Welcome to…

NO. 1 FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS Imagine FX

SOFTWARE SHOWDOWN

Find the best Photoshop alternative for you as we check out 2025’s top digital art apps

No. 1 FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS Imagine FX

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

LETTER

YOUR FEEDBACK & OPINIONS

FRESH PAINT

New works that have grabbed our attention

Amy Nguyen

LOCATION: Vietnam MEDIA: Photoshop, Procreate WEB: www.instagram.com/amynian

Natcha Ngamtweerat

LOCATION: Thailand MEDIA: Procreate, Blender WEB: www.artstation.com/natchangamtweerat

Axel Sauerwald

LOCATION: Germany MEDIA: Photoshop WEB: www.instagram.com/axelsauerwald

Raphaël Silva

LOCATION: France MEDIA: Photoshop, Krita WEB: www.artstation.com/r2g

Luca Ioli Siméone

LOCATION: France MEDIA: Photoshop, Blender WEB: www.artstation.com/peppino

Leur Melodie

YEAR CREATED: 2024 MEDIA: Photoshop

Inside the booming African comic scene

A new world of legends Tanya Combrinck discovers the fresh art styles and authentic stories being created within the continent’s growing comic culture

CREATING A DISTINCTIVE COMIC STYLE

Adedayo Erivic talks about devising his Afroblot pattern

A new mission to Mars

Blast off! Sci-fi illustrator Derek Stenning teams up with French publishers Matagot to remake board game Mission: Red Planet

The art behind Wicked

Spellbinding ILM and director John M. Chu share their bewitching vision for the hit film by revealing a treasure trove of concept art

ImagineFX quick quiz

Find out if you’re a digital art brainbox!

A portrait of… Inna Vjuzhanina

Doing it my way! The fantasy artist explains her artistic journey and the joys of working with creative freedom

Lee Carter

Inspiration station The comic artist shares his love of the fantastic in a studio filled with awesome trinkets

UNRIVALLED POWER

Marvel Rivals art director Dino Ma talks to Alan Wen about creating a unique comic book style for the hit superhero shooter

Rock D

Get inspired for your next character design as we check out the video game artist’s fascinating range of unique sketches

BRING YOUR COMIC PROJECTS TO LIFE

From adding a dash of humour to choosing the perfect panels, Simone Ferriero shares his advice for creating fantastic comics

MAKE CAREFUL COLOUR PICKS

Find out why Yohann Schepacz makes precise decisions on his colour palette

CONCOCT STRIKING FANTASY SCENES

Games artist Vwei goes into detail on his process for creating a magical scene filled with dramatic lighting, shadow and story

USE CONTRAST TO MAKE IMPACT

Derek Stenning on why it’s vital for the light and dark elements of his work to play off each other

DRAW WITH PUNK STYLE

Mat Wakeham breaks down the key elements of Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett’s energetic creations

Apple Mac mini M4

MEGA IN MINIATURE Small but mighty, powerful but affordable, the latest Mac mini is everything many creatives will need on a daily basis

ABS Cyclone Aqua

MULTIPURPOSE MACHINE While it’s a gaming tower at heart, a 40-series GPU and reasonable price make this good for creatives

Sihoo Doro C300 Pro

SOLID SITTER What it lacks in looks, this chair makes up for in comfort

Understanding Concept Art Design

KNOW YOUR ROLE This short course provides an interesting intro to the fundamental responsibilities of a concept artist

Brushing up…

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

FXPosé

SHOWCASING THE FINEST TR ADITIONAL ARTISTS

PAINT AN EXQUISITE SAMURAI GEISHA

Illustrator CHUMA HILL explains his process for crafting a stunning character in watercolour, with a little help from some extra traditional techniques

First Impressions

How manga and Japanese classics moulded the artist