Striking Character Illustrations By Max Kostenko
Posted: April 8, 2013 Filed under: Inspiration | Tags: art, character, design, digital, drawing, illustration, Max Kostenko, painting 2 Comments
Illustration by Max Kostenko
Max Kostenko is an illustrator and character designer from Moscow, Russia and has made a serious splash for one only working in the industry for about 4 years. His prestigious client list includes Visa, Saatchi & Saatchi, Volkswagen, and Mercedes. For an artist who prefers to create his artwork with digital tools, Max’s style is surprisingly painterly – rich with detailed texturing of skin and clothing. Max Kostenko’s illustrations stand-out among the large pool of other character designers with his ability to create original subjects which portray interesting and relate-able personalities, as well as fully-realized environments for his characters.
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Abstract Painting “Eye Can See”
Posted: August 20, 2012 Filed under: Sketchbook | Tags: abstract, art, design, digital, drawing, eye, graphic, painting, photoshop 2 CommentsIn this painting I was playing with the relationships of different human features, abstracted to convey their similarities.
“Eye Can See” – Abstract digital painting by Nicole Barker
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Abstract Painting “Together”
Posted: August 9, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration, Movies and TV shows, Sketchbook | Tags: abstract, art, digital, illustration, painting, photoshop, together, west side story 4 Comments
“Together” – Abstract digital painting by Nicole Barker
“Together” is an abstract painting I finished a few years ago based on the plot arch of West Side Story (the movie version). I found the story very inspiring. As soon I finished watching it for the first time, and the credits rolled, I began this painting. The left side represents the male main character Tony, and the right side represents the main female character Maria. The stark contrast in color between green and purple represents the opposing family cultures of American and Puerto Rican. The story arch starts from the left going up which mainly focuses on Tony, then later in the story you are introduced to Maria. They are together for a time, represented where the two halves are blended in the plateau painting. (Spoiler if you haven’t seen West Side Story) Ultimately, the story reaches its climax and ends with Maria by herself. Broken and sad, but thankful to have loved, represented by the dress dropping back down and slowly fading away. Obviously this story is based on Romeo and Juliet, but I really liked the new direction the writers took with the plot arch in West Side Story, and found the art style, dance choreography, writing, acting, and overall theme very inspiring.
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Inspirational Artist Feature – David Fuhrer
Posted: May 30, 2012 Filed under: Inspiration | Tags: art, Artist, David Fuhrer, detail, digital, earth, illustration, painting, space, Surrealism 2 CommentsDavid Fuhrer is an amazing illustrator and digital artist from Switzerland. The Surrealist theme to his work seems reminiscent of Salvador Dali, especially Fuhrer’s work entitled “Red Apple”.
“Drug Free Zone” has a beautiful, traveling composition. The way it leads you from one section of the painting to the next is magical. I love the illustrative style of the trees, but what really puts this piece over the edge is the depth of field added.
“Blue Moon” has to be one of the most complex paintings I’ve ever seen. I love the exaggerated size and style of the objects twisting, turning, and connecting on the surface of the planet. It seems alive with activity. The way the city scape extends into space reminds me of the imagery in “The Beast Below” episode of Doctor Who. In that episode, the entirety of the UK is placed on the surface of a large star ship. Click here for the full episode synapses.
With all of David Fuhrer’s artwork, I encourage you to really look close, the detail is absolutely astonishing.
Blue Moon by David Fuhrer
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Nicole M. Cleary 