A Behind the Scenes Look at the Work Processes of World Renowned Artists
At FanExtra we believe that the best way to learn is from experts in your field. That’s why we employ some of the best tutorial writers and bring you regular quality content.
Tutorials are great, but I often find myself looking at work from some of the world’s top digital artists and wondering about the thought processes, techniques and workflows used to create such incredible art. I always think ‘if I only I could get my hands on their original Photoshop files I’d be able to break down exactly what makes their work so awesome!’.
Well that’s exactly what we aim to offer you guys, as part of our new series ‘Artist Breakdown’. We’re going to be talking to some of the world’s most respected digital artist’s and offering an insight into how they’ve created some of their most popular works. This will allow you to look through every layer, object, blending option and technique used. It’s a true behind the scenes look into some world-class work, and we hope you enjoy it!
Artist Breakdown #1. Alexis Marcou: Bad Panda
Today we’ll be talking with Alexis Marcou about his stunning piece Bad Panda. You can check out more of Alexis’ work at his Behance page.
1. What is the concept behind the piece ‘Bad Panda’? How did you land on such an interesting visual?
The concept was to create a piece that incorporates geometric shapes into it. Pandas are black and white and this contrast always helps when working with pencil. I also always admired pandas as animals anyway.
I found the visual on the National Geographic website.
2. You have a really unique, interesting style that mixed handdrawn and digital elements. Do you mind walking us through your typical workflow for a piece like this?
- research for the right image
- hand-drawing
- scan
- finish up on Photoshop (add further lighting, textures etc…)
3. ‘Bad Panda’ as well as many other works of yours seem to combine elements of simplicity and fine detail. The composition and color palette are relatively simple, whilst the use of fine textures, lighting and detailing adds a level of subtle complexity. Could you share some thoughts on the marriage of these two styles?
I like the focal point of the subject (in this case the panda’s face and claws) to be more complex and anything around it to be simple. The reason is to draw the attention to specific areas.
4. What do you think is the major benefit of using a mixed media approach in your work?
The greatest benefit is that there are many more choices and also it is great when the viewer looks at it and can’t figure out how the piece was created. Another benefit with the digital part is being able to test different things without touching the original illustration. This saves a lot of time!
Source File for ‘Bad Panda’
Create A Mixed Media Piece Using Photoshop
Premium Texture Set: Artist
Create A Fiery Mixed Media Composition Using Photoshop
Wow! Having a look at the .psd file is cool! It’s also quicker than a tutorial/walk-through! It’s so hard to believe that a few simple ‘components’ turn into a piece like this! I guess the idea is knowing when too much is too much and when to stop.
I love the idea of bringing these pieces with their files, Tom! I look forward to this!
Thank you!
Su
Thanks Su, I’m really glad that you’re enjoying this new post series. We have some more great works lined up. I think it’s a really unique chance to gain insight into the styles/workflows of some truly world class artists. Stay tuned