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Third annual Blizzard Student Art Contest announces winners
Blizzard has looked through all of the entries for the third annual Blizzard Student Art Contest and chosen the winners, who were announced on the official website yesterday. Entrants this year had four different categories to choose from -- Environment, Character, and Weapons art, and also an Animation category -- the first time we've seen additional categories for the contest. Needless to say the variety of winning entries covered everything under the sun. The top three winners were Sukjoo-Choi for the mount model shown above, Servando Lupini for an absolutely gorgeous Hallows End-themed environment design, and Duy Nguyen for an eredar-themed, incredibly ornate weapon that frankly I'd love to see a draenei slinging around. Runners up included more environment and weapon art, as well as several incredibly quirky character designs, including an otter fisherman complete with rod and knapsack full of tasty fish. Check out the official announcement page for a look at all of the entries from the talented winners, runner-ups, and honorable mentions -- and congratulations to all!
Reminder: Blizzard Student Art Contest deadline is this Friday
The deadline for the Blizzard Student Art Contest is fast approaching! If you're working on a piece for the Blizzard Student Art Contest, which this year includes four categories for submissions -- Environment Art, Character Art, Weapon Art, or Animation -- note that the deadline for submissions is Friday, January 31. That's this Friday, so if you're still in the middle of working on submission pieces, you better start wrapping them up. This year's contest includes a gigantic collection of prizes for winners. Grand Prize winners will receive a one year subscription to World of Warcraft, a Blizzard Entertainment notebook featuring an original sketch by a Blizzard artist, a Blizzard T-shirt, and a three-month mentorship by a member of the World of Warcraft art team in the form of email or phone critique of portfolio work. If you have yet to submit your entry, or just want another look at the official rules and information, head to the official contest page and get it in before it's too late. Good luck to all who enter!
Blizzard Entertainment Student Art Contest making a return
Are you a college or university art student with a passion for World of Warcraft? Good news -- the Blizzard Student Art Contest is about to make a return. Blizzard Entertainment's university relations team, along with the World of Warcraft development team, are looking for original artwork or animations that would work within the World of Warcraft universe. The contest itself doesn't officially begin until December, but hopeful artists may want to begin work on their projects now, just to make sure you've got plenty of time to submit your absolute best work. This year, Blizzard has upped the ante and added new categories to the contest. Artists can create Environment Art, Character Art, Weapon Art, or Animation -- either a battle scene or flavor animation. Check out the winners from the previous two years for inspiration if you'd like -- and take a look at our interview with one of the previoius winners, Peter K. Lee, whose Darkmoon Carousel design actually made it into the game! Winners of the contest will get some amazing prizes, including a three-month mentorship by a member of the World of Warcraft art team, a one year game subscription, and more. Check out the official announcement page for more information, and for updates on the contest as it becomes available, join the official Blizzard Careers group on LinkedIn. Good luck to all who enter!
Fantasy character artist explodes onto WoW community scene
If you're headed to BlizzCon next month, will you be lucky enough to be wearing a coveted custom name badge by Noxychu? Her whimsical character portraits have become all the rage this year, and Noxychu has even turned out badges for the entire Blizzard community manager staff. As staff artist for Wowhead and well-known WoW "Twitterati," the unassuming Brit has long since had to pause taking on new commissions, and her newfound popularity promises great things post-BlizzCon. WoW Insider: Everyone wants a Noxychu! I'm betting most readers will recognize your name from the artwork you do for Wowhead. Tell us what you do there and how you got started. Noxychu: I'm not sure I have a proper title; I guess just "artist" covers it. I make logos for the various ZAM websites, and I illustrate the occasional contest and guide. I got started with Wowhead by volunteering, I made some badge art for them in 2008, and then after that the occasional Warcraft-themed web comic. And they were bloody awful. I really loved making them, and they were weekly for a while. Unfortunately I'm a terrible at writing scripts, and I have been unable to find a consistently funny writer that is willing to put up with me to try and get the Wowhead web comic back to regular updates.
