESSENTIALS 6 OFFER lini e" Fates nex ie mf FINDYOUR Ss RA Make yourart stand | om Sila i eagle SBE A BETTER] A BETTER] rl nants LU Wate arek-lele Kenge nail} character to yourart | se sia ETL Ce a TTI yO TEE 3 EVANGELION ART! THE BRILLIANT ZERONIS CREATES AN HOMAGE TO ASUKA! XN ‘9Photography 16-19 THE NEC, BIRMINGHAM ye INSPIRATION . AWAITSlmiaginel What is the perfect piece of art? Does it exist? We all strive to create the perfect image, but what happens when you can't let go? It’s never done, of course You may find that you spend most of your time on the last 10 per cent of an image. Wise words, then from Sachin Teng in our interview on page 34: “Not every piece can be your magnum opus. I don't know anyone who hasn't submitted work they wish they could add just one more detail to.” So, an image can still be brilliant, even if you don't think it’s completed. I thought Sachin’s interview was a great read. Take a look for yourselves and let me know your thoughts Also, for readers who picked up a copy of this magazine early on... it's your last chance to join us in London for workshops from the world’s leading 2D and 3D artists, plus life-crawing sessions and portfolio reviews. At Vertex 2019 on 8 March, the ILM concept art department shares its expertise, Charles Downman from MPC reveals his matte: painting process, Ron Ashtiani from Atomhawk gives advice on getting into the video game industry, and so much more! Tickets start at just £25 for students. Visit www.vertexconf.com for details. Claire Howlett, Editor [email protected] Editor's letter Worldwide community of artists (Our FXPosé gallery isa mainline into the gorgeous work that’ created by your fellow artists. Creature comforts Fantastic, characterful artwork from Guille Rancel accompanies his guide to creating creatures. To the moon and back ‘Watch how Moon draws and paints his stunning portrait using watercolours, oils and gouache.Subscribe Take out a new subscription to our print edition, or print and digital bundle and you'll receive a copy of Corel Painter GIFT Essentials 6! WORTH £34.99 (new subscribers receive 3 download copy) Key features iF Natural media tools Achieve realistic results with oil, pencil, watercolour and more. Eye-catching effects ie] | nter: Is [6] Have fun creating sparkles and esse ntials glows, or paint with patterns. Paint quickly Use symmetry, tracing and cloning tools for speedy results . Intuitive interface le Painter Essentials 6 is ideal for those starting out in digital art. It's easy v8 subscribe. VISIT WWW.MYFAVOURITEMAGAZINES.CO.UK/PE619 OR CALL 0344 848 2852 (UK) OR +44 (0) 344 848 2852 (INTERNATIONAL) AND QUOTE PE619 SE Tee Ss Subscribers fea TY discounts on be Tita softwareWorldwide offer! Subscribe to the leading. magazine for digital artists, and you'll get... Improve your painting skills with the best in the industry. alue Subscribe to save EEE off the ImagineFX cover price. Exclusi rs Subscribers receive issues with text free covers. No: We deliver to over 100 countries worldwide. "Choose your package! TB issues of ImagineFX 13 issues of ImagineFX | in print, PLUS i] in print and digital PLUSSubscribe to ImagineFX and receive acopyof ||) ‘ Corel Painter Essentials 6 See page 4 for details ye | Contents 10 FXPosé Your gorgeous art on show to the world! leaveiand 20 How tofind your art style Is craftinga stylean artisticgoal, orjust by-product of having fun? 27 Joinus at our London event Meet fellow artists and also get a fiee life drawing lesson at Vertex! 28. Artist in Residence Mike Mabile’s workspace is part artist reueat, part pop-culture museum, all fun 34 _ Interview: Sachin Teng ‘The US artist reveals her roller-coaster career, including working upa mountain, no money’ 46 Sketchbook: Martin Abel Artist Portfolio ym, | “Ifyou turn down ‘This illustrator is busy designing creatures J l \] i wats then you feel ica tne iN \ like you're turning 5 Ot 92 Hardware What did we make of the Cintiq 16? 97. Training Stephane Wootha Richard on kitbashing, 98 Books Discover the concept art behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 3 Editor's letter 4 Print subscriptions 8 Resources 26 Digital subscriptions 32 Sign up for our newsletter 33 Letters 44 Back issues 74 Next monthApril 2019 54 Painta fantasy manga portrait Asia Ladowska puts aside her pensand ‘embraces the digital painting process.as she illustrates a colourful manga character, 62, Design creatures with personality Apply key art ideas such as movement, volume, shape and contrast to your ‘ereature designs, with Guille Ranc help, » 68. Compose an anime «street scene n Hui Tian uses colouring, lighting and perspective techniques to paint an urban setting that full of details. 76 Mlustrate the arm and hand Patrick JJones studies arm and hand anatomy as itrotates 84 Create your own Asuka See how Paul Kwvon reimagines a character from Neon Genesis Evangelion oie Explore this month’s traditional ar. 106 Workshop: Create a Portrait in mixed media Team how Moon draws on his many sources of inspiration to create a finely detailed female portrait 114 First Impressions: Ashiya Kisa The artist known for her HUNGRY series reveals why she doesn't plan ahead OdResources @Re Sources Getting hold of this issue's videos and custom brushes is quick and easy, Just visit our dedicated web page at https://ifxm.ag/mangal72artist sere See Asia Ladowska paint manga! Watch Asia Ladowsa vide to see how she painted this cheerful manga character. And in her "workshop on page 54 learn how the artist worked closely with Imagine X on the colour choice. ‘Youre three steps away from this sue’ resouree Fes [Goto the website. Dowotond what youApril 2019 ‘See Zeronis’s take on a Neon Genesis Evangelion character Innis video, Paul Kwon reveals how he painted his version of Asuka, More on page 84 You've got to hand it to Patrick J Jones... ‘Watcly how the artist draws the human hand and arm, then turn to page 76 for more insights Mixed media art by Moon Paint an anime-style street Seetheartist’s portrait workshop on page 106. Tin Hui Tian’s workshop isan page 68,Roberto Ribeiro Padula Roberto loves to paint imaginary creatures in a realistic manner. On his website you'll find short to accompany his paintings. "7 GARY, THEDEVOURERFXPosé PALESTRIDEREXxPosé Lino Drieghe Pelee el Lace iat: Belgian illustrator Lino specialises in environment concepts. He spl time between teaching digital art, working as a freelance artist, and taking care of his two children.eating tis and photobashing, ‘Want to submit your work? Visit itp. aa sein here natura ‘everything. For some people th a frightening ideo, bt ind | get avery neacoful feeling while working when the kids are asteep. It withthe Pattern Stamo tool in Photoshon. pon me, SEGREEXxPosé e le oe at Nicholas is a concept designer working in the theme park industry. by the books of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, he likes to explore themes of childhood nostalgia and the transition into adulthood in his personal art. CAESAR'S HOME GOBBER’S WORKSHOP.Posé fF) Tom McLean - England sos Phteton, Prorat: ynshomasnslenarsom “eg ),_. “Although architecture enabled me to finally afford an ImagineFX subscription, I've moved on to my true passion: the world of freelance concept art,” says Tom. “I'm having a blast!” AWEEBIRDIE This was the frst piace L was able to do ‘completely in Procreate. | was playing around with fan boards andi magic”FXPosé =, ro e Stephanie Brown Deval eerie Sewsctaged ale et Freelance illustrator Stephanie has a degree in illustration and has been painting digitally for nearly 15 years. Aside from creating art, she’s also a YouTuber, screenwriter and cosplayer. ‘ous | ssotaTion Key at painting from my screenplay Nethergate, Itshows the main character at her most vuherable, when she cart take being scared any longer VOX MACHINA Fan aot the characters from the web series Critical Rolo. This piace won Fen art othe Week on Machina the show's cfficial commentary programme” ‘GNOME WIZARD ’A portrait commission of Dungeons & Dragens charactor, whichis actually hat a large percentage of ry client work consists of”How to find your art style Aesthetic sharers Is crafting a style something artists can strive for, or is ita by-product of just having some fun? Dom Carter explores how to develop a look Myouwere asked to make a list of your foveurte artists, chances are You'd be able to explain the small Auirks or creative decisions they've made that made an impact on you. ‘You might have even tried to recreate these styles in your own pieces. ‘But ishoning astye ~elther somone else's or your ov achievable goal? Ors it counter- intuitive to your development as an artis? The answers dependon how youwant to werk and to figure everything out youneed to Isten Various factors contribute tothe evelopment of style. For fantasy iMystrator Djamila Knopf, it canal be traced back to watching lor Moon far the iret time. "The minute that intro camecn twas completely mesmerised* she explains. "To my five yearole set, the colours, the styl the story, the \rensfermation scenes it wa all perfect. Frem then on, Idrew Sailor Moon fan art non-stoo and tried to emulate the style= ART AS ALTERNATE REALITY Today Djamila describes her work as evoking a “sense of wonder and nostalaia’, which sounds tke a fiting way of earying forwaraiher formative ‘anime experiance. “use colours that fare for from realistic and