The illustrator and animator on creating his distinctive vector art and the merits of playing meditative games
You need only admire a few pieces of James Gilleard’s artwork to establish a familiarity with his style. His work is found in magazines and websites, and even on the cover of a limited-edition Hellboy Blu-ray. Here, Gilleard reveals how games have played a role in his art.
Did videogames play a part in your desire to become an artist?
The Sega Saturn was my first console, and the art that was on-screen was inspiring. I can remember doing a picture of Tomb Raider when I was in Year 9. So there was definitely a crossover.
To what extent has your style been influenced by videogames?
I’ve always had this in the back of my head, to draw in vector, the geometric style. I really think that comes from the first Tomb Raider, again. The first few games were built on blocks, with fairly low-res textures on top. There’s a picture of a mountain that I did; I was thinking of Tomb Raider while I was doing that.
How do you create your pieces?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2019-Ausgabe von Edge.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2019-Ausgabe von Edge.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles
Anyone familiar with the concept of kitbashing is already halfway to understanding what Tomas Sala’s open-world builder is all about.
Children Of The Sun
René Rother’s acrid revenge thriller – an action game with its limbs broken and forcibly rearranged into the shape of a spatial puzzler – is at once a bonafide original and an unlikely throwback. Cast your eyes right and you wouldn’t blink if we told you this was a forgotten Grasshopper Manufacture game from the early PS3 era (we won’t be at all surprised if this finds a spot on Suda51’s end-of-year list).
Post Script
What does Rise Of The Ronin say for PS5 exclusivity?
Rise Of The Ronin
Falling in battle simply switches control to the next person up, and then quick revive fixes everything
Post Script
The pawn and the pandemic
Dragon's Dogma 2
The road from Vernworth to Bakbattahl is scenic but arduous. Ignore the dawdling mobs of goblins, and duck beneath the chanting harpies that circle on the currents overhead, and even moving at a hurried clip it is impossible for a party of four to complete the journey by nightfall.
BLUE MANCHU
How enforced early retirement eventually led Jonathan Chey back to System Shock
THE MAKING 0F.... AMERICAN ARCADIA
How a contrast of perspectives added extra layers to a side-scrolling platform game
COMING IN TO LAND
The creator of Spelunky, plus a super-group of indie developers, have spent the best part of a decade making 50 games. Has the journey been worth it?
VOID SOLS
This abstract indie Soulslike has some bright ideas