What do art directors want?

Wish list Art directors at leading studios reveal to Tom May what they’re looking for in new recruits

FX Pose

SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS

Procreate USE DYNAMIC LINES IN YOUR ARTWORK

Character designer and 2D concept artist Pietmaen reveals how using dynamic lines and curves can help to give your art extra visual impact

Photoshop: STORYTELLING IN YOUR SCI-FI ART

Art director Carlo Arellano breaks down his design process as he illustrates a science fiction environment with a sense of adventure

ZBrush, Keyshot, Photoshop & Painter CREATE SURREAL PORTRAIT ART

Ken Coleman explains his “rinse wash repeat” approach to surreal portraiture using 3D models, textures and brushes

PASCAL BLANCHÉ

Beren Neale speaks to the artist with a colourful career in games, and an even more colourful body of work

PAINT LIKE A 19TH CENTURY OLD MASTER

HOWARD LYON looks to artists such as Lawrence Alma-Tadema and reveals how he creates a painting after their ideals

Photoshop, 3ds Max & Unreal Engine 4 PAINTING OVER A 3D ENVIRONMENT

Anya Jo Elvidge draws on her experience as a video game artist to model a 3D environment before bringing it to life using Photoshop

Create designs in Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Personalise your island with these handy tips for downloading, making and sharing custom designs

First Impressions

Colour plays a key role in this Jamaican artist’s work

Christopher Lovell

Pop culture This artist surrounds himself with inspirational nostalgia while balancing work and parenthood

How To Be Happy As An Artist

Joy division Leading artists tell Tom May how their art makes them happy, and offer their tips for emulating them

Procreate: DESIGN STYLISED CHARACTERS

Gain insights into Yavae Thomas’s creative process and discover how her shape and colour choices inform her playful character designs

THE ART OF THE LAST OF US PART II

One Pixel Brush’s Shaddy Safadi reveals what it takes to create art for this year’s most anticipated video game…

Photoshop & Blender: THE LAST OF US ENVIRONMENT ART

See how One Pixel Brush concept artist Balázs Ágoston creates an interior for the video game The Last of Us Part II

Meike Schneider

Cozy corner The German artist gives us a tour of her home studio, which is white, bright and features gold highlights

Mandelbulb 3D & Photoshop: PAINT SCI-FI CITIES AND STRUCTURES

Jacek Pilarski reveals how he constructs futuristic cities, filling them with intriguing, complex structures using Mandelbulb 3D

FXPose: SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS

FXPose: SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS

First Impressions

This US painter wants to go large with his artworks…

Clip Studio Paint: PAINT AN ORNATE FLORAL PORTRAIT

Ejiwa ‘Edge’ Ebenebe reveals how she utilises whimsical and ornate flower elements to create a joyful, colourful portrait

Artist insight: 19 WORKFLOW TIPS FOR BLENDER

Brandon Hix and Kjartan Tysdal reveal how to optimise your workflow and boost your skills in Blender, the free tool for sculpting in 3D

Do You Have What It Takes To Teach Yourself Art?

School’s out Formal art education is not for everyone. Artists who’ve self-taught talk to Dom Carter about the advantages and challenges of learning independently

The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

MORE PLEASE We discover that the concepts produced for the final film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy don’t tell the whole story…

Photoshop REIMAGINE ART IN YOUR OWN STYLE

Dave Greco shows how to take ideas laid out from one artist, and bend those foundations to create something entirely new with your own spin

First Impressions

The video game art director on how he changes his style

Photoshop USING COLOUR TO ADD ATMOSPHERE

Colour is a powerful tool for enhancing the mood of an illustration. Maria Poliakova reveals how she applies colour in a portrait piece

Oils Acrylics Watercolour BEST WAYS TO CLEAN YOUR PAINTBRUSHES

Whether you’re using oils, acrylics or watercolours, ROB LUNN reveals how to effectively maintain your paintbrushes and extend their life span

ImagineNation Artist in Residence: Emily Hare

Shared space This fantasy illustrator shows us around her un-staged studio and gives us some tips on how to avoid drinking paint water…

ConceptD 7

WHITE KNIGHT Acer’s laptop has been put together with 2D and 3D artists in mind. We find out if it’s an affordable creative solution

Crash McCreery

Armed with little more than a pencil and paper, this artist has designed creatures for some of the biggest films ever made, discovers Garrick Webster