so they create ‘2 more dreanke,atemate reality” Freelance ilustrotor Tont Infante haga similar experience uoon iscovering manga. ‘Dragon Ball vas probably the frst one leame across," he says. "Seeing those powerful characters with weird heirrealiyieftanerdscety inne INDUSTRY INSIGH When i comes to syle, i it eter to he a jack of all rades? What's your painting stylet Fy nacsuzethave one setsiyl, In thebeginning! wanted to bea realistic paimer, but found that by improving my rendering and lighting had only made ieasier tide the laws in my underlying drawings To combat tis Ishifted stylesto one that focused on my drawing abies, which was something had zero confidence in Since then ve heen tying io challenge mynelftoaddees ny Faves in more creative ways, Did this result in false leads? ‘Not eally. dont thinks too much bout being different or having 10 hhaveaclearidentity. dont mind wearing myinfhiences on my sleeve. Nobody pets to where they arewithout having people inspice them so I don really caretoo ‘much about developing astyle ustwant wo be happy doing ‘what Fenjoy doing that ends tuplooking unique thats awesome, burificlooks ike one of my heroes then fm aways happy to pay homage aswel Do artists need a distinctive style to land work? ‘There ate no absolutes in the art. indstry. That beings you expect io work for Bungie on Destiny and you apply witha ‘manga portfolio you will ikely rot geta job. You sil need 19 lenow yo audience when, applying forwork. But for you. there are no rulesand you never knows who will end up seeing the work you pucout and contacting, you todo that for them, anew eng tater fo Seton Md wali "dig ft Canes et es The minute the Sailor Moon intro came on, I was completely mesmerised %ImagineNation__ Seeing those powerful rie laca Ry URN SIes ely ei wiy esse ene ae = ——> impression on me. thik it's stil feasy tosee the influence of Dragon Ball writer and ilustrator Akira Toriyama on my style, which includes plenty of dynamic shapes and anoles: CAREER OPTIONS Sohhanouring your influences can lead te your style, bt can your style lead to won? According to Djamie, 2 signature style can both ope close doors to potential projects. "if chameleon al power to you! itcan actually be erest when you're working on liferent productions that require you ta smite styles But having at people ‘overthink your approach recognise hast 3925, t00. Because youre being hired for 2 ; ‘and your position inthe industry when comes to hie. Youtl aways bs proivet For me, the sianature style has looking to soe what bringing your unique voice toa been my way tog. It makes me so ‘everyone aloe fs coing to stanc out happy when people tlle that they ‘and end up comparing your work to sam an ilustration of mine and theirs, which ean be very unhealthy For recognised the style. Whan | was ‘your development” he says trying to work lke a Magic: The ‘when youre happy doing what Gathering artist. never received ‘you do, people can dafnitely tell And ‘comments tke that bacouse alli if your style sais all your own ‘was ty tomimic other people's sty, through a motting pot of all your ¥ As long as I can remember, — everyone has tried to beat my anime influence out of me 9 influences then yout worry about trying to ft ‘always someone out there lke you inal industries. rk Donit there's which in Diamila's eat let hor Feeing frustrated and insecure about her bites. "As ong as | can remember,everyone has triad to beat my anime influence out of me,” sha reveals.“ leept tying alifforent styies that thought were expected of me and that were properly ‘artistic’, but | never sattled on anything ‘After exploring diferent styles avay from the clare of her toachers fora fow ‘years, Djarila deci to switch back to whats now her curant style. “Ever Ive been having so much 198 in particular seem tobe susceptible styies. ivan {thatthe Worle ie mare connected than ‘ver, Ton ist surprised that they are popular sty, although that doesnt ‘ean creators ean rely on them entiey.“Ithink thet f someone imitates a particular style or artist lwthout adeing in anything, they're not ‘being honest with themselves,” he says, "its from tha mix of infuances that creative things heppens." “Mangais anart style that only ‘comes under eiticism ina narow field Artist news, software & events Inthis industry" Dave adds.“ you leroy doing amanga style and it rakes you excited to sit down every day and draw, than you must fellow your instinct, FINDING YOUR VOICE Knowing yourself and what excites you Sounds ike straightforward ‘advice, but sometimes even the most ‘assured artists could dowitha reminder to keep ther on track. "An important thing I've leamts that stl isnot enly how you draw but wnat you iran.” says Djamila. "Often lit takes isferyouto open your sketchbook and look at what you're doing when rebody gles youany instructions — the things you drew ust for yourselt. if you're completely lost, creating ‘an influence map could also be @ Useful exercse,"she ads, “Think about the artists or Ps that resonate with you, put them on agrid and analyse each one. What do you tke about t? How could you incorporate that aspect into your ann work?" Dave takes aless-metnoctea! ‘aperoach."| dont think youcan truly Find your voice without faling over and ‘over ancl never setting for comfort” he says. “Donttlimit yourself by being arid to show the weakness of what yous. Aids it and put k out there on the forefront. Show people wat it takes to achieve your best version of youas an arts"HOURS OF VIDEO TRAINING } | 3 INSIDE! PAINTER PLUS PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES = ESSENTIALS 6 OFFER FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS Get a digital subscription to gave money! Siitaeacteenm Covey birtsit( oro nmensross (aacae yy leet eee [eyo EzArtist news, software & events More top talent g¢<).— joins Vertex 2019 = Doul umy Speakers from VEX studio DNEG and tabletop gaming powerhouse Games Workshop fill out the Vertex roster Vertex 2019, the annual eventfor CS gam desion manager Ben tite | Meorwhl, Ben wl be invlved wth ‘specialists and aspiring artists, is lust Jefferson willbe in ‘nonstop’ | the Gemes Workshop portfolio review. around the comer. Taking place in Btendance atthe event. OE meen? | Intermec what the Notingharn London's Olympia exhibition centre “Vertes 2012 s90n3 based gaming stud intrested ‘on March, this year’s conference tobe great says Ben tals ImagineFx tho" We'e sees 0p20 and SDtalent come | Adsi."Tim building on my tal From looking for nspratonal concept together to share inustry Insights ast year How to make gal ares nevis who can explore ‘our Warhammer universes and ‘generate new, unique ideas anc ‘conceats. We noed people wiho can inspire our miniatures designers by SS acing to and enriching our range of fentesy mode's. Have you secured your Vertox ‘beuets? You ean bookcthem online at and inspire creators. hhuraan in a day ~ by explainina how to ‘On top ofthe tas by ILM and Create an entire city in 2¢hours. ts all ‘Atomhawk we announced about using areat resources tha are lastmonth,weean also available nine, anes working confirm that DNEG build inteligently. enabling you to focus on supervisor Adam Dewhirst design rather than getting bogged and Games Worksho——_Gownby technical constraints 6 We need people who can inspire our miniatures designers by adding to be OG or rte ccsssrat rs pases and enriching our range of models , i sthere students, See you there! l) sone ma SSPEImagineNation Artist in Residence Mike Mahle ero worship The Midwestern artistS space is part artist retreat, part pop-culture museum, and all fun When we moved into ourhouse, the basement was Unfinished. Having young kids we had to make the decision to use the basement as aplay area, ora studio, We decided to spit the difference ‘and do half and halt things ideemes essential, such a5, comic books ane! huge suerhers statues Pies ight? PERSONAL LIBRARY dloubies 25.5Artist news, software & events One of the things I wanted to make sure I had was plenty of room for reference 9%2» anything put out by Brandon Ragnar Johnson or J Scott Campbell mighty crganised and the way yousea thingshare isu Took, However if piece for several days tend ts have reference and sketches sortedinto piles about my desk. When fm done! clip everything together and filet away unde the job name EARLY COLLEGE WORK Iidontt have much of my ovm work lisplayedin my studio, simay because I proterto look to other artists for inspiration, The exception to this is the back wall whore | have ahaltlozen framed drawings that ld calle, when 1 was trying to igure cut wnat was doing, Theres someheavy sim Lee-nspired stuff ther, Most of my work's cial However, | alvays start with aloose sketch ora detailed drawing, depending on what's called for. A scanner and printer are ImagineNation Ar Often I'll do a thumbnail sketch that can generate great energy and impulsiveness % essential to the way I work. Often ldo ‘a quick thumbnail sketch that can ‘onsrate great energy and lenputsiveness, Tat eon be hard to replicate on alarger scale, soIl'scanin the thumbnail prin it out at alarger size, and use the light table to capture the thumbnails eneray in more data atabotter so, For my computer’ battle station use a Wacom Intuos ane the Adobe Creative Suite, with ilustrator bang the workhorse, Double seroons are the way to.90.