World of Warcraft Tribute by UDON now available
World of Warcraft Tribute, a 224-page monster of an art book by Blizzard Entertainment and UDON is now available for purchase. The book showcases Warcraft art by both Blizzard artists and Warcraft fans alike, featuring pieces by Samwise Didier and Arnold Tsang as well as a ton of other notable fan artists -- you may recall Blizzard's call for fan submissions earlier this year. Over 200 illustrations are featured in the deluxe softcover edition, all paying homage to World of Warcraft through gorgeous illustrations depicting some of the most notable characters and places in Azeroth. You can order your copy of this gorgeous book on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $32.30 USD -- it would also make a great holiday gift for Warcraft fans as well. In addition, Blizzard has made new desktop wallpapers from several of the illustrations available for free on the website -- don't forget to check those out as well!
World of Warcraft Tribute Art Book submission deadline Jan. 15
Do you love creating Warcraft art? UDON Entertainment is teaming up with Blizzard to create what may be their biggest Tribute collection yet, featuring art paying homage to World of Warcraft. Both Blizzard and UDON have called on artists from around the world to submit their original World of Warcraft-inspired artwork for consideration. However, the deadline for submissions is fast approaching. If you'd like your work to be considered for this incredible collection, you'll need to submit it by January 15. This is a worldwide collection, so anyone in any country may submit their art. However, you'll need to be 18+ to submit. Selected artists for the Tribute collection will have their work included and credited in the book, which was announced at NYCC last year, and should make its first appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 as a special, limited-edition hardcover. If you're an artist and you'd like to see your Warcraft-inspired work make its way into print, this is an opportunity you don't want to miss. For more information, including rules, guidelines, and submission information, head to the official World of Warcraft Tribute website.
Latest issue of ImagineFX features Blizzard art and more
Whether you're a fan of Blizzard's vast array of art from all of its franchises, or you're an artist wanting to know more about the process behind it all, this month's issue of ImagineFX magazine is definitely worth picking up. The December issue features workshops by Samwise Didier and Laurel D Austin, as well as exclusive art by Alex Ross, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, Craig Mullins, Alex Horley, and many more, all topped off with a cover image of Jaina Proudmoore by Glenn Rane. One of my top reasons for purchasing collector's editions of Blizzard games has always been the art books included in those editions. You don't really think about the sheer amount of artistry that goes into designing an expansion when you're simply wandering around in game -- but the art books provide that behind-the-scenes glimpse of development. Blizzard has some truly talented artists on staff, and the ImagineFX issue is another place to get a look at all the hard work that they do. You don't need a subscription to pick up ImagineFX, you can simply purchase a single issue on their website if you'd like. And for the sake of convenience, the magazine is available in both print and digital versions -- so there's no need to wait for shipping, either. Learn more about the issue on the official website, or go ahead and order your issue today.
Michael Whelan forges a vision of Deathwing
If you're a fan of science fiction and fantasy, the name Michael Whelan is likely familiar to you. And even if the name isn't familiar, it's incredibly likely you've picked up a book with Whelan's art on the cover. Michael Whelan has been one of the world's premier fantasy and science fiction cover artists since 1980, with covers that grace the works of Isaac Asimov, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Anne McCaffrey and many more. In 2009, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in Seattle -- the first living artist to be included in a distinguished list of notable authors. Whelan was approached for a commissioned piece by Blizzard's Art Director, Jeremy Cranford. The subject? Deathwing. This month's ImagineFX magazine includes a two-page spread of the full painting, but Whelan has also featured a behind-the-scenes glimpse showing the full process behind creating this beautiful work of art on his official website. It's a fascinating look at what that process of creating a piece of art is actually like. There are a tremendous number of steps involved -- including, in this case, a detailed head study of Deathwing, shown above. The end result is a dramatic, bold, beautiful and very Whelan piece, but the post on Whelan's website includes all of the developmental pieces of art as well. Head to Whelan's website for the full story behind this gorgeous piece of art and an illustration of the work it takes to go from idea to finished piece. And if you're interested in a truly unique holiday gift, the head study of Deathwing is available for purchase, too.
