Artists behind the fantastical worlds and characters of Magic: The Gathering explore their passion for the genre, creative inspirations, and excitement for the new Dominaria United expansion

Magali Villeneuve

The concept artist talks pushing her creative boundaries

All Magic: The Gathering images TM and © Wizards of the Coast

Tell us a little about your background as an artist. The dream of becoming an artist sparked at age 12, when I first watched Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I was absolutely mesmerised by the Beast’s animation and design. For a few years, my goal was to become an animator, until I read my first fantasy book when I was around 18. It was Robert Jordan’s ‘The Wheel of Time’. This genre I had never experienced before was such a shock that it made me change my goals completely. I started as a professional artist in the book publishing field 15 years ago, completely self-taught. And my first jobs really were for teeny-tiny publishing houses. The least I can say is I started from the bottom and climbed the ladder one rung at a time.

Is the genre of fantasy/sci-fi a focused area for your art or do you work in wider fields? I would say my art is mainly focused on these areas, because that’s what I was drawn to from the beginning. On the other hand, whenever I can make more personal choices in my art, my approach of fantasy tends to be pretty realistic. Naturally, I’m not really into what I would call ‘pyrotechnic fantasy’, nor the overly enchanting vibe either. If I had to find a way to depict my personal art, it would probably be something like ‘dark realism with a touch of fantasy’. A good example of this would be my ‘Death’s Shadow’ art released in my Secret Lair Artist Series for Magic: The Gathering. It was a rare occasion to paint pieces with complete freedom and no art direction. This piece in particular shows clearly my affinity for classical art as I chose to give a personal interpretation of the Pietà.