| use one exclusively for palates so that my main screen isn't logged up with ther. Mike as be proestona graphic ex fr aver 2 years, ‘srr for abut 10 Some of hs iets Include Disney, Sony Picts, Warne Bes. and Roc Paper Books Hesse am active Imenber of dhe Roster Pose To see more of ison visit webmail,Sign up for the ImaginerX newsletter today! Get weekly news, reviews, tips & inspiration Out every Tuesday As a thank you, receive a free 148-page Animation Artist eBook when you sign up to our newsletter SIGN UP NOW!Letters YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS Contact the editor, Claire Howlett, on [email protected] or write to ImagineFX, Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA 1UA, England Follow us on Twitter: EF] Tellss your thoughts on Facebook: seu facebook conyimaginets Post your art or photos on Instagram: al Somer a ae Newsletter request Might I sign up for a printed copy of your advertised newsleterand Complementary animation volume? At ahobbyistofthis ype of art donot have or eit a computer or online equipment but do purchase your ineon a regular basis hampton, England (aire replies Mr Conner Fm fai we rin ox the muster anu sent asi onl provides soigpts of sori, You uae cco alk og the full sary 50 ‘it wont be any oa for you. What ashame! Faring weave, we provide a wey rust jroi readers a theresa gi cohen ou sg ap. Mire details pe 32 Not what 1 ‘ebeen a bigfinof imagine for sears and ve always been happy with dhe magazine unt today. Fn just vwriingin express ray disappointment thatyou didnt do anything i help out the pesson who Jost alls magazines in fein = Calforia now youdont veto DID YOU MISS twas disappointing HE PREVIOUS ngeuretpensewarjsyoucan® PACKED ISSUE? ; : Dontworry—you buy them here’ ceanstll et hold Theleastyou could bave done waslet_ oft Vist ttpes// ifxmag/IZLifs. Jim picka couple of digital ssues for taut enorme jaa free Ht wouldnt have cost you much to sgivehimayears subscription, ‘ust fel you could have done more {for someone who was a loyal fan and nad pent countess dollars buying issues and Fm really disappointed that you use his plight asa ploy to get readers to go buyback issues instead of just offing him something, ‘Tara, wia email (Claire replies Thais for yur eral, "a, Tiss ar interest one for me because | agro with you. Unfrznaay cs off wor sie ver Oe deadine period, so mea omy team replat he Teens on ny heal For ofernce this a wry unusual ccm. Tehas mew happened ef in ny 10 pers dio. This person war shat say on my behalf 0 decide! wre wit yu saw. On may tetuntoerTwaeapp with what toaster, bt hare ws nothing we uid do because te magazine hal gone 1 press. dag, we ere al upset wi ow the reply came aces As amasie, (had alwady emailed the pert an ofeed co sen some magznes, whic he wil have received by ros 1s ant than you forte in 10 support your flow rt aad to make our bs kr, Files canary realy Jaks ou for eac ther — ts wiat mals ‘hist community fincas. Can you come to the US? Uheep hearing aout your event in London and seeing how ye wll meet the teaers and also have workshops sessions. and just wanted wo ak you'd come to Canada pease Specially 10 (or nea) my home cy of Gttawal There's a great community here and Tinsue yeu woul love ft Jen, via email Gare replies fen fii wee up to me, ld Ihave ony booed my ik Wel eve to ‘ete mere events in the face aed ee we hae a big autience Canal vad he US. You be te fist eo now Fue dot New works that have grabbed our attentionaSachin Teng Dropping out of college, roughing it in motels, working up a mountain: the US artist tells about the high and lows of a roller-coaster career Fee eee rs ene NS) Peery ety Precenreraereee cert entero eaten erereeerr eer ee etree ye eeteren rere nny peer er eerereret tran ere tere Neen eee ene aces erin) Peo eer cree rer eee creer er areenerc erates oterrent ec se ei rae PROFILE Phe) eet et eee Peon ac ee ees Parenter ern iene Inthe pas, teachers preached lofty Pee ete a een es did, They said all the stuf Sachin was oR Tole me up. They just stared and thought By Tia ry errr tetets Persie See ai ered Ren coment et ore cea eee ete eee etd ee eee Pret tenet ones rete et eet ny Perera teat Peeters Coser inno Doe rears ee eee nee eon were inthe middle of eriigue session, ee eee because they were all in thesame eg eters stay praesent ats Perea endand thought: "Yeah, same’ Survey vas hel. Weall had horror stories used to pull allnighters end on end But it got me a couple of spots in the Society of llustrators, and even fone avard. When itwas ove, all | remembered was the exhaustion.” ‘What Sachin did next seemed like a gamble, She quit. Maybe Pratt taught ther too well, because she decided to use the final year’s tuition fee to set herself up asa working artist or real Her mother agreed ~ on one condition IFit didn't work out she had to goback tocollege Her mother also gave tight ealines: 80 yeas THE FREELANCER’S FIX Sachin went on holiday with her family toTabyan, They went on tour ‘ofthe mountains Everybody ese took in the scenery, enjoying the experience ofthe open rad. However, Sachin set If you turn down work you feel like you're turning down money, which is scary upoffice in theback of the cat, worked ‘oa her laptop with a SIM card ina USI stick for Wi. She had a deadline. She needed to finish an illustration, send it ‘olf theartdirsctorfor approval, and she had an hour eft todo it. Then her Dattery died The tour stopped ata storein the riddle of nowhere. The rain lashed down on this small building made of compat iron, Sachin ran inside to askif they had a socket charge her laptop. They dil. With theeocie licking, she breathed enough bf into the battery co turn icon, catch a WiFi signal, and send off her wor Sachin Teng eco: AND “This supposedly, was a vacation,” Sachin says, “W's Fanny to me now, but atthe time Iwas wo stressed out. Work Lifebalanceis hatd asa freelance Thi isthe Feelancers tix. Starting ‘out, youte going to be broke = possibly for yeas, Sachin was. After college, she left New York, her hometown, and moved to Los Angeles. Slowly steadily, ‘work came in, She overcompensated, She sid yes to everything, anything, She worked weekends, worked on ten down work,” ‘urningdawn money. Which iseary asa freelancer, because they might» + ns GRE’ Sachin Teng never contact you ever again. But ‘you have to learn tobe okay with that” Sachin'best art comes when the client enables her to do her owe thing, But commercial work soften about ‘compromise. The cient is entitled to sive detailed instruction. They we paying fori, ater al. “The confusing and weird clients are the ones that want you to do artin someone elses style, which isthelt plain and simple. And it makes about asmuch sense as callingan electrician to fixyourplumbing. You just have to take tom the chin and try not to take it personally. Enjoy your ar as much and asolten as possible. Notevery piece can be you ‘magnum opus, which means ifyou have to mail itin w meet a deadline, soul have to submit work you don't thinkis finished, T don't pow anyone ‘who hasnt submitted work they wish they could add just one more detail 10" ‘Sachin has worked fora wide range ofclients in adiverse range of fle 66 You're not stuck in any one field. This is the best thing about being a freelancer advertising (Coca-Cola, Disney), ‘editorial (The Atlantic, the New Yorke), avd publishing (Dare Horse ‘Comics, Penguin Random House). professorat taught Sachin how to marke herself in this way. Theeconomy up and dows, ‘clients come and go, butyou'e got 10 smake sure things are aleays ticking, ‘over Finish a job and youteon tothe next. fyoute not making money in editorial, switch pot stuclein any one feld. This isthe best thing about being afeelancet LANDING THE THING Sachin stats every new pee wit research ~ wading the book, watching, the film listening to thealbarn = {getting to know whatever itis she’s iMustrating. Research is especially important for editorial work on social forpoliical ives. Sachin makes a ‘comprehensive mood board of relevant images, then skeichesand brainstorms, ‘mostly in Photoshop or Illustrator. »Occasionally an idea jumps out, but usually she has to workatit.She never forces this tage: “Making a good illustration is about problem-solving. The canccit sto finesse it nto an elegant solution” rom here it's abou “logistics”‘the thing’ flying, All Sachin hast dois land iesmoothy. Bur thar’ easier said than done, and is frustrating when course, which can take time you may not have. lot of the time a successful ilastration comes dawn to whether or not Ica Figure ton in ime.” ESCAPE FROM THE BED ZONE Sachin works from home, alenys near ‘window, and struggles with the “bybical temptation” of herbed being a few fet from her desk, Nota morning person, shes wake up and ‘urns. on musicor the TV as loud as possible, to fore herself out of ee She walks to Starbucks for coffe or. if she’s really struggling. the corner sore for Red Bul. Alot of the day is spent answering emails, oF printing. assembling and posting merchandise, ‘When she gets to work, i's ona Wacom tablet connected to an iMac, Her wow icons then York City kil like her grew up with these things. tists who are starting ‘out always worry about Finding their styles, their voice, Sachin says you've always got it~ you just don‘ realise "Yourstyleisjustyouu" she says. “I's I'm a little illustrator, a little designer, a little fine artist. It’s more fun that way § ates lots of pop culture swlo Game