To be a successful artist, you have to work hard on developing your skills. But technique alone will only get you so far. You also need to generate creative and original ideas that will grab people’s attention and truly engage them. So how do you go about it? We asked four talented artists to share their tips.
For Kofi Ofosu, a visual storyteller and character designer based in Ghana, idea generation is a continuous process of gathering inspiration. “I’m constantly bookmarking images, videos and links that spark my interest on the web and social media,” he says. “I also get ideas for new concepts when I look back through my old sketches. Last but not least, I love to do studies. Studying enables me to practise my fundamentals, and it has lower stakes so I steadily build my confidence, too.”
LOOK TO THE PAST
Newcastle-based concept artist Gareth Davies, aka Spudonkey, similarly finds fresh ideas for his personal art by thumbing through his old sketches. “My sketchbooks are full of little doodles, where I’ve just tried to make interesting shapes that I see potential in,” he explains. “For client work, though, I find the process can be simpler. When you’re given a set of requirements, there’s often an ‘obvious’ path to take. So it’s about
I’m constantly bookmarking images, videos and links that spark my interest on the web and social media using your expertise to fulfil the problem that needs solving, and offering suitable options to the client.”
Denne historien er fra January 2021-utgaven av ImagineFX.
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Denne historien er fra January 2021-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Raquel M. Varela
Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"
Estrela Lourenço
Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.
Daria Widermanska
Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.
Allen Douglas
Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.
Thaddeus Robeck
Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.
DRAW FASCINATING SYMBOLIC ARTWORK
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The artist talks about his journey into the mythological world
CREATIVE STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY
Co-founder and creative force André Luís talks about the ethos and evolution of Trojan Horse Was A Unicorn
Gigi Murakami
Shock and terror! Step into the world of the American horror manga artist, where her tastes are on full display
The path to the top at a video games company
No cheat codes required Tanya Combrinck finds out exactly what it takes to make the leap from burgeoning student to game-shaping art director