Editor’s letter

Welcome to… EDITOR’S CHOICE Three of my top

picks this month…

34

The landscape of the digital

artist’s toolkit develops rapidly,
both for desktop machines
and, in more recent years, for
mobile devices, from tablets
through to phones. Artist in Residence
Discover the bright and cheerful workspace of artist
This issue we bring you a host Emily Chapman, filled with plants and collectibles.
of handy tips for Procreate
from a panel of fantastic artists. 40
There are helpful pointers for artists of all levels, so
whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting your
artistic journey, there’s something for you.
To help you further level up your skills, take a
look at page 64 and learn how our stunning
Wednesday Addams cover art was created by Bo
Feng Lin. Or read all about Nadav Yacobi’s creative
process as he builds up a unique, mysterious
character using graphite. The art of Max Ulichney
If you’re more in the mood for inspiration we We get insight from the creative mind of Max Ulichney,
have you covered there too! Take a tour of the clean who talks about his artwork and popular brush packs.
and colourful studio of Emily Chapman, or check
out the awesome work and thoughts of veteran
64
artists Max Ulichney and Mattahan.

Enjoy the issue!

Editor Create a bold fan art portrait

[email protected] Learn how to create stunning, quirky illustrations with
graphic elements from our cover star Bo Feng Lin.

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Your art 10 24
10 FXPosé
A round-up of digital art, submitted by you.

News and events

24 The art of working to a
commission
Three pros share their expert advice on the
challenges that budding artists face when
moving into the world of freelancing.

32 A day in the life of...

Lisa Heidhoff
The video game artist opens up on
balancing her career with parenthood.
FXPosé Working to a commission
34 Artist in Residence:
Emily Chapman 40
Discover a workspace filled with plants,
plushies and a rainbow of colour that
represents the artist’s personal aesthetic.

Features
40 The art of Max Ulichney
We speak to the Procreate specialist about
his beginnings, life as an artist, and how
he became a major brush packs player.

48 Sketchbook: DaCosta Bayley

The award-winning illustrator sketches
out a series of adorable robot doodles.

52 Sketchbook: Wu Liu The art of Max Ulichney

Join the concept artist as he experiments
with the characters in his sketchbook.
48 52
56 Mattahan interview
From video games to graphic novels and
more, we learn about the artist’s many
projects and the peers that he admires.

Regulars
6 Next month
8 Subscriptions
22 The Rookies
38 Recent editions
Sketchbook: DaCosta Bayley Sketchbook: Wu Liu
39 Letters

4
 Issue 228

56 72
Workshops
64 Create a bold fan art portrait
Cover artist Bo Feng Lin shares the secrets
behind his quirky Wednesday illustration.

70 Embrace references
How real-life experiences and emotions
form the foundations of Alone Lee’s work.

72 50 Procreate tips and tricks

Our panel of expert artists share a huge
Mattahan interview 50 Procreate tips and tricks
collection of hand-picked pointers to
enhance your Procreate skill set.
64
82 Control your focus
Luiz Prado’s technique for reinforcing the
focal points as he develops his images.

90

Visualise emotions

Traditional Artist
86 Traditional FXPosé
Discover this month’s selection of the
finest traditional art, sent in by you!

90 Visualise emotions
Nadav Yacobi designs a unique character
Create a bold fan art portrait with experimentation through shapes.

94 Find the right tools

70 96 Why seeing red is an important step in
Leonardo Gonzalez’s creative process.

96 First Impressions: Danica Sills

Learn how a high school poster contest
sparked the painter and illustrator’s career.

Embrace references
GET YOUR
82 RESOURCES
First Impressions: Danica Sills

Comic tutorial 1 Go to the website

Type this into your browser’s address bar.
ifxm.ag/fanartportrait
Part two of Steve Ellis’ tutorial will
appear next month. Apologies for
Control your focus
the delay, but it’s worth the wait! 2 Open the Google Drive link
Find your files ready for download.

3 Download what you need…

Save the files or watch the videos.

5
 Next month

Editorial
Editor Rob Redman [email protected]
Art Editor Daniel Vincent
Production Editor Henry Burridge
Contributors
Tanya Combrinck, Lisa Heidhoff, Emily Chapman, Dominic
Carter, DaCosta Bayley, Wu Liu, Bo Feng Lin, Alone Lee, Kei-
Ella Loewe, Sweeney Boo, Alexandra Zutto, Kate Correa, Mygel
Edoloverio, Nadav Yacobi, Luiz Prado, Leonardo Gonzalez,
Danica Sills, Rachel Terzian, Gary Stuckey
Advertising
Media packs are available on request
Chief Revenue Officer Zack Sullivan
UK Group Commercial Director Clare Dove
Advertising Director Matt Johnston
[email protected], 01225 442244
International Licensing
ImagineFX is available for licensing and syndication. To find
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9
THE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART

Tai Aoki
LOCATION: Japan MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: https://taiaoki.com

Despite growing up in the US, Tai lived in a

Japanese household. “I took in influences
from two very different cultures, which I
think is what defined my current tastes.”

1 BUY EGGS
“This is just me trying to
express negative emotions,
2

namely loneliness.
Regardless of how successful
that was, I enjoyed
experimenting with textures
and crudely sticking in any
ideas that came to mind.”

2 LUSCIOUS
“He’s a vampire that
devours other vampires. This
was an attempt at a more
realistic render than what I’m
used to, while maintaining a
surreal feel through colours.”

3 GIGA SLAPP
“I’ve always loved
cybernetic limbs in sci-fi. I’m
still improving on designing
machinery, but I’m happy
with the overall silhouette.”

10 Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx

 3

Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx 11

 Pablo Hurtado de Mendoza
LOCATION: Spain MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: https://pablohurtadodemendoza.com

While studying design, Pablo developed an interest in negative space,

contrast and graphic elements, which ended up shaping his illustration
style. His work features visual metaphors and modern graphic language.

3
1 ONE HAND FREE
“This portrays the struggle between
defiance and surrender. A man holds on to a
thread, representing the tension between the
individual and the collective.”

2 INTERLOPER
“Here I explore the theme of invasion and
violation of nature’s boundaries. The hands
symbolise our pursuit of autonomy and
control in this relationship.”

3 BLUE BLOOD
“An introspective artwork that
delves into the paradoxical
4 PAUSED
“This is about dreams; a surreal
voyage through the uncharted
relationship between ego and territories of the subconscious mind.
self-censorship. It asks how to The horse head may symbolise
confront our own inner struggles.” vitality, endurance, or freedom.”

12 Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx

 4

Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx 13

 Richard Lay
LOCATION: US MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.artstation.com/richardlay

Freelance artist Richard believes that the only way to get better at a skill
is to work at it for many hours. His main interest is worldbuilding, and his
goal is to tell a compelling story through his art.

14 Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx

 2

1 DRAGON RIDER
“I like the idea of a group
of people who are powerful
enough to tame dragons.”

2 ARSOLA AND
KHASHUN
“This is a shot to establish
the two characters I’ve been
working on and the world
they live in.”

3 AUSMANTYON TREE
“This piece was inspired
by a Ghibli colour palette. I
wanted to represent a place
where the effect of magic is
stronger and visible.”

Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx 15

 Alvaro Escobar
LOCATION: US MEDIA: Procreate WEB: www.instagram.com/alvaroescbr

Alvaro is a freelance illustrator inspired by 90s anime such as Cowboy

Bebop and Akira. His work is often described as dark and moody,
and he uses it as a way to reflect on and express his emotions.

2
1 SPINELLI
“This is a stylised portrait that is heavily
influenced by graphic novel art and my other
2 CLOSE CALL
“In this piece I consciously used a cross-
hatching style and limited colour palette to
artistic love: manga.” achieve my desired effect.”

3 SELF PORTRAIT
“An exploration of
my ego and mental
identification. Brushes that
mimic traditional media were
used to emulate gouache
and coloured pencil.”

4 SIDE EYE
“A combination of cross-
hatching and spray painting
brushes. Abstract elements
such as the illegible graffiti
and paint strokes were
added haphazardly.”

16 Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx

 4

Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx 17

1

18 Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx

 Yasushi Matsuoka
LOCATION: Japan MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: https://yasuartstudio.com

Yasu is a freelance illustrator specialising in elegant, whimsical illustrations.

His artwork often features mermaids and fantasy creatures. When not in his
studio, Yasu loves sketching and plein-air painting in forests.

3
1 REFLECTION
“This piece started as a rough gouache
painting of a girl looking at her reflection in a
2 CORAL
“In this piece, I wanted to incorporate
coral in the character’s anatomy. I also used
pool. From there, the concept evolved into a neon colours to brighten up the deep sea. I
faerie peering into another world.” imagine her as a guardian of the reef.”

3 LEO
“This is part of a larger project, the
Mermaid Zodiac series. In each artwork, I
incorporated the birthstone and
constellation of the zodiac sign.”

4 BLUE-GOLD MACAW MERMAID

“I love the idea of mermaids that both
fly and swim. Here is my take on a macaw
mixed with a mermaid.”

Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx 19

 2
Kazuki Okuda
LOCATION: Japan MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: https://isseinoissyou.michikusa.jp

Specialising in people, creatures and landscapes,

Kazuki is a freelance artist and illustrator whose
work has appeared in picture books, animations,
advertisements and stationery.

1 SCARY CURIOSITY FRAGRANCE

“This piece is the embodiment of a
phenomenon, namely a scary fragrance
2 ENCOUNTER
“Most people have experienced
feelings of both fear and anticipation when
that somehow tickles our curiosity.” encountering something unknown.”

3 SPIRIT OF THREE SISTERS LAKE

“One in a series based on the Japanese
concept of ‘Yaoyorozu no kami’ or ‘eight
million gods’. This piece depicts a lake filled
with mud, which is circulated by creatures.”

4 GOOD NIGHT
“Sleep has opposing elements of
security and fear. Sleep, which gives life force
and at the same time brings us closer to
death, is mysterious to me.”

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 [email protected]

20 Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx

 4

Want to submit your work? Visit http://ifxm.ag/getinifx 21

 The Rookies is a platform
to help digital artists
get discovered without
having to compete
with professionals for
attention. You’ll get to
the front page of those
sites one day, but for now,
we’ve got your back and
want to help turn your
passion for creative media
into a successful career.

WWW.THEROOKIES.CO

The Negotiation Temple

YEAR CREATED: 2023 MEDIA: Blender, Photoshop

“Within is a personal IP inspired by my own experience with grief.

This image is the environment designed for the embodiment of
Negotiation, and where he tries to trick the main character into
willingly forfeiting his soul.”

22
 The Rookies

Artist
PROFILE
Jairo Valencia
LOCATION: Colombia
I worked for the advertising
industry for more than a decade
until I decided to pursue my
lifelong dream of being an artist. I
am now doing all I can to become
a concept artist in the gaming industry. It is
the biggest dream I’ve ever had.
www.therookies.co/u/Javarix

23
ARTIST NEWS, SOFTWARE EVENTS

AT THE CORE OF THE DIGITAL ART COMMUNITY

“Hold on to as many rights as you can.

The right to post final work to your
website is invaluable. If you can gain
additional rights on top of that, such as
publishing or printing rights, always ask
for them!” says Devin Elle Kurtz.
© Clip Studio Paint

24
 A DAY IN THE BLOOMCORE YOUR VIEWS,
LIFE OF... MEETS BOHO YOUR ART
Video game artist Lisa We peek inside Emily Readers write in with
Heidhoff explains how Chapman’s studio, their art news and
she balances her work where the artist has opinions on what we’ve
life around a busy mixed a mini jungle covered in ImagineFX.
family schedule, and with RGB lighting and Plus, we feature art
adjusting to the world more for a colourful that’s caught our eye
of parenthood. personal aesthetic. on social media.
Page 32 Page 34 Page 39

“I have a folder with 16,000 images I

use for inspiration and reference while
drawing. Scrolling through it makes the
process wonderful. It’s something I look
forward to,” says Syd Mills.

“Don’t be too trustworthy; you should only start

work when you’ve been paid,” Indiana Acosta says.

The art of working

to a commission
Going it alone Tanya Combrinck talks to a trio of freelance artists
about how they built their workflows and deal with client projects

Producing work that realises Before you get going, work out your “It’s not a sin to take the
occasional project
someone else’s creative vision is an timescales and pricing. “Figure out below the minimum
art in itself. You’ll need to juggle how long it takes you to complete a price you’ve set if you’re
passionate about it,”
tasks like pricing, contracts, non-commissioned piece, and says Syd.
feedback and payment, and there’s understand that it may take much
opportunity for miscommunication longer while working with a client,” given length. “Build your pricing
and other inefficiencies to throw a she says. “Requests for major around the expectation that you
spanner in the works. Building a solid revisions, delays in feedback, and deserve a living wage for what you
process that works for you and your personal life events can break up a do,” says Syd. Take into account that
clients is essential for making sure it timeline you assume will be smooth.” you should be earning enough to
all runs smoothly. When you’ve got a sense of how build up some emergency funds, and
Syd Mills works full-time as a long it takes you to complete an remember to push your prices up in
freelancer whose client work includes image, use this to calculate your line with inflation.
book covers, character art and minimum charge for a project of a “I always make sure I understand
illustrations for tabletop RPGs. Her exactly what the client is looking for
first piece of advice for those taking
on commissions is that you start out
Personal life events can before I set a price,” she says. “Rates
depend on the specifics of the job,
small; begin with just three or fewer
clients to make sure that you don’t
break up a timeline you typically number of characters,
cropping (whether it’s a full or half
become overwhelmed. assume will be smooth body), the outfit or armour, any

25
 ImagineNation News

“Open and prompt communication is an easy way

to win over those you work with,” says Devin.