Bey, the Sony Walleman, the Nike Dunks This is because her attisaself portait. New Sachin Teng ironic becaise 1 be orginal means do something no one has © bofore. ma itl lastato designer, lite fine artist. It’s mone fun that way” MOTHER'S DEADLINE Sachin moved to Los Angeles to financially support her partner, who'd been offered a job there. They lived in a motel fora couple of weeks, then took the frst apartment that would take them in the Van Nuys area, where they slept on an air mattress for another thiee months, Pretty soon, Sachin had used all her savings. » + na GRE} ai g x i ey loor.te The only thing that will set you apart and move you forward is to be the most faithful version of yourself you can be ‘She considered getting “proper job” Butby then ber partner was ‘making mone eo support them. Sachin hated not paying her ‘own way Plas, her mother's Gwo-year deadline was almost up, his was the one time trl deeply felt leaving schoo! had been a ‘mistake. But my mom saw me busting my assand, even though Iwasnt quite here, she cou se i, So she ited the ‘ov0.jeardeadline and letitplay out 10 LEAVING LA ‘What Sachin’ doing next seems like a gamble. She's leaving Los Angeles alter almost a decade and going home to New York. Pratt showed Sachin how to do the one thing every workingartist must do: pay the ent. These days, that’s not so much of a strugale. But the lifeof an aecst will alwayscomne slow to the conflict between doing go04 work and making goad money ‘Sachin’ sll working on that one "ay own art al lacks fearlessness, bpecause atthe end of he day I need 12 make a livin he work make wher rd, and. [never reget te work Lmake when tm confident “The only thing that will set you apartand move you forwards tobe the most faithful version of yourself you can manage. and stop stressing ‘youself ont and eating youself ap tuying olive up to what you think you reed to be, lot artists can be way too hard on themselves"Interview Sachin Teng LComplete your collection! issues Missed an issue? 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Mision ers Perea ya INC: CHARACTER A ee <= E = = Issue 171 Issue 170 Issue 169 Issue 168 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 Christmas 2018 ‘Auca Auclar creates our Get better atteling stories with ‘Character art advice from cover com Procreate. your art, ith pre adviee trom fertist Me Miton, add texture ane Youllalso get composition and cover artist Jon Faster and fame artists, vist | colourto your portrets. and anatomy advice. plus ve explore Abigal Larson, We explain how to {udio CD Projekt Red- pene shading techniques, waystoavoidacreativecrash, make yourtimecn Patreon a= Rome-f The Witcher series and Elsewhere, wettalc to Magic: The ‘ik to VR guru Gora Fujtaand success, and interview ilustrators Cyberpunk 2077 ~ and al CGathering’s Svetin Velinoy and ore.over Loish sketchbook, Scott M Fischer ang Phil HaleBack issues RESOURCES ARE INCLUDED WITH PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS* ieee DC a a Xl Acs e es Bows Issue 167 Issue 166 Issue 165 Issue 164 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018. 3 3 HOURS OF EXLUSWVE Pi VIDED TRAN aS TES PAGE COC TIL EON Issue 163 Issue 162 Issue 161 Issue 160 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 _ May 2018 TT tts Sinn, EY Issue 159 Issue 158 Issue 157 Issue 156 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018along, elegant form... %Sketchbook Martin Abelets i Seattsceossese® CHARACTER DESIGN © When I travel, [like ~ to draw in MoleskineSkeichboc yi Martin. Abel 3 BB) 7.© Lespecially love combining fine, detailed lines with watercolour paints °° 2Martin AbelThe number one destination for digital art news, views and how-tos (2) CREATIVE BLOO Graphic design | art | Web design | 3 | Digital artmag Oli ne Wistohore: Advice from the world’s best artists Paint a fantasy manga portrait Asia Ladowska puts aside her ink pens and markers, and ‘embraces the digital painting process sheillastrates colourful manga character Design creatures with personality Apply key at ideas suc movement, volume, sh ‘contrast o your creat techniques o paincan urban setting that’ full of detail IMlustrate the arm and hand Patrick J Jones studies the wicky subject of arm and hand anatomy as itrotates while discussing how to avoid the three hells of drawing, Create your ‘own Asuka See how Paul Kwon reinterprets a character from the Neon Genesis Lvangelion franchiseWorkshops Photoshop PAINT A FANTASY MANGA PORTRAIT Asia Ladowska puts aside her ink pens and markers, and embraces the digital painting process of a soft and colourful manga character kshopIim — imporiantstep and my thinking | and blue sparkled in my mind. not jeautifal process, aswell as why Imake certain forthe song and the feedback fom racter.My decisions thataflet the final Imagine? 1m sure the asually appearance ofthe character ‘would have ended up being pastel concepts pinkaand blue (lke the hair of ost cifferent of my characters that ve painted phase, Iwas digitally) Ws exciting to experiment ningalotwhen im painting listeningto misicand believe tor with colours that Ive never used with digital tools. meet Sunset, a happy ngat you from the will ook bike 0 make: [heard the line, “Day gives way to share in this workshop every. night” and that’ when the deep red — SN UN Generating concept sketches ‘The biel I eceve is prety straightforward, with alot of freedom for experimenting. stat by sketching some closeup bots ofa wornan in ber 20s, makng.sute she's looking. atthe viewer and tha she'ssmiling. [always make the expression ofthe character I draw myself so the sketching process has le me in aeally good mood! >>Workshopsdepth Manga portrait ‘Second round of feedback The nev concept worked for Imagine PX; however, Imasked to make some more changes. Because the ainting was looking. litle too dae, the team suggests ightening the dress and background, and introducing, some yellow highlights inthe eye. Sure! Yin mach more confident on how to take the painting farther now. Making selections to separate out elements Making selections isa long and telous process, hut itsworth the efor. Son artists just paint on one of more layers, but like to heep everythingedltable and easy o select So foreach element ike the skin, the halrat the font, hairat the and the dress make fat selections with the Pen tool, ll on separate layers, =) Painting basic colours and shading ‘Once ve mace a selection | usually just lock the Transparency or create a clipping mask to the exact shape layer and then start painting adding basic colours that Iwan use asa reference an! then some simple shading wall of the characters elements, such as her skin or diss. This stage is more about finding the right colours than trying to make everything look perfect,Workshops Creating line art think that a ley characteristic for manga-style artis line art, so Lalvays add itiato my werkt some point Black lines would make the painting look too nash, 60 Tse colours that Te swathed from various places in the painting. Toschange the color intially picked I can allways lock the pixels ofthe layer and ty diferent ones, —— Painting hair texture Using the basic colours ofthe hairin the previous step, I paint up and dower with my custo Hai rush to make the strands look more ike hai. As splat sounds, however, takes me afew hours to paint inal hose strands so theres no need tospenl more time makingselections Softening the image Inmy pinion this phase drastically changes the ilkstation. Ino longer stick to selections, butcreate a neve group abowe everything and then paint. sea soft Roun brush tosoften selected edges, such asthe yellow enelsof the woman’ fringe with a colour picked from exacly the same plac. This makes them look like theyre glowing, Painting in the stars or sta in the background [use the brush that can be downloaded from Adobe's Creative Cloud. From the Brushes men click Get More Brushes.’ ane of Kyle's Spaiter brushes pack, called Dots 1. L adjust he Spacing and Size Fite, add in the stars hen apply the Blur and Oveday Filters, Now the stats look perfect. paint the stars on the characte’ face and hair ona separate layer by bang,Introduce reflective light on the face In depth Manga portrait With such a colourful and sttong environment, loseing hair ots of stars, Sunset’ face was lookinga litle flat and not partof the ‘environment. [need wo remedy this, On a Maliply layer Tadd sorae shadows to make her look more hree-dimensional, and an another oneset {to Normal L apply some pink and yellow on the ja line and blue on the neck, because these colours would have an effet on the shadows. Design a crystal necklace time for dewailing, The sleeves of Sanser’s drest are missing crease lines the dies itself receives afew brushstrokes, and then facidadiamand necklace i the shape of the Sun and the Moon to complement her look. Talsoadd a few constellations to her hair wo makeher look even more magical Applying the fini ing touches To finish of, my process is almost ahways the same. add a Color Balance filter Lay bluesa lite further | also Mater all ayers asa copy aber with Midiones at +3, -3 and +, expeetvely to push everything reds, pinks and nd apply Gaussian Blur filter toi, erase the parts that don't want blucred, and now Sunset looks much softer and finished. Even though her hair isnt pink, fm pleased hove this painting took me on a space journey beyond ray