Wednesday, September 30, 2015

REVIEW || Imagine FX | Issue 125 - September 2015

Rondo of Moon by Ruan Jia

This issue was all about Fantasy Illustration!  Hands down, my favorite article in September's Imagine FX issue was "The Modern Masters of Fantasy Illustration" (p. 40); which featured artists like Ruan Jia, Tran Nguyen, Donglu Yu, Miles Johnson, and Jana Schirmer.  Ross Tran and his vibrant portfolio was also featured, stop by his You Tube Chanel for great tutorials.  Other than the astonishing artwork featured, my favorite tips from this section were on finding style by letting go of the pursuit and just getting technical (p. 46), finding friends online in art forums (p. 48), sketching frequently in a moleskin (simple and portable) (p. 48), and using layers and keeping them organized which helps when changes need to be made (p. 49).

The article on how some artists use crowdfunding for a living was insightful (pp.17-19), as I have been curious how that all works.  My favorite tip gleaned from the Artist in Residence, Terryl Whitlatch, is how she organizes her studio so "reference is always at hand and drawing space is maximized" (p. 22).  I don't currently have a studio, but boy do I dream of one!  A place where I don't have to clean up, can leave unfinished or in-progress projects out to pick up right where I left off, and get back into traditional mediums!

Enjoyed the Q&A's on how to paint animal furs on a warrior (p. 30), painting authentic Celtic patterns on a shield (p. 32), some tips on painting a waterfall (p. 32), and on painting a neon underwater glow (p. 35).  In the workshop by Jana Schrimer (pp. 64-67) I learned about creating a sky using a gradient map, finding an idea through simple thumbnails, working with the cover layout, and finally her steps for bringing a piece from sketch to finish and beyond!  In the workshop by Ben Zweifel on creating a highly detailed Star Wars scene (pp. 74-75), I learned about thumbnails, using 3D assets, and working with package design.

Lastly, upon first glance at the Reviews section, I immediately fell in love with and added the Nomad art satchel, a fantastic looking portable plein-air drawing aid, to my wish list!




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