© Adobe
“When implementing feedback, I
make sure I understand exactly
what they’re asking for, and I don’t
take anything personally,” says Syd.

accessories, and environment. I and implement the feedback just to

repeat these exact five things to see what happens. I have a lot of faith
almost every prospective client I in my ability to visualise, but
speak to so they know what practically every time a client
information to provide.” suggests something I’m unsure of, I’m
Should your quote go beyond a pleasantly surprised by the result.”
client’s budget, Syd suggests offering
a lower price for a simpler artwork EARLY PREPARATION
that is quicker to create; it might have A freelance character illustrator,
fewer characters, closer cropping, a Indiana Acosta has found
less detailed environment, and so on. that using an onboarding
If she’s working without a contract, document to introduce Indiana sends clients a Next, she gives examples of the
series of thumbnails
Syd takes 50 per cent of the payment clients to her process is an with various colour kinds of initial sketches they can
before she starts work. To ensure that efficient way to make sure composition options. expect to receive from her in the
communication is effective, she communication is thorough and thumbnail stage, and clearly states
prefers to conduct it via email so that effective. “It has saved a lot of time for that now is the time to make any
it’s easy to keep track of the me and my clients,” she says. major revisions. For each stage in the
conversation. “I always want clients to Indiana’s workflow document is an process, she gives visual examples of
feel comfortable asking questions and eight-page PDF she sends clients to what she’ll deliver, what kind of
giving feedback, so I try to use set a clear framework for the project. direction she would like to receive,
language that specifically solicits Her first page details what information and how much change is permitted
these,” she says. she requires, such as reference images without incurring an extra fee. “During
“If I suspect a suggestion they make and mood boards, and gives a visual the project I send over many
is untenable, I may give them a heads example of the kinds of sketches they screenshots to make sure that I’m
up, but I actually prefer to go ahead might like to send her. painting what is needed, and

26
 Artist news, software & events
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
“Art directors are just people too. Sometimes
what they’re trying to communicate with the IMPLEMENTING
information they give us upfront doesn’t come
through exactly as intended,” Devin says. FEEDBACK
Devin Elle Kurtz on effective
communication and changes

What are some of the

learning curves for less
experienced artists?
Communication is often the
biggest. Artistic ability is quite
separate from understanding
what art directors are asking for.
Taking feedback, making sure it’s
thoroughly understood, and
applying it is also a big one.
Anticipate that early on you’ll
probably misunderstand
feedback or direction, and
proactively ask for clarification.
Another common pitfall is
taking feedback personally and
feeling hurt when elements of an
illustration need to change for a
project. What has helped me in
this regard is making sure I
spend time doing personal work
that I have total control over.

How do you implement

feedback effectively?
Ensure you really understand
what’s being asked for! I’ll
describe my understanding of
where the problem lies, and
what my solution is. Then I’ll
make the change in a non-
destructive way so if my updated
version doesn’t hit the mark, I
can go back to the previous one.
I work with a lot of layers in
Photoshop, and do my best to
keep every file as layered-out and
organised as I can. This allows
me to make changes easily, and
saves a lot of time, even if it takes
more time to set up.
I’ve also gotten quite adept at
quickly mocking up global
changes using Photoshop
Adjustment Layers like Levels,
Color Balance and Gradient
Maps. This allows me to make
quick, non-destructive edits that
I can integrate into the full layer
I always want clients to feel structure if they’re approved.

comfortable asking questions Devin Elle Kurtz is a digital

illustrator and visual
and giving feedback development artist working
in animation and publishing.
© Adobe

www.devinellekurtz.com

27
 ImagineNation News

Before I jump in, I take some

time to restate to the art director
exactly what I think the project is
asking for, in my own words

© Lightbox

28
Artist news, software & events

“If you’re doing private commission work,

commercial rights to the artwork, the client’s
ability to sell and profit off of it, should not be
automatically included upon delivery. That
should be a separate fee,” says Devin.

29
 ImagineNation News

“Working as a freelancer has meant a lot of figuring

out what advice and criticisms from others I should
listen to versus disregard,” says Syd.

overall I talk with the client every getting to work on IPs that I'm
one to five days,” she says. inspired by and seeing my work on
Indiana also states her terms of store shelves makes the commercial
service: she takes full payment at the route most appealing to me,” she says.
start, but will give a 50 per cent Devin is represented by a literary
refund during the early stages if agent who negotiates better terms
requested. If it’s a private commission, and pay for her.
she retains all rights to her images, A freelance career often means
and issues a non-commercial license working with new people for each “My brain doesn’t like
to the client. assignment, so you’re always starting working for long periods,
and I don’t fight it on this;
cold, with little sense of what will instead I break a work day
COMMERCIAL COMMISSIONS appeal to the person who has up into multiple short bursts
of productivity,” Syd says.
The degree of control you have over commissioned you. Devin has some
the terms that you set for your tried and tested techniques for
projects will depend on whether dealing with this. and I include any ideas I have about
you’re taking private or “Before I even jump into working on what direction I’m going in for the
commercial assignments. sketches or ideas for a new project, I artwork,” she says. “This step alone
Devin Elle Kurtz works as take some time to restate to the art has made a huge difference in my
a freelancer in the director exactly what I think the ability to nail the early sketches.”
animation, gaming and project is asking for, in my own words, Don’t hold back on asking
publishing industries, and notes that questions; it saves time in the long run.
companies tend to have their own
processes, terms and timelines.
I save all of the reference “If I’m even a little bit unclear about a
character detail, setting description, or
“While I do sometimes miss the
greater authority I had over these
sheets that I create for each anything else, I’ll ask for clarification. If
possible I’ll even include a reference
terms in my private commission days, of my illustrations photo of what I think is being asked

“When I first started out I

“Don’t forget to keep doing drastically underpriced my work.
personal art,” says Indiana. “It Think about how many hours it
helps keep burnout at bay and takes and what you want to earn
gives your portfolio a push.” per hour,” Indiana says.

30
 Artist news, software & events

“I stick to a strict workflow that explains

clearly when big changes can be made,
and charge extra for revisions at a later
stage,” says Indiana.
© Adobe

for, which allows the team to very

directly say yes or no,” says Devin.

MAKING AMENDMENTS
Another good trick Devin uses is to
ask which of her portfolio pieces are
closest to what they are looking for, as
often a particular illustration will have
been their reason for hiring her. “I save
all of the reference sheets I create for
each of my illustrations, so I can
reopen them and pull from the same
inspirations again,” she says.
If Devin receives a request she
thinks won’t work, she focuses on Devin suggests visual examples to communicate
explaining her reasons clearly. “Let’s ideas. “Words can be misleading, but a photo or
sketch can help get on the same page,” she says.
say a character in dark clothes is
silhouetting clearly against a light wall.
If the team wants to make the wall in order to maintain that clear and
colour dark, I might say something immediate read that leads the eye
like: ‘Compositionally, the character is toward the character as a focal point.’
currently reading clearly due to the “I’ll describe what is currently
value contrast between their dark working, explain how the change
clothing and the light colour of the would impact it, and if possible
wall. If we darken the wall, we will lose provide some solutions.” Using this
that value contrast, and will likely need technique allows her to find As burnout can be a risk for
to resort to workarounds like a rim- alternatives that everyone is happy freelancers, Syd keeps weekends
work-free so she can recharge.
light or changing the clothing colour with nearly every time.

31
 ImagineNation News

Lisa made this image of

the death of the legendary
King Arthur as part of an
ArtStation challenge.

A day in the life of…

Lisa Heidhoff
Family time The video game illustrator and concept
artist on combining her career with motherhood

“I wake up around 8:30am. My I’ve learned to be so efficient with my

husband takes my older kid to time. To unwind, I usually listen to an
school, and I take care of the other audiobook. Right now, it’s The Lord of
child. I used to try to fit in work at the Rings, which has been soothing.
every single spare moment, but it
just wasn’t sustainable. Now I enjoy PATIENCE AND FORGIVENESS
the downtime. I do errands, clean or I had this identity crisis when I had my
spend time with my younger child first child; do I work, do I not? Does Concept artwork for a multitask. It’s given me a level of
tiny warrior character
until I get lunch. that make me a bad mother? A bad envisioned by Lisa. patience I would never have
After lunch, we pick up my older artist? How can I do this so the things otherwise. But I think also the
child, then my husband takes his I find important are included without forgiveness I’m trying to exercise for
lunch break. If I’m lucky, I can work pushing out anything else? It was a myself specifically is important.”
from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Then we do huge struggle. Some days it still is. Lisa is currently freelancing
homework, have dinner and get ready My advice for any artists who are for various game producers.
for bed. The kids are usually in bed by also parents is to be forgiving with She recently fulfilled a lifelong
8pm, then I start my real work day; yourself. There are so many things I’ve goal of designing a Magic: The
8:30pm until 11:30pm or 12:30am. The learned from being a parent that are Gathering card. You can see more of Lisa’s
house is so quiet, I can really focus. invaluable. It’s taught me how to art at https://lisaheidhoff.com.

32
 In partnership with
A collection of Lisa’s
quick ideas for a group
of colourful ladies from
outer space.

My advice for
© Wizards of the Coast

artists who are

also parents is
to be forgiving
with yourself

Concept Art Association is an organisation

committed to elevating and raising the profile
of concept artists, their art and their
involvement in the entertainment industries. Its
annual Concept Art Awards Show showcases
An illustration of Tatyova, Steward and recognises behind-the-scenes individuals
of Tides for Magic: The Gathering’s working in entertainment concept art.
Dominaria United set. www.conceptartassociation.com

33
 ImagineNation Artist in Residence

For years I’ve been

looking for the perfect
Inspired by Ancient Greek mythology, my depiction lighting lamp. I’d tried
of the sun god Helios, lord of the cosmos. and tested so many, and
this one came up golden!
Its got a great extending
arm, rotating light head,
and is perfectly daylight
temperature balanced. I
couldn’t work without it.

If you can’t tell, I have

a bit of an affinity
towards crescent
moons! Combined
with neon lighting?
Yes please! I feel like
they reflect my
personal aesthetic
perfectly and are
super neat to look at!

Emily
Chapman
My aesthetic A personal
haven where bloomcore
meets splashes of boho,
pastel and RGB

When my partner and

I first moved into this
house, I knew straight
away that I needed
this (formerly living)
room as my studio, which featured a
wonderful bay window! I love having
a ton of natural daylight, as this is
absolutely essential for traditional
work, which is the medium most of
my commissions are in, so it was a
perfect fit for me!
For my aesthetics, I wanted to go
for a clean, fresh look, so I chose
primarily white units for the room that
would then complement and allow for
My partner and I really wanted to build our own
colourful accents! This is where I PCs together, and this beauty is my result! (Even
though he did most of the building as I was
introduced pretty RGB lighting scared I’d break something.) I have a bit of an
combined with hints of Gothic vibes, obsession with RGB lighting; it’s just so pretty!
like my love for crescent moons. I

34
 Artist news, software & events

This piece is one of my

personal favourites and
was actually a Christmas
gift request from my
partner. We sometimes
swap displates between
I love looking at these boho us. I actually find it quite
macramé plant hangers encouraging to see my
while I’m working at my own art on the wall and
table as they are so pretty helps me feel proud of my
and calming! work when I go through
those low moments!

Another absolute essential – a giant

book-like pencil case housing my
large collection of Prismacolor Soft
Core pencils. A normal pencil case
couldn’t even begin to hold the
amount of pencils I have, and I need
to keep them all in hue order!

This thing is such an essential! It’s

a triangle-shaped firm cushion
iPad stand with pockets! It goes
everywhere my iPad goes. I work
on it every single day whilst
sitting on my chaise longue
plushie throne watching Netflix!

35
 ImagineNation Artist in Residence

My main workspace table where all

the magic happens! Featuring
sketchbooks of creature doodles
and two mask painting projects.

feel like my studio reflects my

personality entirely!
Collecting and caring for
Fairly recently I took an interest in
indoor plants. Collecting and caring
my plants has been really
for them became quite an obsession, beneficial and peaceful
which is great when you need a break
from art or work! Artists often need a My ever growing love feeling like I’m in my own
hobby to separate them out of their collection of artbooks, personal little jungle!
magazines and other
daily grind and I found this has been forms of inspiration and
really beneficial and peaceful. They study material. An
essential horde for
THE FREELANCE LIFE
also decorate my room beautifully, I every artist! For me, no two work days are ever the
same. I actually often forget what day
it is as everything is rather sporadic! I
Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. This fan art featured
always try my best to stick to a weekly on Guerrilla’s 2020 Community Spotlight video!
schedule, which I attempt to plan out
every Sunday. However, each day a freelance artist! My primary vocation
changes as I may end up waiting for are private traditional commissions,
clients to reply, a client with a deadline which range from characters in TV/
reaches out, I feel the need to try out a movies and games, personal RPG and
new medium and work on personal D&D characters, pet portraits and
art, or I end up doing too much more. For these I predominantly use
housework in the day that leaves me Prismacolor Soft Core Premier pencils.
with no time towards the end! These are such a dream to use as they
The nature of my work is rather are a waxy consistency that allow for
varied, as I seem to wear many hats as superb blending.