usual ar frontiers! @ECG COUN ; TO READ y ) ; ema’ MORE ABOUT a © | VERTEX EUS a Tao ae 8 MARCH 2019 OLYMPIA LONDON 1/C NO> DS O © Sey a RCAC Let ee ee eee a) Cte ee niece aan If you're looking to expand your knowledge and sharpen your skils, the Workshop is the place to be. De eee Ce CR ese es Bednar ee ceed Cece gg eee ue eke ae a the top agencies and artists creating the best archviz in the business. Recruiters and artists share their essential tips on how to boost your showreel and stand out from the crowd, (ie ee ae Re ec ca where there'll be many studios looking out for new talent. ee eRe ee ee ge something that you haven't ever tried before, at our expo. Seca ee CCE oR Caceres networking event, where you can relax and meet fellow artists.Workshops Artist insight DESIGN CREATURES WITH PERSONALITY Guille Rancel passes on his creature design skills, showing you how to apply key art ideas such as movement, volume, shape and contrast is Designing creaturesis And theres no better motivation les good to be self-critical, always Bist fone ofmy fwourites than knowingyou can earn living keep learningand try out new tools, artassignments bydoingwhatyoulove, Butitsnot Practice isthe key, Draw everything Tivebeen drawing easy. Ivealways considered art like» youl pet faster an your aia will themsincelwasa sport Youneed! to practiceand train becomea database full of wenences. child trying to ell astory featuring if you want to improve Thete are also afew basic ips you ‘my creations without words, ‘When youdiawevery dayand lead may know, but it's good to go. There reso many possibilities, _ have thousands of used sheets of over them again: contrast, shapes, and so many new creaturesto find. paperandsketchbooks, you learn ines of ation, movement, = Hucthatsthe pointof figure design. some tricks to make the process 2. perspective... Puta these together Gee Comicbooks, animation and novels lteeasier. And Lhaveno excuse for and your creatures wll ook aliveand inspited metocreate myown art, not having inspiration at hand. be full of personality Le ae MELEE gk) =—— think this isa limitation, butt also ‘QUICK THUMBNAILS forces you to be extra creative. This Drawing quick and simple thumbnails is a helpful warm-up exercise. approsch canbe agood method for There are a few things to bear in mind, though. | always try to keep the ——esigning a squad of characters that design simple: the silhouette needs to be easy to read. | use a solid work together, ike superheroes, colour and sometimes | draw over it with a darker colour tone. In this Thase shapes are just one way to ‘case I'm concentrating on creatures, which means I'm free to create stort your desions, Somatimes Ibroak different shapes, combining object, animal and human elements, the sthouette by adding elements, or eave some empty spaces fagHEEK Ace 2019Artist insight Creature design . Spe FF . Gey) s © &‘ 4 RANDOM WARM-UPS S Another useful starting exercise is to simply draw without a specific purpose. And it’s important to me to do this ——————_—_—+1—+———~ _ without references. | don't expect to 3 LOOKING FOR REFERENCES create my greatest piece of art this way, It dont feo inspired to craw then I look around for somereferences. inthis but this can inspire future projects. Maybe case, il search for objects that Icaneither use as part of ecreature.orjust act I'll pay attention to these sketches !salsunch point to galvanise me into action. My main eferencesowrcesare someday and fresh ideas will come to ‘mythology, animals and nature ard so draw some objacts (African masks, mind. Its also a good exercise to banish runes, a eauldron..) and some animal. My sketchooks are ullef such the dreaded artist's block. doodles and they can easy end up being part ofa figure dosian references are @ My main I mythology, \ i p animals and nature $9 Oy ' 5 COMBINING BASIC SHAPES This epproach can lead to interesting results, One of my previous thumbnails isa blond of triangles, circles and a rectangle. When | sketch over this base form | can see immediately thats 2 one-eyact warrior hare earring shield anda candle. start witha very simple deocle in ‘greyscale and then adé some details in the colour drawing This breaks up the symmetry and make ths character more visualy appealing. + seve ma GREWorkshops 7 DYNAMIC POSES AND LINES OF ACTION 6 IMPORTANCE OF BODY LANGUAGE Using simple lines will define the movement of the Ifyou want your creatures tobe expressivechenitsencialto creature. These are called lines of action. They'll vary Understand anatomy and body language. Combine these two lepending on the creature’s mood and activity. kay topies and your creation wl feel more alive | believe i's Straight lines can make your figure look boring or ‘ital to understand how bodies can express an emotion. You ‘static, so | often use curved and contrasting lines ean obtain relerencs from plenty of sources: sty ins, because they result in more eye-catching body Friends and model sessions; lokcin the miror or takesome. Positions. It's crucial to draw a range of dynamic photos of interesting pases. Ths step is crucial As cartoon poses, because they're a useful way of testing your character designer, | tend to exeogerate these body creature's proportions and anatomy. expressions with more pronounced curves or shapes. 8 NOTHING'S: SET IN STONE Maintain your creativity by revisiting older cesians anc producing vaiants that willwore in that universe, Here m keeping the same basic shapes and proportions forthe different versions, Colours and materials have an important role to pay. too, What if nstead of leaves, he has erystal har? Or maybe there's ‘constant flame on the tp of his head? These variations can enrich ‘your original concept. Other ‘options include chansing the se, ‘age or sex of the character: @ Maybe there’s a constant flame on the top of his head? $9insight Creature designWorkshops 10 ADDING OBJECTS ‘An object can be a good way to further strenathon creature's design. These props eanbboost thelr personality and charisma, and can also enrich theie back story. What are they carrying? And why? Maybe ‘they're carrying luggage, or theyreholcing alantern tolight the path into a mysterious forest. Depending fon what they have on their back or in their hancls you Can define the jobs or roles in your narrative. EXPERIMENT WITH FACIAL EXPRESSIONS Body poses are of vital importance when showing a creature's emotion, bt sos their facial expressions. Both work touether. Try some basic ‘emotions lice happiness or anger, then try lss-common ones, By plscing a small miror close to your werk area, or using your camera phone, you can use yourselfas reference. Stuy how the facial muscles move. Essentially, eyebrows and mouth willdo the most amount of worcfer basic fantasy eraatures. Consider adjusting the ears while squashing ov stretching the main shape ofthe head to accentuate these emotions 12 ADD SOME PERSPECTIVE he Another way bo inierove your 6 It's important to ‘creature designs is adding some mi perspective syrmety can be work with depth very boring, and a simple pose Viewed from the front mey alto | and space 98 resonate with the viewer. So it's important to work with depth and space, to give your creature a strong feeling of movement. Try different angles wien you sketch your characters, and look for references if you're struggling. With this creature, I've increased the stroke width in some areas that are close to the viewer to boost the feeling of depth.] FOCUS THE VIEW ON YOUR CREATURE oht Creature design With some simple lines defining a direction, you can create a point of interest in your drawing where you can focus the viewer's attention. This visual flow leads the viewer's eyes in the direction you want. You can even create different entry points and there are a lot of ways to achieve this. Faces and hands are Very expressive, so concentrate your efforts here. Colour and lighting can also help. increase the brightness or ramp up the saturation of the area that you want the viewer to focus on. aT Does this creature havea back story? And how can you tei? Its goodto choose the rlaht moment The atitude anc action ofthe creature wil play important rola, even f they're standing sti or looking at sametring. The {environment olays an important role, too. It helos to explain whats happening to your ereature. Aciding some props and detals in the background wil ‘support the story and give context tothe figur's pers 1S D Lighting and colour are key tools tose when painting creature concepts. You must pay with lights and shadows to create interesting and atmespherc environments. This wil focus the lowers ayer to soma areas ofthe drawing, Selecting source light and applving the correct shaces wil enable you to highight key parts of your design. Keepin mind that colour, lighting and shadows are only part ofthe story. Make the choices that wil enhance rather then detect from your narrative. Carry out colour tests to see which ones work bestWorkshops Photoshop COMPOSE AN A IM STREET SCENE > Tan Hui Tian uses colouring, lighting and perspective techniques to paint an urban setting that's full of details anime backgrounds are painted pints ut inereasing_ly studios re switching to digital tools, Backgrounds are designed to suit the celshaded animation in the foreground. and elfer ‘painted backgrounds created for films in that, there are more hand painted elements, and the lous are