Something draws me to the contrast between pretty and repulsive. That’s what initially caught my eye with Lena Richard’s concept piece (lenarichards.artstation.com); the woman was beautiful enough to capture your attention, but what she was doing was so gross you couldn’t look away. As a student, I was searching for a concept that would give the most intrigue.
This piece starts with the sculpt. I look at classical beauty Emilia Clarke, whose features would work well contrasted with the scars. When considering the robe, jewellery and props, I want to go for the essence of a mysterious sorceress, whose intentions are unknown. I want her to have hand-carved wooden props, real gold jewellery and a beautifully embroidered fabric to all tell a story.
I also want to show her skin being pale and discoloured, as if she resides deep in a cave, and the viewer has just stumbled upon her. I study cave-dwelling animals and albino humans. Albino skin has the lack of red that I need, but the patchiness and translucency of salamander skin was necessary for the creepiness.
How I create…
A CUSTOM PATTERNED FABRIC
1 Finding the perfect fabric
This story is from the October 2021 edition of ImagineFX.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2021 edition of ImagineFX.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Tribute To Akira Toriyama
Remembering a legend Artists from across the world pay homage to the influential manga artist and genius creator of Dragon Ball
First Impressions
The illustrator reveals his journey through the world of art
DEVELOP 3D SKILLS FOR CONCEPT ART
Gaëlle Seguillon creates a breathtaking fantasy environment by combining a selection of techniques within her workflow
DRAW FUTURISTIC VEHICLE DESIGNS
John A. Frye uses just a single brush to transform his messy thumbnail into a bold and colourful hard-surface creation
PART 5: SIMPLIFY THE VALUE SCALE
Charlie Pickard introduces his top advice for achieving strong values in your artwork to create clear and powerful imagery
Charles Ratteray
Page-turner Library meets laboratory in the artist's studio, packed with inspiration and a mix of media
How to tell a story in an image
Narrative masters Tanya Combrinck talks to four artists about using visual elements to imbue their work with personal and universal human stories
ILLUSTRATE A MAGICAL CHARACTER
For this illustration, I was asked to create a fun, bright image with the theme of making artwork magical by the developers behind the digital drawing app Clip Studio Paint.
First Impressions - Glenn Arthur
Influences from Disneyland shape the artist’s work
THE ART OF BRIAN SUM
Dominic Carter talks to the mech master about honing his cyberpunk visions, character designs, and his new artbook