Welcome to… NO.1 FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS Imagine FX

This month’s edition is a special one –

NO.1 FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS Imagine FX

Editorial Editor Rob Redman rob.redman@futurenet.com Art Editor

Letter

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS

FX Pose

THE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART

The Rookies

Discover your potential with The Rookies; the launchpad

Progress in the fight against unethical AI

Battling for better Two years after generative AI forced its way into the mainstream, Tanya Combrinck looks at the advances activists have made protecting their rights

Fernando Caire

Light show We find robots, monsters and plenty of RGB around the artist’s battle station

250 Magical TIPS

We celebrate our milestone 250th issue with an unmissable collection of pro advice

FEATURED ARTISTS

Meet the ImagineFX creative squad ready to share their awesome top tips

1 CREATURE DESIGN

Get to grips with two fantasy-favourite creations and paint spectacular scenes

2 FILM ART

Take a peek into the process Iain McCaig follows for creating standout movie art

3 CHARACTER DESIGN

Every great project needs unforgettable characters! We have pro secrets from perfect poses to fully fledged personalities

4 VEHICLE

DESIGN EPIC SHIPS AND MORE WITH JOHN A. FRYE

5 BOOK ILLUSTRATION

We caught up with an internationally renowned author and a hall-of-fame illustrator to give us the lowdown on book art

6 ENVIRONMENTS

Learn how to produce stunningly detailed and engaging landscapes suitable for any project

7 ANATOMY

Learning to seek out and express the human body’s structures is the key that unlocks a new level of quality in your artwork

8 GAME ART

Check out our pro knowledge to level up in the video game world and you might just have the next hit on your hands

9 3D DESIGN

Follow these tips to add a whole new dimension to your creative process

10 PORTRAITS

From using quirky, abstract touches to perfecting skin, here’s how your portraits can catch the eye

11 STORY DEVELOPMENT

Discover how our expert artists take their epic characters and settings to the next level as part of a single, cohesive narrative

12 GET INSPIRED

WE LEARN THE METHODS RACHEL BRADLEY USES TO FIND HER FLOW

13 CONCEPT ART

Play your part in developing the next big film, TV series or game by crafting outstanding designs

14 COMIC ART

Create epic visuals and worlds to match your awesome stories

15 ANIMATION

A Disney veteran offers advice on making animation-ready creations

Craww

Explore the contradictory nature of existence with the artist as he retells ancient legends and more in his sketchbook

DESIGN A LOVABLE COVER CHARACTER

Brian Weisz reveals his process for creating our sparkling cover star and shares valuable insights into working with your clients

CAPTURE MOOD FROM REFERENCE

Technique focus

DRAW RE ALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS WITH SPEED

Photoshop

CREATE STRONG COMPOSITIONS

Technique focus

LEARN TOOLS FOR PAINTERLY STYLE

Photoshop

TELL A STORY IN YOUR SCENE

Christian Bravery gives us the lowdown on how he developed a narrative-packed shot

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

The latest digital art resources are put to the test by the ImagineFX team…

Apple MacBook Pro 16

CHAMPION CHIP The M4 powerhouse inside Apple’s latest laptop release makes it capable of taking on some staggeringly serious workloads for 3D-focused artists

Framework Laptop 16

GROUND-BREAKING TECH This new portable machine bucks the industry trend to offer true user-controlled modular design

Traditional Artist

Inspiration and advice from the best pro artists

Tammy Wampler

SHOWCASING THE FINEST TR ADITIONAL ARTISTS

Rio Krisma

LOCATION: Indonesia MEDIA: Acrylic, ink

15 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR SKETCHES

Master artist DONATO GIANCOLA reveals how he keeps his drawing process engaging with technical hints and real-life lessons

First Impressions

Greg Manchess