Happy Halloween everyone! Every artist benefits from looking at other people’s art. As my college sculpture professor would say, you can’t have good output without good input. In my journey of personal discovery, I have come to admire many people in the industry. This is certainly true of Viktor Titov, whose brilliant use of painterly strokes juxtaposed with accurate form catches my eye among a sea of other fantasy artists.
What makes his work so unique is his ability to add artistry into every piece without overworking it. In an interview with Imagine FX Victor attributes this affect to his practice of “trying to emphasize some details and then [rubbing] them off because they’re too obsessive and they occupy the central part of the composition.” Regardless of how he does it, it comes off as effortless. It’s not easy creating art so loose and yet so detailed.
I couldn’t help but see a lot of another favorite artist in his work, the celebrated Craig Mullins. Indeed, he has stated Craig to be an inspiration for some of his work.
Resources to Achieve Titov’s Look
In my own journey to enhance my loose skills like Viktor, I have come across some amazing resources. First off, I tried Marta Nael’s Digital Impressionism tutorial. Here’s the result:
I must confess though, it would have not been possible without some amazing brushes by some amazing people: Titus Lunter’s Brushes and Brushes by Levi. The other secret I have discovered is the Unsharpen Mask filter in photoshop. Try it sometime- it creates instant detail! It really makes it pop.
While there is no secret brush or filter that can substitute for skill, these tools enhance an artist’s ability to create a looser look. Try the tutorial if you have some time.
In other news, I was ecstatic to receive my copy of Expose 10 and find that I had been given an Excellence Award for the steampunk category on page 276. It printed pretty well, which was great because the proof they sent looked a little odd.
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