Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art: A Collection of the Most Inspiring Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Gaming Illustrators in the World

225 Pages·2011·87.032 MB·English

MASTERS of
SCIENCE FICTION
FANTASY ART
and
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MASTERS of
SCIENCE FICTION
FANTASY ART
and
A COLLECTION OF THE MOST INSPIRING SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY,
AND GAMING ILLUSTRATORS IN THE WORLD
by Karen Haber
Foreword by Joe Haldeman,
author of The Forever War
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T
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o 56
S
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62
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S
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M 78
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© 2011 by Rockport Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright
owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned,
and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise,
arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with
information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing
information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.
First published in the United States of America by
Rockport Publishers, a member of Quayside Publishing Group
100 Cummings Center, Suite 406-L, Beverly, Massachusetts 01915-6101
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.rockpub.com
Digital edition: 978-1-61060-234-1
Softcover edition: 978-1-59253-675-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-675-7
ISBN-10: 1-59253-675-1
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Design: John Foster, Bad People Good Things LLC
www.badpeoplegoodthings.com
Cover Image: John Picacio
Printed in China
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD
6 BY JOE HALDEMAN
INTRODUCTION
8
COMBINED TRADITIONAL AND DIGITAL TOOLS
12 Jim Burns
20 Shaun Tan
28 Dave Seeley
36 Avi Katz
42 John Picacio
50 Pavel Mikhailenko
56 Ken Wong
62 Brom
70 Greg Spalenka
78 Bruce Jensen
84 Scott M. Fischer
90 Todd Lockwood
DIGITAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
100 Stephan Martiniere
106 Tomasz Maronski
114 Camille Kuo
122 Galan Pang
128 Marta Dahlig
TRADITIONAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
134 James Gurney
142 Kinuko Y. Craft
150 Charles Vess
158 Donato Giancola
166 Rebecca Guay
174 Dan Dos Santos
182 Petar Meseldzija
188 Terese Nielsen
196 Bob Eggleton
204 Don Maitz
212 Gregory Manchess

