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Whether you’re a long-term, hardcore comic nerd or you’ve never turned the pages of a graphic novel, there can be no doubt that comic art can pack a punch. You’ll often find a vibrancy and dynamics you wouldn’t necessarily see in other styles of art, and that’s why we’re focusing on comic art this issue, with a mind to help you create your own, as well as understand what it’s all about. We start with our fantastically humorous D’Orc cover art, penned by artist and author Brett Bean, who also shares some insight into how this piece was put together. Elsewhere, we have a primer on comic art, taking a look back from the current day to its origins in the distant past, to gain some understanding of what it’s…

LOCATION: South Korea MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.instagram.com/hoon2shoot…

LOCATION: Switzerland MEDIA: Photoshop, Blender WEB: www.artstation.com/kessedy Do you want to see your art on these pages? Then email five pieces of your work and a short explanation about each, along with a photo and a few details about yourself, to fxpose@imaginefx.com…

How did you enter the animation industry? I was looking to combine my love for painting and filmmaking, so animation seemed like the obvious path. I studied animation/illustration at San Jose State University. After graduating, I moved to LA to find work. I began reaching out to my fellow alumni for advice. I continued to contact recruiters and went to networking conventions. Eventually, through those connections, I landed my first job in 2019. What does your typical day as an animator look like? Currently I’m a background painter for a television series, so my days are spent listening to music and cranking out backgrounds. I finish anywhere from 10–15 a week, so my workflow needs to be pretty streamlined. I try to automate as much tedium as possible, which helps…

Contact the editor, Rob Redman, on mail@imaginefx.com or write to ImagineFX, Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA, England Follow us on X: x.com/imaginefx Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/imaginefx Share your artwork via #imaginefx: instagram.com/imaginefxmagazine Short but sweet In your last issue, you had a short (just two pages) piece by Greg Danton, which I adore. I’d have thought it was oils, but seeing his breakdown has me reaching for my Wacom, so thank you! Alison, via email Rob replies Hi Alison. You’re absolutely right. That piece tells a story with real style and it’s hard to see it’s digital, let alone created using so much 3D. Tips galore A quick hello from me and a thank you for the fan art tips in the last issue. These were all…

“While the techniques and technology have changed a lot, the major steps of making comics have persisted since the early days of the medium. Unlike in most mainstream American comics, where these steps are done by different people, most indie creators wear many or all of the hats of comic creation. There are, of course, deviations from the process, such as taking shortcuts due to tight deadlines.” ANTON’S WORKFLOW: 1 THUMBNAIL SKETCHES “These are done small and are where the layout, panel composition, perspective and speech bubble/caption placements are decided. The majority of the storytelling and flow of a comic is done at this stage. Doing all of that heavy lifting at this stage will always make the other stages easier.” 2 PENCILS “Next, the thumbnails become more refined drawings. Depending…

“For this piece, I wanted to capture the cool, dark depths of the woods. This is also a dynamic moment where the character startles a monster that’s rising out of the water. In the past, I’ve often found it challenging to balance detail when I’m inking a piece like this. I don’t want my illustrations to be too busy; they should have a clear, graphical look. To help me achieve this, I’ve recently started colour blocking. This takes the guesswork out of designing the right shapes and balancing details, and helps me to see whether I’m getting the right end result at an early stage.” Artist PROFILE Fjell LOCATION: Norway Fjell is a freelance character and environment artist from Norway. She loves to illustrate, and works with various clients to bring…

DRAWING WITHOUT AN OBJECTIVE TO BUILD MUSCLE MEMORY For me, doodling is not a production step. It’s drawing without a specific goal, narrative or visual intention. I’m not looking for a usable result or an idea to develop. The objective is to let the hand move freely without constraints. I often doodle in a small sketchbook using a pen or pencil, sometimes while watching TV or on the phone. I’m not fully focused on the drawing, and that’s what makes the exercise interesting. There’s no pressure to achieve a result. These ‘invisible’ drawings build muscle memory, maintain fluency and develop a natural confidence in the line. Even if they’re never used directly in a project, they make drawing more fluid and instinctive. Don’t confuse this freedom with a productive work…

