This Austrian artist has drawn some of the world’s most iconic animated characters. Gary evans finds out more about his ‘fusion cuisine’ art style…
Florian Satzinger worked hard on a background layout: two giant trees framing a little creek. It looked good, and Florian was proud of the piece. The Austrian took it to one of the special instructors at the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts where he was studying hand-drawn animation. His instructor, Ken Southworth, looked at the layout and shook his head.
Every component did look good. They had turned out well. But the composition was wrong because the trees were too similar. The background didn’t look like an animation layout. It was more like a greeting card. “Now,” Ken said. “What’s next? Do you want to go for the greeting card or the animation layout, son?”
Florian grew up on old Disney animated films: classics like The Rescuers (1977), The Sword in the Stone (1963), and 101 Dalmatians (1961). He loved TV cartoons – The Pink Panther Show, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry. He drew the things he saw on the screen. Many kids do. But Florian was doing something a bit different. His dad was an architect. From a young age, Florian knew all about perspective and other advanced techniques. So he didn’t just sketch cartoon characters, but also backgrounds, vehicles and props. This wasn’t simple copying for the sake of copying. This was something else.
“Drawing, I guess, was a way to make my own ideas somehow ‘real’ or at least manifest on paper. And, equality important, the ideas became shareable. What I’m trying to say is that, through drawing, I wasn’t limited to just dreaming of the ultimate treehouse with a space rocket launch feature. Drawing enabled me to render this very treehouse visible down to the last detail, then share it with others. I think this is what got me into art in the first place. And isn’t it exactly this what I’m still doing today?”
LEARNING FROM A VETERAN ARTIST
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Denne historien er fra July 2019-utgaven av ImagineFX.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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