Exploring the impact of the internet on society has become a favourite theme for Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda, who revisits the subject matter in Belle where a teenager still grieving the childhood drowning of her mother literally rediscovers her voice as a diva avatar in the virtual realm known as U. “I tried to imagine if there was this complete melting pot of different cultures and all kinds of backgrounds gathering in a single cybernetic type of space, what would it look like?” explains Hosoda. “It was a much more colourful palette. It was a megacity type of visual depiction. It has this vitality where people can come and express themselves. In contrast, the more remote areas that Suzu Naito lives in in her reality, I wanted to depict them losing their strength or position in this more globalising economy, and yet they have such wonderful natural landscapes. But there are fewer young people sticking around in these small areas. I wanted to depict that social issue, in the sense that there is no one seeing that other extreme of what this globalising economy has produced in some ways.”
PAINT EPIC BATTLES IN TRADITIONAL INK
Warhammer illustrator THOMAS ELLIOTT shows you how to create an epic science fiction fight scene with this step-by-step guide
CONJURE MAGIC ILLUSTRATIONS
Daria Anako demonstrates her process for creating a whimsical piece of art with some spellbinding touches
First Impressions
We discover the early influences that inspired the artist
ZBrush for iPad
GAME CHANGER The desktop version of popular 3D sculpting software ZBrush has been redesigned for iPad - and it's brilliant
BenQ GW2786TC
GET AN EYEFUL Don't scrimp out on your health with a monitor that's kind on the eyes and good for creative tasks
Huion Kamvas Pro 19
TABLET WARS An attractive pen display does an excellent job of balancing price and performance as it sets out to challenge its rivals in the mobile marketplace
DRAGON OFORCEC
Legendary D&D artist Larry Elmore explains the keys to crafting timeless fantasy art.
DUNGEON MASTERS
ImagineFX marks the milestone 50th anniversary of the launch of Dungeons & Dragons with a look at its rich tradition of illustration
Erik Ly
Gamer's haven Why the artist enjoys a maximalist aesthetic more than the minimalist approach.
2D meets 3D: How the workflows are merging
Interdimensional As VFX and animation evolve and tools become more accessible, Tanya Combrinck asks whether the separation between the mediums is reducing