The idea behind this artwork was to portray V, the main protagonist from our upcoming title Cyberpunk 2077, in a way that reflects their nature. V is an ambitious and fearless cyberpunk, an urban mercenary equipped with cybernetic enhancements, and is fighting to survive in Night City – the most dangerous megalopolis of the dark future.
To capture this personality, I took into account the environment V is living in, thinking about what kind of approach to life someone in those shoes would need to develop in order to thrive. It’s a ruthless world where it’s do or die, so I chose a dynamic and expressive pose that summarises an essential confidence in one attention-grabbing action. V is no stranger to a fight, and understands the need to take the initiative. I wanted to encapsulate this in a way that represents a feeling of strength and poise – and the innate danger that comes with the territory.
1 A SOLID BASE FOR AN ILLUSTRATION
Drawing out a direction and pose for the character
The first step involves simple sketches to find the right pose. I want toidentify the soul of the piece and the best way to present it using only the simplest means. It helps me to develop the direction and dynamics of the composition, and with each sketch I get closer to finding it.
2 Prepping key 3D assets
Once I find a direction that clicks, I refine the pose in Daz Studio. I also develop a 3D model of a katana in Blender, based on Cyberpunk 2077concept art. A blade is a strong focal point, so I test it from different perspectives to get a feel for how it might contribute to the final piece.
3 Setting the scene
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.
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Jan Wessbecher
Dominic Carter talks to the visual artist about creating his own comic and why sketchbooks are great for creative experiments
Kyounghwan Kim
The Korean character concept artist speaks to Dominic Carter about staying open to ideas and the value of drawing regularly
Slawek Fedorczuk
Dominic Carter talks to the concept artist about what keeps him motivated and the advantages of using physical sketchbooks.
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
Learn how JULIÁN DE LA MOTA creates a composition from his imagination with a focus on crafting figures, volumetric modelling, and light and shadow
First Impressions
The artist talks about his journey into the mythological world