36
 Artist news, software & events

I was sent this along with a few other Plant guardian

goodies from Santa Monica Studio for Bulbasaur and my little
drawing a portrait of Kratos which was karesansui garden and
featured on their social media and in their gong as a reminiscent
PS4 thank you video! taste of Japan.

I needed a small sofa in my studio so I

have somewhere comfy to sit and
draw, so a chaise longue was a great
fit. However it is now being taken over
by my extensive plushie collection.

Every now and then me and my partner treat ourselves to a Desperately trying to keep on top of my
visit to a toy store where I usually pick out a dinosaur or time management by using this very
creature of some sort! I have always had a love for dinosaurs haphazard weekly whiteboard! It can
and they’re a great excuse for reference material! help add a little more sense to my very
hectic (albeit non-existent) schedule!

Another craft I offer are

personalised kitsune mask paintings.
These I really enjoy as I love painting
on unconventional canvases and
objects. Thinking about how a design
would work on a mask shape is a great
challenge, and it’s always super
satisfying finishing a tangible piece of
art in your hands!
I also work in digital on my iPad Pro
and Apple pencil for contract gigs of
TTRPG illustrations, character and
creature designs by studios that may
reach out every now and then. Soon, I
would really love to concentrate on
this avenue for my career and work as My favourite Marvel character, Venom, being a
a full-time creature designer for TV, helpful little PS5 controller holder.
film and games.
One of my most prized possessions! During the
Emily Chapman is a freelance artist height of Destiny, I befriended a senior hard surface
working in both digital and traditional artist due to my fan artwork of the game circling
the Bungie studio. Every few months we used to
mediums. She focuses on creature and send each other parcels (I’d send British snacks and
character designs, alongside traditional chocolate along with my art), and one time he sent
me this: a very special, rare metal Ghost figure that
fan-art commissions from pop culture plus are only given to Bungie employees celebrating the
customised kitsune mask paintings! launch of Destiny complete with a signed box from
his team! I was absolutely floored and couldn’t
www.artstation.com/emilymeganx believe his kindness!

37
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38
 Letters

New works that have

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS grabbed our attention
Contact the editor, Rob Redman,
on [email protected] or write
to ImagineFX, Future Publishing, Cindy Avelino created our last cover, plus a wonderful
tutorial to accompany it.
Quay House, The Ambury,
Bath, BA1 1UA, England What a cover!
Follow us on Twitter: Congratulations ImagineFX team! So
twitter.com/imaginefx far this year all your covers have been
Find us on Facebook: absolutely awesome. I think the best yet,
facebook.com/imaginefx and I have been subscribing to the
Share your artwork via #imaginefx: magazine for years.
instagram.com/imaginefxmagazine I particularly liked Cindy Avelino’s
from last month. The colours are just
gorgeous and I love the texture that she
put into it. You’re on a roll for sure and
I’m really excited to see what the next
ones will look like. Rocío Rodríguez
Genevieve, via email @rociorodrigue

Rob replies Thanks for the kind words

Genevieve. It’s really good to hear that you
like the covers, and hopefully you’ve found the
accompanying training useful too!
We have some great covers coming up and
I really hope you enjoy them as much. There
are some truly great artists out there and we
look forward to featuring as many of them on
the cover as we can.

Career change Our feature last issue

looked at ways of moving
Visual balance
Hello, I’m reaching out to say I found from working solo to a Hi Rob and the ImagineFX team. I know
position at a studio.
your article on moving to a role in a they’re only short, but I really appreciate
studio really interesting. I see a lot of talk the technique focus articles you do. I
about leaving to become a freelancer, find these as much about inspiration as Dan
but it’s rare to find information about anything, but there have also been some @__dann_
joining an existing team and I find that really useful nuggets of information in
odd. I get that it can be exciting to be there as well.
your own boss and to have what looks I particularly liked the one in the last
to be a lot of freedom, but the reality can issue on maintaining visual balance in a
be quite different. When I did this I piece of art. It’s something I was kind of
found the business side of things took aware of, but that article made it really
over and I became less creative, so clear and now I know how to better put
thanks for highlighting some elements it to use when working on my own art.
of going the other way. Jesus, via email
Hannah, via email
Rob replies Hi Jesus, thanks for writing
Rob replies Hi Hannah. Thanks for in, and really happy to hear you find the
writing in! I completely agree. Taking technique focus articles informative and
ownership can be exciting and very rewarding inspirational. There’s definitely a place for the
but it isn’t for everybody. For some, security DID YOU MISS longer-form tutorials, where diving a bit
and not dealing with taxes and invoicing is THE PREVIOUS deeper into a process is really valuable, but I Shannon Rose
more valuable. More importantly, some people PACKED ISSUE? agree that sometimes a more easily digestible @sacrinoxia
Don’t worry –
find it more creatively satisfying to work in a you can get hold bit of training can be really beneficial too.
team, where they can bounce ideas off each of issue 227 If any readers have thoughts on this, or any If you’ve created art that you want us to
other and feel that sense of being part of other content they would like to see in the shout about simply tag us on Twitter or
at ifxm.ag/ Instagram, and use the hashtag #imaginefx
something bigger. single-ifx. magazine, please let me know.

39
Interview

THE
ART
OF

Dominic Carter speaks with

the illustrator about his love of
Procreate and how he makes
his popular MaxPacks brushes

GOUACHE GETAWAY
When he’s not working on personal
projects, Max’s main business is his
MaxPack brushes. This piece was made
with his gouache brushes to celebrate a
Procreate update.

40
Max Ulichney

© Procreate

41
Interview
LITTLE MERMAY
Max painted this piece for Nucleus
gallery’s MerMay exhibition. “I had
wanted to show here for years, so
I basked in the moment.”

ax Ulichney has comic strips. My dad in particular is a SITTING PRETTY

worn many hats. As great artist; he worked in advertising This fun character study was made

M
with MaxPack brushes inspired by
a recovering graphic and as a painter when I was young, so pioneering artist and Disney
designer with a I always saw art as a valid career path. animator Mary Blair.

background in CG, I began interning at my father’s

he now splits his advertising agency at 16 years old,
time between working as a character where I did a lot of graphic design and
designer, art director and president of illustration. Designing logos really
the top-selling Procreate brushes built up my sense of shape language
company MaxPacks. We caught up and composition. I also worked as a
with him to learn more about his caricature artist through high school
work, and hear how artists can get the and art school, which developed a lot
most out of his custom-built brushes. of my character design muscles. They
were both formative jobs and they
Tell us a little about your were the best art gigs I could get in
background as an artist. How did Ohio, but they weren’t what I wanted
you get started, and what has your to do with my life. artist, and ultimately as both an art
career been like so far? My real career began after director and director.
I grew up in a family that valued art graduating from Columbus College of Currently I’m working as a character
and creativity, and I was always Art & Design, and I left Ohio to work designer for features and TV. I’m also
drawing my own superheroes and in visual effects in Los Angeles. A week working for myself as the president
after landing in LA, I secured a job at and brushmancer of MaxPacks.
Artist sister companies A52 and Elastic,

PROFILE
where I ended up staying for 15 years How has your art developed over the
doing visual effects and animation years, and what has been behind
Max Ulichney work. While there, I acted as a CG those changes?
LOCATION: US When I was starting out in my career, I
FAVOURITE ARTISTS: Milt Kahl,
Cory Loftis, Bill Watterson, Marc
Davis, Charley Harper, Monet
Designing logos really fell out of the habit of making
personal work for many years, instead

gouache, oil
MEDIA: Procreate, vine charcoal, built up my sense of shape focusing on building my career and
my CG skills. At Elastic I worked
WEB: https://maxulichney.com
language and composition primarily on commercials, with

42
 Max Ulichney
BRUSH WITH
GREATNESS
Max reveals what artists should
keep in mind in order to get the
most out of his brushes
Use the biggest brush size you can to get
maximum texture and character, then work
loose at the beginning of a piece. Don’t be
afraid to get messy and paint outside the lines.
Just because you can zoom all the way in and
paint with a one-pixel brush doesn’t mean you
should. Keep zoomed out and embrace strong
mark-making and visible brushstrokes. That’s
where your visual interest and energy lives.
You can always clean up later if you want.
The default behaviour in Procreate is to be
able to paint with your finger, but I love the
Smudge tool, so I have set my finger to use the
Smudge tool in the Preferences. If you set the
size of the brush to be around the size of your
fingertip it feels intuitive. Now you have a fast
way to blend an edge or create texture without
switching your brushes.

COLOUR COORDINATION
Max likes to keep his colours loose in the
early stages of painting. “I prefer to paint
with the largest brush size I can manage
to get the maximum character of marks.
I’ll leave plenty of imperfections as that’s
what adds charm, warmth and energy.”

43
Interview
WATERCOLOUR WONDER CAFE CHARACTER
For this piece, painted with his The Grainstorm
watercolour brushes, Max wanted to Detail from the
capture an old-school editorial feel. Essential MaxPack
v2 helps provide
extra depth.

CENTURION STUDY
In this piece, Max let
the pencils show
through more than
usual. “I like how it
allowed me to stay a
little more graphic.”

every project needing a different They were such an easy source of

aesthetic. That variety was fun and inspiration and I was able to use my
challenging, but as a result, I caricature skills again.
developed a bit of an identity crisis in My art was doing better and better
my personal work. on social media as I found my voice,
When I would sit down to create and making friends in the art
something for myself, I didn’t know community helped push me to
what my personal aesthetic was, so my improve. It was during this time as
artwork at the time was much more well that I discovered many of the
experimental, trying on styles to see artists I take inspiration from.
what felt right to me. It was frustrating Developing good taste and having

I found my sense of success in the act

of simply sitting down to sketch, rather
than wanting to make a great piece
not loving my results, but I still loved varied sources of inspiration helped
the act of making art. me build up my skills quicker and
I set myself a challenge to draw at with better focus.
least once a week and that’s what I found my personal work was often
cracked it for me, ultimately. I found a counter to my day job at the time.
my sense of success in the act of simply When my work days were focused on
sitting down to sketch rather than detail-oriented production work, my
wanting to make a great piece every personal art got sketchier and looser in
time. It freed me to not judge myself, reaction. As my career moved into art
and in the span of a couple of years my direction and managing teams, I was
style began to emerge naturally. more likely to go for an increasingly
I developed a weekend habit of rendered and ambitious illustration,
going out to cafes, parks or bars and sometimes employing my skills in DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN
Max exaggerated the details of the Deltron 3030 rapper. “As a character
sketching people out in the world. lighting that I honed on the job. designer, I think in terms of shape strongly when it comes to line work.”

44
 Max Ulichney
which actually has a great little pencil
with nice tilt shading. I couldn’t find
anything like it in Procreate, so I dug
into the brush palette for the first time
and built my own.
In the past I’d made my own
Photoshop brushes on occasion, but I
hated the interface and never
developed a taste for it. The Procreate
brush interface made more sense to
me and I found I enjoyed it. As much
as I loved working in Procreate,
frankly I wasn’t in love with the
brushes that came built in. So as I
needed a new brush, I made it.
Over time I’d amassed a neat little
collection of these brushes, and people
started asking me about them after I
posted a piece online. It took a couple
of years of people asking me if they
could buy them before I caved in and
developed and launched MaxPacks.

What did you feel other brushes

were lacking that yours could
improve upon?
At the time that I was getting started
making brushes around 2015, many
of the built-in Procreate brushes were
fun, but not as flexible as I wanted for
nuanced painting. Others felt as if they
were made to show off the brush
engine or work well in an in-store
demo scenario.
I had an idea of what I wanted to
use, but I couldn’t find it offered by
other brush sellers. I saw a gap in the
market to provide a premium product
made by a working professional
illustrator. The brush space has
improved in recent years, although I
still believe that I have the best
products available.

