Illustrator Audra Auclair taps into the influence of music to inspire a cyborg femme concept with bright hues and expressive lines.
I’m often asked how I get my ideas. I honestly recycle a lot of my favourite features/themes to fit what I’m trying to express in an artwork. Preferring a balance of beauty, edge and the surreal, I use the human form to hint at undertones of emotions.
You can express a lot through something that appears merely aesthetic. A mask is a nod towards disassociation, a huge third eye expresses existentialism, a demon’s horns symbolise the dark side of humanity, and bright colour is used as a juxtaposition against dark undertones.
Using anatomy in this way isn’t new, but that’s okay. To me, art is firstly a form of therapy, secondly a relationship, and thirdly a skill/job. Artists usually desire to be unique, but it’s important to remember that most ideas have been done before. If you relieve yourself of that pressure, you allow yourself to experiment and grow. Let your brain take you where it naturally wants to go.
If you can’t express what you wish to, then it’s likely you need to focus on fundamentals. Learning fundamentals helps considerably when exploring surrealism. If you’re too stiff and focused on fundamentals you should loosen up in a sketchbook or use abstraction to create new shapes and ideas. My workshop will show you the technical side of how I created my cover art and explain my inspiration behind it.
1 Inspiration and concept
Music, emotions, nature and societal issues have driven my art in the past. I know I want to create a character that’s robotic and cold, but is balanced with natural vibrant elements. To help me get into this mind space I listen to Grimes and Kimbra. Their music channels the feelings I want to communicate with this image.
2 Drawing loose thumbnails
Denne historien er fra March 2019-utgaven av ImagineFX.
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Denne historien er fra March 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.
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.
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Gigi Murakami
Shock and terror! Step into the world of the American horror manga artist, where her tastes are on full display
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No cheat codes required Tanya Combrinck finds out exactly what it takes to make the leap from burgeoning student to game-shaping art director