more satiated, For this workshop I'll be describing my process for creating an anime-style background. It would be good if you had an awareness of basic perspective concepis, such show to set upa simple two-point perspective gid ge 3b pea UNIS Compositional sketch tart off by searching for inspimtion on Pintees searching online and going Unrough my reference folders. decide to do a common scene in anime: a quit street in daylight. Ihave a rough composition in mind, and sketch ivout with asimple brush, ACthis stage, have a wo point perspective in mind, but choose not 10 usea perspective fri yet, so thatthe sketch can be more dynamic Moving on to colour flats [then lay down colon flats in dit ge component that arent tou Paint Bucket tools to reae te shapes. AL thi stage there's one forall the shapes to be precise. I’s mone important tocreatetonal contrasts and interesting shapes. >>Workshops Generate a rough sketch EE Inthe areas that are unresolved, [draw rough Working to the correct perspective suieline ofthe shapes that want on another layer find ‘Once t have the shapes more of les pinned dovsn, then correct thera iteasierto refine theshapes afterwards, rather than to the perspective grid. You can cteatea perspective grid with the aawing pevse lines the art nection is move line FiltersVanishig Poin tool in Photoshop For this use the Polygon Tool on the based then {spend aoe ime refining the undersketch Star setting with 100 sides and 99 percent indented sides before maving on tothe inking stage. Refining shapes without over-rendering When rendering, Ifind references of the weal world object and simplify that in my artwork. | ty to work om the detail without zooming in too much, and finish the overall shading est. For the greenery, aloof it issuggested so there's no need to oversende' i Lskip around fom, component to component alt during this sage, so that Im net tempted to spend to0 much time on one particular element.Street scene @ "WORKSHOP BRUSHES = ‘Overlay lighting A good trek for creating visual imerest through Blending details lighting isto play around with the tonal contass add decals quickly by using the Type or Shapes eggs James Gurney’ explanation ofthe Windmill Principle tool, rasterising the result and then blendingitinto the ‘higps:ifsm.aglig-windmill) helped me alot.decide artwork. Make sue that the decal is ofthe correct tonal tohhave the cast shadow eut areas the hedge in value and saturation. Hfnecessary | colour correct using, Foreground lef. use brushes on Dodge ard Ovelay the Hue & Saturation or Curves tools then adda ‘modi to quickly crentethe backlit effect on thehedige, _weatheringeffect by using a textured eraser in the environment makes sense to save time by duplicating items that are repeated around the scene fe tem isnt meant wo bea perieec lone, mightWorkshops Colour picking to create cohesiveness didn't have a colour paket in mind when Lbegan this piece, bu Lwant to create cheery atmosphere. To create cohesiveness between the diferent colours, use the ColorPicker to select colours from other parts ofthe image, and have spots of colours distributed throughout Putting the wall mural into perspective Ise the Perspective Wazp tool to warp the mural design on to the wal. ike co Keep my Meve'Tool on auto select with the waasfocm contols visible, This means that there’ one fewer step involved in transforming any layer object. 1 ean also witch between layers easily, and quite often don’t have to worry about naming my layers. To transform a layer object manually, goto Edit>Free Transform, IX Aci 2019Street scene ‘Objects in perspective I don't really use the perspective grid because I fin that play by the rules wo much when its visible However it often necessary to refer toi for equally spaced abjecs You can use this trick when yout need to ‘Adding visual interest find out te distance between equally space objects in ‘hisis the fun part for me. add little quisky details iewo the environment perspective, The zig zaglines will alwaysbe parallel to such as graffi. animals, signs and posters, often adel my Space Penguin mascot Aer corsesponding ines (ig to zig, zag to 24). into the artwork somewhete, and other lite insider jokes, Bringing the colour together ‘Colour adjustment layers tie the disparate colours together. im using a lot of layers on diferent blending modes, but the most important ones ae the textured brush shape on Mukiply mode (fr the castshadow), and the layers with sft Airbrush blobs on Soft light and Color ‘mode thatenhances the sunlight and biveshadovss, also make other adjustments, such as adding atmospheric fog fr increasing the sauration on the shadow ofthe clouds To make sure the layer adjustments dowt muddy the colours beneath, [set the layers wo Normal, 100 percent ‘Opacity and refine the shapes as needed, Adding a character Wher adding in Figures into a finished environment, Uconside the perspective before blocking them in Here, [render the young woman in neta lighting, and then adjust he colouts with the Curves wool | place the characte layer under sone of the colour adjustments layer, ensuring thatthe colours appeat mare cohesiveNext month je i) DO ae cee anona art “masterclass! Discover how your favourite film artists draw and paint for the big screen in our next issue! Te reas Ura cs Pe me ST Fad Mm CaN ated interview Meret Senior Lucasfilm Explore the studio | The designer from — Kevin McGivern conceptartist Jama _ of veteran film Blade Runner 2049 _ illustrates the icon Jurabaev shows us costume artist PSE aee) of all sci-fi icons: ieee Pets AVC TS TI et aE CoWorkshops ILLUSTRATE THE ARM AND HAND studies the tricky subject of arm and hand anatomy as it rotates, while discussing the three hells of drawing les the sixth part of my anatomy series, and this month we'll be ms, if drawn gesturally can havea shythiic appearance. Ifthe gesture ofthe anatomy ist taken {mt consideration then they ean loole stiff due to uber structural up-and. down hinge movement. The hinge joint isthe elbow ofthe lower arms tla one Fin into the spanner Tike condyles of the upper arm's humerus bone, GET INTO THE RHYTHM recently taught workshop that cavered the mast structral part of the body: the hea. The students were coe apy Seal SUI ay suprised to learn that its possible to ithustrate the gesture of the head by following the rhythmic nature of smuscleand flesh, During the elas | distilled the essence of drawing structure ssyleinto chece simple st gesture; lay inthe struct the hythms. These three stage constitute a fete of stud In study \we enter the realm of the humble by acknovoedging thetes more learn. Although | teach my own online workshops, atseww.pjartworks.com and at CGMA, Tim also a member of The New Mase Academy, t's here that ‘anatomy models andar admire, including Steve Huston and ‘Glen Vilpp, as they talk about the philosophy of art while drawing, One artstin particular, Danny G isa marvel co watch when drawing rhythm. My point here i that we should process of studying. even when we've well nto ‘utr professional career. THE THREE HELLS Gesture, structure and render are everything we need to crea heavenly drawings bute components can he hellish if ‘unbalanced. When we rely on gesture too much ou figure drawings become floppy and boneless. This is sesturehell And ifwerely on structure 00 much our drawings become wooden and sti welcome to structare hell Ifwe use render 0 hide poor gesture or structure then ‘our drawings will look laboured and tl, This isthe worst hell. Wee all sinners t one point or another Check the sty sheet atthe end for anatomy landmacks and but for nose Jets getdrawing that arm. »Workshops Looking at the twisted arm study (right), you can see how the straighter acm study (lef was started with broad gestural shapes, from the large dekoid top to narrower waist at the bottom. Ths spesture heaven, Note how much twist he west iscapable ofby following the ulna (lbov) bone, ‘The importance of staying sharp keep my penel lead long and sharp, which helps beep my kines long, gestural and accurate With the faded structure lines underneath Ihave the confidence to make tac ine more gestural and Maidan wp. This also gives me the chance to improve the anatomy with every stoke, Develop a good plot Having plested out the basie structural shapes, based on simple anatomy, wipe the drawing back toa ‘ghost form with tise. Ths eats a faded oad map for ‘me toartculate the mote sophisticated lines and tones to follow add proportional head-size based divisions help contro the length. ‘The bunching of muscles Hay in some forms with the pencil edge, then soften the forms broadly with ashammy leather oh wo ‘create an ealy fel forthe sofinessof flesh, Notice in the Fightshand drawing how the museles are bunching, “upward due tothe twist and flex ofthe forearm.In depth Figure drawing: part 6 Keep in mind the hierarchy of muscles Here the study begins in earnest. this poinc im overlapping the pectoralis muscle across the biceps but under che ewisting deloids Knowing the hierarchy of muscles helps me understand depth and form, “The deltoid is king” isa good phrase to temember forthe arm. 2»Workshops How to get ahead in anatomy ete seize the chance vo draw some digi luxury chat ie hand I compare the bottom of the nose to te top ofthe head. also use a ngelasses don always have time for‘To sight the length of a nent of three-and-one-chird heads from