The Contemporary Fantasy Art illustrator Dan Scott, visited the UCM Gallery of Art & Design yesterday to talk about his art and his experience as a freelance illustrator in the Kansas City area. Many students came to his lecture to learn more about this type of illustration that today is very common in trading cards like Magic: The Gathering, in role play games like Dungeons and Dragons, and in comics.
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| Dan Scott |
Dan Scott mentioned the experience he had when working as an amateur illustrator and how he became a professional illustrator. He said that he had to be very persistent and determined to reach his dreams. The constant work lead him to work for companies like Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast, and Magic: The Gathering. Now, he works as a freelance illustrator from home.
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| Magazine cover by Dan Scott |
To create an illustration that will be produced as a trading card, Scott takes about three weeks to sketch a design and about one month to create the final image. Scott mentioned that the process to create a final product starts with a description from the company, he does then research about the elements he wants to incorporate in the image by looking at other images online. He then starts to sketch.
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| Trading card Preview |
After the final sketch is approved, he starts to add color and details. Finally the image is placed on the cards. Scott mentioned that the details on the trading cards are minimal because they are small prints. For the background, the detail is also minimal but it has to be related to the character.
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| Sketch process creation and final image |
On comic book covers, the process requires some changes. The process is the same as the trading cards, but the details on the characters have to be more noticeable due to the larger format in which comic book covers are printed.
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| Characters and Movement by Dan Scott |
Dan Scott showed some of his work on magazine covers and book covers. He also talked about the new challenges that digital illustrators face today. "There is a large competition out here… companies will look for your artistic skills first in your portfolio," he said. Finally; he mentioned that it is all about inspiration and constant work that makes you an excellent illustrator.
If you attended this lecture or you are interested in Contemporary Fantasy Art, leave a comment!
By Christian Cutler and Katherine Urquijo
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