1 INKING TOOLS I mainly use the G-Pen tool, customised into three different versions. The first is my primary tool, slightly adjusted using the Random setting to give the line a more natural, grainy feel. The second is an even more textured version, which I mainly use for hatching and grey areas. The third is based on the first, but with the Thickness setting modified to create a more chiselled line. 2 BASE INKING I start by grouping the rough and clean layers into a folder and lowering its opacity. On a new layer, I do the base inking using my primary tool. This pass establishes the core structure of the drawing. 3 REFINEMENT AND HATCHING Once the base is done, I turn the rough/clean folder blue, because I rely…

LOCATION: US MEDIA: Oil paints WEB: www.dankatzillustration.com 1 CONTEMPORARY DRAGON – COMMUTE A scene from a personal series with dragons co-existing with people in the modern world. I thought the two living together would transform everyday life and create amazing moments. 2 WALK THE PLANK A scene from a series with airships. It also takes maritime situations and shows how different they’d be in the sky, whether beautiful or dangerous. 3 RICHES AND RUIN – THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO Based on the scene in The Count of Monte Cristo where Edmund Dantes finds treasure and becomes super-rich. A moment that would bring huge joy to others isn’t enough to satisfy him. Do you want to see your art on these pages? Then email five pieces of your work and a…

LOCATION: Brunei MEDIA: Blender, Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/wafi_aji002 1 THE ARCHELON “The Archelon is a sturdy airship for charting unexplored skies, as well as being an idle ship to pilot over long distances.” 2 SEA OF COMBAT “In this corner of the arena lies the emperor’s grand podium, the ideal spot for witnessing epic kraken battles!” 3 THE MERLION MECH “The Merlion mech serves as a protector for humanity’s last great cities in the world of Cinematallic.” 4 RYUSHI TRUCK “The Ryushi carrier transport are cost-efficient machines ideally suited for shipping around large cargo.” Do you want to see your art on these pages? Then email five pieces of your work and a short explanation about each artwork, along with a photo and a few details about yourself, to mail@imaginefx.com…

What is your main source of inspiration? My inspiration usually comes from game or manga/anime characters, specifically their artistic design and storytelling power. When I like a character, I research all their background, how they were developed and all the curiosities about their creation. I’m fascinated by the artistry behind expressive faces and lore. I love studying the small details – the way a scar tells a story or how colour choices reflect personality. What plays in the background while you work – music, podcasts, movies or something else? I actually listen to 90s cartoons in the background while I work. That era’s energy and the iconic art style keeps me inspired. It’s nostalgic and artistic without being distracting, and honestly, it just puts me in a great mood to…

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LOCATION: US MEDIA: Procreate, Photoshop WEB: www.instagram.com/randyruedisueli_art…

Discover your potential with The Rookies; the launchpad for emerging digital artists. With The Rookies, your work won’t only be seen, it gets noticed and featured, just like this! Join a community where your journey from hobbyist to professional artist is supported every step of the way.  WWW.THEROOKIES.CO Voorbode YEAR CREATED: 2023 MEDIA: Photoshop, Blender “This project was a great opportunity for me to express my artistic tastes. My goal was to immerse the player in the horror of this place by gradually revealing some mysterious elements as they progress through the manor, leading up to the descent into the underground. I am truly happy to have concluded my last two years at New3dge with this work.” Artist PROFILE Terrence Wong Wei Jie LOCATION: Malaysia Terrence is a fresh graduate from…

Think of the word “comic” and you’re probably either drawn to manga from Japan or comics from Western countries, such as the US or France, each with their own histories and subcultures. But, as we move into the latter half of the 2020s, one thing is key: regardless of region, comics are cool. No longer the sole province of nerds and picky readers, comics are in vogue, both as living pieces of art on bookshelves and walls, and inspiring everything from Netflix’s next big hit to summer blockbusters. But where did they come from and how did we get here? Comics are as varied as the genres they cover and the mediums they’re created in, from satirical single panels in political magazines and daily newspapers to short strips such as…