DIRECTORY OF CONTRIBUTORS
222
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
223
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
224
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FOREWORD
JOE HALDEMAN
For some people this could be a very dangerous At this writing, the book itself does not exist, of course;
book. If I had read it at the age of twelve, I might I only have the draft manuscript of the interviews
have put aside my fledgling writer’s typing machine and URLs I can type in to see the artists’ various
and picked up a brush—and embarked upon a life homepages and galleries. So while I was reading
marked with very different hazards and rewards. the manuscript, I felt like I was listening in on
something marvelous that was transpiring in the next
The life stories here are that interesting. The worlds room—but it will be another year before I get a peek
to which they provide entry could be that alluring. over the transom, to see what was really going on!
Karen Haber asked me to write this introduction For instance, when Scott Fischer says, “I’ll often
because we share a love of art, and she knows that I’m use nothing but the polygon lasso tool, and bright-
a compulsive dabbler in it. My wife and I have traveled ness and contrast to build up the planar shapes of a
all over the world with Karen and her husband Robert painting . . . I have whole folders with nothing but
Silverberg, and she knows that for decades I’ve kept scanned traditional brush marks that I will lay on top
a travel diary of watercolor sketches. of a piece, playing with opacity, overlay, dodge and
burn, then erasing out areas where I don’t like the
I’ve never been a serious artist, in the sense of effect,” there’s a whole nutshell lesson in how
knuckling down to spend the necessary years of study to use a computer to make a picture. But without
and practice. But I do carry a notebook and watercolor actual pictures to illustrate the process, my visual
spitbox wherever I go, and every Saturday I bike imagination can’t finish the job.
down to a studio to spend the morning with brush
in hand, staring at a nude woman, supposedly in the Computers and other high-tech tools do figure
service of art. So my interest in art may be less than strongly in all of these stories, of course. None
professional, but it’s more than casual. of these artists goes through the time-consuming
and nerve-wracking rigmarole that was the life cycle
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of science fiction artists when I started writing, in the seductive lure of photo-editing software—change
the precomputer days. They would pick up manuscripts the image all you want, one aspect at a time, because
at the editorial offices in New York and then drive or you can always change it back with the click of a button.
take a train back to where they lived (not many could
afford to live in the city, or wanted to), and draw Maybe in some future that’s all there will be: pictures
and paint in relative solitude. Then they carried the created onscreen with stylus, fingertip, voice, and
still-drying artwork back to the editor in time for an keyboard, and then wrestled into shape with photo-
unreasonable deadline. They waited for judgment, editing software. For most of these artists, though,
and then either returned with changes or, if successful, it still starts with the sharp pencil, the charcoal stick,
picked up another armload of manuscripts and or the loaded brush. And for some of us on the side-
headed back to the studio. lines, they’re poised exactly where the excitement
is: classical technique sharpened and heightened
Most artists now, and even most school kids, have by technology that still seems futuristic.
computers and scanners that make all that tension and
drama obsolete. Manuscripts and illustrations go back —Joe Haldeman
and forth at the speed of light. It saves a lot of gasoline
and shoe leather, not to mention stomach lining.
Joe Haldeman is the internationally acclaimed author of numerous science
fiction novels and winner of many Hugo, Nebula, and international
The actual creation, for all but a couple of hyper- awards. His Hugo- and Nebula-award winning novel The Forever War is
currently being adapted for the big screen by Ridley Scott. Haldeman’s
modernists, still does involve the smell of paint and
most recent novels include Starbound, Marsbound, The Accidental Time
Machine, and Camouflage. He received the Grand Master Award from
the scratch of pencil or pen, the accretion of marks
the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2010. He enjoys
that turns a white space into a miracle of line and painting when he’s not writing, traveling, playing guitar, or observing
the heavens through his telescope. His daily diary can be found online
color. Some might then just snap a picture and send
at sff.net and his website is http://home.earthlink.net/~haldeman/.
a jpeg of it off to the editor, but almost everybody
messes with the image a little first. It’s hard to resist
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INTRODUCTION
Science fiction and fantasy artists face a daunting task: to depict
the unknown, the unreal, and the impossible, and make it
believable, compelling, and beautiful. They are asked to envision
imaginary places, populating them with strange, wonderful
beings, and they must do it all on a deadline. That’s a tough job.
The digital revolution has brought science fiction imagery
into the mainstream and thus to a wider audience. What was
once seen as magical and improbable is now commonplace.
Modern technological advances have raised the bar for artists,
making it that much harder for them to invent fresh science
fictional images. The job must have been easier in decades
past when great artists such as Frank R. Paul and Chesley
Bonestell had far less competition from reality. Luckily, artists
come equipped with that most powerful of tools, imagination.
In an age of technological miracles, they need it more than ever.
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This is an exhilarating and challenging time in science and blogs devoted to teaching technique and pro-
fiction and fantasy art for both artists and art lovers. moting discussion are abundant. Video tutorials
Computers have put exciting new tools into artists’ are available at the click of a mouse, while in the
hands while creating a more competitive environment nonvirtual world artists gather for workshops where
in which to make a living. Previously reliable art maestros can be observed in process and later ques-
markets, such as publishing, are struggling to change tioned by novices. It’s an exciting time to embark
with the times, while other markets, such as film and upon a career in science fiction and fantasy art.
gaming, are exploding with new opportunities for
artists. Armies of computer graphics (CG) artists are Here is a look at twenty-eight of the most creative
employed to bring fantastic visions to life for each science fiction and fantasy artists working today,
blockbuster, television show, or game release. And with examples in pencil, paint, and digital media.
yet in the midst of this tumult, young artists clamor The artists in this book are both masters and rising
for instruction in traditional art techniques. Which stars in the many-faceted realms of science fiction and
tools they select and how they use them are the fantasy art. They range from dedicated devotees of
choices of each artist. Some rely on hand skills while brushwork to artists on the cutting edge of techno-
others employ only digital tools, and still others logical change working in 3D effects for movies and
swear by varied combinations of each. gaming. Each artist describes his or her professional
journey and provides a mini-workshop on techniques,
Thanks to the Internet, there’s also been an explosion such as concept development, use of digital tools,
in the number of artists creating science fiction and and traditional brushwork.
fantasy art around the world. The communication
between them—especially between beginning artists
and their more experienced, savvier colleagues—has
never been more dynamic and exciting. Websites
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