Published 14th April 2022

A lot has changed in concept art since the early 1990s, when artists like Craig Mullins and Kev Jenkins started pushing digital art’s potential. The tools have been revolutionised, and at all stages of the production process art teams have grown in importance… yet some things remain the same. While ‘concept art’ has become an umbrella term for everything from speed-painted environments to illustrative, highly rendered character art, the finest examples are still rooted in the same foundations of any great art: a sound understanding of values, anatomy, directional detail, form and function. They still have a great story underneath the strokes, and spring from a fundamentally compelling concept. The clue’s in the title! In this special edition, created by ImagineFX magazine, we look at the work of the finest concept artists today – from early pioneers to breakthrough artists. We’ve had a blast working with all the phenomenal talent featured in these pages, and we hope it inspires you to go create your own art.