Here at Artician, we strive to put the spotlight on some of Artician’s most talented artists. In an upcoming series of articles we aim to display some of the very best Artist’s we have here at Artician. When deciding who should we display first, we had one individual who has shone for a very long time and we have always aimed to help this guy as much as we can.
You may infact see some of his work within earlier articles on Artician Mag!

The goal of this series of articles is to gain more general awareness of an artist, to acknowledge their skills and talents and to understand just a little bit more about them.

So, without further delay.. the spotlight is on Tyler (artofty) James.

• The Fortune Teller by artoftyCategories: Art / Photography > Digital Art > Painting / Airbrush

  Artists Description:
  The Fortune Teller is a milestone piece for me. It was one of the first images where I strived to create realistic materials.
  It also represents the beginning of my tarot series. Painting the small tarot cards strung at her waist inspired me to begin creating an entire deck of my own.
  Since she represents the one using the cards to tell your fortune, she will ultimately adorn the backs of the cards in some form.

• Bella and Warslave by artoftyCategories: Art / Photography > Digital Art > Painting / Airbrush
  

  Artists Description:
  Bella and Warslave was an image that I had a lot of fun filling with symbolism.
  It’s something I’ve become quite addicted to doing the Tarot series.

  The idea is this devilish succubus has gained control of a killing machine. What lies inside that armor shell I prefer to leave a mystery. Upon further inspection you’ll find things that indicate the narrative such as the key hole in his chest and the key on her tail.
  Also the symbol in the book at his waist is tattood on her ankle. There are things hidden in my images that I wait for people to stumble on.

• Jody and Scruffy by artoftyCategories: Art / Photography > Digital Art > Painting / Airbrush
  

  Artists Description:
  Jody and scruffy are part of a series of science fiction designs I’ve been exploring. As much as I love fantasy I have an equal appreciation for great science fiction design.

  This piece shows off the more whimsical side of my personality. I am a big animal lover and always enjoy showing the bond between a pet and his owner.

  I try to create a story behind every illustration I create. It really helps inspire me and guide the details of the piece.

• Zanku Hadouken by artoftyCategories: Art / Photography > Digital Art > Painting / Airbrush
  Artists Description:
  Street Fighter has been with me since I was a little kid. I remember playing Street Fighter 2 at the little donut shop near my elementary school.
  I had a mean Blanka! When the game hit consoles I played it to death.
  In college we were lucky enough to have a Third Strike machine in our lounge.
  I grew quite fond of Akuma in the third installment and so in this fan piece I tried to stay true to that incarnation, white lock of hair and all. It was only by coincidence that the idea of his necklace beads magically detaching later came to fruition in another character later in the series Oni.
• Beauty and the Beast by artoftyCategories: Art / Photography > Digital Art > Painting / Airbrush
  

  Artists Description:
  This image was done for a Gnomon Workshop challenge and received first place. The theme was Beauty and the Beast. I felt that the most powerful visual element in this story is the contrasting forms of the two lovers and so I wanted to focus on their faces.

  It was important for me to create the beasts’s face to look powerful and ferocious while at the same time showing his compassion and agony. I wanted beauty to look away from beast to show that the sight before her is too horrible to bear.

  Her hand however remains clutching at his cloak showing her inability to ignore her feelings for him. Contrast is a large part of my art and I try to show this in as many aspects as possible, from the narrative elements to the literal application of line and form.

• Nosferatu by artoftyCategories: Art / Photography > Digital Art > Painting / Airbrush
  

  Artists Description:
  I have a huge love of horror films. Especially the black and white classics. I feel like there is something very powerful about the simplicity and power of suggestion in older movies.

  This piece was inspired by those things and my major goal here was to convey the holy aura of the cross by showing the vampire repelling away from it. It was also a great excercise in rendering pale flesh which at times can be challenging to paint convincingly. I look to artists such as Bouguereau for inspiration on this.

End Note from Tyler~

Story and symbolism are a huge part of my art. I love the feel of an ancient tome, the smell of a burning candle, the glint of a ritual blade and the creak of a cemetary gate. Science fiction I find is a great genre to explore design language. It is a more open pallette.

I tend to gravitate toward simpler more iconic imagery. Realism impresses me but I prefer hyper realism, where form light design and narrative are twisted but remain relatable.
My time working in the art field has been a very rewarding experience so far.
I love knowing that I will never stop learning and meeting other people who share my love for great art.

One of the greatest feelings is being able to imagine something, communicate it to others and then see their reaction. The internet has been a very valuable way for me to recieve feedback on my work and I have to thank everyone who has taken the time to keep in touch with me online and follow my creative endeavours.

Artician.com has been a great place to share my work with others and I always enjoy seeing what other amazing artists are producing.

Thanks for reading and happy arting everyone!

Tyler James

www.artofty.com

If you wish to see more of Tyler’s work here at Artician, check out his portfolio at artofty. Don’t forget to click ‘watch’ or send him a friends request to stay upto date the minute he uploads his new content!