Having created art for a large range of mediums, from book publications to AAA video games, Amir Zand is a highly experienced illustrator/concept artist with heaps of knowledge to share. Here he answers our questions.
Tell us a little about your background as an artist. How did you get started and what has your career been like so far?
It's a classic story: for as long as I can remember I have been either drawing or playing video games. Eventually I got introduced to the digital medium when I was 16 years old, and by 17 I took a deeper dive into it. I was always passionate and inspired to draw so was always at the computer, creating stuff.
For me, art is not just a career to pursue, it's a way of living and a way to move forward with my life. At some point it also became a profession on the side, although I always thought how cool it would be to create for video games since I was an avid gamer myself. Things progressed step by step over the years, and my professional journey started when I was 18, when I started to work in a small local animation studio. Then I became a freelance illustrator, creating book covers and illustrations plus some graphic design side jobs. After years I transitioned to a concept artist/ designer. I still find time to create my personal work from day to day - it's just something that's never paused even with my heavy workload.
Where do you draw your inspirations from?
"Inspiration for me can come from anywhere, it's like a state of mind that can always translate senses into ideas and inspiration, from my observations to the sounds I hear, surfaces I touch and smells - they all work together. Streets, cities, dreams, talking with people, memories, emotions, films, other artworks, music and anything that is around me through the day can ultimately lead to an idea.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-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
