BA (Hons) Digital Animation students Sebrina Stain and Cody Taylor have had their fan-art published in an article of Imagine FX, a leading digital art magazine.
An online version of the article can be read here. Artwork pictured by Cody (top), Sebrina (below).
We caught up with Sebrina and Cody to find out more about their fan-art, how their course has help develop their skills, and their advice for any creative students contemplating sharing their work.
How did it feel to find out your work would be featured in the March issue of ImagineFX?
C: Thrilled to learn my work would be featured, my birthday is mid-march, around the time the magazine is released, so I'm really grateful to get such an unexpected, brilliant birthday present.
S: I was so excited to find out that my work would be featured in my favourite magazine. I used to have a subscription and would get a copy to read every month, so it feels surreal!
Tell us about the piece that was selected. What inspired it and why did you choose that subject?
C: The illustration that was chosen was fan-art of the character Darth Vader from the Star Wars films. I chose that franchise and character as I'm a big Star Wars fan. The artwork uses a really warm, green hue, for the darker parts of Vader's armour and a cooler and brighter green for the lighter parts of his armour. I chose this because green is my favourite colour but it is also somewhat inspired by an Empire Strikes Back poster that I have in my room - a beautiful painting by Noriyoshi Ohrai, that shares the notion of Darth Vader being illustrated with green. Despite this inspiration, my fan-art however, is quite stylized, exaggerating Vader's proportions.
S: My fan art was of the Japanese Manga series Frieren. It originally started as part of an art challenge where we had to draw the character from a specific angle. Although it was not planned, I decided to expand on the idea by creating a full scene of her fishing, with fish surrounding her. I focused a lot on building a cohesive blue and green colour palette, with small splashes of red to add contrast and interest.
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How has your animation course influenced the way you approached your fan art?
C: More time animating means less creative focus on fan-art and more creative focus practicing art fundamentals. Practicing these concepts, however, means that my fan-art since starting the course has been some of my favourite artworks, since I'm a more proficient creative.
S: Being on the course and drawing most days has changed the way I approach my art. I think much more about the structure of my drawings and how to make them feel more polished and professional. At the same time, my style is always changing and evolving, and it might look completely different in a year’s time because I’m always trying to learn and improve. I’m also learning to be more confident about sharing my art. Showing your work can help it teach more people and might even inspire others to create art too.
What do you think makes strong fan art stand out in a competitive space?
C: Art style is definitely something that helps your art stand out, as if you develop something really quite unique, you are the only person who can provide that particular style and thusly you can thrive in such a competitive space. I'm still developing my style, through experimentation with different mediums, brushes, colour use and value use, so that I can better my work.
What advice would you give other students who are thinking about putting their work out there?
C: Commit fully to opportunities to share your work. I submitted 20 different illustrations as opposed to just selecting a few. That, in my opinion, is the reasoning behind my getting in to the magazine. Don't be scared to show your lecturer your work, even if you feel as though its self centred, simply showing them your work can really help them identify different opportunities that you'd suit.
S: It’s definitely worth posting and sharing your artwork and the process behind it. Even if you feel like it’s not good enough, it’s satisfying to look back and see how much you’ve improve and there will always be people who notice and appreciate your creativity.