shoulker to fingertips. apture the twisting of arm muscles eve Lworkon both arm studies at onc, going ack andl forth as [shade the ‘curved forms. Doing tis helps us understand the twisting and bunching of brous ‘muscle as the arm turns. A this point we ae in gesture and structural heaven Considered study has kept us from fallinginto both gestural and structral hell Stay out of render hell Tse paper stump to blend and render tone. This is a dangerous plae as we can easily screw up out solid Structure by over blending and softening the egos 0 "uch that we slowly change the form without noticing ‘his is what | mean by render hell Of dae thre hells this isthe most fearful and destructive.In depth Figure drawing: part 6 = — aWorkshops Don’t sweat the small stuff ‘The other problem with render hell is that we tend to focus on the small sult and lose sight of the big piture. To avoid the sti quality of slow-cooked render hell render gesturally,fllowing the form with penclulua-likerhythmiestokes, ‘moving back and forth, all the way down the arm. Blurred lines Here Fm using a pencil eraser to ‘draw’ the hlighns. I’ worth noting tha rarely use erasers to erase errors. prefer to fade lines with tissue and keep drawing. VT make an ertor that requizes major erasing, "Hind it simpy better to start again with fresh thr. Popping the highlights Using charcoal andl sae Larnudge and rub inte the backgrownal provide a grey tone that visually ‘pops’ the highlights of the flesh by providing onuast For softer highlights I use a kneadable eraser, moving down the arn as before, swaying in shythm, aleays drawing, and movingit side to side. MAGE von 12019 Nobody's perfect... ‘With al the hells avoided we end with a study thats neither too gesturaly floppy nor tou structurally stil: Pronel of myself, sei indulge ia bit of needless render, adding tiny details such as wrinides and veins Yes, ve cteaked open thesinful doors w render hell again, but hey, nobody's perfectIn depth Figure drawing: part 6 THE ANATOMY OF STYLE ARM PRONATION STUDY SHEET Measure one basichead length from Studythe infra drawingsto _Triceps shorten when the triceps/ biceps tops down tothe ulna _see how the twisting flexed, Note the rhythm elbow, then one head downto the wrist. bones turn the muscles. it told. ata Cee een Re tackles chiaroscuro, ies Flexors | fitunder | ulna. Bulge of brachioradialis ‘The forearm extensor muscles grab around the humerus marks one half-iength bone to create a dimple. This is the bone landmark from from shoulder to wrist ‘which the forearm muscles show thelr twist The pronated arm study sheet and-one-thind heads. Note that although i the flat radius Bone on the ‘when the palm isup the hand position s know as supination __thumlyside that wists ower the ulna, its easier to see the ball shape of When thepalm is down, i's called pronation. With pronation weturn the ulna on the wrist Just follow the ulna. You cam also see tha biceps the thumb toward our body, twisting the muscles attached t the a auius, while the brachials under the biceps attaches © radius bone across the ulnabone, much Likea bunched-up vowel, Ate wina, Finally the Una bone ts the landmark that divides the good ballpark length of the arm from shoulder to fingertips is three- extensors onthe top ofthe arm from the flexors under thearm. @Workshops CREATE YOUR: OWN ASUKA 5; Learn how Paul k (aka Zeronis) interprets a character from Neon Genesis Evangelion [anise Greatingcharacter possible From lookingat amazing, ] designs for livingisa photographs to watching videos that PROFILE) | GES | cramonetue, tllconpelingsiones wosudyng specially when arsine characters, mobile phone i ‘workingon Leagueof games, and of course browsing Legends, The games choc of through amazing ilustation and diverse and over-the-top fantasy concept art online, After work, Lwind characters, and imagining them ina down by painting fan art of completely different alternative characters that ar either tending or tuniversesseven more thrilling That's are gentinely iconic in nate sums up my jobat RiotGamesasa__—Fer this woskshop, fm subtly characterconceptartst developing __reimterpreting Asuka from the Neon ‘new skins forthe players Genesis Evangelion franchise, and Tnmyspare ime, Tuyto soakup give herabitotan ania ws, tren references and Je using Procteate on my iPad Pro ‘expand may mental library as much as | ove this creative combo! ‘If XK Using your finger Thestroke onthe let isthe result of using my finger withthe detail Roun brush. Notice the ing things light while sketching varying shapeotthe stwke ‘the -Tostart Theep the Opacity ofthe default Round beush —_Sweamline brush setting keeps the prety light to help me see where put down the brush strokes strokes clean and steady, much ike nd how they will establish the direction of the whole image. using lazy mouse setting, Oddly Indeed, [ryt imagine what the figure will look like before cant replicate this stroke using the puting dower any strokes This an important skill o learn atlas with Pe Presa ative (right) ‘nd is something that still struggle with. Hbeieve thatcomic Ic took time to work frely this way, book or manga aristsare trained to dothis so this isworth but new itfels natural bearingin mind ifthis isyour career goal. ry finger to paint AsukaWorkshopsIn depth Create Asuka Masking techniques use the Magic Wanel equivalent tool in Procreate toselectarvund the character, then | invert this selection to isolate the character. Nex. I mask of specific parts of ‘Customise the iPad workspace the character: her hair, suit gloves, eyes and skin. This, Here. Te split the screen to display relerence material right next wo the art makes it possible to apply a consistent colouring \work-- pretty handy eh Ihave reference open a all times fron artororks that 've technique wo the image, and enables your unique painting saved on to my iPad and iPhone, or from Piwteres. also have Netix minimised in style co come wo the fore the corner for background noise or just for istening 0 music ‘Starting on the background Ym adding the vangelion Unit in the background to create more visual interest and contrast. roughly pt imple yet powerful graphic shape down stokes to create its overall composition and look, sing the same Brush pen, I'm focusing on miaking the Eva Unitshead dear before comminingto clean line art. think its good and graphically engaging ‘This is because its purpose iso act asa erty elementWorkshops ‘Accentuate the composition Fm exploring this composition approach, tehere the focal point is around the pilot’ face and upper halfof her body. The cross shape acts. as the secondary interest behind the pilot, while Eva Unit becomes the tertiary background element blending gently into the red background. j Painting over my lines After the shadows ace painted over the characte, shovel theotherlayersand tuin [decide to exper tothe right, which ayer masks it, over some line [then change the layer type to Multiply. This enables me to add asubtle grey colour scalteting appearance. This also enables me o blend the without it bleeding out or the character This isa simple process that enables you ta line aet with the colours of the character. Ym happy with focus on one thing at time and gradually build up consistent shadows, the results ~ is good to try out new techniques!Create Asuka ‘Apply post-processing to the character then the images around 85 per cent ished wen my attention wo post processing. use barring, sharpening, duplicatingand merging techniques, ‘An explosion of art Experiment with many ferent types flyer ancl adjust the Opacity dont want add some explosion shapes, which {interpret and to overdo the processing. The ideas to harmonise the values ad colowts, ard help soe in my own way want to emphasize theconast the mage have te correct balance and pop inthe focal ares m ying to mae here hough shapes, size, value and olout Asuka lenin withthe estof the image natusally ') Running a final polish pass over the image This is near final and 'm happy with how the painting’ turned out, ad alot Background details of vignette stps to redirect the focal point to her face and upper torso. carry outa 1 decide toad a Title more subtle detalson the red lle more colour balancing using a combination of Screen, Lighten, Overlay, Color background by paimingin some ed cloud andsmoke Dodge and Ald layers, bringing more vibrancy tothe images colour and values shapes using Procteate's default Smoke brush, Lalso ‘his also enables me to mask out the inital dat lines and blend everything more carefully apply the noise iteron many parts of the image atually. Lalso hit the edges ofthe character with the big soft Roun brush, to generate extra depth without it becoming distraction. painting subtle rim lighting to add more three-dimensional forms to herSea ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL The mocap, modelling and movement secrets behind the face of Weta Digital's latest completely synthetic character, Alita EEE eT ES las “EX When you signup toaI FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS Reviews The latest art resources are put to the test by the ImagineFX team... HARDWARE. ‘Spectrum 25: The best in Cintiq 16 contemporary fantastic art The Cintiq 16 drops both the Pro Lookback on ayearin imaginative art g] cesignation and the price. Has Wacom with thiscollertion of leading creators removed key features to make this