The Art AtomHawk Design Vol1 |
Review
| It comes as no surprise that art books are a common source of inspiration for artists everywhere. Most art books on the market today illustrate the work of a single artist and his creative universe. However, once in a while, little treats come along: art books featuring work from an entire digital art agency. These are a delight to read, when done right.
Today, we are reviewing Atomhawk Design Volume 1, a solid start for a solid visual agency. Atomhawk Design is a visual art agency based in England. They recently celebrated their first two years of existence. The agency made a name for itself by working with clients such as Warner Bros Games, Ubisoft, Ninja Theory and Nether Realms and on different projects including Mortal Kombat, Dead Island and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Atomhawk is composed of a few titans from the videogame industry: Cumron Ashtiani, Pete Thomson, our good friend and Slixart featured artist Corlen Kruger, Steven Pick and some stunning rising stars such as Charlie Bowater, Roberto F. Castro and Dan Gilmore. A true power house of talent.
So Atomhawk has talent and experience, but does it translate in the
book?
The paperback comes in a slipcase and features 192 pages of illustrations from their various projects. The book is divided into five chapters: Atomhawk Intro, Character Concept, Action Concept, Environment Concept and Vehicle Concept. The four Concept chapters are chockfull of illustrations from different styles and universes ranging from zombies (by the way, Corlen’s zombies are as vibrant as ever), hit men, high-speed car chases, strippers, demons, knights, futuristic vehicles and amazing cityscapes. Bottom line, they are sure to please any art enthusiast.
One factor we thought was very cool is the addition of comments next to each illustration. These comments give us an insider’s perspective on the design, creativity and technique used in order to achieve the finished product. It’s an appreciated touch and a great idea, often overlooked in other art books.
In the end, is the book worth it?
Yes, it is worth it. Is it perfect? Well, almost. Most of the work featured in the book is from Corlen Kruger and Pete Thomson. This is awesome, but we would have been curious to see more work form the other members of Atomhawk. Also, we would have loved to see more sketches, maybe a sketch chapter in the future?
Overall, the book is a great purchase for any artist looking for inspiration or reference and should not be missed.
AtomHawk is published by 3DTotal Publishing
| Order the art of AtomHawk on Amazon
| 3D Total Publishing Official Page
| AtomHawk official Website
Atomhawk Demo Reel 2011 from Atomhawk Design on
Vimeo.