Terese Nielsen - Fantasy Artist, Star Wars, MtG and Angel Art

"What Do you want - an apology?" --Wolverine A.K.A. Force of Will

 

I've painted many versions of Wolverine, on Force of Will cards. He just looks good on this card. : ) However, this is the first Hollywood, Hugh Jackman style version I've done. This alteration was not as a private commission for a particular collector, just an idea I did for the fun of it. If I can remember how to list something on Ebay, I'll list it there. He's the first I've put up on ebay since the Heath Ledger Joker almost two years ago. 

 

Pop on over to ebay if you'd like to own it. The auction ends Monday the 21st.

 

Below are some pics in progress if you enjoying seeing how these cards come to life.

The card is sealed with clear gesso first and then painted with acrylic and oil.

 

Enter the Infinite

Whenever a new "art assignment" for Magic the Gathering appears in my inbox (or in the old days, my fax) I immediately stop whatever I'm doing and read it. I can't stand the suspense, and need to know immediately what I get to illustrate for the next set. Throughout almost two decades (18 years to be exact) of illustrating for MtG, there has only been a few occasions, in which I get to the end of the description and say, "SERIOUSLY…?!!" "Are you kidding me?!" "I'm an artist not a miracle worker!!" It was one, or maybe all three of these phrases which adhered to my frozen, wide-eyed stare. Please, go ahead and read it and tell me what you think.

Title: [Enter the Infinite]

ART DESCRIPTION:

 
Color: Blue spell (unguilded)
Location: Unimportant
Action: Show a close up of a face that has just received all the knowledge in the universe. The expression is that of seeing the immensity of the infinite that both awes and terrifies. It is agony and ecstasy at the same time. At the edges, the face is beginning to fracture into geometric pieces, and the further out from the face that we go, the pieces are turning into all manner of birds, beasts and creatures that wriggle and crawl, flowers, trees, vines and symbolic script. The pieces are spaced more and more apart the further they are from the face as if the face is exploding apart revealing the infinite void.
Focus: The fracturing face.
Mood: Identity dissolved in infinite knowledge.
Notes: Terese, this is a powerful card that lets you draw your entire deck... you can cast anything! Please make it appropriately impressive and dramatic!

No pressure, right? In general, I'm pretty quiet about my approach, especially with pieces like this. Because even to me, the process can sound a bit woo woo. But since many of you asked, I'll attempt to share. Feel free to roll your eyes at any point necessary.

 

Sometimes I'm given assignments in which I'm specifically told to handle the imagery in an abstract way--to stay away from realistic, straight forward approaches. For me, that means commence the weaving, layering and merging of elements in a diagrammatical, fluid, textural, and symbolic way... or something like that. When going this route with an illustration my intent is to inject the imagery with thoughts and symbols in an ethereal, esoteric way, creating a visual that I hope will reveal itself to viewers in their own personal ways.

Regardless of the art assignment, I always start by highlighting words and moods that are key in the description. This creates a visionary springboard and framework for designing the image. After reviewing the highlighted description, I nestle myself amidst my personal library, listening to which books whisper into my ear. Sometimes I'll follow that up with a bit of surfing around on the internets to see what else falls into my lap. I allow what I find in these places to simmer and percolate with the art description for a time, paying close attention to faint or bold nudges which drop in from the aethers. I would suppose this process is about as close as I get to meditation, only my eyes are open, a pencil is in my hand and an amorphous something, from some confluence of happenings, funnels through. 

Just for the record, I can't say that I've ever experienced, nor have I observed anyone, that has just received "all knowledge in the universe". I think the closest I've come to that is balancing my check book the first time through. In any case, if depicting someone receiving "all knowledge in the universe" is not complex enough, let's also tack onto that "awe and terror" and "agony and ecstasy" all into one expression. Right?!

  

So I decided early on in the process, since the face and expression had to do it's best to depict these incongruous and complex emotions, as well as convey being "a part of" the Universe while simultaneously "exploding apart"-- for this to be readable whatsoever, the face would need to be a major aspect of the painting, especially at the printed 2 x 1.5" MtG card-art size. 

I counted on the eyes in the painting to say a great deal; one eye (his right) looking awestruck and his left radiating a confident, all-knowing, spark of enlightenment. The face itself was an amalgam of idealized male features which I purposely forced into even more exaggerated geometric angles as they pushed their way out towards the left of the image. Woven behind, in front of and within the picture are 2D representations of patterns, sequences and phi ratios--proportions that permeate our physical and unseen worlds. I'm a complete novice at understanding these things. But lest you think I'm too far off the deep end, Leonardo has pages of sketchbooks depicting explorations around this, and he seemed to know a thing or two.

 

I felt "Enter the Infinite" needed to have a connection between the enlightened soul in his eyes with the flower of life blueprint--the essence of all organic life. I positioned the phi ratio wave to extend from his eyes to the right of the piece merging with the flower of life symbol. This provided a geometric backdrop in which to morph and entwine all the other elements.