work? The Art and TRADING: Making of Aquaman ‘Advanced Kitbashing Visi the imaginatively designed watery for Environment Design ‘world of DCS latest supethero film. =} Concept artist Stephane Wootha Richard proves that all those hours you spent ‘making things out of LEGO werent wasted. RATINGS EXPLAINED 40% ok tokCintiq 16: STEP DOWN The Cintig 16 drops both the Pro designation and the price. We find out if Wacom has stripped out key features to make this work rice £550 Company here was atime when ‘Wacom was the only real choice for artists wanting a phic tablet or ereative lisplay, and its Cintia range has always been a byword for quality ~ albeltata price. Fastforward to today and there are numerous ‘options to consider across budgets. These include the relatively unknown Artisul DIS ight up to the ‘Apple IPod Pro. Wacom, wanting to regain the Initiative, has released the Cinq 16. ts clear the company is going after a specific market andthe tblet's headline feature i the price, which is 1 Web vin wacom Jess than half the costo the device's Pro-moniered sibling. A1.920x1,080 HD displ. a supplied Pro Pen 2 anc ‘7a per cent colour gamut areal fairly standard features, but thers also 8192 levels of pressure senstvity, te ability touse the newer Pre Pen 3D, and ‘minimal paral (the distance between Your nib nel your on-screen stroke) MONEY TALKS ‘The price naeds to be addressed bofore we lookat anything else. The dove costs ESE, while the Cinq. Pro lis £1,400, The Catia 16 closest competitor isthe Hulan KAMVAS GT- TS6HD V2, which hovers aroune! the £450 marc though Wacom has its history and maruet dominance in i's favour, the similar specs of the Cinq 16 {and Hlons model maans artists wil now want to consider al tabiet aotions before making a purchase. Thats vry different from back nthe day, when the ehoice was essentially @ Wacom product costing ether £450 or £1400, Teorey needs pointing out thar fa lot lof artists can do without the pro-teval feotures abcent in tis cheaper modal, then Wacom may be eating int its ‘own high-end market Tho display moasures15.6-inchos lagonally and, similar to mary of ts ‘competitors, has afull HD screenresolution. thas @ TFT LCD (IPS) and, rather than an etched glass screen, the Cnty 16 na an anti-glare tenturec ‘overlay, How artists get on with this ‘screen will dapend on how much thay love that'sicing on alas’ experience, which comes with Wacom’ Pro ‘models ard the Paci Pro, might not be as bright as the ‘imilarsizad Pro version, butt cin" feellikea problem under normal studio working conditions. The device has acolour gamut of 72per cont as ‘opo0sed to 94 per cent (or higher) 2s {quote forthe Cinkia Pro ane the Axtisl DIG. Thats going to put 2 certain group of users, such as pre photographers or those artists Working atthe higher endef tne stration merc “There ae flip-out lags on the rear of the Gintia and these enable you to work ata 13-degrae angle. Tere’s also 2 separate stand that you ean buy for Rather than an etched glass screen, the Cintiq 16 has an anti-glare textured overlay £70. There are no express keys on this modal, and Wacom doesn't inctude the Express Key remote, but itis ‘compatiboifyou want to shall out £90 forthe accessory, ‘SOLID STYLUS PERFORMANCE There ae no complaints on the stylus font. The Pro Pen 2 nas always elvered on sanstivty and build ‘quality As wth most pens inthe \Wacorn family you con't have to charge them - something that can't ba s2id for close competitor ike the Hiion KAMVAS ang any of the Apple Pencils. Huion has said that tl be supplying two pens with its latest models, Buta chargeless pen wil ‘always be the gold standard. if youdo alot ef 3D modelling and fin that an extra button onthe stylus isa must the Cintiq 18s compatibiewitn the Pro Pen 30 (sold seperately at £90), ‘A slide-out pen holder onthe ght hand side ofthe unit enables you to store spare nibs along with the tool to remove them from the Pro Pen. The stylus 8192 levels of sensitivity isthe same.as the Pro line and is now pretty much the norm, We've eamea long ‘ay when 2.048 levels of sensitivity was the industry standard, ‘A single cord attaches tothe top of the Cintiq 16 and this doos make the hole workspace experience fee fide compared with products that utlge side cable connactions, That single cablesplits into a USE A, HOM! and power lea. you havea newer laptop with USB C or even a machine vith a Display Port than you're going toned an adaptor for the HOM! connection. single power button lives on the top right ofthe screen, Apr 2010 vse GFEkeeping well out ofthe way of accidental button prassos The Wacom Desktop Canter makes Iteasy to adjust brightness, contrast and colour temperature without using n-device buttons. However, you aren't going to achiove te black levels of an etched glass tablet DON'TTOUCH One noticeable Feature that's been dropped fer this made istouch- sensitivity. This may bea deal breaker for artists and photographers coming from an Pad, However, 3D sculptors using programs lke ZBrush arent going tobe worrad by thelacke ot ‘puch, And while using a touch sersen Is great in Photoshop for zooming and rotating, went Ben impadiment for any attists entering the market. ‘The price leap for touch-sersitvity Ishugeif you choose te remain within the Wacom stable. Your alternative is to settle fora competitor and any ezocintes csues that come ith less established manufacturers, Time wall fel, but we on’ think this is going to aifect sles of Wacom's new devie. ‘The release of the Cinta 16 marks 9 ew sttegy from Wacom, This is the emiteeirakonier One noticeable features that’s been dropped for this model is touch-sensitivity company’s response toa growing umber of tablet manufacturers entering the market Let's be cer, though this ent budget machine Working with the Pron and its £8102 evel of sensitivity on a more then-adequate screen make tan DETAILS | attractive option to artists wanting to Uuparade therentry-eval it, and for those working atthe lower end of the ro market Lack of touch-sensitiy, oak, and 9 sereen thats not etched sass are all oins to be levied as complsints But unsurprisingly those features come with a price tas. ‘Overall, e's suggest spending time sing @ product like this before committing, but we believe thisis soing to be agreststrateay for ‘Wacom inthe long runt be interesting to see if the company) follows itup with anon Pro 22-or 24 inch model, Compotiton ise good thing and t's lear Wacom stacking thet challenge head-on, THREE MORE TABLETS Budget can’t sietch tothe Cinsig 16! Choc ut these alternaives KAMVAS GT-ISGHD V2 Hie’ tablet hasa 15-inch anti-glare seren, 72 percent NTSCeclour gamut, 1920,080 resolution and §,192 levels of pressure, There alt of on body contol an sliders. 90 chargeable styluses, anda stand ‘Artisul DI6 presi Among ts many features Asus device has 94 percent RGB ‘gamut This edges the tablet loser toWacomn Cintig Protertiory ‘making itsomething to consider for those artists ona budget who need that wider colour gama XP-Pen Artist 15.6 ‘TheXP Pen Amit 15.6hasa 192081 080screen and avisible angle of 170 degrees. As with most ‘Wacom competitors itcomes with Aasand The price makes tone of the cheapest entry-level ceative lisplayson the mathet.CREATE THE ART OF THE FUTURE www. rti nline.com ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL |S BORN EoD & Me, = & Oo (C: Artist no ON SALE NOW: > Sculpting Skills > Alita: Battle Angel > 3D fractals in Blender “a le =a a he BUY YOUR ISSUE TODAY Print edition available at Digital edition available for iOS and Android ‘Prado oir oe (iii tacsbockcomspanisivagazine —twittercomsDartistli hav ie LX GET YOUR BINDER TODAY! This sturdy binder, featuring cover art from our 150th issue, will store and protect 13 issues of ImagineFX. Prices start at £9.99, which includes delivery! ON SALE NOW! www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/ifx-binder SeAdvanced | Kitbashing for Environment Design C Concept artist Stephane Wootha Richard proves that all those hours you spent making things out of LEGO weren't wasted Itbashing Isa stightly nerdy term for something many of us used to doas akid (ormaybe stil do): using 2 systom of components ike LEGO or {¢Nex to make things, and let your . Imagination fy. In this video, Stephane Wootha Bichera takes you through the techniques you need fora dtl equivalent of those afternoons spent with bricks scattered across tn floor, {ashe builds afantasy environment from pieces he makes in ZBrush, ‘Stephane has chosen to depict a kind of mega-pyramid from an ancient culisation with tis technique, but t oul equally apply to constructing city of soaring skyscrapers or anything celze you can conceive of (An accompanying video, avallable Separately a the same price, apps latbashing to lendscares rather than man-made environments, although ‘ach video is selt-contained auice) DETAILS He makes the use ofkitbashing to develop your own concepts much ‘easier for you by placing an emphasis fon key design principles. Youll sac hhow the distinctive shape he gives his first building block informs every structure he creates rom that foundation, for exemple. Later on, and {thinking on a much larger scale, ne shows howrhe relates the topology of , thelandscape he makes to tha placement of the satiements dotted ‘rund his main structure Stephane has aso includes a second longer vidos that shows how hheused renders of his constuction to