What are the biggest challenges

Creating my MaxPacks Procreate BLOSSOMING so slow, analytical and interface-heavy you’ve encountered while creating
brushes also marked a turning point, ROMANCE that I felt like I was working, even Procreate brushes?
encouraging me to use more texture This couple was when trying to make art for myself. I developed skills over my CG career
painted with brushes
and painterly mark-making in my from the Wash Series But Procreate had a minimal that made me good at reverse-
of MaxPacks, and detail
work. That’s the sweet spot I live in was inked in with the
interface, and with the Apple Pencil it engineering reality, which translated
now, revolving around caricature and Fountain Pen Toothy. was so fast and intuitive that it made well to creating great brushes. But that
character design, employing playful me want to sketch all the time and doesn’t mean the job is easy.
colour and lighting, and focusing on from anywhere. It brought joy back to Let’s say we’re talking about creating
strong brushwork. my process and sped up my artistic oil painting brushes, which I happen
growth dramatically. to be developing at the moment. The
What is it about Procreate that number of variables in play is
appeals to you? Your MaxPacks brushes in Procreate overwhelming. The texture of the
Procreate is so easy to love. Working are incredibly popular with artists. painting surface could be canvas or
on my iPad makes digital painting feel What made you create them? board, textured or smooth. The paint
playful again. When the first iPad Pro I made my first Procreate brush the can be thick and opaque, dry and
with Apple Pencil came out, I’d been night I bought that first iPad Pro with scratchy, or thinned down with
growing tired of my desktop Apple Pencil. My initial experience turpentine or linseed oil. The brush
Photoshop setup. Even with the nicest playing with the new Pencil was at the shape can be round, flat, fan, angled,
24-inch Cintiq at home, it was so hot, Apple Store, and the only app they had or something else altogether like a
clunky and glitchy, and Photoshop felt set up to draw on was the Notes app, palette knife.

45
Interview

Max explains the creative approach

to making this chilling commission
This was a commission for Procreate, which was
looking for a piece with characters, strong lighting
and colour, and a bit of storytelling. I was thinking
of a polar explorer in the vein of Sir Edmund
Hillary, but wanted to flip the idea and an alien
light source gave me the juxtaposition I needed.
I wanted drama so I picked a low, wide camera
angle. This perspective was a challenge for the
poses, and I kept having to rework my sketch for

© Procreate
clearer silhouettes and to push my proportions. I
used Procreate’s Symmetry tools and QuickShape
features to create the alien markings and distorted
them with Liquify to refract them under the ice.
It was painted with my Retro MaxPack, with the
Gouache Flow Rough Detail as my main brush.

COMPLEX COMMISSION
This piece for Procreate proved
an uphill struggle. “I took on a lot
of challenges, trying to balance a
wild colour palette, unusual light
angle and source, and reflective
and refractive materials.”

46
 Max Ulichney
TRACKERS WATERCOLOUR
This duo were painted with
brushes from the Gouache
WITCH
Another piece
MaxPack. “I was undecided inspired by cafe
on including an environment clientele. “Her
when I started, but felt it posture was
was important for context.” hilarious.”

These preferences change means in their minds. I need to do

dramatically in different painting my best to meet a huge variety of
styles across history. Renaissance styles expectations and simplify all of that
used thin layers and glazes to achieve into an approachable product.
soft blending and translucency.
Impressionism, meanwhile, was all What advice would you give to
about strong, visible brushstrokes and aspiring artists hoping to follow in
texture. So my biggest challenge is your footsteps?
organising the chaos to understand If there’s anything to be learned from FEATHERED FRIEND I loved getting to do concept art, 3D
the scope of my needs. my varied career, I think it would be This suffering sea dog modelling, lighting, camera work,
was the first painted with
I spend a lot of time doing heavy that it’s worth following your curiosity Max’s new Paint Bristle stop-motion, compositing, on-site
brushes. “You can get
research, zooming into notable artists’ wherever it takes you. Take chances streaky dry brush effects
supervision and directing, all at a
paintings and styles, trying to figure and move in the direction you’re with the tilt. So fun.” single studio. The variety of work is
out how thick, thin, dry or wet excited to explore. exciting, and you can discover what
particular strokes are. And then I On a practical level, I’d say that you love quicker and lean into that.
categorise paintings into what marks commercial studios are a great option Ultimately, it taught me that I’m
they have in common. for young artists who may only be happiest working within the pre-
Let’s say I’m trying to make an considering film and television jobs. production field, and that’s where my
impressionist-style brush. That tends You get more opportunity to have a animation career is now.
to be done on canvas with thick, greater creative impact at smaller One word of warning I might offer,
relatively dry paint applied with a studios, and they will help you to however, is that I stayed at one studio
round or filbert style brush. I can then develop an understanding of the for 15 years. I learned a lot there and it
create the elements I need for this by whole creative pipeline better. developed me mightily as an artist.
dry brushing on canvas and capturing But I also learned that my sense of
a filbert brush tip. I have to consider
all of that for just one small subset of
You get more opportunity loyalty after all that time led to me
sticking around longer than I probably
brushes in this pack.
So when I say oils, everyone will
to have a greater creative should have done. Check in with
yourself and stay only as long as you’re
have a different idea of what that impact at smaller studios benefiting and growing.

47
 Artist
PROFILE
DaCosta Bayley
LOCATION: Canada

A self-taught, award-
winning illustrator with an
insatiable love for all
things robotic, DaCosta
has been creating
professionally since 1995. Working
under the studio name ‘CHOCOLATE
SOOP’, DaCosta has produced designs
f
e robot designs full o es across various media and collaborated

his uniqu his sketch

with artists worldwide. DaCosta is also

Known for -taught artist shares

the founder of the long-running
‘MARCH of ROBOTS’ drawing

his self
character, t
challenge on Instagram.
https://chocolatesoopstudio.com

CYBER NINJA
“This guy was inspired by the
TMNT animation of the 80s. If I were
asked to come up with a character
originally created to hunt down
JUNKPILE
“Finding robotic parts
and destroy the turtles, but then amongst our garbage at
eventually sees them as brothers, some point in the future
this would be the design I may be unremarkable. An
would submit.” innocent pile of discarded
parts, but hidden amongst
the canisters, structural
members and conduit, sits
the chassis of a small
service droid.”

TANKBOT
“A little tank with the
behavioural patterns of
a dog. More shape
exploration that became a
fun, big-headed mini mech
used for desert patrol.
Would be fun to see it
scamper across the
dunes to fetch a
grenade.”

FLATFOOT
“Standard-issue mech unit for
beat cops of the future. Living in a
city patrolled by friendly police in
THE GRAVE WALKER
“A Scooby-Doo cartoon bad guy
mechs would be exciting.”

meant to scare folk away from oil

deposits discovered under the local
cemetery. I love the quirky monsters
from that animation.”

I’ll come away from a good

online chat with a couple of
pages of robot doodles

48
 Sketchbook DaCosta Bayley

ROBOT HEADS
“The typical doodles I do while talking
on the phone. It’s hard not to come away
from a good online chat without a couple of
pages of robot heads. Some just come
across all function and others hint
at a personality.”

49
 PRESTO
“A magical character from a
world where robots and magic are
commonplace. The idea was to
design a robot street performer in
a world of fun and wonder.”

50
 Sketchbook DaCosta Bayley
CREATIVE SPRITE
“A playful character ready to throw down.
STATE OF MIND
“Inspired by finding the calm in today’s chaos.
Many characters are simply exploration This is all about the artificial and the organic. The
with no goal or story. Most end up being juxtaposition of the flora bursting out the cold shell
notes later or become stickers of a robot in a way that could be interpreted
I can produce.” as thought seemed fun.”

Many characters are simply

exploration with no goal or story;
they might later become stickers

PEW
PEW! READY
READY!
“My take on Star Wars
bounty hunters. I love
the idea of a buddy film
about characters
working towards a
common goal, but
with different
ideas on how to
get there.”

51
 Artist
PROFILE
Wu Liu
LOCATION: China

Wu has been working as a

concept artist in the video
games industry for eight
years. As an art nerd, his
main inspirations come
from comics and everyday life, and

eriments
sketchbooks are his favourite way to

a s h e e xp experiment and record ideas.

ry
t’s laborato
http://piaoliudefive.artstation.com

the concept ar tis

ug h his s ketchbook
on hro
We drop in arre new characters t
with biz SCARLET 
BLADE 
WIELDER
“The cursed scarlet
blades are dangerous.
To wield them, he uses
braided ropes to seal
the power and stop
them killing
him.”

SIMPLIFY
“I spend a lot of time
experimenting with
simplification, especially
muscles, expressions,
general shapes,
and so on.”

QUICK IDEA
“Sketchbooks are great for
generating ideas. Here we have
a punk girl, and other small
shape studies.”

YELLOW 
GOBLIN
“Here I asked myself
whether a goblin has to
be green. Why can’t
it be yellow?”

My family often
saw me making
bizarre faces when
I was sketching

52
Sketchbook Wu Liu

FACE 
PUZZLE
“A fun way to draw portraits
with unusual shapes is to
create a puzzle with faces,
filling as much space
as possible.”

53
 WEIRDOS
“My family often saw me
making bizarre faces when I was
sketching. I was trying to get a feel
for how these weirdos in my
sketchbook would behave.”

54
 Sketchbook Wu Liu
BIRD CARER
“You can see why he’s
the Bird Carer, with his
hair and personality.”

EXPERIMENT
“Trying wild creatures,
ideas, poses and styles
in your sketchbook
makes practise much
more interesting.”

FUN DOODLES
“I try all sorts of things that could make me
laugh, such as a floating skull in a flame, a silly
giant wearing armour made from a human
shield, and a random dude with a
candle on his head.”

CACTUS 
BATTER
“The cactus character
was one of the themes I
made for my personal
practice.”

Trying wild
creatures, poses
and styles makes
practising more
interesting

Do you want to share your sketches with your fellow ImagineFX readers? Send us an email with a
selection of your art, captions for each piece and a photo and bio of yourself to [email protected]

55
Feature

MATTAHAN
It can be helpful to emulate
an artist you like, but don’t be
so dogmatic about it that you
never develop your own style
(also, credit them)
Dominic Carter talks to the EarthNight
artist about making art for video games
and how he keeps his creativity sharp

D
epicting everything been able to live off it without ever
from fantastical scenes, having to get a day job. But there’s

© Cleaversoft
afro-futurism and definitely room for it to grow.
down-to-Earth
moments, the art of Which artists have inspired you
Paul Davey – also known as Mattahan most and why?
– has won him a legion of fans and I consciously avoid being inspired by EARTHNIGHT Yagazie Emezi is incredibly brave and
attention from a variety of industries. other artists because I like to tell Set in a dystopian cool, and then there’s Lois van Baarle;
future after a dragon
We caught up with him to hear how myself that my work is 100 per cent apocalypse, EarthNight I’m jealous of her success, but she
he makes work so good it stops social original with zero outside influence. is a mesmerising, deserves it. I’ve also adored James
painterly platformer
media scrollers in their tracks. That said, there are some artists I like. brought to life in Jean’s style since his work on Fable and
Mattahan’s art style.
These include Akwaeke Emezi, who it’s been amazing watching it evolve.
Tell us a little about your radiates brilliance all the time. It really Finally, I really like Arne Niklas
background as an artist. How did aggravates my imposter syndrome. Jansson, AKA Arne from Android Arts.
you get started, and what has your I don’t know why some game
career been like so far? developer hasn’t hired him or at least
It’s a story you’ve definitely heard licensed his designs. He’s done
before; I’ve been drawing for as long as redesigns of games I would have
I can remember so it becoming my otherwise regarded as unassailable.
profession was inevitable. I made a
tiny name for myself releasing free How has your art developed over the
icons and wallpapers in the early years, and why?
2000s. Job offers of various sizes have I’m motivated by a strong desire to
been appearing in my inbox ever outdo my previous work, so every new
since. My career has been all right. I’ve piece has to have something more
than the last. It’s all about complexity
Artist now. With social media being the

PROFILE main outlet for my work, I’d like

people to stop for at least a few
Mattahan seconds before they scroll on.
LOCATION: England
FAVOURITE ARTISTS: Akwaeke RABBIT
Emezi, Yagazie Emezi, Lois van
This piece was Which tools do you use to create
inspired by Inktober
Baarle, Arne Niklas Jansson prompts, including your artwork?
MEDIA: Procreate, Photoshop ‘pattern’, ‘overgrown’, Procreate and Photoshop. But I do
WEB: www.mattahan.com ‘wild’ and ‘ornament’.
think it’s important to work with

56
Mattahan

POWERFUL
PERSPECTIVE
Mattahan’s work can
take a turn for the sci-fi,
such as this strange
landscape where
buildings appear to pile
on top of each other.

BATH
This piece, which is
loosely based on a
reference photo of
fellow artist India
Mayes, is one of the few
Mattahan has on
display in his home.

57
Interview

METRO
All is not as it first seems in this picture,
as the commuter is accompanied by a
strange companion. Could it be the
algorithm on their phone come to life?

traditional media occasionally to

not become reliant on the easy fixes
that come with a digital workflow.
Having said that, I don’t practise what
I preach. All of my sketchbooks are
mostly empty.

You’re known online as Mattahan.

Can you tell us the origins of this
pen name?
I came up with it when I was 12 and
it’s slightly embarrassing. So no.