 

I've been told many times that my work has a fluid, dance-like, lyrical quality to it. I believe movement and motion is what makes us feel alive. Obviously when we stop moving, and breathing, and growing, we're lifeless. So intuitively I sprinkle movement into the flow of my compositions, choreographing the dance of ones eyes along the pirouette of the lines. Almost anything can be elevated into a graceful line. This can be through the sweep of hair, fabric, blowing leaves, or arching waves.

From the book "The Unknown Leonardo" we learn of his appreciation and attention to twirling, graceful motion.

 

"Whirling movements of every kind fascinated Leonardo. He likened the eddies of whirlpools, which he called 'the cosmic breathing of the ocean', to the 'lake of blood extending through the human body'. He saw a parallel between water and hair. 'Observe the movement of the surface of water' he wrote, 'how it resembles hair, which has two movements, one of which comes from the weight of the hair the other from the curves of the curls. Thus water has its whirling curls, some of which follow the rush of the main current, while others have a movement of incidence and reflection'."

Some illustrations require numerous thumbnail compositions. However, for images such as: Enter the Infinite, Descendants' Path, Lifelink, Silvercoat Lion, Nature's Spiral, Call to Mind, Silverskin Armor, Legacy Weapon, Holy and Unholy Strength and other's in this vein, I find or shoot reference for the, one or two main elements. I then position those pleasingly into the rectangular, Magic card format, and then draw, design, and doodle away. Sometimes it requires a fair amount of erasing and massaging things around, until a fluid mosaic within the piece as a whole, is achieved. Compositionally, I think about the various elements much like the old school montage approach to designing a movie poster. Start with the largest focal point element and then design all else around that. 

For example:

Enter the Infinite: Start with the face and the two patterns, and morph all else into that.

Descendants Path: Begin with the girl and the tree and work all other aspects around that in a way that enhances and surrounds the subject.

Lifelink: Arrange the hot dude and various shifting angles of the lion head, and then work in all the other elements to "link" and unify the man and lion together. 

When choosing a color palette for Magic card art, if the card represents a certain mana color, then (as directed in the styleguide) we're asked to "Approach each illustration with its color in mind. Hue is a strong, direct way to reinforce the card's color". It doesn't mean it has to be overwhelmingly that color, but at least a major color component within the piece. In the case of "Enter the Infinite", blue was the color of the spell. I kept it within the blue to purple range, as one might expect to see in photos of the universe and galaxies.

Though the project was definitely daunting at inception, I very much enjoyed the process of working with the various elements, and it's always interesting to hear what players think when they see cards like this.  Would love to have your comments here, or over on my Facebook Page.

 

For limited edition prints of this image click on over to the store.

Click these links to purchase the original art or sketch.

 

Imagine FX Core Skills: Preparing Your Sketch for Paint

I had the opportunity earlier this year to create several one-page tutorials for the fantastic magazine, Imagine FX: Fantasty & Sci-Fi Digital Art. Though their publication is primarily focused on digital tutorials, a portion of the magazine features traditional art, and various techniques and approaches of working with those tools. 

I was asked to create short, one-page tutorials on a specific topic or medium, which would be geared toward beginners. This is the first tutorial in issue #79, which covers how to prepare a print-out of one's sketch and move forward to the painting process. 

If you'd like a bit more detail on how I do this, there's a video I did several years ago (see below) which visually walks one through the same process. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hanna, Ship's Navigator" the Girl Next Door?

"Hanna, Ship's Navigator" (for MtG's Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 first expansion) isn't the first time I've been asked to illustrate Hanna, but being asked to make her look appealing certainly was a first. In case you haven't been involved with Magic since the beginning, it might be revelatory to know that the style guides, back in the early days of Magic were, well... lets just say not as thick or nearly as highly developed as they are now.

 

Above was the version of Hanna, depicted in the style guide back then. At best she's, how shall I say, "the girl next door", and don't take me for a chauvinist, because I also thought Gerrard and Ertai were a wee bit, the "boy next door", until I had the opportunity to create my version of them. : )

 

When I painted Fact or Fiction and Jilt, I was asked to make her "normal" looking, which I loathe being asked to do. When an artist is told to paint a "normal" character it screams boring, lackluster, uninteresting, amateur (because clearly you must not be able to paint something pretty) or just emotionless.  

So, in honor of following the art direction, I used a very average model (myself) and didn't bother to idealize her. Of course I also required a photo of the basic pose and lighting for the goblin, so I grabbed who was closest, which was my partner Dawn. Fact...or fiction?   ; )

Jump forward 10 years from 2001 to 2011 and I'm asked to paint Hanna again, this time with the express wish from the art director "Can you please take this assignment? I want a T. Nielsen face lift of ‘Hanna’." How could I refuse? 

So this was the official art description I was given.

 

ART DESCRIPTION:

Title: Hanna, Ship’s Navigator

Color: White- and blue-aligned legendary creature

Location: Belowdecks aboard the wooden airship Weatherlight

Action: Show a glamour shot of Hanna, the talented artificer who went on to serve as navigator for the airship Weatherlight. Hanna wears her blond hair in a slightly disheveled ponytail and wears a uniform in blue and gold (see reference). Mystical artifacts (strange crystals, vials, puzzle-boxes) are strewn about the table, and she's looking up from a parchment map or blueprint, perhaps with a lock of hair falling across her face.

