12 inspirational VFX artists you need to know

If you want to know how to draw like a pro or master the art of 3D and visual effects, who better to learn from than the experts? I.A. Magazine Master Classes 2016 is a three-day event of classes from 12 masters in the inspirational setting of Paris. This year, the masters in question range from animators and sculptors to concept artists and illustrators.

The next event will be held at BNF Quai François Mauriac, Paris, 75013, France from 8 - 10 March 2016.

Craig Mullins

Craig Mullins

The big news is that this year the Paris art event has scored a massive coup in the form of Craig Mullins, known as the godfather of digital art.

The American digital painter and leading international concept artist has created art for books such as When Gravity Falls, video games such as BioShock 2 and films including Matrix Revolutions and Armageddon. Check out his work on his official website.

And there's plenty more to look forward to. Below you can read about the other 12 speakers announced so far, and find out how you can attend this unmissable event!

01. Aaron McBride

aaron mcbride

Aaron joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1998. He has worked on high profile films such as A.I. and Minority Report as a concept artist and designer, and as a designer and art director on films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (for which he won an Academy Award for Best VFX).

Most recently he finished work as ILM Visual Effects Art Director for Jurassic World and is currently working on upcoming Lucasfilm projects.

02. Allan McKay

allan mckay

Allan is an award winning Visual Effects Supervisor and Technical Director in Hollywood. With over 20 years experience, he has worked for many leading studios including ILM, Blur, Frantic Films, Pixomondo and Ubisoft.

Contributing to over 30 Films and Games, titles range from Star Trek into Darkness to Flight, Transformers 3 and Halo. Working closely with Autodesk, Allan presents and contributes to their Media and Entertainment products Maya and 3D Studio Max.

In addition to holding over 100 workshops and mater classes all over the world he runs a podcast, The Allan McKay Podcast which focuses on the VFX industry, interviewing many of the leading names from Weta, Pixar and ILM as well as practical advice on furthering your career.

03. Anselm von Seherr-Thoss

anselm von seherr-thoss

Award winning Visual Effects Technical Director and VES (Visual Effects Society) member, Anselm was among Autodesk Artists of the Year 2013 and Artist of the Month in July 2013.

He has worked on major blockbuster films such as Avatar, Star Trek: Into Darkness and Transformers 4 as well as numerous commercials and music videos. Anselm has also worked on films such as Skyline as a VFX specialist consultant.

04. Carlos Baena

carlos baena

Formally working as an animator at ILM for big budget flicks like Jurassic Park III and Men in Black II, Carlos went on to join Pixar in 2002 where he’s worked on Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E and Toy Story 3.

Carlos received an Annie Award nomination in 2007 for Best Character Animation for his work on the film Cars.

Carlos also directed and released the acclaimed live-action short film Play by Play in December 2010, a short made in conjunction with Pixar’s Educational Department and is cofounder of the online school Animation Mentor alongside partners, Bobby Beck and Shawn Kelly.

05. Fausto De Martini

fausto de martini

Concept artist, Fausto has a wealth of experience in video game cinematics working for 10 years at Blizzard Cinematics Department.

Recently, he made the shift to working as a concept artist and illustrator and has been fortunate enough to work along side many top industry professionals on big budget films such as Robocop, Terminator: Genisys and Star Wars VII.

06. Marc Simonetti

marc simonetti

French concept artist and illustrator, Marc is perhaps best known for his work on George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones series. The artist has illustrated some of the most well known fantasy and sci-fi novels including Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.
On top of this, Marc has worked for numerous video games companies including Activision, Ubisoft, Magic: The Gathering and EA.

07. Ian McQue

ian mcque

Art Director, concept artist and illustrator, Ian has many strings to his bow. After spending over 20 years working in the video game industry as lead concept artist and assistant art director on the bestselling Grand Theft Auto series, he now works as a freelancer.

His freelance work is mainly geared towards visual development for film and recent clients include 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros and Song Pictures.

08. In-Ah Roediger

in-ah roediger

In-Ah started off in 2D animation, before adding to her sizable portfolio with a degree in 3D animation back in 2003.

Her VFX career began with Framstore, on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and has led on to Sony Imageworks, where she notabley helped bring the Smurfs to 3D big-screens as well as working on the likes of Hotel Transylvania and Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Most recently she worked on Guardians of the Galaxy and on the silver screen debut of the 90's classic children's horror TV series, Goosebumps, to be released early next year.

09. Marc Brunet

marc brunet

Marc has 10 years experience in the video game industry. At the tender age of 22, he moved from Canada to the US to join Blizzard Entertainment and went on to work as both a 3D artist and concept artist on titles such as StarCraft 2 and Heroes of the Storm.

Marc is currently the CEO and founder of Cubebrush.co, a marketplace for artists to buy and sell digital art resources. His constant quest to aid and contribute to the art world doesn’t end there, however: he produces and sells his own tutorials and runs a popular YouTube channel.

10. Mark Theriault

mark theriault

Mark Theriault has a long list of 5 star credits to his name. Working at a variety of studios including ILM, Image Engine, Dreamworks and Blur Studios.

His latest projects have included Warcraft, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Chappie and Rise of the Guardians. He currently works as a Senior Effects Technical Director and FX artist in Vancoiver, BC.

11. Nicolas Prothais

nicolas prothais

Nicolas has worked as a CG Animator for Disney Animation Studio’s in California since 2012. Entirely self taught, he began his career in 1999 as a CG generalist, working on small projects to extend his knowledge.

Nicolas has worked in studios across Europe and on projects that range from Despicable Me, Frozen and Big Hero 6 and Paul and Iron Man 2.

12. Raphael Lacoste

raphael lacoste

Raphael has a stellar list of best selling video game credits to his name. In 2006, he won a VES Award for his work on “Two Thrones” from Prince of Persia.

Since then he’s added some blockbusters to his credentials, working as a matte painter and senior concept artist on films like Terminator Salvation, Death Race and Jupiter Ascending.

In 2009, Raphael decided to return to the video game industry and is currently the Art Director for the Assassin’s Creed games at Ubisoft.

I.A. Magazine's mission is to gather big industry names to participate in a three-day master classes to allow actors in the industry — professional, students or amateurs — to learn, share and network across industries and learn new skillsets. Get your ticket here.

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Alice Pattillo

Alice Pattillo is a freelance journalist with a passion for heavy metal, horror, science fiction, fantasy and comics. She has over seven years experience in magazines, formerly working as a staff writer at Creative Bloq, Imagine FX, Computer Arts and 3D World, as production editor for Guitar World and Guitar Player and online editor of Metal Hammer.