The Cleaversoft game EarthNight is

© Cleaversoft

based around your art style. What

was it about your art that appealed
to the developers?
I think the idea of a hand-painted
video game resonated with them. I’d ART WITH A BITE How was creating art for a game though. EarthNight was also the first
worked with them on some smaller Critics praised different from your other work as an time I’d worked with a team on a
EarthNight for its
games prior to that, so when they were hand-painted artist? And what were you tasked large-scale project.
approach, created
considering making a big one I pitched entirely by Mattahan.
with creating for EarthNight?
the idea of a platformer that took place Everything. Backgrounds, concept art, How does your Jamaican heritage
on the back of dragons. Twelve years most of the animation, the logo, all of manifest itself in your work?
later, EarthNight was born. it. It was much more of a grind than My character designs tend to look
personal work; I did not enjoy that Jamaican. The main character of
There was value in working aspect of it. But there was value in
working outside of my comfort zone
EarthNight wore a uniform from a
school near where I grew up. There’s
outside of my comfort zone and expanding my skill set. Bringing
those experiences back to my personal
probably more Jamaican-ness in it
than that, but if so it’s innate rather
and expanding my skill set work has certainly improved it than deliberate.

58
 Mattahan

SLICE OF LIFE
When not creating fantastical worlds, Mattahan
captures everyday moments filled with personality.

You’ve been working on a graphic

novel with Saul Williams, Let There
Be Dark, that’s due out this year. Can
you tell us what readers can expect
and what you’re creating for it?
It’s my work in conversation with
Saul’s. That’s an untested chemical
reaction, so to be honest even I can’t
really say what you can expect from
the final product.

What does your average working day

look like?
The ideal version starts with a small
workout (preferably outside), then
breakfast and a couple of hours of
personal work. After breaking for
lunch I get down to three to four hours
of paid work, often with a snack KNOT
thrown in. In the evenings I unwind, This image of a woman
surrounded by the tightly
have dinner, then get to sleep at a woven knot of her connections
reasonable time. Often the workouts is another piece that Mattahan
is proud to display.
don’t happen, the personal work is
unconstrained, paid work starts in the
evening, and I go to bed late.

Do you ever feel burnout? And if so,

how do you deal with it?
All the time. The only solution is to
step back from what’s causing it, but
capitalism makes that difficult.

Tell us how you doodle to stay sharp,

and other tips for keeping your
creativity flowing.
Doodling is unbridled creativity,
without any constraint from a plan or
a goal. You’re never short of ideas if TIME LAPSE
you doodle regularly, because Mattahan’s Instagram
inevitably you’ll find that some of
UNBELIEVABLE followers can see how he
People, tortoises and even created this piece based
those doodles can be developed whales appear to radiate from on a reference photo in a
this person in psychic waves. sped-up video.
further, into something more

59
Interview
LET THERE
BE DARK
Mattahan talks us through
the creation of this piece
made for Saul Williams’
upcoming graphic novel

‘Graphic novel’ only partly describes

Let There Be Dark. It’s a collection of
free verse and personal essays
accompanied by my art. Sometimes
that’s sequential, other times it’s
representative illustration, other times
my work is in response to his. This
piece falls into that last category.
The process was typical for me:
doodles to get started, the main
figure once I’m warm, more doodles
when I feel stuck, then colour to pull it
all together. I used a layered approach
for the main figure. Not literal layers in
Procreate; you can do it that way if
you want to play it safe, but my puny
iPad can only handle so many layers.
First I did a rough sketch with a big
brush in one colour. The big brush
enforces roughness; this stage is more
about proportion and composition
than anything else and a smaller brush
will have you getting bogged down in
details. Then I added some values
with a slightly smaller, translucent
brush, just enough to turn the blob
from 2D to 3D, not yet enough for a
recognisable face. Next, I laid down
colour. The benefit of the translucent
brush is that you’ll smooth out the
roughness of the previous steps and
create space for the next.
After this it was time to add details.
If you work like me, it’s still too soon
for your finest brush. This step is
about turning your skin-coloured blob
with a vague face-like geometry into a
blurry face. (You’re tempted to skip
this step. You want to get a tiny pencil
brush and start drawing eyelashes.
Okay, but when everything looks
whacky don’t say I didn’t warn you.)
To check for weirdness, flip your
canvas horizontally. Because you
didn’t start drawing eyelashes, it’s
trivial to adjust feature placements as
needed. Now get your small brush
and start rendering a face.
You get the gist. As for general tips:
keep flipping throughout, don’t let
yourself get carried away only to find
you’ve spent hours drawing a melty
face. Also check your reference DEEP DIVE
The author of Let There Be Dark describes
frequently. If not for likeness, then for it as an exploration of “the boundless
lighting. Finally, take breaks. Don’t mystery and beauty that connects deep
sea, deep space, dark skin, and why we
stare at it until you hate it. close our eyes when we kiss.”

60
 Mattahan

substantial. At the very least, they BOOKS

are a record of you at a particular point This image is the third
and final piece of
in time. Which, as far as I’m Mattahan’s own art that
he has on display.
concerned, is what art is all about.
I doodle daily, it’s how I like to start
my work day. It can be as easy as my
STREET SCENE
Even something as everyday as a street
energy levels require it to be while still can be transformed into something
wonderful in Mattahan’s eyes.
‘counting’ as work. I leave them to sit
for a while before reviewing them.
Whatever stands out or seems big note with diagrams and stuff. It do with them. One figure tries to
interesting enough gets embellished or was a completely infeasible flight of ignore them, another shakes them off,
redrawn or painted. fancy that I won’t be able to ‘use’ for and one soaks in them. These are the
Another creativity exercise is to just anything, but it really warmed up my only pieces of mine I have hanging in
explore random ideas that you might creative muscles. my home. I can’t look at the rest,
have. It doesn’t have to be through It’s easy to come up with something there’s too much I want to change.
drawing. The other day, I had an idea and be like, ‘No that’s silly’, but try to
for how to revamp transportation resist that urge and do take your ideas What is next for you? Do you have
systems in cities. I wrote it all up in a seriously. Save the evaluation for after any exciting projects coming up, or
you’ve explored them. are there other areas that you would
DOODLES like to explore?
Mattahan’s detailed
doodles allow him to Of all the artwork that you’ve Let There Be Dark is such a huge
process and work
through ideas that
created to date, which are you most project that I haven’t really thought
might carry over into proud of and why? about what comes after it. I’ve played
finished pieces.
I’m quite proud of , , and around with original characters for
(See Books on p57, Bath p53, and Knot years so maybe it’s time to really do
p55) [Mattahan often names his art something with them.
with emojis] for mostly the same
reasons. They’re expressive, intricate, What advice would you give to
and don’t have any glaring flaws. They aspiring artists hoping to follow in
cover a theme I revisit often in my your footsteps?
work; intrusive thoughts and what to Draw a lot. Draw from photo reference
or life. Try to put yourself into your
Another creativity exercise work. Neither human nor AI can do
that better than you can. This is advice
is to just explore random to follow in my footsteps, but you may
want to walk somewhere else. So don’t
ideas that you might have take it too seriously.

61
 GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 5 now!

Workshop assets
are available…
Download your resources by turning to
page 5. And if you see the video workshop badge,
you can watch the artist in action, too.

Advice from the world’s best artists

64 72

70 This issue:
64 Create a bold fan
art portrait
Bo Feng Lin takes an in-depth
look at the creation of this issue’s
striking Wednesday cover art.

70 Learn to embrace
your references
Translating observations and
emotions from real life into
82 artwork with Alone Lee.

72 50 tips and tricks

for Procreate
Five pro artists share their expert
advice to help raise your game.

82 Control the focus

of your image
How Luiz Prado makes the focal
points of his artwork stand out.

63
 Workshops

Procreate
CREATE A BOLD
FAN ART PORTRAIT
Bo Feng Lin shares the process behind his quirky Wednesday
Addams painting, which features suitably abstract elements

Artist In this tutorial I’ll details and abstract shapes to Nothing I’m showing you here is
PROFILE show you step by step
how I create a digital
complete the painting.
I’ll be using some of my own
exclusive to Procreate and can also
be applied to other drawing apps
Bo Feng Lin illustration from start brushes for this tutorial, but you can such as Photoshop. This lesson is
LOCATION: Germany
to finish using use the default brushes in Procreate great for beginners and experienced
Bo Feng Lin is an Procreate. You’ll get to see how I just as well. If you want to try out my artists alike. Afterwards, you’ll have
illustrator and artist
based in Hamburg. He
work with shades and highlights to custom brushes, you’ll find them in a basic understanding of my general
specialises in stylised shape the character, and add in extra the assets for this workshop. working process.
portrait illustrations with
abstract twists featuring
a range of bold and
vibrant elements.
www.bofenglin.com

PROCREATE
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
ALLROUNDER

ALLROUNDER ROUGH

DEFAULT BRUSHES:
SOFT AIRBRUSH

FINGERPAINT 1

These are the brushes

used for this tutorial. The
first three were for the
Add clean outlines
portrait, while the last
First rough sketch 2 With the initial sketch, create a new layer on top
was for the abstract
shapes and background. 1 I start with an empty canvas, which is always set up and draw a cleaner version of the sketch using a darker
To see more Procreate
so it’s ready for high-quality prints if needed. I like to use colour that separates the outlines from the original. I
brushes available from DIN-standard sizes for prints. The file size can get quite prefer to use a colour that’s the same temperature as the
Bo Feng Lin, visit big, so be mindful that the bigger the size, the fewer sketch, but darker. For example if the sketch is yellow, I’d
https://bit.ly/41RmeY2
layers you’ll able to utilise in Procreate. go with orange or red for the outlines.

64
In depth Fan art portraits

65
 Workshops

Clothing details
4 Once I finish the face, I focus on the outfit,
Select base colour continuing with the same steps as I did for the face. Add a
3 On top of our sketch layers I create a new layer, which is set to Multiply. On base colour for the clothing and darker shades where
this layer I’m adding the base skin tone of our subject. I like to go a bit darker on there are creases. It’s good to use a real reference for this
the tone because I’ll work on the highlights later in the process. step if you want to make it look more realistic.

Add highlights
6 In this step I’ll add in highlights, particularly
Face details prominently around the nose area. Use a fine brush that
5 Now that we’ve established our baseline for the portrait, I like to focus on the can give clean highlights in and around the eyes, nose
facial features. On a new layer I paint in the eyes, eyebrows and hair. Since they all and mouth, and a soft airbrush for broader areas like the
have a similar colour, I like to keep them on the same layer. When painting dark cheeks, forehead and bridge of the nose. It’s a good idea
hair or eyes, try to avoid using a solid black, and instead pick a colour that is almost to create a new layer in case you want to amend any
black. Working with solid blacks makes the contrast too strong and would take strokes, as you can simply use the Eraser tool for
away from the balance in other areas of the image. corrections without damaging the layers underneath.

66
 In depth Fan art portraits

Background colour
7 While adding more details to the portrait, choose a background colour that supports the image. I chose a fairly neutral colour that isn’t too
overpowering, but of course you could use a much more vibrant colour, depending on the mood you want to give the piece. I played around
with the colours and added a subtle violet outline, which matches with the Wednesday Addams character.

67
 Workshops

More details
8 I like to add details only where they are necessary.
Keep some of the strokes rough around the cheeks to
make it interesting. Add just enough highlight to grab
attention, but don’t go to crazy!

Facial features and makeup 10 Paint the clothes

With the face finished, I turn my attention to the
9 I like to introduce final facial features such as freckles, birthmarks, tattoos or outfit, again following the same process I used when
makeup to round out this stage of the image. I do this on a separate layer, which working on the character’s face. The first step here is to
allows me to make adjustments if needed, or if I want to change the colour using select a base colour for the clothing and add darker
Adjustments>Hue, Saturation, Brightness. shades with the folds and creases.

68
 In depth Fan art portraits

12 Create a pattern
Wednesday’s iconic black outfit features a pattern
Clothing highlights of golden roses. I create those by drawing one rose on a
11 Once the base colour and darker shades for the clothing are established, I’ll separate layer, which is duplicated several times for all
add the highlights. Depending on the material these can vary. Wednesday seems to the roses needed. You can shorten this step by merging a
wear a typical cotton shirt, which is only partly reflective, therefore I’m not going bunch of roses into one layer, duplicating it and shifting
too crazy with the highlights. To select the right highlight colour, I choose a shade the new layer to match the required pattern, then
that’s brighter than the base colour, and less saturated. I apply the highlights with merging all the roses into one locked layer. Finally, I
the Allrounder brush, the same brush that I used for the skin. paint the shades and highlights missing from the roses.

14 Abstract shapes
To complete the image, I add bold shapes behind
and in front of the character. There aren’t really rules
here, so any interpretation works well as long as the
shapes don’t overpower the portrait. I like to have a good

13 Cropping and composition

Once the portrait is done I crop the image to the desired composition, but
balance between portrait and shapes, and try to carefully
select the colours in order to complement the character
only after preserving the main file by making a duplicate; this way we maintain the instead of distracting from them. In terms of shapes I
original without accidentally creating steps that can’t be undone. Initially I had her keep it basic, but add freehand shapes as well to provide
hands in the sketch as well, but I think this crop looks much stronger. contrast to the rigid and geometric appearance.

