The Art of Yuanda Yu

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Yuanda Yu is an eight-year veteran concept artist with over twelve collective years of experience in digital illustration, and boy does it shows. His meticulous attention to detail is superb, his subject matter covers the gamut of hard line post-apocalyptic and speculative sci-fi tropes.

The subtle incorporation of pronounced yet careful visual cues to a variety of different culture precedes the temperament of an artist who devotes himself to the passionate study of world culture as well as illustration. Yu is currently working as a senior artist for Barajoun Entertainment and has done work for CCP and Webzen. Check out a sampling of his work after the break!

The Art of JH Stone

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JH Stone is a freelance comic artist from South Korea with a knack for photo-realistic backgrounds juxtaposed with sci-fi absurdity and slice-of-life surrealism. A strong theatrical sense of humor persists across all his work, embedded in every dynamic action pose, giant mecha fight, and superhero homage. Paramilitary assassins, fauxhawk-wielding rock stars, revolutionary guitarists and paintings within paintings. See more of his talented work after the break!

The Art of Artem Shumnik

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Artem Shumnik is a Russian concept artist whose portfolio of clients and projects reveals only a fraction of his otherwise immense talent. A lead concept artist for Saber Interactive, responsible for such titles as 2007's Timeshift and Halo: Anniversary, Shumnik is also a freelance artist for the South Korean art stable Applibot. 

His penchant for dreary, snow-capped metropolises and otherworldly weirdness makes me sincerely wish that he was helming an original IP at the Milburn-based studio. Check after the break for more of his gritty urban landscapes and sci-fi oddities.

The Art of Mike Azevedo

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Every piece in Mike Azevedo's body of work is infused with a Pixar-esque whimsicality. Between his rough digital sketches and his more refined pieces, Mike always manages to fit in one detail that brings a bewildered smirk to your face. A pulsating purple heart chiseled in the chest of a fire golem, the silhouette of a giant monster lumbering out of a forest. When it comes to illustration, it's the little things that count.

Check out more of his work after the break!

The Art of Gino

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Zhang Yuan, better known as 'GINO' in digital illustration circles, is a hard man to find and even harder to describe. What first caught my eye was his impeccable talent for composition, his points of focus succeed in capturing attention, without skimping out on the vital details that make his entire pieces feel like monuments to precision. Themes of his work vary between magic realism (such as my personal favorite above) to the mythic feudal showdowns typical of Wuxia; the Chinese sub-genre of supernatural martial arts folktale.

From what I can strain to make out through the clumsy browser translation of his website, Zhang is a professional concept artist focused on design-related entertainment, cartoons, illustrations and contemporary art. An alumni of the China Central Academy of Art and the Communication Arts program of New York University, 'GINO' is just further proof that a barrier of language should be no deterrent in the pursuit of great art.

The Art Of Ddddak - East Meets West

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I've got a soft spot for cetrain Korean concept artists due to the fact that from what I've seen, their style channels influences that I typically wouldn't expect into their formula. I don't mean to generalize too much here, but when we look at say, a Japanese digital artist, there's typically some form of anime influence in there at the core. Chinese concept artists also have a certain look to their work, mainly drawing off of thousands of years of rich Chinese lore as a springboard.

Over a few years of checking out the work coming out of the different countries, I've noticed that Korean artists like Choi Keun Hoon (Ddddak) seem to step out of their continent and draw influence from western and eastern European painters, a shift that has been historically noted as occurring in the post WWII period. As a result, Korean concept art typically stands out to me as an interesting melting pot of east meets west, with Choi being a great example of this painterly, hybrid style in my opinion. Check out more of his awesome art after the break!

The Art Of Dentyou

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The artist called Dentyou definitely chose to remain anonymous, sharing not much other than a selection of gorgeous environmental illustrations and his land of residence, Tokyo. What struck me about his work was his bold usage of colors and an excellent eye for lighting, texture and shapes, allowing him to imply a ton of detail without much effort.

If there's one thing I've learned after painting for a few years in the digital format, it's easy to get bogged down in over rendering, the true difficulty lies in being economical with your brush strokes. Dentyou's work nearly looks effortless, but the apparent simplicity is deceptive, which is kind of funny in a way. Whereas some artists think that tons of detail is the key when it comes to painting environments, it's an easy way to sink yourself in a treacherous render loop if you're not careful. Check out more of his work after the break!

THE FICTIONIST

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The Fictionist is a deviantart account with some seriously cool, moody digital paintings. A large chunk of the work displayed has a very personal mood; potraits and people seem to share the same space, a gloomy contrasty world that oozes personality and has a flavor all of its own.

More works from the Fictionist after the break!

THE ART OF NOOK

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Nook (aka Raccoonnook), is a 25 year old Brooklyn based artist with a very distinct style that mixes Japanese manga with ligne claire (Think Tintin).

With a consistent body of work, Nook always manages to bring eerie atmospheres, beautiful, vibrant color palettes and intriguing characters into his work. Check out more of his work after the jump!