1 Pick a highlight This image is not a moment from the issue, but a snapshot of what the audience is in for. By adding common elements, it’s easy for someone to interpret what the world is about and let people know where this will take place. I did this drawing for a poster earlier and cut it out for the third printing cover. I thought I could do a more aggressive stance for my hero shot. 2 Draw your cover star I knew that I didn’t have time to ink an entire cover, but I still really wanted the hand-drawn feel. I decided to meet myself in the middle and do a combination of digital and traditional. This way, I manage to get the speed of digital and the look…

1 Lively ink Inking is my favourite part of the process. I think of it as drawing neatly, rather than making every line perfect. I use a textured ink brush at about 50% flow, and will often break up my lines to distress them. Once I’ve done my first ink pass, I always go back in and add some graphical black shapes. 2 Colour block To help design graphical shapes, I’ll start colour blocking while I’m inking. This has sped up my workflow by taking out the guesswork of imagining how things will look. Blocking out the dirt and grass shapes made this much easier to ink, and seeing a glimpse of the final piece made me extra excited to finish it. 3 Light and effects I used opacity layers…

1 THUMBNAILS – THINKING SMALL TO SEE CLEARLY When I’m not sure which direction to take, I start with thumbnails. Working at a very small scale allows me to quickly explore composition, pacing and layout without getting lost in details. On the first issue of Ghost Pepper, I wasn’t yet under heavy production pressure, so I took the time to fully develop this step. Thumbnails are personal tools. They don’t need to look good or be readable by anyone else. A few rectangles and lines are often enough. The goal is simply to trigger an idea and establish a direction. The more free and intimate this stage remains, the more effective it is. “Thumbnails don’t need to look good or be readable by anyone else” 2 ROUGHS – THE TRUE…

“This piece was a cover for a book by Stuart Heinrich. I started by making sketches that followed detailed descriptions from the client. After creating three options, they chose one that I refined and added colour to. To help the client imagine the outcome, I made several versions with different colour schemes. Once a detailed sketch has been approved, I finalise the artwork. Sometimes the process gets so engaging that you end up deviating from the original plan. That’s what happened here. I had to fix a lot of my work so that it was closer to the approved sketch.” Artist PROFILE Artem Chebokha LOCATION: Montenegro Artem has been working as a digital artist since 2006. Previously, he was the lead 2D artist at Lesta Studio. https://bit.ly/4lDNRiM…

LOCATION: France MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/fragantanguy…

LOCATION: Armenia MEDIA: Photoshop, Daz Studio, Blender WEB: www.instagram.com/tashina.art…

I was asked to do a third printing late at night, and the question is always “how fast can you turn this in?” I’ve worked in production for 20 years – it’s always that question. And I’ve given the same answer for 20 years: “I will make it as good as I can with the time I have.” Deadlines always come first. But by the third printing of D’Orc, I was swamped with work and deadlines. It’s a great problem to have! The first cover was story related, and the second cover was a close-up character study. I knew I wanted a hero shot for the third cover, and I had to do it quick! This gave me only a day, and in production that’s a normal thing. It’s problem…

Colour is one of the most important tools an artist has. The way you use your palette has a significant impact of the mood of your piece and how it reads to the viewer. The same principles that guide line, shape and value design are all relevant to colour. Contrast, rhythm, texture, variety, shape… Colour is just one more lane where you get to play with all that stuff. Colour can be scary for new artists, but it’s the bit you get to have most fun with. If art were a meal, the values are the protein and the colours are the spices. When you nail the values and shapes, the colour is very forgiving. When realism is your goal, the colour of the light sources is the guiding factor…

I’ve worked for many years in the video game industry, notably at Blizzard on Hearthstone, where I was responsible for storyboards and layouts for cinematics and trailers, as well as creating a large number of cards. I’ve also collaborated with Airship Syndicate on several games (Battle Chasers, Darksiders Genesis, Ruined King), mainly working on cutscenes and visual storytelling. More recently, I’ve been working actively on my personal project Ghost Pepper, a comic series published by Skybound/Image Comics. On a long-form project like this, with a sustained production rhythm, it’s essential to have a workflow that is clear, solid and adapted to your everyday reality as an artist. For all of my work, I use Manga Studio 5 EX, the predecessor of Clip Studio Paint. It’s a piece of software I’ve…

1 ROUGHING DIRECTLY ON THE FINAL PAGE I begin by laying out my rough on the final page. It’s a very free phase where I test compositions and framing, without hesitation to erase or start over. I block out a specific amount of time, to secure strong foundations. I only move on when I feel a genuine desire to continue. That feeling is important: it means the solution is clear and the drawing can progress smoothly. 2 CLARIFYING WITHOUT OVER-DETAILING The clean stage is not a finished pencil drawing. It’s a clarification of the rough, designed with the upcoming inking in mind. Since I ink my own work, I don’t need an overly detailed clean pass. Doing too much at this stage only slows the process down. 3 INKING, SCREENTONES,…

LOCATION: Türkiye MEDIA: Watercolour, acrylic, ink WEB: www.instagram.com/deniz_acerol 1 THE HUNT “Two best friends, hunting for the beast that has been troubling the village. I used acrylic ink on canvas. I am very happy with the gloomy atmosphere that I created.” 2 POOL PARTY “I usually get inspired by ancient Anatolian civilisations. There’s a rite taking place in this composition. The small animals are about to bring goods to the old river gods.” 3 AT THE PUB “Friends are gathered at a pub to discuss business. Their dinner seems to be odd. Perhaps some leftover human flesh from a minor disagreement they had from last night.” 4 GEEVA FLAVA ARTWORK “A band album cover called ‘Botanical’, which is about a toucan and a shepherd. I enjoyed working on this project…

Price £23.99/$26.99 Author Kiara Maharaj Publisher Page Street Publishing Co Web www.pagestreetpublishing.com Fantasy art can be painted using any media, and there are plentiful resources out there to help you boost your confidence in anatomy, perspective, and so on. But there’s fewer on how to handle specific types of paint, and this is where Watercolor Wizardry comes in. As the name suggests, this book’s goal is to get you up and running as simply as possible. To do this, it starts with a guide on tools needed, including colours the author used for the original pieces, followed by a number of guides on technique. These are detailed enough to follow along, but not so in-depth that they’re overwhelming. So if you want the lowdown on beading or drybrushing, among others,…

LOCATION: Germany MEDIA: Blender, 3DCoat, Adobe Medium, Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/marvinhillmann 1 AGRICULTURE TERMINAL “This piece is inspired by nature and solarpunk themes. Its design reflects the ladybug, which I like to think of as being wheat’s natural pest control.” 2 ICEVEIL – THE HUMAN SETTLEMENT “Iceveil is a fantasy location that shelters humans that were stranded long ago. Its shape is inspired by both Norse mythology and icy architecture.” 3 PATH OF THE BEACONS “Beacons guard a magical source beneath the mountain, channeling its power into radiant light. This piece is inspired by blue-sulfur volcanoes.”…

“This is an early concept piece I created to visualise the world and its characters for an IP I am developing. I created this image through a hybrid workflow: initial building sculpts were modelled in VR with Adobe Medium, then imported into Maya for clean-up and texturing. The shepherd and sheep began as a Photoshop design, with the 3D model built using Maya combined with Meshy. After all of my assets were created, I imported them into Unreal Engine to leverage its powerful lighting and foliage systems to block out the environment and compose the scene. I rendered the image in UE and created the mood-enhancing paint-over in Photoshop.” Artist PROFILE Nick Hiatt LOCATION: US Nick is an art director, concept artist and matte painter who specialises in film, television and…

1 General retopology The first step in reworking our model is to do a general retopology first pass, which will rebuild the mesh but with fewer polygons. Most 3D applications have their own built-in tools to automate this process, but you can also opt to do it manually, because it gives you more control. 2 Remove unused geometry Next, work your way all around the model, removing any geometry that isn’t actually required. This would be edges and polygons that don’t help with the overall shape of the model. A good way to test this is to check the edges of the model’s silhouette to see how it looks before and after. 3 Check for deforming areas Finally, if the model is to be animated, you need to go over…