69
 Workshops

“Observations, For the expression, let’s take the

feelings and ocean waves. First I gathered every
expressions all run reference I could find. I had no clue
Technique focus through my works. how to do it at first, and described

EMBRACE
The observations here them using messy lines. This was a
include having a great month in good exploration process though.
Phuket and watching the sea every We don’t usually draw something

REFERENCES day at sunset. As for the feelings,

these include sensations like the
wind and the waves, but also the
and look for references to see how
others have approached it, which is
also great, but here I embraced a
Alone Lee explores being inspired by people around me and feeling spirit of adventure by imagining
emotions, observations, and imagination happy in myself. myself on an isolated island.”

70
Tech Focus References and inspiration

Artist
PROFILE
Alone Lee
LOCATION: China

Alone is a Chengdu-
based freelance artist
who divides her time
between personal work
and her role as a visual
development artist on
an animation team.
www.alonelee.com

71
 Workshops

Procreate/Artwork by Christiane King and Ayan Nag

Artist insight
50 TIPS AND TRICKS
FOR PROCREATE
Five expert artists share their wealth of knowledge
to boost your software skills up to the next level

Whether you’re just starting out on 1 DRAW USING THE

the adventure of learning a new SYMMETRY GRID
software, or been plugging away at There are a multitude of
your favourite program for years, drawing assist tools that will
there’s always some nifty little trick help with your art, but the
you wish you’d known sooner. And Symmetry tool is a great way to
that’s exactly why we sought out the create uniform pieces. You can
expertise of a panel of Procreate create unique shapes or use the
masters to share their favourite tips. tool to draw symmetrical faces
We’ve covered everything from like the piece shown left. To
shortcuts to workflows, so beginner, change the centre point of the
intermediate or veteran, get ready to grid, simply move around the
find out which Procreate pointer will blue dot. You can also
change your game! customise the Symmetry tool to
sit horizontally, vertically and at
any angle in between.
Artist
PROFILES
Kei-Ella Loewe Sweeney Boo Alexandra Zutto Kate Correa Mygel Edoloverio
LOCATION: The Netherlands LOCATION: Canada LOCATION: US LOCATION: US LOCATION: Philippines

Kei-Ella is a South When she’s not busy Alexandra is an artist Kate is a Chilean- Born and raised in
African digital artist drawing witchy girls and illustrator based American visual Manila, Mygel is a
currently living in The and hairless cats, in Brooklyn. She has a development artist package of illustrator,
Netherlands. She Sweeney is working talent for 3D-style and illustrator based animator and 3D
started teaching with major comic artwork that features in New Jersey. She is artist. Over time, he
herself how to illustrate with publishers. She has also authored a vast array of colours, abstract keen to pursue a career in vis dev, has developed a love for using
Procreate software in 2021. and illustrated graphic novels. shapes, and natural elements. layout, and background painting. strong, warm colour palettes.
http://keiella.art www.sweeneyboo.com https://bit.ly/3Ok5Bkw https://bit.ly/3MCI4tO www.mziegfield.com.

72
 Artist insight Procreate tips

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GAUSSIAN BLUR
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pieces. This can be used
to blend colours for your
backgrounds, create a Procreate
motion blur look (although Watercolor Kit
there is a specific motion Price: $16 personal / $19 commercial
https://bit.ly/42PQLXA
blur effect) or produce a This 12-brush set has a wonderfully
2 CLIPPING MASK LAYERS soft glow for your lighting authentic watercolour feel and texture.
Most of my artworks have a line-art layer on top and my fill or effects. It’s a great tool to The pack includes video tutorials and
mock-ups to give you a head start.
shape layers underneath. Each shape layer has a few layers play around with to
above it as clipping masks so I can shade, detail and play with achieve some unique looks
colour more easily. Kei-Ella Loewe in your pieces.

Procreate
Smudge Brushes
Price: $9
https://bit.ly/3pL3mfL
This set includes 18 brushes tested for
use with Procreate’s Smudge tool. The
brushes can be used to create colour
blending effects and varied textures.

5 SWEENEY’S BRUSHES
The main brushes I use are the ones
4 TRY COLOR BALANCE that came with the Procreate library.
If you want something with even more control, you could I like Dry Ink for pencilling and inking
Gouache Shader
instead use the Color Balance adjustment. It lets you push the because I love its texture, and use Brushes for Procreate
shadow, mid-tone and highlight values between CMY and Hard Airbrush or Soft Hair Brush for Price: $19
RGB. It’s great for subtle hue shifts when used correctly. You my colouring and shading. I’ll also https://bit.ly/3MAq6Iw

could even swap it from Layer to Pencil mode by tapping on sometimes download or buy extra Get rich gouache effects in Procreate in
minutes. This mega pack from creative
the arrow beside the tool name in the banner, which allows brushes if I’m looking for particular resources site RetroSupply offers a
you to paint the changes onto the layer, rather than affecting rendering or patterns for my whopping 68 gouache brushes!
the layer as a whole! Mygel Edoloverio artwork. Sweeney Boo

73
 Workshops

6 SHARE YOUR LAYERS 7 CREATE MOODBOARDS

Another cool tip is the ability to Moodboards are image collages of artworks
move any layer from one artwork to that inspire you, or reference images! This is
another. Do this by tapping and usually my first step as it helps create a vision
holding the chosen layer, then press and aids in my research. I make a new
the Gallery button in the menu. Next, Procreate file and merge the inspirational art
open the Layer menu and drop your together to make the reference while I work.
layer in its place. Alexandra Zutto Kate Correa

8 MAKE A TIME-LAPSE 10 ENSURE CONSISTENT

Procreate allows you to record and BRUSH SELECTIONS
download your entire drawing When working on a book project, I
process. When you start a new usually limit the amount of brushes
canvas, go into the settings, and 9 DISCOVER GRADIENT MAPS used to avoid being overwhelmed,
then Videos. Make sure that the The Gradient Map offers a powerful method of colouring but also for consistency in rendering.
Time-lapse Recording option is layers. It takes the shadows, mid-tones and highlights of the Even though the brushes are already
enabled. At any time, you can export layer, and allows you to assign a colour per value. You can add available in the library, I like to create
your video, which is extremely handy more colour stops to fine-tune which colours affect which a new section and paste all the
to share on your social media values; perfect for colouring black and white pieces! The tool brushes I need so I don’t lose time
profiles! Sweeney Boo even lets you save your gradient maps. Mygel Edoloverio looking for them! Sweeney Boo

11 ADJUSTING THE
STABILISATION FOR 13 THE GLITCH EFFECT
YOUR LINE WORK In the Adjustments section, there are
I love clean, crisp line work some great tools available. The Glitch
and often increase and adjustment will take your layer and
decrease the Stabilisation 12 MAKE THUMBNAILS make it look like it’s glitching out! If
on my favourite line work I start with small, loose sketches. Then I use simple shapes like you’re drawing a broken screen, a
brushes to make the triangles, circles and squares to block out the thumbnail to video game character or whatnot,
process more relaxing. To help figure out my composition, and create varieties of colour it’s super handy and fun. But outside
do this, click the brush to thumbnails. It helps to create simple palettes (maximum five of that, it also just looks extremely
open up the Brush Studio colours) to avoid overthinking the process. Kate Correa cool! Sweeney Boo
and increase Stabilisation
for your long, smooth lines,
or decrease it for shading,
hatching or any fuzzy bits
in your work! Kei-Ella Loewe

74
 Artist insight Procreate tips

20 TOP PROCREATE BRUSH

PACKS CONTINUED...

Procreate Lettering
and Paint Brushes
Price: $9 personal / $14 commercial
https://bit.ly/3InqCH9
This collection from Petra Makes of
14 CREATE CUSTOM PALETTES StudioBurg is an essential package. It
includes a selection of brushes that
When it comes to palette options, Procreate has plenty on offer for artists. One of the coolest tips cover most basic illustration and
allows creatives to import any image from Google directly into the app, and Procreate will then turn it graphic design needs.
into a custom colour palette. As another fun method, you can also import your own palette directly
from an image taken with the camera on your iPad. Handy!

Comic Ink Brush Set

Price: Pay what you want
https://bit.ly/42OnnAI
Georg’s pack of Procreate brushes is a
tribute to the American comic book
illustrator Will Elder, who helped launch
MAD comics in the 1950s. It’s a perfect
addition for any illustrator and a must
for budding comic artists.

15 SIMPLE SAMPLING Pencil and Charcoal

Speaking on sampling colours, you Brushes
Price: $9 personal / $14 commercial
can simply hold a finger on the https://bit.ly/3MFwqyA
colour in question, and Procreate will 16 ADD A NOISE FILTER Swiss designer Kim (AKA MiksKS) has a
automatically sample it for you. This I always add a noise filter at the end of my process to give my whole bunch of brilliant brushes. This
collection makes it easy to sketch on
quick process avoids so many extra artworks a vintage, organic feel. Make a new layer, then go to the go, whether with clients or just to
steps of having to click on buttons Adjustments>Noise, and drag your finger across the screen to capture a moment in a coffee shop.
and tabs like other drawing make it 100 per cent. I usually use the noise layer at plus or
softwares require. Sweeney Boo minus 13 per cent opacity on an Overlay layer. Kei-Ella Loewe

17 WARP TRANSFORM MODE

Procreate also has a Warp transform mode.
With up to 16 adjustable nodes and intuitive
depth layering, Warp can be used in
conjunction with the Freeform and Distort Flora: Vegetation
Procreate/Artwork by Sam Nassour

transform modes to create precise and Brushes

Price: Pay what you want
powerful changes in your work. https://bit.ly/3MnELWi
Matthew Baldwin’s collection of
vegetation brushes is great for any
concept artist, enabling them to
instantly set a scene and master the
painterly effect digitally.

75
 Workshops

EXPERT GUIDE TO GESTURES

Learn these vital shortcuts to save time on your next Procreate project

18 PINCH TO ZOOM 19 QUICK-PINCH 20 PAINT, SMUDGE 21 TWO-FINGER TAP

AND ROTATE Every artist needs to step back AND ERASE TO UNDO
Ever since the smartphone and see the entire picture every Some gestures are so intuitive Tapping with two fingers to undo
became a part of our everyday now and then. Painting with we instinctively know how they has become so ingrained with
lives, so has pinching to zoom in Procreate is no different, except work. If ever you’ve used Procreate users that some even
and out. Procreate adds an extra it requires only a quick-pinch to Procreate without an Apple forget it doesn’t work in all apps.
twist on this pinch gesture by fit your canvas to the screen. For Pencil, you’ll know that tapping Procreate can undo up to 250
rotating your image when you the best results, try lifting your the Paint, Smudge or Erase tool, actions. To undo a series of
spin your two fingers around in a fingers from the screen at the then touching your canvas is the actions, you can tap and hold
circular motion. end of the gesture. first place to start. two fingers on the canvas.

22 SINGLE TOUCH 23 THREE-FINGER 24 THREE-FINGER 25 THREE-FINGER

GESTURES SWIPE DOWN TO CUT, SCRUB TO CLEAR TAP TO REDO
Imagine being able to perform COPY, AND PASTE Sometimes you just want to The opposite of the two-finger
these gestures with a single tap. The Copy & Paste Companion empty a layer of its contents to tap is tapping with three fingers
Single Touch Gestures are great performs Cut, Copy, Copy All, start afresh. No problem! Simply to redo. It’s a great way to flick
if you prefer simpler gestures or Duplicate, Cut & Paste, and Paste place three fingers on the canvas between recent actions when
have limited mobility. To activate actions. Perform a three-finger and gesture left and right to deciding if you want to keep
these, go to iPadOS Settings> swipe downwards on your scrub out the contents of that them. Just like undoing, holding
Procreate and toggle Single canvas to bring it up, and tap the particular layer, literally wiping three fingers on your canvas will
Touch Gestures Companion on. ‘X’ to cancel it. the slate clean. cycle through up to 250 actions.

26 FOUR-FINGER TAP 27 PRECISION SLIDERS 28 TAP-AND-HOLD 29 CUSTOMISING

FOR FULL SCREEN All sliders in Procreate are easy GESTURES YOUR OWN GESTURES
Like to work with just a brush to understand and use. As you Procreate comes with tap-and- The Gesture Controls panel is
and zero distractions? That’s slide up or down the brush hold gestures that aren’t obvious, where shortcuts can be modified
precisely what full-screen mode sliders, so does the Size or but handy cutting down time for a variety of tools throughout
is for! Turn it on with a quick four- Opacity of the brush. If you hold spent in menus. For example, Procreate. To open the Gesture
finger tap. Perform another four- the slider and drag your finger you can tap and hold Active Controls panel tap Actions>Prefs
finger tap to bring the interface sideways, the increments of the Color to swap between your >Gesture Controls. Options
back, or tap the full-screen slider become more precise as current and previous colour, include setting multiple shortcuts
indicator in the top-left corner. you slide up or down. among other options. for the same function.

76
 Artist insight Procreate tips

20 TOP PROCREATE BRUSH

PACKS CONTINUED...

