The Canadian artist Dan Gartman loves everything analogue, and he gets excited about handmade items with imperfections and stories. Created using watercolour paints, acrylics and coloured pencils, his work embodies this while also taking inspiration from the crisp textures and geometric shapes of Cubism and Futurism.
Below, Dan talks us through four examples of his work, from a study for The Iliad to a character design for his own poker deck.
Achilles
“This illustration was one that I made during my study of the Iliad, even though Achilles isn’t my favourite character from the epic. It’s a quick artwork that I did in one attempt using watercolours and a couple of green pencils.”
King of Clubs
“Someone has to reign the Club’s suit, so bless the King! Made with watercolours and ink pen, this is part of my poker deck. I used a circuit-cutting machine to make a stencil so I could sponge on the gold emblem with straight edges and circles.”
Unknown Water Anomaly
“This is what you never want to face in the ocean! Where are all the lost ships that people cannot find? Well, I’ve drawn an answer using acrylic paint and watercolour paper.”
Triplets
“These guys (or is it one guy?) are a card design from one of my monster card deck collections. I used acrylic and watercolour paper, as well as a dry sponge, in order to add texture to the background.”
You can see more of Dan's work on his website.
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This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions are available.
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