Focus: The artificer Hanna

Mood: A young, whip-smart artifact expert; grace under pressure

Notes: See Hanna's Custody, Fact or Fiction, Jilt, Protective Sphere, for Hanna's look and costuming reference (although we'd like her to look a little nicer/better here).

Great assignment right?!! A glamorized Hanna, in her lair, surrounded by all of these amazing old bottles, maps, puzzles, nautical instruments. Steampunk in Magic. If my studio lair looked like this I'd be in heaven... but I do have little corners of it going on here and there.

 

 



I knew I wanted her in a contemplative mood and pose. When I'm in my favorite reading corner or tucked behind my drawing table ruminating over my next project, you'll find me in this position.

 

So I gathered together little doodads I had laying around, some old photos of nautical devices from the internets and then grabbed a light and our daughter, Heather, to shoot for the basic pose and lighting.

After photos and reference gathering, I hunkered over and drew away until this appeared.

I was given the go-ahead on the sketch and immediately started painting. As the entire image was filled with interesting items, I enjoyed pretty much every square inch of this piece... love it when that happens.

Oh, and I guess there is still a bit of me, i.e. the girl next door, in this Hanna, as I needed the disheveled, iconic blond, Hanna-hair...and mine still worked for that.  : )

 

 Those interested in signed limited edition prints of this, just pop on over to the store.

 

 

 

TLC Workshop Assignment and Materials List

It's just a little over a week away, and I'm so excited to get to meet and work with all of you attending the workshop. It's going to be an awesome 3 days! If anyone is still interested, I think there is just one more space available. It's Fri-Sun, August 24-26. Pop on over to the TLC Workshops to register. 

If you're curious about some of the materials. The first day we'll be spending some time drawing with sepia and white charcoal pencils on toned paper. It's an especially effective way to focus ones attention on light and shadow, and how to handle the edges between the two. This creates the illusion of three-dimensional form and ultimately the models likeness. For examples and a short tutorial I created on that technique, visit the Muddy Colors blog.

 

WORKSHOP ASIGNMENT AND DETAILS

 

Idealized Realism and the Human Figure

 The assignment for this weekend is to portray an iconic, idealized image of the essence or attitude of a chosen character. (This would be similar to what is assigned to an illustrator for an interior book illustration, character driven card art, or spot illustrations for a magazine or D&D manual.)

 

Your Task

Bring a’ bio’ to class of a character that you will depict from mid thigh or waist up. We're focusing on beauty/idealism so choose one (male/female) that you have an affinity for, and will provide the opportunity to portray attitude and charisma. (Think angels, gods/goddesses or characters from mythology). Bring a half page write-up about your character: no need to put your writers-hat on here, just notes and details about the character.

 

Include:

Character’s name

Character description: Bullet points about the essence of the character as if you're describing him/her to someone

Mood: What is the character’s attitude or feeling that you want to portray?

 

(Below is a sample art description given to me for the Magic: the Gathering illustration depicted above.

 

            TITLE: [Basandra, Battle Seraph]

            SIZE: 2 1/16" (52mm) wide X 1 1/2" (38mm) tall  

            Color: White and red legendary creature 

            Location: Sky

            Action: Show Basandra, a legendary angel whose presence heralds war. Like all Magic angels, she's a sexy badass, but she has fire-engine-red hair and carries a long cat-o'-nine-tails with steel cable whips. It's up to you to design her costuming and style; she should feel like one of a kind.

            Focus: Basandra, the archangel of war

            Mood: "The blood spilled today shall be sanctified in my name.")

 

We will only be working on the drawing aspect of the illustration, which will include selecting appropriate, powerful reference, as well as shooting supplemental photos for costuming or hand and arm positions. The final drawing can be drawn entirely by hand or partially composed in Photoshop and printed if you wish to speed up the process of achieving a tight final tracing paper sketch. Keep your design iconic, without complicated backgrounds or surroundings. Select design elements and symbolism that are relevant and supportive to what the character is about.

The final drawing can be done entirely by hand or partially composed in Photoshop if you wish to speed up the process.

 

Materials 

Tracing paper pad 11x14"

Kneaded eraser

Pencils (B, 2B, 4B) or a Staedtler Mars Technico lead holder with leads and sharpener

Scotch Blue Painters tape 1" (style: delicate surfaces)

2-Charcoal White pencils – General’s #558

2-Prismacolor Sepia Drawing pencil

2 sheets- Strathmore Gotham Gray paper.

Sandpaper block

X-Acto knife for sharpening the pencils

Reference photos related to the character you have chosen. They can be printed out or on your laptop. Hi res is best.

(Part of the class is dedicated to selecting good reference to paint from. We will analyze the pros and cons of your selections in class.)

Items that would be helpful but not crucial: 

Digital camera (doesn't have to be fancy)

Laptop (Photoshop and drawing tablet if you have it)

Flash drive

If you would like a portfolio review please bring your version of that

 

Items we plan to have available:

 

Wifi will be available for culling additional internet sourced reference

A couple digital cameras will be on hand

A photo lamp for taking onsite photo reference

One laptop with printer and drawing tablet