Gouache Paintbox
Price: $12 personal / $15 commercial
30 WORK NON- https://bit.ly/3OiVAnB
DESTRUCTIVELY Lisa Bardot has a few brush packs
Use a Mask layer to add and erase available on her site, but her gouache
while keeping the original layer pack is especially unique. Another
excellent gouache brush pack, this one
intact. I even duplicate my entire 31 PALETTE PROWESS can help you emulate Mary Blair’s
canvas between stages in case I Palettes are a great way to have all the colours you need in classic Disney magic digitally.
want to go back to a previous one easily accessible spot. You can make a new one from
version, giving me more freedom scratch and fill it out as you go, with various options for
to experiment. Kei-Ella Loewe creating palettes from other sources too. Mygel Edoloverio

Brushes and Foil

Textures
Price: $14 personal / $17 commercial
https://bit.ly/2xVSNv5
If you’re designing event flyers or
wedding invites, Summit Avenue has
you covered with this set of 12 confetti
brushes and 24 foil and glitter textures.
Perfect for adding a touch of sparkle.

33 LAYER LIMITATIONS
32 COLOUR EXPERIMENTS Depending on the resolution of your
I love playing with the Layer options when I colour, let’s say I’m canvas, Procreate has a limited
done with a piece but not entirely sure of the colouring. I’ll amount of layers. This could make it Procreate Paint Box
Price: $12 personal / $15 commercial
paint an entire new layer with a flat colour, like blue, purple, or hard for those who like to keep their https://bit.ly/3Oh64nD
maybe even a gradient, then click on the Layer options and process unflattened for rework and Ben Lew’s Paint Box pack has an
play around with Darken, Color Burn, Linear Burn and so on, notes. I prefer to save file iterations excellent selection of brushes, from wet
as well as their opacities. If I like an option, I keep it, and repeat throughout in a format such as WIP pencil to bristly brush and his go-to
watercolour ‘Gwosh’. He has updated
with other colours until I’m satisfied. Sweeney Boo 1, WIP 2, and so on. Sweeney Boo the set with four pastel brushes from his
Pastellesque set too!

34 COLOR HARMONY
Procreate’s Color Harmony
tool is great for figuring
out colour schemes. With
modes for complementary,
split complementary,
analogous, triadic, and
tetradic colour schemes, Splash Vol.1
Price: Free (but donations welcome)
you just pick a colour, and https://bit.ly/3MDb58L
the tool figures out the rest Artist Matthew Baldwin describes his
from your choices! It’s Splash Vol.1 Procreate brushes as “so
useful when you’re still in splashy you’ll have to have a towel
handy!” The bumper set of 48 wet
the process of choosing media brushes injects a splash of wet
your piece’s overall colour and watercolour effects.
scheme. Mygel Edoloverio

77
 Workshops

35 DEVELOPING SHAPES 36 ADD A REFERENCE

When I colour, I usually start by A lot of us like to have references
creating a flat shape. I’ll then create available when we draw. Procreate
new layers that I’ll attach by using has a tool for that in the Actions
the Clipping Mask option. That way, section, where you simply enable
any new layer of rendering will be Reference. This opens a tiny window
attached to that one shape, and you can move around and resize as
there will be no spillage or going you’d like. You can then import the
outside the shape to worry about as image you need, and even sample
you develop it. Sweeney Boo colours from it. Sweeney Boo

37 VALUES ARE IMPORTANT!

Create a new layer and make it fully black, set it as your top layer, and place it
in Saturation mode. Here you have an instant black and white filter to check
your values. While in the black and white filter, use the ‘Hue, Saturation,
Brightness’ mode to experiment with any layer that has incorrect values and
experiment with all the sliders. Once satisfied with a good value, turn off the
filter, and you’ll see results you never imagined trying. Kate Correa

38 TURN ON THE 2D GRID

If you want to make sure your work is in proportion, the 39 IMAGE STACKS
2D Grid is the way to go. Perfect for keeping your 2D Our Procreate interface can easily get crowded with all those
shapes in hand, the grid also helps to align your strokes. drawings that we have in progress at any given time. You can
The grid is highly customisable; you can set its size, easily select multiple ones and drag them on top of another,
position and rotation, alongside tweaking its colour, which will create a Stack, essentially a folder, that you can then
opacity and thickness to ensure that it doesn’t get in the rename. By using this tool, you can categorise all of your
way while working on your image. projects with ease! Sweeney Boo

78
 Artist insight Procreate tips

40 FEEDBACK SOUNDS 41 GROUP LAYERS 20 TOP PROCREATE BRUSH

One of the lesser-known features in Procreate is To select multiple layers and PACKS CONTINUED...
the Feedback Sounds option. This will emit audio organise them into a group, slide
feedback based on your inputs, such as a clicking each to the right one by one, then
noise when drawing out an area with the Select press Group on the top of the menu.
tool, followed by a ding when you complete your This helps a lot when you have a
selection. Feedback Sounds are one example of complicated artwork with hundreds
the accessibility features in Procreate, in this case of layers. You can also use it for your
helping artists with visual impairments. animations. Alexandra Zutto
Vintage Engraving
Price: $7
https://bit.ly/3MeZ87O
Another Procreate brush set from
MiksKS, this one allows you to capture
the look of a black and white engraving.
You can combine a few for a classic
cross-hatching effect, and pick from a
worn-out or clean-cut style.

42 KEEP YOUR WORK ROUGH

It helps to set a timer for 30-60 minutes to get the raw motion and looseness of your artwork. I also
love to zoom out from my canvas to focus on the composition, so that I don’t overwork the smaller MattyB’s Hatch Effects
Price: Pay what you want
details, and put my brush into larger sizes to get big, rough textures. Kate Correa https://bit.ly/3MB5sqD
This fantastic brush pack from MattyB
offers all sorts for the budding or
professional illustrator. Lines, dots,
scribbles, marks; if you can name it, it’s
covered in this pack, with a total of 35
different brushes included.

Nikko’s Brushes
Price: Free
https://bit.ly/3pWkUph
The well-respected Procreate digital
artist Nikolai Lockertsen has made his
own five favourite custom brushes
available to download. Also check out
his site to see the phenomenal artwork
he’s created with this small set of tools.

43 USE A REFERENCE
LAYER OPTION FOR
EASIER FILLING
To create fills or shape layers in Sketch and Ink
seconds, select your line work layer 44 RECOLOR TOOL Price: $10
https://bit.ly/459BXoa
then select the Reference layer Looking to swap out a specific colour on your layer? In the
This selection of nine brushes from
option. Then, in a new layer, drag QuickMenu overlay, you can bring back the Recolor tool by DizzyTara includes a variety of shaped
and drop in colour. Click Continue assigning it to one of the outer bubbles by long-pressing ink pens as well as a board marking
brush. It’s a great little package of inky
Filling at the top of the screen and them. Recolor is highly flexible, as playing with the Flood value brushes to try out for all of your
keep tapping the areas that you determines how much the tool will influence your selection’s sketching endeavours.
want to fill. Kei-Ella Loewe neighbouring colours. Mygel Edoloverio

79
 Workshops

SHORTCUT YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

Discover six nifty tricks to complete your arsenal of Procreate options

45 CUSTOMISE YOUR
PROCREATE SHORTCUTS
TO THE WAY YOU WORK
QuickMenu is Procreate’s secret
weapon for setting up shortcuts to
all your favourite actions at the flick
of a finger. Although it has been a
feature for some time, many don’t
realise it’s waiting to upgrade your
Procreate experience. QuickMenu
features a fully customisable six-
button radial menu, which you can
set to your most used actions for
instant activation without ever
leaving the canvas. Best of all, you
can set up multiple QuickMenus for Go to Actions>Prefs> Return to your canvas and With the QuickMenu
your various workflows such as
A Gesture Controls>
B perform your chosen
C activated, tap and hold
sketching, inking, colouring, or any QuickMenu to set a gesture to gesture to activate your newly any of the six buttons to select
other regularly performed tasks. activate your QuickMenu. prepared QuickMenu. and assign an action.

46 FLIP AND DRAW

WITH PAGE ASSIST
Page Assist is a great tool for
sketching ideas, taking notes, life
drawing, scrapbooking and comic
creation in Procreate. It’s ideal for
concepting and ideation, or for those
wanting to turn an iPad into their
own personal art journal or comic
creation tool. Following up from our
last tip, combining Page Assist with
the QuickMenu creates a classic
sketchbook flow with the feeling of
finishing one idea, then flipping
straight over to a new page to get Head over to Actions>Canvas and toggle Add the Next Page and Previous Page
started with the next completely
A the Page Assist option on to change any of
B shortcuts to QuickMenu. With this, you can
uninterrupted. This can be achieved your Procreate documents into this satisfying now flip through and add pages without having
in two straightforward steps. flipbook style format. to touch your timeline or layers panel.

47 CREATE THE
PERFECT SHAPE OR
LINE YOU NEED
WITH QUICKSHAPE
This one is good for instant
and precise shape and line
making. The QuickShape
tool feels like magic every
time it snaps those rough,
hand-drawn lines and
shapes into perfect forms To get started, draw a line Keep holding on the After you’ve lifted away
in the blink of an eye. A or shape of your choice
B canvas, then drag to scale
C from the canvas to create
Beyond that, the tool also and then hold down on the or rotate your shape or line. You the shape, you can tap Edit
provides options to further canvas. The stroke will now snap can also hold a second finger on Shape in the notification bar.
fine-tune your shapes just into a perfectly formed line, arc, the canvas while dragging to Various shape options and
the way you need them. poly-line, ellipse, triangle or rotate the equilateral shape in transform nodes will appear for
Give it a go! quadrilateral shape. 15-degree increments. further adjustments.

80
 Artist insight Procreate tips

48 SET AND FORGET WITH THE piece at a later date with the brush size and
20 TOP PROCREATE BRUSH
BRUSH SIZE MEMORY OPTION opacity settings intact, or even carry them across PACKS CONTINUED...
Consistent brush size and opacity settings are to a completely new canvas. Because you’re
vital when outlining or inking, and you can easily never working on just one project, you can save
achieve this by having your favourite settings for up to four of these memory settings for every
your go-to brushes ready using Brush Size brush in your library. Brush Size Memory is just
Memory. Represented as small horizontal marks like your favourite collection of fine-liner or brush
on the brush slider, these settings mean you can pens that come in a pack of different sizes, but
maintain perfect stroke consistency, return to a it’s available at a single flick of a finger.

Dry Marker Brushes

Price: $10 personal / $14 commercial
https://bit.ly/3pVpofQ
There’s nothing better than the comfort
of an effortless dry marker look, right?
This brush pack, created by Latin Vibe,
gives you 12 stunning brushes inspired
by dry markers to try out in your next
Procreate session.

Tap the light grey marker Tap, slide or flick up or Now you can reproduce
A on the Brush Size/Opacity
B down near the memory
C consistent line weights and
sidebar, and tap the ‘+’ in the marks to quickly switch opacities while you work on
top-right to memorise. between the settings. your next piece.

Magdalina Dianova’s
49 GET YOUR FAVOURITE Brush Pack
Price: Minimum $5
AND RECENT BRUSHES https://bit.ly/3olJkrQ
Finding your go-to brushes as you A range of soft pencils to rough inking
add more packs to your library is a brushes, as well as a little bonus brush
for you to play around with at the end!
challenge, as is trying to remember Magdalina’s pack is great for your
the fifth-last brush you picked up sketching and line work needs.
when experimenting. However,
locating your favourite brushes can
be fast and simple. At the top of the
Brush Library is the Recent Brushes
folder, where you’ll find your eight
most recently used brushes.

50 FIND LAYERS WITHOUT stack, especially if that object happens to sit Texturrific Bundle
Price: $18 personal / $22 commercial
ENTERING THE LAYER PANEL hidden in a grouped layer. And this is where https://bit.ly/3MDuEhj
Layers have become ubiquitous in digital art, Procreate’s Layer Select comes in handy. Layer
Featuring 30 shaders, 14 liners and 14
helping artists separate their compositions into Select is a shortcut that finds any layer without pastels, Lisa Bardot’s Texturrific Bundle
complex yet relatively easy-to-manage pieces. having to open the Layers Panel, even if it sits is packed with wonderfully textured
brushes that can help you create all
But every digital artist also knows layers can be buried among a collapsed group layer. Handiest kinds of effects and art styles, without
tricky when it comes to finding where an of all, it does this with a simple finger touch or tap having to go near a pen and paper.
individual piece of the puzzle sits within a layer of an Apple Pencil.

The Retro MaxPack

Price: $25
https://bit.ly/3M9b8HO

The Procreate master’s pack of 70

To get started, tap The next step is to toggle Use your preferred gesture
A Actions>Prefs>Gesture
B on a Layer Select shortcut.
C to tap an area of your
brushes features an eclectic mix of
nostalgia. Included are a variety of
pencils, inks and pastels, a host of new
Controls>Layer Select. A strong choice for this is the canvas. This will display the gouache brushes and sponges, and
Modify button plus touch. layer that part of your artwork some versatile grungy texture brushes.
exists on as a small pop-up.

