We catch-up with the incredible artists who took part in our #FirespriteInk inktober challenge
We celebrated Inktober 2020 with our own Firesprite-inspired custom prompts, challenging our artists to a weekly prompt - and they created some spectaular pieces! We caught up with the artists who took part to discuss their art inspirations, Intokber processes and art portfolio tips.
Concept Artist, Vernon Lee
How long have you been with Firesprite?
A year and 4 months
What was the inspiration behind your favourite drawing of the event?
My favourite was the Big Hero 6 image with Baymax, Hiro and Tadashi for the Unity prompt. I took it to mean a unified family and I loved the dynamic between all 3 of those characters in the film and wanted to capture that in their poses. I feel like it’s important in life whatever you’re pursuing artistically, everyone needs a little encouragement once in a while… sometimes it only takes as little as one person to believe in you like Tadashi to Hiro. As with Baymax, well do I even need to explain~
What are your favourite Inking tools?
I primarily do everything digitally these days, but I do like a good brush with some amount of texture/ noise to it
Name an Inktober artist you really like!
Richard Anderson, he’s so efficient and economical with his brushstrokes!
What was your biggest obstacle during the event?
Drawing the human figure haha. Something about the fact we see them every day, it comes under a lot more scrutiny than perhaps some expressive landscape or environment painting.
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Usually other artists, I like to see how they overcome obstacles and learn from them since they are often much smarter than myself.
What tips would you give to aspiring concept artists looking to create a portfolio for the games industry?
Ah the famous question that I’m still not completely certain of myself. For me, perhaps the thing that helped me the most with concept art was to go into each image with a stated focus, what purpose does this serve and how is it answering the design criteria? I think we need to know where the goalposts are if we want to score. So, it’s important to understand its use and purpose within the bigger picture, how does your image potentially inform the rest of the team? Oh and of course errm…. fundamentals! Haha
3D Artist, Amber Edwards
How long have you been with Firesprite?
I joined at the start of April this year so coming into my 7th Month!
What was the inspiration behind your favourite drawing of the event? I think my favourite one was concepting and drawing how interpreted what Firesprite would look like as a character in Fineliners. It was so fun to do!
What are your favourite Inking tools? Biro’s and Copic markers are my personal favourite. I discovered there’s not much control in doing my Ink-tober challenge in Fineliners! I might do next year with Paint and Pens!
Name an Inktober artist you really like!
Rob Turpin did a great set of Isometric fantasy drawings for his Ink-tober a few years back! Incredible work!
What was your biggest obstacle during the event?
Time, I need more time to make more art and learn. There’s not enough time!!
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Twitter and Artstation it’s filled with amazing talented artist.
What tips would you give to aspiring 3D artists looking to create a portfolio for the games industry?
Never stop being a ‘student’, always seek and keep learning! Focus on what you want to improve on in chunks and aim your portfolio to the area you are most passionate about. Seek other artists that inspire you and learn from them! Don’t pressure yourself, everything takes time especially learning. Seek feedback from other artists out there!
Junior Concept Artist, Jason Yao
How long have you been with Firesprite?
Almost 9 months now! Wow, time sure does fly.
What was the inspiration behind your favourite drawing of the event?
My virtual prompt drawing! Although the horror prompt comes dastardly close… The inspiration was a more cynical outlook on virtual reality and what it means for us as people: Escapism. Especially during times like these where life becomes difficult for many people; escapism can provide relief but also cause problems to grow worse like an untreated wound: if it’s used to ignore or forget about problems rather than facing them head-on and solving them. Basically “Don’t lose your head to VR”, hence the killer face-crab VR headset! :D
What are your favourite Inking tools?
PentelArts colour brush pens, the ink is super fruity and vibrant! It’s great for making drawings pop.
Name an Inktober artist you really like!
Matías Bergara is a comic artist I’ve been really into lately. His drawings are always full of so much energy and character!
What was your biggest obstacle during the event?
My cat demanding attention and petting!
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Artstation keeps me inspired most of the time; I really enjoy the work that come out of Korea these days.
What tips would you give to aspiring concept artists looking to create a portfolio for the games industry?
Get yourself a mentor and find like-minded individuals; ask for feedback on your work from artists you respect, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t understand part of the critique!
If you watch a tutorial, don’t just watch it once; make notes and be sure to practice what you learned as well. ~
Find more from our Intokber artists on YouTube, their personal Artstation pages: Vernon Lee, Amber Edwards and Jason Yao, and by searching #FirespriteInk.
