LEARN MATTE PAINTING STRUCTURE

Concept artist Killian Prevost on how to build matte paintings, from composition to colour

- Artist PROFILE Killian Prevost LOCATION: France

Killian Prevost is a French concept artist with eight years of experience in video games and animation. He specializes in environment design, focusing on atmosphere, storytelling, and painterly techniques to create immersive worlds built on strong composition and light.

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"In this workshop, I will walk through a complete matte painting workflow focused on structure, clarity and mood, rather than software tricks. The goal is to show how a strong image can be built step by step, starting with simple decisions and gradually adding complexity. We begin with composition, perspective and readable shapes, because these foundations determine whether an image works before detail is added.

"A key concept to keep in mind is working from general to specific. Early stages are about values, light direction and focal hierarchy, not textures. By keeping things loose at first, you stay flexible and avoid committing to ideas too early. Another important idea is separation: clearly distinguishing foreground, midground and background through contrast, edges and atmospheric depth.

"As the painting develops, colour and materials are introduced to support the lighting and narrative, not to decorate the image. Every brushstroke should serve readability, scale or mood. Flipping the canvas, checking silhouettes and simplifying regularly are essential habits to maintain balance.