81
 Workshops

Technique focus “It all starts with a

strong idea. Usually I
they see it. As for technical
approaches, it’s always better in the

CONTROL draw loose thumbnail

doodles to get a
drawing phase to work from light to
dark. You want to be able to control

YOUR FOCUS
feeling of how to the areas of focus by reinforcing
translate what’s in my mind into the them with stronger and sharper
concept, all thinking about the lines. Keep your lines working in
Luiz Prado shares his techniques for themes of the design. What elements your favour to suggest volume and
can I bring in that would tell the textures. Apply most of these in your
reinforcing an image’s key focal points story behind the concept? After all, focal points and allow them to get
you want people to be able to learn more loose in the peripheral areas.
the history behind your art when Most of all, have fun exploring.”

82
Tech Focus Key focal points

Artist
PROFILE
Luiz Prado
LOCATION: Brazil

Luiz Prado is a self-

taught artist who is
inspired by comics and
games. After graduating
from college, he decided
to pursue an artistic
career while working in
an unsatisfying day job
and working on side
commissions.
https://bit.ly/3LVWiFY

83
 GET IMAGINEFX
DELIVERED DIGITALLY!
iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

GO
DIGITAL!
Our digital editions
come with the same
resources included in
the print edition!

Available via our online shop

www.magazinesdirect.com/imaginefx-magazine
Available on iOS or Android

84
Traditional Artist
Inspiration and advice from the best pro artists

90 96

This issue:
86 Traditional FXPosé
Discover this month’s selection
of the finest traditional art,
which has been sent in by you!
86 94
90 Workshop: Visualise
emotions with graphite
Experimentation leads Nadav
Yacobi to a unique character.

94 Tech Focus: Find the

right tools
Leonardo Gonzalez on the pens
and pencils used in his artwork.

96 First Impressions:
Danica Sills
The artist’s journey from her
childhood passion to a career.

85
 Traditional Artist FXPosé

SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS

Francesca Baerald
LOCATION: Italy MEDIA: Pencils, ink, watercolours, acrylic, oil WEB: www.francescabaerald.com

Francesca’s home country of Italy is the perfect place to

find inspiration, both in terms of history and nature. “I’m
always looking forward to my next adventure!”

3
©2021 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

86 Want to submit your work? Visit ifxm.ag/getinifx

 Inspirational art

1 KALIMDOR
“I spent days and nights
playing World of Warcraft. You
can imagine my joy when I was
asked to draw the lands of
Azeroth! I truly enjoyed revisiting
all those places.”

2 ANSALON
“Drawing DnD dragons is
always a joy, but doing it for
Dragonlance is even better! I’m
so fond of the setting Weis and
Hickman created, it has sparked
my creativity since I was young.”

3 GLOOMHAVEN
“Sometimes games like
Gloomhaven have the power of
linking together thousands of
people. I had the freedom to
interpret the map in my style, it
was fantastic.”

4 STEELRISING PARIS
“Steelrising has such an
intriguing visual style, mixing
revolutionary France with
mechanical designs. It was
fascinating to merge these
aspects of the game in my
map of Paris.”
©Wizards of the Coast

4
©Cephalofair Games

©Spiders

Want to submit your work? Visit ifxm.ag/getinifx 87

 Traditional Artist FXPosé

Kacey Lynn Brown

LOCATION: US MEDIA: Graphite, watercolour, ink WEB: www.instagram.com/untroubledheart

Kacey is an illustrator with a fondness for all things fairy tale and fantastical.
She is greatly inspired by the natural world and seeks to bring its beauty
into each of her imaginative creatures.

1 2

1 ROSE FLOWER FAE

“These faeries have human features
for relatability, but also contain a
creature-like spirit. It’s a fun challenge
to combine the elements of flower
and ‘human’ in a pleasing way.”

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 Inspirational art

2 IRIS FLOWER FAE

“Faeries take the
meaning of flower crowns to
4

a whole new level! An iris is

an impressive flower, I
wanted to capture the grand
effect of its beauty.”

3 MUM FLOWER FAE

“I love the idea of faerie
beings existing in the most
common places, such as a
flower garden. This concept
inspired me to create a series
of flower faeries.”

4 MARIGOLD
FLOWER FAE
“At first glance, these
creatures appear simply as
beautiful blooms, but on
closer inspection, the magic
is revealed. I imagine them
floating gently among the
other wildflowers.”

Want to submit your work? Visit ifxm.ag/getinifx 89

 Traditional Artist Workshops

Pencil
VISUALISE EMOTIONS
WITH GRAPHITE
NADAV YACOBI (AKA SPECTREIV) shares his method of creative expression,
building up a unique character from initial experimentation with simple shapes

F
or me, drawing is the most and first child of Chaos. Thinking a process of trial and error, the image
straightforward way to about what a ‘night goddess’ and slowly builds up, until I start to focus
experiment, explore, and ‘child of Chaos’ mean to me led me on more specific details and
dare to create something I to visualise a figure in the night sky, finishing touches. The final outcome
would not have tried with the moon behind her. I also is the result of having fun with the
otherwise, without being judged or wanted to surround her with an air process of drawing.
criticised. This drawing is an of mystery and ethereal feelings. Nadav Yacobi is an
example of that. I had an idea in I started drawing shapes on paper, independent artist creating
mind but also had a 30-day deadline. keeping my intentions in mind, fantasy art based on real-life
My intentions were to focus on guiding my shapes and flow of the experiences, stories and
Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night marks and lines I created. Then, with emotions. www.instagram.com/spectre.iv

Step-by-step: Explore unique character design

1 SIMPLE SHAPES
My love for design really shows here! I
try to draw simple shapes to catch the
2 COMPOSITION AND FLOW 3 FOCUS POINTS AND
LEADING ELEMENTS
With the shapes done, I tend to use
pencil marks to adjust the elements of the Who doesn’t like details? It’s probably the
attention of the viewer, and to ensure whole ‘picture’ I build. If I add a circle, it can most fun part of the drawing for me,
they’re easy to understand from a distance focus the attention in one place, or if I put a making everything more defined and bold.
(like a thumbnail test for readability). mark in a rather clean area, it can shift the I think about which elements are the most
Shape exploration can often be as large as flow of the drawing to a specific area. I try important for me to show and make them
a piece of printer paper, or just a small to look at the whole drawing and think bold, like the face. Then I envision invisible
doodle on a notebook. An interesting hard about how to build harmony, in order lines that can help lead the viewer’s eye to
shape is an idea that can go far for big to balance with the heavily detailed areas I it, making areas bolder and clearer, like the
projects, as well as small ones. plan to have later. hands, the edges of the horns, and feet.

90
Artist insight Expressive art

91
 Traditional Artist Workshops

In-depth: Key compositional details Horn elements

I searched for secondary elements to
complement the story and add interest.
The horns are composition elements to
enhance the face area, but also echo a

The face crescent moon shape.

Wherever there is a face, it will

catch people’s attention. This
is my main reason for adding a
face here, as a main focal
point. We can make sense of
what we see here as a figure
and not an abstract shape.
When drawing with an
expression mindset, I try hard
to give visual clues for familiar
objects that I intend to show.

Chest and forms Moon expression

When working with black and As an important secondary element
white, I think of values as a way for the story in this drawing, I wanted
to help emphasise forms. Here, to show a moon as a circular shape,
the brighter chest area is but not as clear as a circular line. I
intended to show it as a closer drew an area that is circular and
object to the eye than the area bright over a darker area, which
surrounding it, which is darker complements the figure as well.
and more distant.

Simple, seamless shapes MATERIALS

I tried to think of a way to show a shape without
PAPER
adding much attention to it. Clean, gradual
shading can do that job just right. Fabriano 1264,
180gsm paper

Texture PENCILS
decorations Faber-Castell 8B
Drawing a heavily textured Mechanical pencil,
area shows more interest in 2mm 8B lead
Fading effect a place, like a dress with
Mechanical pencil,
Trying to express ‘fading’ with a decorations. I draw it slowly,
pencil is something I like to letting the paper texture 0.5mm 2B lead
experiment with, as it’s a hard show, and emphasise it with
ERASERS
and dry media without many darker lines.
Kneaded eraser
soft qualities. I figured that
fewer lines and less density can Tombow Mono Zero
show the effect of fading away 2.3mm eraser
or dissolving, which I made here.

92
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93
 Traditional Artist Workshop

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Technique focus
FIND THE RIGHT TOOLS
LEONARDO GONZALEZ explains why specific pens and pencils are so
important to his creative process, including his Pokémon fan art

T
his piece features my out the composition of the doodle, Thanks to this pen, I can achieve
interpretation of the final anatomy, perspective, lighting and both thick and thin lines, and once
evolution of one of the best textures without having too much the fine tip wears after lots of use,
Generation II starter Pokémon: build-up just as long as I work lightly. they are great for making bold lines.
Feraligatr. For these fan art pieces, I For any erasing, I’ll use a regular After the inking is all finished up, I’ll
try my best not to do a complete kneaded eraser that my dog then break out my Prismacolor
overhaul of the creature’s design hopefully hasn’t stolen or chewed, as markers, watercolours, or acrylics to
because, honestly, they’re iconic and he’s quite a sneaky pooch! colour in the doodle.
perfect already! Another advantage of the red Leonardo ‘LaGonza’
I begin every doodle by using a red pencil is that it allows me to ink right Gonzalez is a freelance
coloured pencil, either a Col-Erase over the drawing without smudging illustrator and tattoo artist
Prismacolor or a Ticonderoga. Using or clogging my inking pens. Once working at Clockwork Tattoo
red allows me to quickly build my the pencil stage has been completed, & Art Gallery in Connecticut, and has a
illustration without creating a huge I’ll begin inking using a Zebra deep love for monsters. You can see more
mess on the paper. I can quickly map disposable fine-tip brush pen. of his work at www.lagonza.com.

94
 Tech focus Tools

95
 Traditional Artist Interview

First Impressions
Danica Sills
Painter and illustrator GHOSTSKULL
Oil, 8 x 10in. This character was
Danica takes us on created with the simple goal to make
me happy. I combined some of my
favourite elements and colours.
her artistic journey

Where did you grow

up, and in what ways
has this influenced
your art?
I moved around a lot
growing up. That was such a huge
motivation for me to immerse
myself in my art, it gave me a
feeling of home and identity no
matter how alone or new I felt. I
was perpetually the new kid
growing up and painfully shy.
Creating art gave me an identity; I
wasn’t just the new girl, I was the
new girl who could draw.

What, outside of art, has most

influenced your artwork?
Nature for sure! I don’t think it’s
terribly obvious in my work but
being out in the world taught me to
see the beauty everywhere. The
smallest moment could spark new
ideas for emotions, colours and
compositions for my work.

What was your first paid

commission, and does it stand as a
representation of your talent?
My very first paid artwork was
actually a poster contest I won way
back in junior high! That was the
moment that sparked my love for
reaching out to others with my art. I
wouldn’t say I was particularly
gifted as a kid but it did show me
that if I push myself to practise, art
could be my future.
I’m pleased to say that I’ve made a pushing myself to find the perfect
What’s the last piece you lot more progress from my art way combination of characters, colours
finished, and how do the two back then! My most recent painting and emotions to spark that same
artworks differ? is my Skull King Echo painting. In a hunger to create like I had as a kid.
lot of ways they’re similar, at least at
The smallest moment could the heart of creating them. My
recent pieces I’ve been really
What character or scene that you’ve
painted do you most identify with?
spark new ideas for emotions, pushing myself to find the same joy
of exploration and growth that I had
I see myself the most in the
character from my Ghostskull
colours and compositions when I was younger. I’ve been painting. I used myself as a

96
 Danica Sills

SKULL KING ECHO

Watercolour and
gouache, 11 x 14in. I
repaint this character
every few years in order
to see the new paths my
art has taken.

97
 Traditional Artist Interview

BLUEBIRD
Watercolour and gouache, 8 x 10in.
She was inspired by the bittersweet
feeling of knowing that everything
changes with time.

Being independent has opened up

exciting ways to work, but it comes
with a lot of unique challenges
model so that part’s obvious. I Is creating art as a career all you
feel like it’s the perfect combination thought it would be? What does
of things that I love. I have a hard the future hold for you?
time resisting the desire to paint a It’s wildly different! I originally
skull or moon on everything. It feels planned on working in a studio in
like my personality in painted form. some form. Being independent in
my work has opened up so many
What are your painting rituals? exciting ways to work, but it also
Nothing too glamorous. I like to get comes with a lot of unique
myself a hot drink and get to work challenges. I am so excited for the
cleaning my space. I love resetting future! I have a few larger projects in
my studio before each painting the works, card decks, art books and
session. I put all my tools and paints more. The large, long-term projects
and everything I need within reach are really where my passion is at. I’m
and organised, so when I start planning on pushing more in that
painting I can just sink into the direction over the next few years.
process and cut out distractions. It Self-directed artist Danica Sills is a
helps me find that perfect flow state watercolour and oil painter who loves
CHILL AIR
Watercolour and gouache. I wanted
where I can just get swept away with creating haunted, magical artwork. this character to have the feeling of an
eerie summer night on the edge of fall.
my painting. www.danicasills.com

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