ImagineFX NO.1 FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS

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

Welcome to…

This month our focus is on the world

FX POSE

THE PLACE TO SHARE YOUR DIGITAL ART

The End Is Nigh

YEAR CREATED: 2024 MEDIA: Photoshop

Indie game foundations

Setting the stage Tanya Combrinck discovers how artists build tone and weave emotion into narratives

Cards on the table

The upper hand Riot Games reveals new details for Riftbound, its League of Legends trading card game set to launch this year

Lost in the mists of time

Dark matter Fantasy novel Cotswold Mist weaves myths, ghosts and beasts into the heart of the English countryside’s heritage sites

Greg Staples

Dream space The comic artist and illustrator tells us how he planned out a studio for all occasions

LETTER

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS

FRESH PAINT

New works that have grabbed our attention

EGENDS FTHEIR IFETIME

The creative team behind smash-hit Netflix series Arcane reveal how they pushed the show’s animation even further for the second season…

Andrew Cheng

Heads up! Watch out for the game artist’s latest sketches as he experiments with new characters and fresh ideas

Designing Dreams

Alan Wen speaks to three concept artists about the varied and iterative processes that make up one of the most misunderstood crafts in the game industry

CREATE A DEMONIC VIDEO GAME COVER

Discover the process masterful battle artist Thomas Elliott followed to create an epic shot for Doom: The Dark Ages

GIVE DIRECTION WITH SHADOWS

Technique focus

PAINT CHARACTERS WITH PERSONALITY

Clip Studio Paint & Photoshop

BIG MOM’S RAMPAGE

Hair styling Setting the chalk brush to

SAVE TIME WITH KEY RESEARCH

Technique focus

DRIVE NARRATIVES IN YOUR ARTWORK

Photoshop

LOOK TO NATURE

Technique focus

Apple iPad Air M3

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

Apple MacBook Air M4

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Feather-light and punching above its weight, the latest Air makes for a stellar machine with its new chip

HP Omnibook X 14-inch

MARATHON MACHINE It looks like an ordinary laptop, but this Snapdragon-powered release is an endurance runner

Boulies Master Rex

WORK MEETS PLAY

Boulies MagVida

UPS AND DOWNS An electronically controlled, height-adjustable desk could bring health benefits and give your productivity a boost

Drawing and Painting on the iPad with Procreate

TABLET MASTERCLASS Want to know everything about how to work with Procreate? Brad Colbow’s course could be your answer

Brushing up…

We put three packs through their paces to find out whether they’re worth downloading

Sarah Koudelka

SHOWCASING THE FINEST TRADITIONAL ARTISTS

Roberto Ricci

Roberto is a self-taught comic artist who works in publishing, video games and movies, as well as teaching. He is particularly inspired by Metal Hurlant authors, and his latest clients include Dark Horse Comics and Activision.

DRAW A DYNAMIC DINOSAUR

Find out how EL GUNTO improvises a T-rex from scratch, using contrast, shapes and more for a striking illustration

First Impressions

Manelle Oliphant