StarCraft Weekly Art #4

Nish07

18 Posts

January 10 2019 01:02 GMT

Original Source: The StarCraft Observer

This week’s featured art came across me in an interesting way. The Starcraft Observer is currently on all popular social media platforms and I’ll admit, I’m still learning to use them on a bigger scale.

I was browsing through the observer’s Instagram account messages when I notice that I had, “Requests” and quite a couple of them but there was one that stood out to me from szoszana.art. Upon opening I was immediately awestruck.

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Artanis wonderfully designed by Zuza Bulczyńska

That stare from Artanis is absolutely captivating as if he’s staring deep into your soul, reading your every thought, and knowing your very next move. I am immidiately reminded of Ghostbusters when they first see the painting of Vigo the Carpathian. You just can’t stop staring at the gaze and it is executed so much better here with Artanis.

The luminous blue glows are on point especially coming from underneath the floating portions of the pauldrons; a detail that I often see missed in a lot of Artanis fan art and wonderfully caught by Zuza.

The lighting reflections on the armor is just amazing all around. Given how dark the setting is and the little light there is, Zuza really does the armor justice. Just look at the golden trims all along the armor, how mighty it looks, and intimidating it is…beautiful!

Another critical part of this art is the detailing and how well it looks like a really old renaissance painting; perfectly conveyed with amazing attention to detail and done by someone with lots of patience. Looking at this art from afar and for a long period of observation, it feels monumentous and historical. It’s as if the art has seen countless galleries throughout the centuries and has been restored numerous amounts of times; the aging marks are perfect.

Overall, it is as if our artist, Zuza Bulczyńska, was approached by Artanis and asked to have a portrait appropriately done for him.

Foreword

Although my time in interviewing Zuza was very brief, she is a positive force of energy who’s very motivated by her loved ones, actively engages in conversation, and one who is extremely passionate about art. I admit, there was one point in our exchange of messages that had me a bit worried because we constantly went back and forth with a bit of confusion, which can be quite frustrating for some, but she was so patient and very kind in taking the time to answer.

I hope you readers enjoy the short and wonderful interview with Zuza Bulczyńska.

Thank you Zuza!

The Artist Interview

What prompted you in creating this version of Artanis?

At the moment, I’m looking for a job, and in the meantime I’m doing my best to work on my skill in digital art to become a freelance concept artist or illustrator. I found out about StarCraft through my boyfriend and we both thought that painting something such detailed would be a great form of training and a challenge for me. Plus, it’d be a nice gift for him for being such a great supporter and loving boyfriend.

How was your boyfriends reaction?

He loved it! He’s really proud and brags about it everywhere and to everyone!(Like posting it on reddit).

Does he play Protoss which is why you made Artanis?

Yup, that’s his favorite race, he started playing it because of Igor “Indy” Kaczmarek (IndyStarCraft)

How did you approach creating Artanis? What were your techniques?

Since i’m a total newbie in SC, I helped myself with amazing artwork made by West Studio; I didn’t want to copy it (no tracing of course!) and it was a great help in terms of gaining knowledge about Artanis. I planned making sort of a portrait, something similar to a loading screen, and at the same time wanted to train on lights and shadows. It was a great base to learn from and I’m sure I will make another Artanis fan art in the near future. Maybe a full body? I also plan to paint Kerrigan

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How long did it take you to make this?

It took me about 1.5–2 weeks. I must admit that white panels and gold on his armour were kind of a challenge for my patience.

What was difficult and what problems were you running into?

I wouldn’t call it difficult, but a bit tiring, you know — base color, adding shadows, adding highlights, repeat. But I learned a lot and had a lot of fun! Especially on adding all those lights!

Were you aiming for that old painting look or did that idea come to you as you were working on this?

Classical painting has always been stuck in the back of my head, especially when in terms of building contrasts. But in this case it was not fully intentional, when i started adjusting highlights and shadows with textures I used, it just gave it that “renaissance” taste.

What artist or work inspire your style?

Classical ones — Rembrand, Edward Hopper, Renee Magritte but mostly Aphonse Mucha.
Contemporary — Lois van Baarle, Piotr Jablonski, Martosz Kosowski, Simon Stalenhag, and Jakub Rozalski….The list is very long but those are the names that come to mind first.

How long have you been doing this and how did you find yourself getting into art?

Well, basically I’ve been drawing since day one… I’m kidding but honestly, this has always been “my thing”. My father was an illustrator, also my grandfather is quite skilled, so I guess I inherited talent from them.

If I wanted to become an artist or an illustrator such as yourself, how would I go about that?

I still struggle to become a full-time illustrator but in terms of creating art, it takes a lot of patience, that’s for sure. It’s hard to not give up when results are not satisfying but trust me, hard work and patience will surely pay off. Take small steps, don’t overload yourself with expectations because it’s all about practice.

You can find more work for Zuza Bulczyńska through her social media channels: